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August 2, 2012 (Cybersecurity Act expected to fail)
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CYBERSECURITY
Cybersecurity Act expected to fail
Dempsey, Brennan urge Senate to pass cybersecurity legislation
Collaborative and Cross-Cutting Approaches to Cybersecurity - press release
Again, Wrangling Over Surveillance in the Cybersecurity Bill
Cyber Hill Battle - editorial
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Chairmen Walden, Bono Mack Urge Support to Preserve Internet, Prevent Global Government Control
Sen DeMint accuses Amazon of lobbying for online tax to cripple competitors
Online sales taxes: not taxation without representation - analysis
The FCC Must Prevent Comcast from Discriminating Against Online Video Competitors - press release
Google Fiberhoods: Better Than Tupperware Parties
Google Fiber: Check out the in-home set up and equipment
Entrepreneurs Dream of Jumping on Super-Fast Network [links to web]
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
The emerging market that could kill the iPhone
Apple gains users, but Samsung still the mobile-phone leader [links to web]
US to top the world in mobile ad spending for the first time [links to web]
Smartphones, Tablets Migrate to Wi-Fi [links to web]
PRIVACY
FTC Seeks Comments on Additional Proposed Revisions to Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule - press release
A Homework Assignment for Privacy Stakeholders - press release
Illinois employers can no longer force Facebook password disclosure [links to web]
Google Failed to Delete Street View Data in France
The Need for an R&D Roadmap for Privacy
APPLE-SAMSUNG
Apple to file emergency motion for sanctions against Samsung
Samsung: Decision to send media blocked evidence was 'lawful, ethical'
Apple V Samsung: Can Look And Feel Be Patented? - analysis
As Apple’s products evolved, so did a strategy to protect them - analysis
ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
Hope and Change 2.0 - editorial
Smartphones in politics work 2 ways
For online video ads, act before space runs out
Mitt Romney not yet a member of the ‘thumb tribe’
Obama allies turn to targeted TV ads to shore up niche voters [links to web]
5 sites that use data science to help you predict the President [links to web]
Twitter hopes to reflect nuances of public opinion with political barometer [links to web]
THE OLYMPICS AND MEDIA
Twitter backs down at last - but why did I get banned? - op-ed
The Power of Internet Censorship, in 1 Chart [links to web]
Two Decades of the Olympics, Two Big Lessons About the Media - analysis [links to web]
NBC's Olympics coverage expected to be close to 'break-even'
Viewers From Mid-Sized Markets Flock to NBC's Olympics Telecasts [links to web]
TELEVISION
Nielsen: Smart TVs catching on in U.S. homes [links to web]
CONTENT
Social Networks for Hate Speech: Commercial Talk Radio and New Media - research
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Inquiry Into Security Leaks Is Casting Chill Over Coverage
GAO’s Web 2.0 Proposals Could Stifle Digital Innovation
Sen Lindsey Graham pitches Fox News
Who’s tweeting? Lawmakers don’t say
COMPANY NEWS
The Future of Twitter’s Platform Is All in the Cards - analysis [links to web]
Facebook's biggest problem [links to web]
For Comcast, broadband subscribers are up, but video subs are down [links to web]
Time Warner Cable Profit Tops Estimates On Internet Gains [links to web]
Craigslist tightens grip, demanding exclusive ownership of ads [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Women's Access to ICT: Strengthening Policy Frameworks to Address the Mobile Phone Gender Gap - op-ed
Google Failed to Delete Street View Data in France
Nielsen Sued for Billions Over Allegedly Manipulated TV Ratings
UK Competition Commission confirms Sky pay-TV ruling
MORE ONLINE
Accessible AlertSanDiego Brings Emergency Notifications via Text, Voice and Video [links to web]
CYBERSECURITY
CYBERSECURITY ACT EXPECTED TO FAIL
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jennifer Martinez]
The Senate’s cybersecurity bill is likely to go down in defeat on Thursday, ending any hope of passing a measure by the end of the year to protect America’s networks. Unless members strike a last-minute deal, the Cybersecurity Act from Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is expected to fall short of the 60 votes needed to end debate. That would be a defeat for the White House, which made an all-hands-on-deck push to get the bill through Congress. The collapse of the legislation would be a blow to the White House, which had lobbied hard for passage – and for the bill’s primary sponsor, retiring Sen Joe Lieberman (I-CT).
benton.org/node/131361 | Hill, The
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PUSH FOR CYBERSECURITY LEGISLATION
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Jennifer Martinez]
The Obama Administration is unleashing a full court press for the Senate to pass cybersecurity legislation this week as the prospects for moving a bill before the August recess are flagging. A pair of top defense officials argued that the legislation is needed to protect computer systems connected to critical infrastructure -- such as the electric grid or transportation systems -- from being hit by a crippling cyberattack. President Obama's counterterrorism adviser John Brennan warned in a statement that "the risks to our nation our real and immediate" and called on the Senate to pass Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-CT) Cybersecurity Act "to give our cybersecurity professionals the tools they need to keep the nation safe.” Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). in a letter that "we must act now" to address the escalating cyberthreats the nation faces. Sen Rockefeller, a co-sponsor of Lieberman's cybersecurity bill, sent Dempsey a letter to ask what action the Senate must take to address the threat of a cyberattack.
