December 2014

In Google Books appeal, judges focus on profit and security

Three judges of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals appeared to give little weight to the Authors Guild’s contention that Google’s book scanning should not be considered fair use under copyright since Google might profit from the scanning.

One judge added that quintessential fair use examples such as news reporting or book review quotes are performed by profit-seeking companies, and the case should be no different if the company is a search engine. The focus on the commercial character of the scanning represented a shift from earlier arguments, which had turned almost entirely on whether Google’s massive Books project was “transformative.” The Author's Guild did get a more sympathetic reception in regards to how universities, which provided Google with the access to books for scanning, might treat the databases. A ruling is likely to come sometime in January or February.

Public Knowledge Joins global Net Neutrality Coalition and Global Net Neutrality Website

Public Knowledge proudly joins more than 35 groups (Access, Derechos Digitales, European Digital Rights, Kenya ICT Network, