February 23, 2012 (A Privacy Bill of Rights)
Barney Rosset Defied Censors, Making Racy a Literary Staple
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012
A busy day in wonkland headlined by a big privacy announcement coming from the White House http://benton.org/calendar/2012-02-23/ (see below)
PRIVACY
Obama Administration Unveils Blueprint for a “Privacy Bill of Rights” to Protect Consumers Online - press release
Web Firms to Adopt 'No Track' Button
Google, Safari and our final privacy wake-up call - op-ed
California Attorney General Reaches Deal on App Privacy
State attorneys general: Google privacy changes appear to harm consumers
Center for Digital Democracy Petitions FTC for Google Privacy Ruling
WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
Critics tell FCC to block Verizon deal with cable firms
FCC holds a few aces on spectrum - analysis
The spectrum war's winners and losers - analysis
Various Challenges Likely to Slow Implementation of a Public Safety Broadband Network - research
The iPhone is (still) saving the mobile industry
Should mobile operators embrace over-the-top VoIP? [links to web]
LightSquared to Cut 45% of Jobs to Trim Costs After Rejection
We’re not out of spectrum. Let’s talk terahertz [links to web]
Why connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot is about to get easier [links to web]
When the Web Page Comes to You [links to web]
7 markets in which tablet growth will explode [links to web]
Verizon’s LTE outage problems just won’t stop [links to web]
Telecom's New Dividend Strike [links to web]
T-Mobile USA Reports Huge Customer Defections, Says It Will Launch LTE in 2013 [links to web]
Monitoring Your Health With Mobile Devices [links to web]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Study: Patchwork Of Laws Undermines Cloud Computing Market
FCC Still Hooked on Speed
Two states climb aboard new, 100-gigabit fast train [links to web]
CYBERSECURITY
FCC chief calls for industry to boost cybersecurity
Rise in identity fraud tied to smartphone use
TELEVISION/RADIO
Senators Back FCC Proposal to Put Political Files Online
Google Seeks Approval for Kansas City Video Service
Discovering the Riches of TV Advertising [links to web]
CONTENT
Top EU court to decide whether trade treaty with US violates rights
Amazon kills Kindle titles from Chicago publisher IPG
Why do we need academic journals in the first place? - analysis [links to web]
Study: Facebook profile beats IQ test in predicting job performance [links to web]
POLICYMAKERS
FCC Nominees Being Held Hostage by GOP
Innovation on agenda for 'technology mayor' Ed Lee [links to web]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Hearing Held on Program Monitoring Social Media
Can We Harness the Internet to Collaboratively Write Better Laws? - analysis
Senators Call For Less Waste In Federal IT Investments [links to web]
INTERNATIONAL/STORIES FROM ABROAD
Top EU court to decide whether trade treaty with US violates rights
iPad trademark dispute shows troubles of doing business in China
Apple’s big chance to ‘act different’ on labor - op-ed
Injured iPhone workers to petition Apple at shareholder meeting
AFL-CIO takes aim at Apple with petition
Microsoft lodges EU complaint against Motorola
Cherie Blair Sues Rupert Murdoch's News Corp [links to web]
Telecom's New Dividend Strike [links to web]
London no safer for all its CCTV cameras [links to web]
KT reviewing network fees on Youtube, Internet TVs [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
WAMU news director claims ‘firewall’ transgression [links to web]
WAMU management speaks out [links to web]
PRIVACY
PRIVACY BILL OF RIGHTS
[SOURCE: The White House, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Obama Administration unveiled a “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights” as part of a comprehensive blueprint to improve consumers’ privacy protections and ensure that the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth. The blueprint will guide efforts to give users more control over how their personal information is used on the Internet and to help businesses maintain consumer trust and grow in the rapidly changing digital environment. At the request of the White House, the Commerce Department will begin convening companies, privacy advocates and other stakeholders to develop and implement enforceable privacy policies based on the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights.