benton.org/node/131334 | Hill, The | B&C
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APPROACHES TO CYBERSECURITY
[SOURCE: The White House, AUTHOR: Michael Daniel]
As I reach the end of my first two months as Cybersecurity Coordinator, I wanted to highlight a few of the Administration’s recent accomplishments working in partnership with the private sector, and also preview some of our future activities. Some of the Government’s cybersecurity activities are already high-profile, like the recent National Level Exercise or our push for comprehensive cybersecurity legislation, but there is also substantial activity occurring outside of the spotlight. Both are needed if we are going to address the serious threats we face in cyberspace and capitalize on the exceptional opportunities cyberspace presents for governments, individuals, and U.S. businesses. Let me highlight a few recent initiatives where voluntary, cooperative actions are helping to improve the nation’s overall cybersecurity:
The Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Cybersecurity/Information Assurance (CS/IA) program helps companies protect critical information related to Department of Defense programs and missions. The government shares cybersecurity threat and mitigation information with DIB companies, and in turn, DIB companies can report known intrusions.
The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) seeks an "Identity Ecosystem" where individuals will soon be able to choose from a variety of more secure, convenient and privacy-enhancing technologies in lieu of passwords when they log in to different websites. The initial meeting of the Identity Ecosystem Steering Group, the private sector-led body that will help develop Ecosystem standards and policies, is happening next week.
The Electric Sector Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model helps firms in the electric sector evaluate and strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities; it also enables the prioritization of network protection investments. This White House-initiated effort, led by the Department of Energy and in coordination with Department of Homeland Security, provides valuable insights to inform investment planning, research and development, and public-private partnership efforts in the electric sector.
In End-User Cybersecurity Protection, the government is participating in four linked initiatives across the IT industry, law enforcement, the financial sector, and government to counter the threat of malicious software – known as ‘bots.’ This voluntary, public-private effort ties together the capabilities of different sectors to identify compromised computers and help their owners fix them.
benton.org/node/131333 | White House, The
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SURVEILLANCE IN CYBERSECURITY BILL
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Somini Sengupta]
The so-called cybersecurity bill is being thrashed out on the United States Senate floor this week, a debate that is turning into a pitched battle over how easily the government can go through private data online. The bill has already raised the ire of civil liberties groups. The bill’s original goal was to let the government enforce minimum security standards for the computer systems that run power plants, air traffic control systems, dams and other critical infrastructure. The business lobby pushed back. The legislation now makes government oversight entirely voluntary. Some of the most important parts of the bill now center on the sharing of information between private companies and government agencies — and therein lies the rub. There is a flurry of amendments to the bill, and a great many of them would either expand or limit the government’s powers of surveillance.
benton.org/node/131306 | New York Times
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CYBER HILL BATTLE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Every Washington politician and his favorite lobbyist claim to want to shore up America's cyber-defenses. So naturally Congress is mucking up efforts to protect financial systems and power grids from hackers, terrorists or rogue states. The Senate is due to take up cyber-security legislation this week before its summer recess. The goal ought to be to find common ground with a modest, bipartisan bill passed by the House of Representatives in May. In this instance a delay to work out a compromise in the autumn is preferable to a hasty vote. The Senate debate so far hasn't been encouraging. The White House supports legislation from Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut Independent, and Maine Republican Susan Collins. Their Cybersecurity Act of 2012 expands government oversight of private networks. Without further substantial changes, the bill has little shot of getting through a House-Senate conference. The House and McCain cyber-security proposals offer limited solutions to guard against a "digital Pearl Harbor." In a world of fast-changing technology, less is better policy, and in this case it stands a far better chance of becoming the law of the land.
benton.org/node/131360 | Wall Street Journal
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
CALL FOR SUPPORT OF H.CON.RES 127
[SOURCE: House of Representatives Commerce Committee]
House Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) urged the House to support H.Con.Res. 127, which expresses the sense of Congress that the Internet should remain free from international regulation and that the United States should continue its commitment to the current “multi-stakeholder” model of governance. This bipartisan resolution, authored by Bono Mack, would reject international proposals, expected to be discussed at the December World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai, to treat the Internet like an old-fashioned telephone service.
