October 4, 2013 (Interconnection and the IP Transition)
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Surveillance reform bill outlined
Tech groups tell surveillance review panel to focus on oversight, transparency
The fact that the NSA collected cell-site data is a big deal. But so is the fact they admitted it. - analysis
Unsealed Court Documents Show What Really Happened To Snowden's Secret Email Service [links to web]
What the NSA Might Have Wanted to Learn From Tracking Your Phone - analysis
Hands off our cellphones - editorial
How a telecom helped the government spy on me - op-ed [links to web]
New Diplomatic Avenue Emerges, in 140-Character Bursts
INTERNET/BROADBAND
Fiber to the home: America's most important, and most ignored, tech development
Comcast’s Usage-Based Internet Trial Reaches More Markets
Why New Fiber Networks Are Required To Shatter Monopolies Of Comcast & Other ISPs - op-ed
Why Google's Competing for Your Internet Service - analysis
AT&T May Attempt Price War With Google Fiber
21 percent of uninsured Americans don't use Internet
NYC’s “LEED for broadband” will help companies pick tech-friendly office locations
See also: Now Here's an Idea Well Worth Copying: 'LEED for Broadband' [links to web]
Net neutrality: A one-sided outcome in a two-sided market - op-ed
Designing security into the Internet of things - op-ed [links to web]
TELECOM
Interconnection May be Toughest Part of TDM-to-IP Transition
SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
Airlines Prep Jets for Wider Use of Electronics [links to web]
Contrary to what you’ve heard, Android is almost impenetrable to malware [links to web]
CONTENT
Request for Comments on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy - public notice
PRIVACY
How companies are tracking you online today
EDUCATION
Districts Upgrade Tech Ahead of Common-Core Testing
Curating Digital Content Is a Complicated Task [links to web]
Fast Times at Every School: Bringing Fiber to the Classroom - op-ed
THE SHUTDOWN
The shutdown is now clogging up the data economy. Thanks, Congress!
$6 Billion Cyber Monitoring Initiative Falls Victim to Shutdown [links to web]
JOURNALISM
Who's a Journalist? Closing in on a Definition - op-ed
How a telecom helped the government spy on me - op-ed [links to web]
COMPANY NEWS
Twitter Reveals $1 Billion IPO Plan [links to web]
Faded satellite star LightSquared headed for auction block in November
Facebook offers free Wi-Fi through Cisco, plus updated search [links to web]
Facebook launches pilot program to combat cyber bullying [links to web]
Facebook Is Building A $120 Million Town For Its Employees [links to web]
1 in 5 US school districts now using Chromebooks says Google VP [links to web]
Quora’s Search for What the Internet Doesn’t Know [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Britain: Online Surveillance Challenged
In Leaked Video, Egyptian Army Officers Debate How to Sway News Media
France moves to curb book discounts, cites Amazon’s “predatory behavior” [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
Budget Constraints, Cyberattacks Biggest Threats to IT Organizations, Survey Says [links to web]
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
SURVEILLANCE REFORM BILL OUTLINED
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Alex Byers]
An outline circulated to House Judiciary staff provides a sneak preview of a comprehensive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reform bill that ends bulk collection of Americans’ phone records, installs a special advocate at the country’s surveillance court and boosts transparency for both government agencies and online service providers. The bill is set to be co-sponsored in the House by PATRIOT Act author and current House Judiciary oversight leader Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and House Judiciary ranking member John Conyers (D-MI). Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) will co-sponsor the measure in the Senate. The omnibus measure would tie in several reforms that have been floated in the wake of Edward Snowden’s disclosures in early June, according to a rundown of provisions attached to the letter. The portion seeking to end so-called "bulk collection" appears certain to face resistance from some Republicans and some Democrats, including Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Tech companies will be pleased to see that the bill aims to pour sunlight on federal surveillance activities by allowing online services providers, many of whom are already suing the government, to divulge the number of orders they receive. Additionally, the measure would require new reports from the government on the number of people subject to FISA orders each year as well as the disclosure of significant FISA Court opinions made after July 10, 2003. The comprehensive bill would install an “Office of the Special Advocate” at the FISA Court. Lastly, the measure would grant subpoena authority to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, a group that some privacy hawks have said lacks sufficient power to do its job.