In addition, advertising networks announced that leading Internet companies and online advertising networks are committing to act on Do Not Track technology in most major web browsers to make it easier for users to control online tracking. Companies that represent the delivery of nearly 90 percent of online behavioral advertisements, including Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, and AOL have agreed to comply when consumers choose to control online tracking. Companies that make this commitment will be subject to Federal Trade Commission enforcement.
The Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights provides a baseline of clear protections for consumers and greater certainty for businesses. The rights are:
Individual Control: Consumers have a right to exercise control over what personal data organizations collect from them and how they use it.
Transparency: Consumers have a right to easily understandable information about privacy and security practices.
Respect for Context: Consumers have a right to expect that organizations will collect, use, and disclose personal data in ways that are consistent with the context in which consumers provide the data.
Security: Consumers have a right to secure and responsible handling of personal data.
Access and Accuracy: Consumers have a right to access and correct personal data in usable formats, in a manner that is appropriate to the sensitivity of the data and the risk of adverse consequences to consumers if the data are inaccurate.
Focused Collection: Consumers have a right to reasonable limits on the personal data that companies collect and retain.
Accountability: Consumers have a right to have personal data handled by companies with appropriate measures in place to assure they adhere to the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights.
benton.org/node/114984 | White House, The | White House fact sheet | NYTimes | Politico | Associated Press | ars technica | AdWeek | CNet | The Hill | USAToday | WashPost
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NO TRACK BUTTON
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Julia Angwin]
A coalition of Internet giants including Google has agreed to support a do-not-track button to be embedded in most Web browsers—a move that the industry had been resisting for more than a year. The reversal is being announced as part of the White House's call for Congress to pass a "privacy bill of rights," that will give people greater control over the personal data collected about them. The new do-not-track button isn't going to stop all Web tracking. The companies have agreed to stop using the data about people's Web browsing habits to customize ads, and have agreed not to use the data for employment, credit, health-care or insurance purposes. But the data can still be used for some purposes such as "market research" and "product development" and can still be obtained by law enforcement officers. The do-not-track button also wouldn't block companies such as Facebook Inc. from tracking their members through "Like" buttons and other functions.
benton.org/node/114983 | Wall Street Journal | B&C
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OUR PRIVACY WAKE-UP CALL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Dominic Basulto]
[Commentary] Unfortunately, we will continue to experience privacy break-ins across the Web for one simple reason: the secret to winning the future of the Internet lies in the ability to monetize all this personal data. This is especially true, now that many people are shifting their Web consumption habits to mobile devices, which theoretically enable real-time, 24/7 tracking. At the end of the day, Web firms need your data for essentially two reasons: (1) to deliver a more personalized experience for users or (2) to sell this data to advertisers and third parties. Thus far, we’ve given companies like Google a free pass, taking them at their word that they are not somehow “evil,” that they are, indeed, delivering a superior, personalized experience. The answer to privacy break-ins is not more government regulation of the Web, as several Congressmen are now urging after Google's latest privacy-related woes. Rather, the answer is making it easier for individuals to monitor and self-police their Web presence. Safari needs to be a final wake-up call: We all need to be more vigilant about what data is being shared, with whom it is being shared, and where.
benton.org/node/114945 | Washington Post
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APP PRIVACY AGREEMENT
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Nicole Perlroth, Nick Bilton]
California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) announced an agreement with Amazon, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Research in Motion to strengthen privacy protections for smartphone owners who download mobile applications. The agreement will force developers to post conspicuous privacy policies detailing what personal information they plan to obtain and how they will use it. It also compels app store providers like Apple and Google to offer ways for users to report apps that do not comply. In a statement, the attorney general’s office said developers who did not abide by their own privacy policies would face prosecution under California’s Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law. “Your personal privacy should not be the cost of using mobile apps, but all too often it is,” AG Harris said. Under the agreement, consumers will be able to review an app’s privacy policy, which will appear in a consistent location on the download screen, before they download it. Developers who do not comply can be prosecuted. Technology firms, as part of the agreement, said they would educate app developers about consumer privacy and “disclose to consumers what private information they collect, how they use the information and with whom they share it.” The tech firms also committed to creating online tools making it easier for consumers to report apps that are not compliant with state law.