benton.org/node/131343 | House of Representatives Commerce Committee
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DEMINT AT INTERNET SALES TAX HEARING
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
Sen Jim DeMint (R-SC) blasted a bill that would allow states to tax online purchases and accused Amazon of lobbying for the bill to hurt its online competitors. Under current law, states can only collect sales taxes from retailers that have a physical presence in their state. People who order items online from another state are supposed to declare the purchase on their tax forms, but few do. Amazon reportedly has plans to dramatically expand its number of physical distribution centers to allow for same-delivery. The physical centers would make Amazon subject to taxes in many states under current law anyway. "Now that you're going to have to pay taxes in all of these states where you have a physical presence, you want to come back and tax these other companies that don't," Sen DeMint said at hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee. Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president for global public policy, said the company supports the bill to establish a single national framework for collecting sales taxes, instead of a patchwork of state laws. He argued that Amazon has long supported a national solution for taxing online purchases.
benton.org/node/131331 | Hill, The | GigaOm | US Senate Commerce Committee
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ONLINE SALES TAXES
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jon Healey]
[Commentary] The latest argument from those who oppose sales taxes on Internet purchases is that it's "taxation without representation." Where did this counterfactual meme come from, and how do we kill it? I'm fond of that principle too, but it's irrelevant to online sales taxes. At issue here is how to enforce state laws that require buyers to pay taxes on the items they purchase. Purchases made locally are taxed at the point of sale. Those made out of state are taxed when the buyer pays income taxes. Technically, the latter are "use" taxes, not "sales" taxes, and not every state imposes them. Just to be clear here, the buyer is the one paying the tax; the online retailer is merely remitting it after collecting it from the buyer. And under the Marketplace Fairness Act pending in the Senate and the Marketplace Equity Act in the House, the amount and terms of the tax would be set by the buyer's home state. In other words, the buyer would be paying taxes to the state where the buyer votes.
benton.org/node/131351 | Los Angeles Times
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PK PETITIONS FCC
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Michael Weinberg]
Public Knowledge asked the Federal Communications Commission to address Comcast’s decision to exempt its own online video service from the data caps that it imposes on its subscribers. Specifically, Public Knowledge filed a petition calling on the FCC to enforce the conditions that it imposed on the Comcast/NBC-Universal merger. In evaluating the merger, both the FCC and the Department of Justice recognized that a combined Comcast/NBC-Universal would have an enhanced motive to discriminate against unaffiliated online video services that might compete with Comcast’s pay-TV cable service. Because Comcast controls their subscribers’ connection to the internet, and subscribers could use that very connection to access video services not controlled by Comcast, Comcast has the ability to manipulate those internet connections in a way that would disadvantage video competitors. Earlier this year, Comcast announced that it was doing just that. While every other internet video service available on Xbox 360 and TiVo count against Comcast’s data cap, Comcast’s own Xfinity video app would be exempted. With that decision, Comcast leveraged its control over consumers’ internet connections to benefit its own online video offering and violated the conditions imposed upon the merger.
It is critical that the FCC enforce the conditions it imposed upon the combined Comcast/NBC-Universal. As both the FCC and the Department of Justice understood after reviewing confidential internal documents related to the merger, the combination of the nation’s largest ISP with one of the nation’s largest content owners increased the likelihood of manipulation. The FCC recognized that when it imposed the conditions, and it is time for the FCC to prevent more damage by enforcing those conditions.
benton.org/node/131271 | Public Knowledge | B&C | ars technica
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FIBERHOODS
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: Sarah Kessler]
A little peer pressure. A little neighborly competition. And a lot of hyperlocal. That’s Google’s plan for rolling out Google Fiber in Kansas City this year. And so far, it’s working splendidly. Google announced last week that it would be granting Kansas City--one of 1,100 cities that applied for the honor--with the fastest broadband Internet in the country. This bestowal, however, has a small catch. Neighborhoods that have the highest percent of pre-registrations by September 9 will be the first to have Google Fiber, which includes options to add TV channels and a terabyte of cloud storage, installed in their homes. Neighborhoods that meet goals set by Google will win free Internet for public buildings such as libraries and schools. The marketing maneuver has individuals and home associations alike working to collect Google Fiber sign-ups in their neighborhoods, and six days in, 39 of the 202 eligible "fiberhoods" in Kansas City have already met their goals.
benton.org/node/131265 | Fast Company
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
EMERGING MARKET
[SOURCE: Fortune, AUTHOR: Francesca Robin]
Internet users have heard plenty about third-party aggregators filching their data, spying on them via all manner of cookies and selling Web surfing data to unscrupulous marketers. Much less has been said about what users can do to control their personal information, let alone have a say in who can snoop around, poke into or use it. Until now. A handful of tech startups are competing for a foothold in the emerging market for personal data control products. According to The World Economic Forum, personal data is the asset class of the twenty-first century; users should essentially view their data like "money in a bank." Forrester Research projects that the nascent business of personal data management is worth billions and could grow substantially over the next 18 to 24 months. In the U.S. alone, over $2 billion is spent annually just collecting consumer data from third-parties. Companies such as Azigo, Mydex, The DataBanker and Personal.com are racing to cash in. How would these personal data lockers work exactly? Picture a cloud-based "hub" that's part virtual safe and part personal digital assistant.