benton.org/node/161642 | Politico
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TECH GROUPS TELL SURVEILLANCE REVIEW PANEL TO FOCUS ON OVERSIGHT, TRANSPARENCY
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Kate Tummarello]
The Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology, the group convened by President Barack Obama to review the government’s surveillance programs, should examine transparency and oversight measures, two technology industry associations told the review group. In a letter, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC) and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) suggested topics for the group to examine, including the ability for tech companies to disclose more information about the surveillance requests they receive and the resources available to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. ITIC represents tech companies including Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Symantec, while SIIA represents Google, Intuit and Oracle. Companies should be able to tell their users how many and what kinds of surveillance requests they receive from the US government and how many accounts are affected by those requests, the letter states.
benton.org/node/161657 | Hill, The
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THE FACT THAT THE NSA COLLECTED CELL-SITE DATA IS A BIG DEAL. BUT SO IS THE FACT THEY ADMITTED IT.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
Sen. Ron Wyden's (D-OR) strategy is working. Days after he asked whether the National Security Agency had ever collected geolocation information on US citizens, the agency's director, Gen. Keith Alexander, admitted that it had gathered data from cellular towers on a limited basis. It wasn't an off-the-cuff disclosure or a slip of the tongue. The statement had been planned. Somebody within the government now seems to recognize that the longer it withholds the answer Sen. Wyden seeks, the worse off the NSA will be. Yes, it's significant that the NSA collected cell-site data, but it's arguably even more significant that we learned about it from the very agency that's now being scrutinized by the public. However opaque that institution is, something inside it is changing.
benton.org/node/161639 | Washington Post
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WHAT THE NSA MIGHT HAVE WANTED TO LEARN FROM TRACKING YOUR PHONE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Arik Hesseldahl]
The National Security Agency’s experiments with gathering up location data it was intended to see how the location data would work with its existing systems. The question is, had the agency taken it operational, what did it expect to learn? An MIT paper on the use of metadata said: “By continually logging and time-stamping information about a user’s activity, location, and proximity to other users, the large-scale dynamics of collective human behavior can be analyzed.” In short, tracking your phone is pretty good way to figure out who you know, where you’ve been, who you may have talked to. Such data could have been used to prevent epidemic outbreaks such as bird flu or malaria.
benton.org/node/161641 | Wall Street Journal
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HANDS OFF OUR CELLPHONES
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Once they place a suspect under arrest, police in many parts of this country are allowed to search the contents of his or her mobile phone — including text messages, photos, video files and contacts — without a warrant. These searches can expose a wealth of personal detail that was inconceivable to the Supreme Court 40 years ago when it gave officers wide latitude to search people and their effects when taking them into custody. It's time for the court to adapt its doctrine to new technology. Two pending appeals provide the justices with that opportunity. The court need not agree with the 1st Circuit that warrantless searches of cellphones are always unconstitutional. It could rule more narrowly that searches are permissible when necessary to preserve evidence of the crime for which the arrest was made — for example, if there is a danger that confederates could remotely swipe incriminating information from the phone before a warrant could be obtained. But the court should make clear that police are not entitled to conduct an electronic fishing expedition into every aspect of a suspect's life.
benton.org/node/161666 | San Jose Mercury News
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TWITTER DIPLOMACY
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Somini Sengupta]
Countries all over the world, dictatorships and democracies alike, have in the last few years sought to tame — or plug entirely — that real-time fire hose of public opinion known as Twitter. But on the sidelines of the General Assembly over the last couple of weeks, ministers, ambassadors and heads of state of all sorts, including those who have tussled with Twitter, the company, seized on Twitter, the social network, to spin and spread their message.
benton.org/node/161660 | New York Times
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
FIBER TO THE HOME: AMERICA'S MOST IMPORTANT, AND MOST IGNORED, TECH DEVELOPMENT
[SOURCE: NetworkWorld, AUTHOR: Fredric Paul]
[Commentary] Forget the iPhone 5s. Don’t bother looking at Microsoft’s Surface 2. Ignore software defined networking. They’re all important in one way or another, but to my mind, the biggest, most important development in the tech world right now is the beginning of fiber-based Internet service for home users. There are three reasons fast Internet changes everything: 1) fast Internet is essential to making today’s cloud services work properly; 2) gigabit Internet will enable innovation on the next generation of services, which history shows will consume exponentially more bandwidth than previous iterations; and 3) the faster the top speeds, the better for everyone, even those who can’t afford it. Competition from fiber to the home will drive down the cost and boost the speed of other Internet connectivity options, improving Net access for everyone.