benton.org/node/114971 | New York Times | Politico | Bloomberg | Washington Post
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STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL HAVE QUESTIONS FOR GOOGLE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
Dozens of state attorneys general wrote Google’s chief executive to express “strong concerns” that the company’s new privacy policies starting next week will violate consumer privacy. In a letter to CEO Larry Page, the state attorneys general said the plan to begin sharing consumer data across Google’s services on March 1 “forces these consumers to allow information across all of these products to be shared, without giving them the proper ability to opt out.” The law enforcement officials said users may want to keep their Web searching history separate from information they get from Gmail or YouTube. But for users signed on to those services, that data will be blended by the search giant to serve up ads better tailored to users preferences. “It rings hollow to call their ability to exit the Google products ecosystem a ‘choice’ in an Internet economy where the clear majority of all Internet users use — and frequently rely on — at least one Google product on a regular basis,” the state attorneys general wrote to Page. And they said the costs to switch e-mail and document applications could be enormous for businesses and government offices that use Google apps. They requested a meeting with Page to explain the privacy policies and an answer to their letter by Feb. 29. The letter was signed by, among others, Maryland attorney general Douglas Gansler, California’s Kamala Harris and New York’s Eric Schneiderman.
benton.org/node/114970 | Washington Post
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CDD PETITIONS FTC
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Center for Digital Democracy has petitioned the Federal Trade Commission for a ruling on whether Google's announced change in privacy policy violates its consent decree with the FTC over Google Buzz. Google last March settled FTC charges it violated its own privacy policies when it launched the social network, Google Buzz. CDD says users are still not sufficiently informed about the company's digital advertising and marketing practices, which it says are at the heart of the proposed changes, which take effect March 1. CDD says it has made informal inquiries and submissions, but is now making a formal request for an investigation, and asked the FTC to request that Google postpone the change until that investigation is complete.
benton.org/node/114942 | Broadcasting&Cable | The Hill
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM
CRITICS OF VERIZON SPECTRUM DEAL
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
T-Mobile and public interest groups (including the Benton Foundation) urged the Federal Communications Commission to block Verizon Wireless’ spectrum and marketing deal with cable firms, saying the transaction would lead to less competition and higher wireless service fees for consumers. T-Mobile said the $3.9 billion sale of airwaves to Verizon by cable firms would create “excessive concentration” in the wireless market. MetroPCS Communications, the fifth-largest cellphone company, also urged the FCC to block the deal. It said the parties had not provided enough information to prove that the acquisition was in the public interest. Sprint Nextel Corp., the No. 3 carrier, took a more measured stance. It didn't ask the FCC to block the deal outright, but said the agency should look closely at the wider implications of the deal.
Several public interest groups including Public Knowledge asked the FCC to block the deal, expressing concern over a unique cross-marketing agreement between fierce rivals in the business of supplying wireline Internet connections into homes. Through the deal, Verizon Wireless and cable companies have begun to cross-promote each other’s services so that they can offer what is known as “quadruple plays” — bundles of landline phone, wireless, cable television and high-speed Internet connections to consumers. That portion of the deal is being investigated by the Justice Department, which is also reviewing the deal, because of concern Verizon Communications may let its FiOs wireline television and Internet service atrophy. The marketing arrangement “gives rise to serious concern that not only will these providers decline to compete further with one another, they will actively collude with one another," the public interest groups said in a joint filing.