benton.org/node/131262 | Fortune
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PRIVACY
FTC PROPOSES ONLINE PRIVACY RULES
[SOURCE: Federal Trade Commission, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal Trade Commission is publishing a Federal Register Notice seeking public comments on additional proposed modifications to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule. In updating the Rule to keep current with technology advances, in September 2011, the FTC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on proposed changes to the Commission's COPPA Rule. The Commission received 350 comments. In response to those comments and informed by its experience in enforcing and administrating the Rule, the FTC now proposes to modify certain definitions to clarify the scope of the Rule and strengthen its protections for the online collection, use, or disclosure of children's personal information. The proposed modifications to the definitions of "operator" and "website or online service directed to children" would allocate and clarify the responsibilities under COPPA when third parties such as advertising networks or downloadable software kits ("plug-ins") collect personal information from users through child-directed websites or services. The Commission proposes to state within the definition of "operator" that personal information is "collected or maintained on behalf of" an operator where it is collected in the interest of, as a representative of, or for the benefit of, the operator. This change would make clear that an operator of a child-directed site or service that chooses to integrate the services of others that collect personal information from its visitors should itself be considered a covered "operator" under the Rule.
The Commission also proposes to modify the definition of "website or online service directed to children" to:
Clarify that a plug-in or ad network is covered by the Rule when it knows or has reason to know that it is collecting personal information through a child-directed website or online service;
Address the reality that some websites that contain child-oriented content are appealing to both young children and others, including parents. Under the current Rule, these sites must treat all visitors as under 13 years of age. The proposed definition would allow these mixed audience websites to age-screen all visitors in order to provide COPPA's protections only to users under age 13; and,
Clarify that those child-directed sites or services that knowingly target children under 13 as their primary audience or whose overall content is likely to attract children under age 13 as their primary audience must still treat all users as children.
Finally, the Commission proposes to modify the Rule's definition of "personal information" to make clear that a persistent identifier will be considered personal information where it can be used to recognize a user over time, or across different sites or services, where it is used for purposes other than support for internal operations.
benton.org/node/131289 | Federal Trade Commission | FTC’s NPRM | Washington Post | The Hill | AdWeek | National Journal
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HOMEWORK FOR PRIVACY ADVOCATES
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, AUTHOR: John Verdi]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has posted the lists of discussion elements raised by stakeholders at the last meeting, as well as feedback from the non-binding polling that occurred. The NTIA encourages stakeholders to use the time between meetings to continue working on these issues with likeminded colleagues or in cross-cutting groups. The NTIA hopes that all stakeholders will work together to refine the substantive elements of a potential code and to develop concrete proposals for how to structure the process. Some stakeholders have already established a public, archived mailing list to discuss the process. The NTIA did not create the mailing list. The list is not sponsored or operated by NTIA. Instead, it was created and is operated by stakeholders. The mailing list demonstrates the high level of stakeholder engagement and highlights the value of the stakeholder-driven process.
benton.org/node/131329 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration | NTIA webpage
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GOOGLE STREET VIEW DATA
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Pfanner]
The French data protection authorities asked Google on July 31 to examine private information that cars taking pictures for its Street View service collected, after Google acknowledged that it had retained some of the information despite promising to delete it. The request by the French privacy protection agency, known as the C.N.I.L., followed a similar one last week from the Information Commissioner’s Office of Britain. The C.N.I.L. fined the company €100,000, or $120,000, in March 2011 for collecting private e-mail messages, computer passwords and other personal data as its cars took pictures for Google’s Street View feature, a case that prompted privacy investigations around the world. “Like its British counterpart, the C.N.I.L. has asked Google to make available the data in question and to keep it secure while the necessary investigations are conducted,” the agency said.
benton.org/node/131303 | New York Times
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R&D AND PRIVACY
[SOURCE: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, AUTHOR: Daniel Castro]
The increasing use of data by the public and private sectors has put privacy issues at the front and center of many policy debates, including on health care, home energy efficiency, cyber security, transportation, and of course, e-commerce. Learning how to properly collect, manage and use data is an important challenge for many organizations. If privacy concerns are not adequately addressed, they may stall or disrupt the deployment of new technologies that offer many potential economic and quality-of-life benefits to consumers. But at the same time, if policymakers promulgate overly strict privacy regulations, they may stall or disrupt these same technologies. Effectively addressing privacy concerns in ways that do not block innovation will require a mix of new technologies and policies to ensure that data is properly safeguarded and consumers are protected.