benton.org/node/161648 | NetworkWorld
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COMCAST’S USAGE-BASED INTERNET TRIAL REACHES MORE MARKETS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Jeff Baumgartner]
Comcast has expanded trials of new usage-based Internet data plans that are tailored for both light and heavy broadband users. The latest markets to join the market trial are Huntsville and Mobile (AL); Augusta (GA); and Charleston (SC). Comcast has already introduced these pilot policies in Savannah (GA); central Kentucky; Jackson (MS); Knoxville and Memphis (TN). Those markets are all kicking the tires on a monthly 300-Gigabyte plan that charges customers extra if they exceed that threshold, as well as an optional plan for lighter users. To help customers get used to the new policies, Comcast is also giving customers three courtesy months for exceeding the monthly 300 GB cap in any 12-month period, meaning that overage charges will only be applied if a customer exceeds the 300 GB threshold for a fourth time in that span.
benton.org/node/161656 | Multichannel News
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WHY NEW FIBER NETWORKS ARE REQUIRED TO SHATTER MONOPOLIES OF COMCAST & OTHER ISPS
[SOURCE: Consumerist, AUTHOR: Chris Morran]
[Commentary] The introduction of higher-speed fiber-optic networks like Google Fiber and AT&T’s new experiment in Austin may shatter the concrete feet of a cable colossus like Comcast. In a piece for the Washington Post, Timothy Lee demonstrates how he believes Comcast is reining in access to faster Internet download speeds in order to cash in on customers with few other options. He points out that while Comcast has increased the speed of its most popular broadband offering, the “Performance” tier, from 3Mbps to 20Mbps over the last 10 years, the company is now able to deliver speeds of up to 105Mbps without the customer having to upgrade her in-home equipment. But in order to reach that level of speed, you would need to pay around $115 per month, more than double what most people pay for the Performance tier. Comcast — and they’re not the only who price gauge and price-discriminate their customers by far — would not be able to do so (or would have a more difficult time doing it) if it had any competition whatsoever in the markets it serves.
benton.org/node/161647 | Consumerist
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WHY GOOGLE'S COMPETING FOR YOUR INTERNET SERVICE
[SOURCE: Motley Fool, AUTHOR: Chris Neiger]
AT&T and other broadband companies should be more than a little scared of Google's intentions. Analysts estimate the cost of rolling out Google Fiber at about $7 billion to $10 billion by 2020 and covering around 8 million homes by the same time. So, why does Google want to enter the Internet business when AT&T, Verizon, and others are already entrenched in it? There's no simple answer to that question, but BTIG Research outlined six main areas Google could benefit from laying fiber throughout the US:
Strongly encourage Internet service providers to increase broadband speeds.
Prohibit ISPs from disadvantaging Google through bandwidth caps.
Keep innovation flowing by bringing high-speed Internet to schools and other non-business entities.
Bridge the digital divide, bring more people into Google's services.
Bring YouTube to set-top boxes just like any other network channel.
Institute highly targeted television ads based on Web searches and TV viewing habits.
Google sees its Fiber project as a new way of doing business, not an old-school approach of just bundling TV and Internet services. In the spring, Google's VP of access services, Milo Medin, said, "We're trying to build a business for the next 10 years, not the last 10 years."