benton.org/node/114948 | Washington Post | New York Times | Associated Press | The Hill | B&C
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FCC’S SPECTRUM ACES
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
While the congressional battle to pass spectrum legislation may have ended, the process of actually getting spectrum into the hands of wireless companies and making it available for smartphones, tablets, and other wireless technologies has just begun. And how much of that spectrum will be available rests in large part on how good of a job the Federal Communications Commission does in persuading broadcasters to give up some of their airwaves. In fact, many of the key provisions in the spectrum legislation that lawmakers passed as part of a payroll-tax package hinge on how much spectrum broadcasters choose to give up and how much money the FCC can generate from selling their airwaves. The money from these auctions would come from wireless operators who will bid for spectrum they say they desperately need to meet the nation's growing use of wireless technologies. The FCC is under pressure to design the auctions in a way that would generate the most revenue possible given that the proceeds have been slated to pay for a variety of proposals. They include $7 billion to help pay to build a national broadband network for public safety officials. At the same time, lawmakers are counting on $15 billion for the federal Treasury after paying off broadcasters for giving up their spectrum. Broadcasters "have leverage and if the price isn't right ... most everything falls flat on its face," said Jeffrey Silva, a senior policy director with Medley Global Advisors.
benton.org/node/114947 | National Journal
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SPECTRUM WINNERS AND LOSERS
[SOURCE: CNNMoney, AUTHOR: David Goldman]
As airwaves become scarce, the spectrum crunch is turning a field of "haves" and "have-nots" into a sharply divided set of winners and losers. Those carriers with the biggest batches of high-quality spectrum have more bandwidth to satisfy customers' growing demands for mobile phone calls, texts and Internet usage. That means fewer dropped calls and faster download speeds. Those that don't? Picture a repeat of what happened to AT&T shortly after the iPhone 3G debuted. The data overload crippled the network, leading to spotty reception and slow speeds in some regions. "Wireless operators have to decide whether they spend money acquiring new spectrum or building tens of thousands of new cell sites all over the country," says Dan Hays, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers' consultancy. "That's the big dilemma." Both of those options cost billions. There's a third choice: consolidate. By merging, carriers can gain access to both spectrum and more cell sites. That can also cost billions, but it's a turn-key solution. The problem is that regulators hate it. There are only two commercial holders left of big spectrum chunks: The Dish Network and LightSquared. But LightSquared’s spectrum is only licensed for satellite services, not the terrestrial transmissions needed to carry wireless phone signals. LightSquared is currently caught in -- and losing -- a high-stakes regulatory fight over the issue. That leaves Dish. The company has considered building its own wireless network, perhaps by snapping up Sprint or Clearwire, but the costs of doing that are scary. Some analysts think Dish will take the plunge, while others predict that it will go the safe route and sell off its holdings. Either way, it's got vultures circling.
benton.org/node/114946 | CNNMoney
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CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTING PUBLIC SAFETY BROADBAND NETWORK
[SOURCE: Government Accountability Office, AUTHOR: Mark Goldstein]
There are several challenges to implementing a public safety broadband network, including ensuring the network’s interoperability, reliability, and security; obtaining adequate funds to build and maintain it; and creating a governance structure. For example, to avoid a major shortcoming of the land mobile radio (LMR) systems, it is essential that a public safety broadband network be interoperable across jurisdictions and devices by following five key elements to interoperable networks: governance, standard operating procedures, technology, training, and usage. With respect to creating a governance structure, pending legislation—the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, among other things—establishes a new entity, the First Responder Network Authority, with responsibility for ensuring the establishment of a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network.