Rather than block potentially harmful uses of technology, government should find ways to address known challenges so as to enable further innovation and adoption of technology. For example, if there are limits to what policymakers believe the public and privacy sector should do with data (because of limitations in the current state of the art in technology), then policymakers should direct more investments in R&D to overcome these challenges.
benton.org/node/131259 | Information Technology & Innovation Foundation
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APPLE-SAMSUNG
APPLE CALLS FOR SANCTIONS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Andrea Chang]
Apple is, to put it mildly, not pleased with Samsung, and it plans to file an emergency motion in federal court asking for its rival to be sanctioned. In a two-page letter sent to U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh, Apple's lawyer, William F. Lee of WilmerHale, said Samsung lawyer John Quinn's declaration in which he said the company's release of links to evidence that was previously blocked were legal and ethical failed to identify who wrote the statement and who released it. "Samsung's multiple references to the jury in its statement make plain its intent that the jurors in our case learn of arguments the court has excluded through the press," Lee said. "This deliberate attempt to influence the trial with inadmissible evidence is both improper and unethical." Apple went on to say it would file an emergency motion for sanctions later Wednesday "and other relief that may be appropriate."
benton.org/node/131338 | Los Angeles Times
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SAMSUNG RELEASE
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Andrea Chang]
Samsung lawyer John Quinn has some explaining to do. After sending reporters links to blocked evidence in its patent trial against Apple, Samsung had to face the wrath of U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh. Again. Here's a recap of what went down in court earlier in the day: Before opening statements, Quinn approached the bench and asked Koh to reconsider her earlier decision that Samsung not be allowed to present evidence showing that Apple's iPhone was inspired by "Sony style." Judge Koh had previously denied the request and quickly did so again, saying the court needed to move forward. But Quinn didn't go easily. "Your honor, I've been practicing law for 36 years and I've never begged the court. I'm begging the court now," Quinn said. As the tiff became more heated, Judge Koh warned: "Mr. Quinn, don't make me sanction you." After that didn't work, she snapped: "I want you to sit down, please." Opening statements then began. Then, in the early afternoon, I (as well as other reporters in the courtroom) received an email containing two links to the blocked evidence, as well as a short statement that read in full:
"The Judge’s exclusion of evidence on independent creation meant that even though Apple was allowed to inaccurately argue to the jury that the F700 was an iPhone copy, Samsung was not allowed to tell the jury the full story and show the pre-iPhone design for that and other phones that were in development at Samsung in 2006, before the iPhone. The excluded evidence would have established beyond doubt that Samsung did not copy the iPhone design. Fundamental fairness requires that the jury decide the case based on all the evidence."
benton.org/node/131337 | Los Angeles Times | PCMagazine
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CAN LOOK AND FEEL BE PATENTED?
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Peter Burrows]
Get ready for “rubberbanding.” That’s the way the screen on an iPad or iPhone seems to bounce when you scroll to the bottom of a file -- and it’s among the terms jurors must understand as Apple and Samsung Electronics face off in a patent trial this week. Apple has become the most valuable company by creating products that stand out for design and ease of use, stemming from scores of smaller innovations, such as rubberbanding, rather than epic underlying technology breakthroughs. In the trial in federal court in San Jose, California, Apple will try to prove to jurors that its brand of innovation is not only effective in the marketplace, but also defensible in a courtroom. “Everyone has a sense that Apple does something different,” said Cheryl Milone, chief executive officer at Article One Partners, which makes software used to prove or disprove intellectual property claims. “Whether those differences can be protected in court is the question.”
benton.org/node/131336 | Bloomberg
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APPLE’S LEGAL STRATEGY
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Jeff John Roberts]
Apple claims Samsung is a cheat that copied Apple’s gadgets instead of making its own. The storyline (true or not) is simple enough — a popular inventor fights to protect the fruits of its genius from a shameless imitator. But Apple’s ability to tell that simple story in court is based on a sophisticated legal strategy that took as much time and creativity to develop as any one of its products. Apple’s custom-built legal strategy can be seen in the unusual legal arrows it’s using to sling Samsung. The company’s dramatic accusations that Samsung “slavishly copied” the design of the iPad and iPhone, for instance, are based on a type of patent (called “design patents“) unfamiliar even to most intellectual property lawyers. Far less common than conventional “utility patents,” design patents protect the ornamental aspects of a practical object. According to law professor Sarah Burstein of the University of Oklahoma, design patents were traditionally limited to fields like furniture and lighting until Apple began obtaining them for consumer electronics. “It’s a credit to Apple and its patent counsel who made progress in getting them through clever claiming,” said Burstein, who specializes in design patents.
