Axios

The rise of free urban internet

Intersection, the Alphabet-backed smart cities startup known for creating free internet kiosks for cities, is pushing to make free internet accessible in as many major cities as possible across the globe. There are two things a city must have:

AT&T faces a Trumpworld reality check

The ouster of AT&T's top lobbyist caught DC telecom insiders by surprise and underscored that even the most well-oiled Washington machine isn't immune to inadvertent entanglement with Trumpworld scandal. 

Meet your new FTC overlords

The four new commissioners who joined the Federal Trade Commission -- with another waiting in the wings -- are poised to weigh in on major tech issues, from privacy to concentration of market power. 

White House leakers leak about leaking

White House leaks come in all shapes and sizes: small leaks, real-time leaks, weaponized leaks, historical leaks. Sensitive Oval Office conversations have leaked, and so have talks in cabinet meetings and the Situation Room. You name it, they leak it. Why does this White House leak like it’s going out of style?

Facebook quietly rolls out issue ads policy

Facebook is defining what it considers "issue ads" through an initial list of ad topics, ranging from abortion to guns, that will require authorization and labeling on its platform in the US. Facebook's initial list of what it considers an "issue ad"Abortion, budget, civil rights, crime, economy, education, energy, environment, foreign policy, government reform, guns, health, immigration, infrastructure, military, poverty, social security, taxes, terrorism, and values. A list of topics is a good start, but there will inevitably be instances where there are discrepancies a

Google launches new GDPR controls for publishers

Google has emailed publishers an update to their ad serving platform, called "Ad Technology Provider (ATP) Controls," that allows publishers to select GDPR-compliant ad tech vendors moving forward. Google is essentially giving publishers two options for selecting GDPR compliant ad tech vendors moving forward: 1) Publishers choose their own providers. 2) A list of roughly 200 providers (mainly ad buyers) that contribute the most revenue to publishers. All providers listed have shared certain information that is required by the GDPR. Google says it will re-evaluate the list every quarter.