The price of handheld LMR devices is high—often thousands of dollars—in part because market competition is limited and manufacturing costs are high. Further, GAO found that public safety agencies cannot exert buying power in relationship to device manufacturers, which may result in the agencies overpaying for LMR devices. In particular, because public safety agencies contract for LMR devices independently from one another, they are not in a strong position to negotiate lower prices and forego the quantity discounts that accompany larger orders. For similar situations, GAO has recommended joint procurement as a cost saving measure because it allows agencies requiring similar products to combine their purchase power and lower their procurement costs. Given that DHS has experience in emergency communications and relationships with public safety agencies, it is well-suited to facilitate joint procurement of handheld LMR devices. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should work with partners to identify and communicate opportunities for joint procurement of public safety LMR devices. In commenting on a draft of this report, DHS agreed with the recommendation. (GAO-12-343)
benton.org/node/114958 | Government Accountability Office
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IPHONE SAVING INDUSTRY
[SOURCE: Fortune, AUTHOR: Kevin Kelleher]
The iPhone has been, by many measures, one of the most successful products in business history. Nearly 200 million iPhones have been sold in four and a half years, 37 million of them in the last three months of 2011. Apple's market cap has soared from $104 billion in June 2007, when the first iPhone was sold, to $480 billion today. Less visible in such soaring statistics, is the impact on the mobile carriers. Even with the heavy subsidies phone companies must pay to Apple and some five years after its introduction, the iPhone may well be the best thing going for the mobile industry. According to Hudson Square Research, iPhone users have a net present value -- a measure of cash flows over a product's lifetime -- that is twice as high as subscribers using the old, clamshell feature phones. The smartphone, as conceived by Apple, seems designed to generate carrier fees. Unlike the standard feature phones, which are primarily used for phone calls and text messages, iPhone users also pay for wireless data connections. That's all true for other smartphones too, of course. But more than any other device, the iPhone is responsible for inspiring all those categories of fees -- voice, texting, data -- as well as the class system of data usage. By influencing the look and operability of other Google Android and other smartphones, the iPhone had a broader impact on the wireless industry as a whole.
benton.org/node/114937 | Fortune
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LIGHTSQUARED CUTTING STAFF
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Scott Moritz]
Billionaire Philip Falcone’s LightSquared wireless venture is cutting 45 percent of its jobs, or about 149 positions, to preserve cash after its plan to start operating was rejected by the Federal Communications Commission. Most of the affected employees are those hired in preparation for its high-speed wireless network expansion. The company has 330 workers in total. LightSquared said it is seeking to reduce costs while it works to resolve the regulatory objections.
benton.org/node/114940 | Bloomberg
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
CLOUD COMPUTING MARKET
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
While many developed countries have adjusted their laws and regulations to address cloud computing, the wide differences in those rules make it difficult for companies to invest in the technology, according to a new study by the Business Software Alliance. Cloud computing provides resources, software and data over networks. Such systems may feature servers in one country and customers in another, making it difficult to regulate and protect them. The 24 countries surveyed in the report account for about 80 percent of the world's information and communications technology, but some countries have done better than others. Japan, Australia, the United States, and some European countries top the rankings, while some otherwise tech-savvy countries like India, China and Brazil are near the bottom, the group found. In the United States, for example, there are many up-to-date laws covering issues like cybercrime. Inconsistencies in state laws and court rulings on privacy, data breaches, and copyright issues still need to be remedied, the report concluded. More regulation is not needed to help the world take advantage of a global technology like cloud computing, said BSA President Robert Holleyman. Rather, the patchwork of laws needs to be "harmonized" so that companies can develop cloud computing.
benton.org/node/114939 | National Journal
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FCC STILL HOOKED ON SPEED
[SOURCE: CommLawBlog , AUTHOR: Mitchell Lazarus]
The Federal Communications Commission has announced plans for yet another effort to determine people’s broadband speeds.