benton.org/node/131279 | GigaOm | Fortune
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MEDIA AND ELECTIONS
HOPE AND CHANGE 2.0
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Daniel Henninger]
[Commentary] Starting in January 2007, when Sen Barack Obama began his 23-month trek to victory, a team of tech-savvy Obama campaign workers perfected the techniques of Internet fundraising and grass-roots organizing used on a smaller scale by Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign. Email lists, distributed mostly via desktop PCs, let the first-term senator's improbable campaign scavenge pots of cash via small, recurring electronic payments from college students and their professors. All these little stones gathered from the Internet are what let Obama's David fell the Clinton machine, a Goliath that owned Democratic fundraising until then (and will again if President Obama loses, despite the smiling support of his new best friend, Bill Clinton). The 2.0 version of barackobama.com has been upgraded into a site called "Dashboard." It's described as "a customized platform with the best tools in online organizing." President Obama himself has cited the Internet's natural fit for "grass roots organizing." This notion of the Web as an engine of political organizing fits the Web's earlier image as history's greatest freebie. Push buttons and great things happen, at little or no cost. That was true, but in four years it has become clear that what the Web and all the technologies in its orbit have become for most people is history's most powerful engine of capitalism.
benton.org/node/131358 | Wall Street Journal
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SMARTPHONES AND POLITICS
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: ]
Mitt Romney's campaign has promised possessors of a new smartphone app that they will learn his vice presidential selection "before the press and just about everyone else (except maybe Ann)." Before you rush to download the "Mitt's VP" app on your iPhone or Android, you should know that direct-to-voters announcements are neither revolutionary nor guaranteed to deliver an exclusive. The candidates' increasing reliance on social media in 2012 partly reflects their determination to bypass the filter of news media. Both the Romney and Obama campaigns have gone to unusual lengths this year to limit or control media access, especially to fundraising events and interviews with top strategists. But the even greater value of smartphone technology to campaigns is the information it provides them about you. Obama's text-message ploy helped his campaign build a vast network of contacts. Team Obama is now taking its smartphone to even more sophisticated levels in organizing and fundraising. Downloaders of the free "Mitt's VP" app will be asked to give their names, e-mail and postal addresses, ZIP code and smartphone number. GPS technology will allow the campaign to track which users are in battleground states. The candidates' smartphone apps might not give you any big scoops from a campaign. You're just as likely to get the first word from CNN or a Twitter feed. But they are guaranteed to give the campaigns the scoop on you.
benton.org/node/131357 | San Francisco Chronicle
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ONLINE POLITICAL ADS
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Steve Friess, Emily Schultheis]
For one key commodity — political advertising — the Web is about to run out of room, at least on the popular video sites that campaigns in some swing states care about most. And that’s got ad buyers for campaigns fretting the way they used to about TV and radio space: Whoever snaps up those last few prime-time spots in the final weeks of the campaign shuts the other guy out. Search ads and display ads are more plentiful and are still available to campaigns. The ads in question are those 15- and 30-second spots that automatically play before videos on YouTube, Yahoo, AOL and other sites — and they’re either sold out in some markets or will be auctioned off at record prices. Space is limited because YouTube and other Web video providers, including Yahoo and AOL, enable advertisers to place spots to target potential voters either by category — news or politics, for example — or by ZIP code, meaning that the most desirable categories or geographic locations go quickly. The sites estimate how many plays — or “impressions” in ad speak — they expect for videos viewed by the desirable demographics. Advertisers, then, can buy those spaces ahead of time. Whatever’s left is sold as it becomes available in real time and, thus, becomes exponentially more expensive. By late October, consultants predict, available space could cost more than $50 per 1,000 impressions, three times the norm, in battleground states like Florida, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia.
benton.org/node/131355 | Politico
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ROMNEY AND TECH
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Michelle Quinn]
Not much is known about the tech preferences of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Romney uses an iPad, according to sources, and has been pictured with an iPhone. But the candidate is rarely seen using technology on the campaign trail. In May, Romney told Peggy Noonan of The Wall Street Journal that he was keeping a private diary on his iPad. Earlier this month, Romney was photographed sitting in a lawn chair at home, surrounded by family, with both an iPhone and iPad at the ready. But unlike Obama, Romney’s devices have generally not been viewed as part of his image, said CompTIA president and CEO Todd Thibodeaux. That may change as Romney seeks more support from younger voters and the tech industry. Connecting Romney with smartphones and electronics may add a geekier spin to his steady, staid image.
benton.org/node/131354 | Politico
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THE OLYMPICS AND MEDIA
TWITTER UN-SUSPENDS ADAMS
[SOURCE: The Independent, AUTHOR: Guy Adams]
[Commentary] Twitter's decision to “un-suspend” my account allows me to Tweet again. That's happy news; or, to use the vernacular of social media, *happy* news. But there are plenty of things that it does not do, some of which have set awkward precedents. Twitter has not yet explained how exactly the tweet that led to my suspension is supposed to have broken its "privacy policy," which forbids users from posting "private e-mail addresses" but says nothing about corporate e-mail addresses, which is what I had actually shared. It has not explained how its decision to suspend me can be squared with a clause in its own privacy policy which states that: "If information was previously posted or displayed elsewhere on the Internet prior to being put on Twitter, it is not a violation" of the company's terms of service. There are wider issues at play. The company has yet to properly address growing suspicions that its decision to suspend my account was motivated by a business relationship with NBC. The firms are running a cross-promotion throughout the Olympics. Was that why it chose to ignore its own rules?
benton.org/node/131254 | Independent, The
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COMCAST TO BREAK EVEN?