benton.org/node/161630 | Motley Fool
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AT&T MAY ATTEMPT PRICE WAR WITH GOOGLE FIBER
[SOURCE: The Street, AUTHOR: Antoine Gara]
With Google's launch of a one-gigabit high-speed fiber network in select cities, analysts and some investors have speculated that traction with Google Fiber, a so-called virtual multiple systems operator (MSO), could eventually undercut traditional Internet service providers (ISPs) and lead to the un-bundling of cable TV packages. The scenario of a nationwide virtual MSO -- or at least one with scale in most major metropolitan areas in the US -- could be the foundation for the rise of a la carte media offerings from the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple and even Google. It could also chip away at the video bundles that drive revenue at ISPs such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable, AT&T and Verizon, while weakening the pricing power of Disney, CBS and Time Warner. Google Fiber is likely to offer its 1 Gbps service and a set of pay-TV channels in Austin for $120 a month, similar to Kansas City where the service has seen strong signs of adoption. Will AT&T in rolling out a competing service try to undercut that pricing package? If so, what looked like a profitable virtual MSO offering with internal rates of return in excess of 30% could become a far more economically challenging proposition in a larger rollout. One thing is clear, firms like AT&T are investing heavily in broadband and wireless communications infrastructure as they try to tap growing consumer demand for streaming video. Google Fiber and AT&T's similar offering indicate improving service and consumer choice, even if the direction of industry-wide profit margins becomes muddled.
benton.org/node/161629 | Street, The
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21 PERCENT OF UNINSURED AMERICANS DON'T USE INTERNET
[SOURCE: CBS, AUTHOR: ]
The online insurance marketplaces that are at the heart of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul struggled to handle the wave of new consumers on the first day of a six-month open-enrollment period, according to CBS DC. For 21 percent of those who are uninsured, however, the technical difficulties with accessing the online system don't matter, as they do not use the Internet, according to a release posted by the Pew Research Center. The information was discovered as part of Pew's Internet & American Life Project Health Survey, which was conducted between August 7 and September 6 of 2012. An estimated 3,014 randomly selected American adults participated in the survey.
benton.org/node/161649 | CBS
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NYC’S “LEED FOR BROADBAND” WILL HELP COMPANIES PICK TECH-FRIENDLY OFFICE LOCATIONS
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Laura Hazard Owen]
New York City is already home to tech companies like Spotify, Tumblr and Birchbox, and, under Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R), the city has made a major push to attract more startups as well as large companies, like Yahoo and Facebook, that are headquartered on the West Coast. NYC announced two more initiatives to further that goal. It’s officially launching a certification program called “WiredNYC,” first announced in 2012, that aims to be a “LEED for broadband” by making information about broadband infrastructure available to landlords and businesses. The aim is to help businesses gauge connectivity when deciding where they should lease or buy office space. And it’s making free public Wi-Fi available in ten new areas, including poor neighborhoods far from “Silicon Alley,” the tech hub in Manhattan’s Flatiron district.
benton.org/node/161638 | GigaOm | Tech Buffalo
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NET NEUTRALITY: A ONE-SIDED OUTCOME IN A TWO-SIDED MARKET
[SOURCE: American Enterprise Institute, AUTHOR: Gus Hurwitz]
[Commentary] Verizon’s basic argument here is almost certainly correct: figuring out the best price structure in two-sided markets is complicated, and there is little reason to believe a priori that the Open Internet rules’ prohibition on charging content providers is optimal. To the contrary, the economic literature suggests that the Open Internet rules can have a negative effect on the value created by the Internet, and that allowing broadband ISPs to charge content providers can benefit consumers and increase infrastructure investment. … The takeaway is that today’s broadband Internet market is precisely the sort of market in which the [Federal Communications Commission]’s ‘prophylactic’ approach is inappropriate. It is, instead, one in which we should seek out opportunities to experiment with multi-sided price structure — and even reward firms for taking the risk of experimenting — in order to maximize the value of the Internet to consumers.
benton.org/node/161643 | American Enterprise Institute
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TELECOM
INTERCONNECTION MAY BE TOUGHEST PART OF TDM-TO-IP TRANSITION
[SOURCE: telecompetitor, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
As the telecom industry contemplates the Time Division Multiplexing-to-Internet Protocol (TDM-to-IP) transition aimed at replacing traditional voice service with VoIP, some of the biggest challenges will center on interconnection. The move to IP will require rethinking how service providers exchange traffic with one another from a business, regulatory and technology standpoint. “We want IP interconnection,” said Maggie McCready, executive director for public policy at Verizon. McCready said half of Verizon’s 13 million voice customers are now served over FiOS. And potentially those customers could be interconnected with other service providers more economically using IP. McCready noted, however, that some nationwide service providers say they will only negotiate with Verizon if Verizon agrees to abide by “backstops” that help regulate pricing in the TDM world. “They have to come to the table and talk,” said McCready about other service providers. Another IP interconnection issue that could be challenging to resolve is pricing transparency. “Would a small company get the same rate [as a larger company]? I don’t know,” said McCready. Another thorny issue is that rural carriers traditionally have relied on per-minute access charges for completing calls from other carriers to their network to help cover some of their costs of delivering service, which are higher in rural areas. Rural carriers may be reluctant to enter into IP interconnection agreements unless those revenue streams are retained or replaced.