The FCC’s interest in the topic began back in June 2010, when it recovered from the shock of finding out that most people in fact do not know the speed of their own broadband connections. The FCC is now seeking volunteers for a further study. Those chosen will receive a free wireless router from SamKnows, which will also measure the household’s broadband speeds and report back to the FCC. The lucky selectees will also receive free, detailed reports on the performance of their own broadband service.
benton.org/node/114934 | CommLawBlog
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CYBERSECURITY
GENACHOWSKI CYBERSECURITY PROPOSAL
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Brendan Sasso]
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski called for technology companies to adopt new standards to protect consumers from hackers and spammers. His proposals focused on voluntary commitments from the private sector rather than government mandates. He emphasized that any cybersecurity measures must protect privacy and the "openness of the Internet." One cybersecurity threat he focused on is the use of "botnets," networks of computers that hackers take over and can use to spam consumers or take down websites. Hacker group Anonymous has used botnets to crash the sites of the Justice Department, the CIA and others. Chairman Genachowski urged Internet service providers to educate their consumers about botnets and help them detect when their computer has been infected.
benton.org/node/114969 | Hill, The | read the speech | B&C | Reuters
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IDENTITY FRAUD AND SMARTPHONES
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Mitch Lipka]
Nearly 12 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2011, an increase of 13 percent over 2010, according to a report released by the research firm Javelin Strategy & Research. The rise in the use of smartphones and social media by incautious consumers fueled the increase in identity fraud, and 2011 was a year of several big data breaches too, Javelin said. With the rise in credit card monitoring and more sophisticated policing by credit card companies, identity thieves are increasingly targeting users of smartphones and social media, where consumers have a tendency to be less cautious, experts say.
benton.org/node/114963 | Reuters
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TELEVISION/RADIO
SENATORS BACK FCC PROPOSAL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, eight Democratic senators, led by Sen Jeff Merkley (D-OR), expressed their support for the FCC's proposal to require broadcast stations to put their political files online. While legislators often frame their advice as general suggestions, the senators were emphatic in their call to action. "We urge you to implement these proposed rule changes as soon as possible," they wrote, pointing out the 2012 election season was already underway. "The online posting of information in broadcast stations' political file cannot wait until months after the election," they wrote. "Citizens deserve to know who is responsible for funding these advertisements today." The senators -- including Al Franken (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) -- said they wanted the FCC to find a way to do it that would not be a cost burden on broadcasters, especially smaller ones -- broadcasters have also argued it is a major reporting burden. But they want the FCC to make the files accessible ASAP, something unlikely given that even if the FCC did decide to it, they would have to first vote, then have the paperwork collection -- or electronic paperwork, as it were -- portion vetted by OMB per the paperwork reduction act, which can take months.
benton.org/node/114964 | Broadcasting&Cable
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GOOGLE SEEKS PAY-TV SERVICE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amir Efrati, Sam Schechner]
Google filed an application last week to provide video service to residents of Kansas City (MO), according to state records, setting the stage for the Web giant to offer a cable-TV-like package in addition to the high-speed Internet service it plans to market there later this year. The video service, if approved, would thrust Google into closer competition with satellite and cable companies that already sell pay-TV service in Kansas City. Google's video application is being reviewed by the Missouri Public Service Commission. Google could launch its TV service as soon as a month or two from now, according to a media executive currently involved in negotiations to license channels to the service. The service would offer subscribers live TV, as well as on-demand and online access to TV channels, similar to services from major cable operators, this person said. While the plan for now is restricted to Kansas City, this person said Google had discussed expanding it to other markets that Verizon Communications Inc. hasn't entered with its fiber-optic TV service, dubbed FiOS. It remains unclear whether Google intends to do so, but it would have that right under at least some of the deals it is currently negotiating with TV channels, this person said.
benton.org/node/114968 | Wall Street Journal
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CONTENT
KINDLE YANKS E-TITLES
[SOURCE: Crain’s Chicago Business, AUTHOR: Steven Strahler]
Chicago-based Independent Publishers Group, the country's second-largest distributor that deals exclusively with independent publishers, says its e-book titles have been dropped by Amazon after IPG resisted price cuts demanded by the Internet retailer. IPG President Mark Suchomel said Amazon was pressuring publishers and distributors “to change their terms for electronic and print books to be more favorable toward Amazon.” He said IPG wouldn't budge after Amazon chose not to renew their agreement to sell Kindle titles.