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Meg James]
NBC could yet earn a gold medal for its controversial decision to delay televising marquee events from the London Olympics until prime time in the US. The company approached the London Olympics expecting to lose about $200 million on its coverage. But ratings for the Summer Games have been much higher than expected, which should allow the company to escape a huge financial loss. NBCUniversal is paying $1.18 billion to the International Olympics Committee for the exclusive television rights in the U.S., and is broadcasting the events on a multitude of channels including NBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, the NBC Sports Network and on the Internet. The company is incurring more than $100 million in production costs. Despite a chorus of complaints about the network's decision to delay broadcast of high-profile sports events until prime time, hours after the events are over, the television ratings have been dramatically higher than expected. Ratings are up about 9% compared with the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Burke said. The NBC network has been drawing more than 30 million viewers in prime time, a spectacular feat in an age of fragmented media and dwindling audiences.
benton.org/node/131296 | Los Angeles Times | The Wrap | MediaPost
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CONTENT
SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR HATE SPEECH: COMMERCIAL TALK RADIO AND NEW MEDIA
[SOURCE: National Hispanic Media Coalition, AUTHOR: Chon Noriega, Francisco Javier Iribarren]
A study released by the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) and UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) found that the hosts and guests on prominent conservative talk radio shows contribute to "hate speech" against ethnic, racial, religious groups and the LGBT community on social media networks. The study, entitled "Social Networks for Hate Speech," analyzed the role that five prominent conservative talk radio shows play in spreading hate speech on social websites. It examined the guests, topics and content on The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Sean Hannity Show, The Glenn Beck Program, The Savage Nation, and The John and Ken Show. The study found this social network is dominated by media personalities, Republican political figures and/or Tea Party activists, while routinely ignoring alternative points of view from issue-driven organizations. Other key components of this network include Premiere Radio Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications that nationally syndicates three of the five shows examined, and Fox News, whose media personalities appear most frequently on the shows. The study completed over the last 18 months also determined that:
The social network of hate speech propagates a narrow set of priorities, such as messaging that often includes anti-immigration and anti-Islamic focuses.
In this highly insular network, immigrants are routinely referred to as "illegal" and law-breaking, while Islam is portrayed within the context of terrorism.
An overwhelming proportion of scheduled guests on these shows were white (89 percent) and male (81 percent), matching the race and gender of the hosts.
Political figures who appeared as guests were largely members of the Republican Party (93 percent) and/or affiliated with the Tea Party movement (89 percent).
The top five ideological positions of scheduled guests were determined to be anti-federalist (23.6 percent), pro-Republican (19.1 percent), pro-Tea Party Movement (12.1 percent), anti-Islamic (11.1 percent)and anti-immigration (8.5 percent).
Though 88 topics of interest were identified, immigration emerged as the most discussed topic, dominating nearly one-quarter (23.9 percent) of all topic segments.
benton.org/node/131257 | National Hispanic Media Coalition
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
LEAKS INVESTIGATION
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Scott Shane]
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents on a hunt for leakers have interviewed current and former high-level government officials from multiple agencies in recent weeks, casting a distinct chill over press coverage of national security issues as agencies decline routine interview requests and refuse to provide background briefings. The criminal investigation, which has reached into the White House, the Pentagon, the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, appears to be the most sweeping inquiry into intelligence disclosures in years. It coincides with Senate consideration of new legislation, designed to curb intelligence officials’ exchanges with reporters, that intelligence veterans and civil libertarians fear could be counterproductive and may raise constitutional issues. The legislation approved last week by the Senate Intelligence Committee would reduce to a handful the number of people at each agency permitted to speak to reporters on “background,” or condition of anonymity; require notice to the Senate and House intelligence committees of authorized disclosures of intelligence information; and permit the government to strip the pension of an intelligence officer who illegally discloses classified information.
benton.org/node/131363 | New York Times
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GAO'S WEB 2.0 PROPOSALS COULD STIFLE DIGITAL INNOVATION
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Ines Mergel]
A new Government Accountability Office report finds that existing laws and regulations don't adequately reflect privacy needs in the changing technology landscape. The report highlights specifically that agencies using Web 2.0 and data mining tools need to find ways to protect private information. The key findings address:
Applying privacy protections consistently to all federal collection and use of personal information. The Privacy Act’s protections only apply to personal information when it is considered part of a “system of records” as defined by the act. However, agencies routinely access such information in ways that may not fall under this definition.
