[Reader-list] Fwd: <nettime> CueJack

[Shuddhabrata Sengupta]

Apologies for cross posting for all those who are also on the nettime list. 
But couldn't resist spreading the word about this free software counter 
surveillance application
cheers

Shuddha


>From: "nettime's_anonymizer" <nettime at bbs.thing.net>
>To: nettime-l at bbs.thing.net
>Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 15:19:25 +1000
>Subject: <nettime> CueJack
>Sender: nettime-l-request at bbs.thing.net
>Reply-To: "nettime's_anonymizer" <nettime at bbs.thing.net>
>X-AntiVirus: scanned for viruses by AMaViS 0.2.1 (http://amavis.org/)
>
>CueJack - a free software product for the promotional
>CueCat barcode scanner, is available at
>
>http://www.rtmark.com/cuejack/
>Created by digital artist Cue P. Doll and distributed
>through RTMark, CueJack allows consumers to scan product barcodes
>to learn "alternative information" about corporations.
>
>The CueCat scanner was shipped last fall to subscribers of
>Wired and Forbes magazines and is distributed free of charge at Radio
>Shack stores in the US. Using CueCat's bundled software, consumers
>scan UPC codes on products and are whisked directly to company
>webpages depicting tidily packaged images of the company and product.
>A "software parody," CueJack allows this same consumerist scanning
>technique to instead whisk users to webpages containing information
>such as boycotts against the manufacturer, corporate misbehavior,
>or company profits. The information CueJack displays comes from
>sources all over the web.
>
>In addition to digging for information on scanned products, CueJack
>also researches CueCat itself. CueJack displays pages
>detailing the electronic privacy issues surrounding CueCat and the legal
>actions taken by CueCat manufacturer Digital Convergence against Linux
>developers.
>
>In a recent interview, Digital Convergence told Wired News that the company
>is
>interested in having Cue P. Doll develop CueJack as a plugin for the
>next version of the bundled CueCat software - that is of course, if she will
>modify CueJack's unflattering treatment of Digital Convergence.
>
>Originally released for Windows only, CueJack is now available
>for both Windows and Linux. CueJack is open source and is distributed
>under the GPL.
>
>CueJack:
>http://www.rtmark.com/cuejack/
>
>Wired News article:
>http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,43154,00.html
>
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Shuddhabrata Sengupta
SARAI: The New Media Initiative
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
29, Rajpur Road, Delhi 110 052, India
www.sarai.net