benton.org/node/114957 | Crain’s Chicago Business
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POLICYMAKERS
FCC NOMINEES IN LIMBO
[SOURCE: TVNewsCheck, AUTHOR: Kim McAvoy]
Late last year, President Obama nominated Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai to fill two vacancies on the five-person Federal Communications Commission. Both nominations are hung up in the Senate for reasons that have nothing to do with the nominees themselves. They are pawns in a couple of fights with the FCC by some Senate Republicans. However, both nominees have strong credentials for the FCC jobs, according to FCC watchers.
benton.org/node/114941 | TVNewsCheck
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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
MONITORING SOCIAL MEDIA
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Charlie Savage]
Analysts for a Department of Homeland Security program that monitors social networks like Twitter and Facebook have been instructed to produce reports on policy debates related to the department, a newly disclosed manual shows. The manual, a 2011 reference guide for analysts working with the department’s Media Monitoring Capability program, raises questions about recent claims by Homeland Security officials who portrayed the program as limited to gathering information that would help gain operational awareness about attacks, disasters or other emerging problems. Ginger McCall of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, an advocacy group that filed the lawsuit and obtained the document, argued that the manual shows that the monitoring may have gone beyond its limited portrayal by department officials. “The DHS continues to monitor the Internet for criticism of the government,” she said. “This suspicionless, overbroad monitoring quells legitimate First Amendment activity and exceeds the agency’s legal authority." A federal statute cited by officials last week as the legal basis for the program gives the National Operations Center the authority “to provide situational awareness” for officials “in the event of a natural disaster, act of terrorism or other man-made disaster” and to “ensure that critical terrorism and disaster-related information reaches government decision makers.”
benton.org/node/114982 | New York Times
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MADISON
[SOURCE: The Atlantic, AUTHOR: Alexander Furnas]
[Commentary] The crowdsourcing process of the OPEN Act is a promising step in using the Internet for democratic engagement in the US, but it is far from the "direct digital democracy" that proponent Rep Darrel Issa (R-CA) claims. As an attempt it is admirable, and its goal of participatory engagement in drafting legislation is one that hopefully others will emulate. But, as a platform, Madison is flawed. It is a platform designed without paying enough attention to the lessons learned and best practices developed by those already within the social web space. What its designers overlooked is that collaborative consultation online is merely a political application of already existing social web interactions. The last six or seven years have given us thousands of mini-experiments into how to do social engagement right online, and designing successful political engagement platforms need to learn from them.
benton.org/node/114959 | Atlantic, The
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INTERNATIONAL/STORIES FROM ABROAD
EU COURT TO RULE ON ACTA
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Erik Wasson]
The European Union decided to have Europe’s top court decide whether the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) violates the freedom of expression. Critics of the ACTA say it has the potential to stifle the Internet and compare it to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which is before Congress. If the European Court of Justice finds the ACTA violates basic freedoms, it could put the Obama administration, which signed the deal in October, in a tough position.
benton.org/node/114944 | Hill, The | BBC
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IPAD TRADEMARK DISPUTE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Sarah Halzack and Hayley Tsukayama]
To most global consumers, the iPad is practically synonymous with American electronics titan Apple. But one debt-ridden company in China, Proview, is alleging that it is the rightful owner of the trademark for the name of one of Apple’s signature devices. The claim has resulted in government officials yanking the tablet from store shelves in some Chinese cities, despite high demand for the product. It’s a strange twist on a pervasive problem: American and other global firms often accuse Chinese entities of unfairly copying their intellectual property, but now a Chinese company is pointing a finger at a U.S. corporation in a copyright dispute. And a lower Chinese court has ruled in Proview’s favor, although Apple produced documents that it claims prove the company legally bought the iPad trademark in 2009. The legal clash illustrates why it can be difficult for U.S. companies to do business in China.
