Chris Betcher

Like you, I have also been inundated with updated privacy policy emails lately in the wake of the new GDPR rules ( General Data Protection Regulation ). Everyone wants to tell me what they are doing to protect my data. To be honest, it's not something that's been bothering me, but thanks for clogging my inbox anyway. It gets silly... I've heard that some schools are using GDPR as an excuse to avoid having things online, such as refusing to post photos or student work, not allowing students to use online services, etc. I've even heard it suggested that you can't read blogs anymore as it infringes on the GDPR rules! I am pretty sure that was not the purpose of GDPR (and we certainly should not allow some rule designed for the European Union to be affecting schools as far away as New Zealand!) I also heard that some bloggers are adding GDPR compliance statements to their blogs for fear of breaking the rules. Which I think is ridiculous, but here goes... This blog does ...

It seems like it wasn't that long ago that the music industry was still resisting any attempt at allowing consumers to access music in any way other that buying CDs. So many other industries have been disrupted by digital technology, and while a few notable ones stuck doggedly to their "principles" until they literally vanished (I'm looking at you Kodak and Blockbuster), most industries either embraced the disruption or eventually waved the white flag and gave in. One of the industries that probably should have most logically embraced the opportunities of being digital was the music business. After all, with a product that is essentially just a collection of digital bits, the decision to move those bits directly to consumers via the Internet should have been a no brainer. Yet the record company cartels fought the inevitable digital transition for years.  Rarely have I seen such a group of people with so little vision for the future be so obstinate about protecting the...