benton.org/node/161632 | telecompetitor
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CONTENT
REQUEST FOR COMENTS
[SOURCE: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, AUTHOR: Teresa Stanek Rea, Lawrence Strickling]
The Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force is seeking public comment from all interested stakeholders on the following copyright policy issues critical to economic growth, job creation, and cultural development: The legal framework for the creation of remixes; the relevance and scope of the first sale doctrine in the digital environment; the appropriate calibration of statutory damages in the contexts of individual file sharers and of secondary liability for large-scale infringement; whether and how the government can facilitate the further development of a robust online licensing environment; and establishing a multistakeholder dialogue on improving the operation of the notice and takedown system for removing infringing content from the Internet under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The Task Force will also hold an initial public meeting on October 30, 2013, to discuss these topics. Comments are due on or before November 13, 2013. Any comments received before October 15, 2013 will be considered in the discussions in the public meeting.
benton.org/node/161653 | National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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PRIVACY
HOW COMPANIES ARE TRACKING YOU
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: James Temple]
Cookies are still widely used, but online advertisers have been developing, deploying and improving upon more sophisticated methods for years: authenticated tracking, browser fingerprinting, cross-device tracking and more. Each method suggests a unique set of implications for privacy and users, but the common theme is this: These new methods for persistent tracking are generally more persistent, exacting a higher cost for a clean start. Rather than simply deleting cookies, consumers might have to throw away a device, forsake a social network or delete a rich archive of e-mails. There’s also a generalizable lesson for policymakers and advocates: Legislative and regulatory responses to personal privacy threats must be based on broad principles, rather than specific techniques. The history shows technology itself will simply shape-shift to squeeze through unforeseen loopholes.
benton.org/node/161665 | San Francisco Chronicle
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EDUCATION
DISTRICTS UPGRADE TECH AHEAD OF COMMON-CORE TESTING
[SOURCE: Education Week, AUTHOR: Robin Flanigan]
Hoping to avoid the widespread technical failures that caused online testing breakdowns in a number of states last spring, education officials are communicating regularly with testing providers and planning dress rehearsals far ahead of the next rounds of online tests in 2013-14. "Districts need to have a punch list and make sure they have everything they need to be ready,” said Keith R. Krueger, the CEO of the Consortium for School Networking, a professional association for school district technology leaders. Though more breakdowns likely are inevitable given online testing's relatively new place in schools, the ability to protect the validity, integrity, and security of the process is increasingly crucial as districts in 46 states -- those that have adopted the Common Core State Standards -- gear up for mandatory online assessments starting in 2014-15. In the meantime, states that dealt with disruptions in online testing are going through checklists: Do districts have enough bandwidth? A strong infrastructure? Are testing providers doing all they can to prevent a repeat performance? Bandwidth is a critical concern for many districts. In a fall 2013 national survey of school district leaders conducted by COSN and Market Data Retrieval, 99 percent of respondents indicated a need for more Internet bandwidth and connectivity in the next 36 months.
benton.org/node/161645 | Education Week
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FAST TIMES AT EVERY SCHOOL: BRINGING FIBER TO THE CLASSROOM
[SOURCE: New America Foundation, AUTHOR: Bryan Dosono]
[Commentary] This year, policymakers had a productive summer vacation -- they resolved to tackle an emerging problem in our education system: many of the nation’s public schools lack high-quality, high-speed Internet. As part of the ConnectED initiative, President Barack Obama expects 99 percent of America’s public schools to reach a gigabit of capacity per 1,000 students by the end of the decade. Fiber connectivity represents the soundest investment we can make in our public schools to improve broadband speeds and overall performance. The bandwidth deemed sufficient 15 years ago no longer meets the needs of a modern education. America loses its competitive edge to countries that do a better job connecting their students to high-speed broadband and other cutting-edge technology. If schools provide 1 gigabit per 1,000 students with upload capabilities that match download speeds, students will not only be able to consume content, but also share the innovative work they produce.