benton.org/node/114967 | Washington Post
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APPLE’S BIG CHANCE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Joshua Topolsky]
[Commentary] There’s been quite a bit of controversy swirling lately around iPhones and iPads — not about whether the products are good, or whether Google or Microsoft can beat Apple at its game. The questions, rather, have centered on just where Apple’s products come from and how they’re made. This week, the ABC News program “Nightline” aired a report from inside factories at Foxconn, one of the largest contractors in China tasked with assembling the technology that Americans (and the rest of the world) can’t get enough of. It’s also the place where a spate of seemingly work-related suicides forced management to install “suicide nets” on buildings to stop workers from jumping to their deaths. While the ABC report didn’t shed a lot of new light on practices at the factory, it did raise some interesting points that most Americans are probably unaware of. For instance, did you know that it takes five days and 325 sets of hands to make a single iPad? Did you know that those hands belong to workers who get paid about $1.78 an hour and work 12-hour days? The important question is -- what are we doing — as individuals, as governments — to enforce fair treatment around the world? Are Americans willing to pay more for an iPhone if it means fair treatment of workers? Would you be willing to wait longer to get the latest gadget if you knew it was humanely produced? If you didn’t have to worry that the work could drive someone to suicide? This isn’t an Apple problem, it’s an industry problem. More to the point, it’s a human rights problem, one that needs to be dealt with head-on.
benton.org/node/114978 | Washington Post
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APPLE LABOR PETITION
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Erica Ogg]
Shareholder meetings in normal circumstances are rather boring affairs for those not interested in the nuances of corporate governance. But when Apple holds its annual meeting on Thursday, there will be issues besides election of board members and potential dividends on people’s minds. Two former iPhone factory workers in China, who were critically injured at Apple supplier Wintek’s plant in 2009, are looking to take advantage of Apple’s yearly meeting by attracting attention to the conditions at factories where Apple’s most important products are assembled. SumOfUs.org is distributing a petition from Gou Rui-qiang and Jia Jing-chuan, both of whom suffered nerve damage from using n-hexane, a toxic chemical, to clean iPhone screens at the factory. One hundred and thirty-five of their colleagues also reported being sickened. Apple no longer allows the chemical to be used, and Wintek reportedly compensated some of the medical treatment, but Gou and Jia want Apple to pay up.
benton.org/node/114966 | GigaOm
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AFL-CIO TAKES AIM AT APPLE
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Kevin Bogardus]
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka asked activists to sign a petition to tell Apple CEO Tim Cook "to ensure that people integral to Apple’s success — workers who manufacture Apple’s electronics — are treated fairly." "Apple is under intense scrutiny right now. But rather than deal with that by genuinely addressing the problems in its supply chain, we believe the company is trying to stop the outcry by brushing its problems under the rug," Trumka writes. Trumka, who called his own iPhone "an incredible piece of machinery," said expected Fair Labor Association (FLA) audits won’t go far enough. "We call on Apple to immediately allow genuine unions, with truly independent factory inspections and worker trainings. Trying to brush this under the rug — or hide behind a front group like the FLA — only will make Apple’s PR problems worse," Trumka wrote.
benton.org/node/114965 | Hill, The
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MICROSOFT-MOTOROLA
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Gabriele Steinhauser]
Microsoft lodged a formal complaint with the European Union's competition regulator against Google's Motorola Mobility, saying the company's aggressive enforcement of patent rights against rivals breaks competition rules. The complaint follows a similar step by Apple against Motorola last week. Motorola is in the process of being taken over by Google for $12.5 billion, the biggest acquisition in the Californian company's history. Apple and Microsoft have been hit by legal cases in Europe and the United States, with Motorola claiming that the companies' products are using key patents it owns without permission. Apple and Microsoft, meanwhile, argue that Motorola is overcharging for the use of these patents, which cover technologies necessary to connect wirelessly to the Internet or stream video online.
benton.org/node/114943 | Associated Press | Bloomberg
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