Ensuring that use of personally identifiable information is limited to a stated purpose. Current law and guidance impose only modest requirements for describing the purposes for collecting personal information and how it will be used. This could allow for unnecessarily broad ranges of uses of the information.
Establishing effective mechanisms for informing the public about privacy protections. Agencies are required to provide notices in the Federal Register of information collected, categories of individuals about whom information is collected, and the intended use of the information, among other things. However, concerns have been raised whether this is an effective mechanism for informing the public.
Agencies using Web 2.0 and data mining tools are instructed to take the following steps:
Assess the privacy implications of a planned information system or data collection prior to implementation;
Ensure the implementation of a robust information security program; and
Limit the collection of personal information, the time it is retained, and who has access to it, as well as implementing encryption.
benton.org/node/131274 | nextgov | GAO
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GRAHAM PITCHES AILES
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Kevin Robillard]
Sen Lindsey Graham (R-SC) took advantage of an appearance on Fox News to make a pitch to the head of the network: “If Roger Ailes is listening, how about doing an hour-long show on sequestration?” “The Congress and the White House jointly have created the dumbest idea in the history of the Congress known for dumb ideas,” Sen Graham said. “They don’t want to put the public on notice. You should be doing a show. If Roger Ailes is listening, how about doing an hour show on sequestration? Tell the public what happens to the finest military in the history of the world if we let this begin in January.”
benton.org/node/131272 | Politico
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WHO TWEETS FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Alicia Cohn]
Most lawmakers do not disclose whether they write their own tweets, according to a review of lawmaker Twitter bios by The Hill, which also finds that most members likely use a ghostwriter. While 84 percent of House lawmakers and 93 percent of senators are on Twitter, few follow President Obama’s example in personally signing or tagging their tweets, an indication that would highlight the tweet’s authenticity. Only 14 members of the House and 12 senators include a line in their bios that indicate whether a tweet is written by the lawmaker or a member of his or her staff. Those numbers include two accounts that put “press” in their Twitter account name and five that credit the account to “the office of” the lawmaker.
benton.org/node/131294 | Hill, The
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Sinclair’s Political Shooting Through the Roof [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
WOMEN AND ICT
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Christopher Burns]
[Commentary] When we think about mobile technology access to services, opportunities and products – particularly in remote, rural corners of the developing world – we occasionally miss the chance to emphasize the importance of tackling macro-level regulatory frameworks and policy-making functions. Instead, we contemplate what it takes to provide women and men with the critical, micro-level social services and infrastructure they need to drive economic growth and strengthen family and community livelihoods. We focus on reaching “the last mile” and the components necessary for rural connectivity. But both ends of the spectrum must be targeted. The GSMA mWomen Global Development Alliance between USAID, AusAID, GSMA and Visa aims to halve the mobile phone gender gap in the developing world by 2014, enabling 150 million more women to own mobile phones. One key objective to reaching the program’s goal is to improve the policy environment for female beneficiaries. This includes, as noted in the GSMA mWomen Policy Recommendations paper, the collection of “accurate and comprehensive data about women’s use of ICTs [Information and Communication Technologies] and mobile technology.”
[Burns is an Economic Growth and Agricultural Development Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development]
benton.org/node/131291 | Federal Communications Commission
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NIELSEN SUED
[SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter, AUTHOR: Eriq Gardner]
New Delhi Television Limited, India's oldest and largest news network, has lobbed a legal grenade at The Nielsen Co. In a 194-page lawsuit filed in New York court late last week, NDTV accuses Nielsen of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by manipulating viewership data in favor of channels that are willing to provide bribes to its officials. According to NDTV, rampant manipulation of viewership data has been going on for eight years, and when presented with evidence earlier this year, top executives at Nielsen pledged to make changes. But the Indian news giant says these promises have been false ones. The Indian company is now seeking billions of dollars in damages from Nielsen, looking to punish its top corporate officers and demanding that Nielsen essentially be kicked out of the country.
benton.org/node/131252 | Hollywood Reporter
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SKY PAY-TV RULING
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Mark Wembridge]
Regulators investigating British Sky Broadcasting’s dominant position in the UK pay-TV movies market have confirmed a previous ruling that the broadcaster was not stifling competition, in spite of protests from rival providers. The Competition Commission reiterated its provisional decision in May that the rise of online pay-TV providers such as Netflix and Lovefilm had cut BSkyB’s dominance in the area. The media watchdog said that Sky’s dominant position in owning most of the rights to distribute new movies in the UK “did not adversely affect competition in the pay-TV retail market.” The commission concluded that Sky Movies, which broadcasts movies from all six of Hollywood’s leading studios, was “not a sufficient driver of subscribers’ choice of pay-TV provider to give Sky such an advantage over its rivals ... as to harm competition.”
benton.org/node/131348 | Financial Times
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