[Dosono was a Google Policy Fellow at the Open Technology Institute]
benton.org/node/161631 | New America Foundation
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THE SHUTDOWN
THE SHUTDOWN IS NOW CLOGGING UP THE DATA ECONOMY. THANKS, CONGRESS!
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
Thanks to the government shutdown, nearly a dozen federal Web sites are offline and 19 of them are no longer being updated. But a less obvious casualty of the widespread furloughs are the online tools that automatically relay government data to the public. Federal agencies maintain hundreds of application programming interfaces, or APIs. Whenever you see an interactive map that's based on Census statistics or pollution data or other official information, that's often the result of a government data feed. These days, however, when a map or a program phones in to the feed for updates, it's often met with a "sorry, we're closed" message.
benton.org/node/161640 | Washington Post
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JOURNALISM
WHO'S A JOURNALIST? CLOSING IN ON A DEFINITION
[SOURCE: Huffington Post, AUTHOR: Thomas Kent]
[Commentary] The debate over "who's a journalist" is getting more urgent. Fortunately, the outlines of a definition are becoming clearer. Might some basic ethical tests help in further drawing the lines? These tests could include:
Is the person's product intended for the general public?
Is the work creative and analytical rather than a simple relay of raw information?
Is the reporting based on facts rather than fabrications? Are statistics honest, images unmanipulated, quotations correct?
Does the product convey multiple points of view? A reporter or columnist who harangues the consumer with only one side of an issue, however, ignoring or distorting what opponents say, is more a polemicist than a journalist.
Does the person or his organization guard against conflicts of interest that could affect the product? If conflicts are unavoidable, are they publicly acknowledged?
Does the person reveal his or her identity and contact information?
Does the person publicly correct errors?
[Thomas Kent works for the Associated Press]
benton.org/node/161635 | Huffington Post
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COMPANY NEWS
FADED SATELLITE STAR LIGHTSQUARED HEADED FOR AUCTION BLOCK IN NOVEMBER
[SOURCE: IDG News Service, AUTHOR: Stephen Lawson]
The long saga of satellite operator LightSquared’s quest to become a cellular carrier may come to an end soon with an auction for the company’s assets scheduled for late November 2013. The assets, most importantly its spectrum licenses, will be auctioned off Nov 25, according to an order by a New York bankruptcy court. The lead bidder in the auction is L-Band Acquisition, a company linked to satellite TV operator Dish Network that has offered $2.2 billion for the company. It’s unlikely the auction will draw any bidders that will stop Dish from taking over LightSquared, because the company’s spectrum is particularly well matched to Dish’s needs, said TMF Associates analyst Tim Farrar.
benton.org/node/161650 | IDG News Service
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
ONLINE SURVEILLANCE CHALLENGED
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Steven Erlanger]
Three British organizations have filed a legal challenge in the European Court of Human Rights to the online surveillance programs of the British spy agency the Government Communications Headquarters. The groups are seeking to have the court declare the collection of metadata to be an illegal breach of the right to privacy. The case, financed through donations, has been brought by English PEN, the Open Rights Group and Big Brother Watch, as well as by a German activist.
benton.org/node/161659 | New York Times
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EGYPTIAN ARMY AND THE MEDIA
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: David Kirkpatrick]
A leaked video of senior Egyptian Army officers debating how to influence the news media during the months preceding the military takeover offers a rare glimpse of the anxiety within the institution at the prospect of civilian oversight. Calling even mildly disrespectful news coverage “dangerous” and abnormal, the officers call for a restoration of “red lines” that had protected the military for decades. And they urge Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi to pressure the roughly two dozen big media owners into “self-censorship.” Mixing humor and cool confidence, General Sisi tells the officers that they must adjust to the new reality of public and parliamentary oversight, but he also counsels patience while he recruits allies in the news media.
benton.org/node/161658 | New York Times
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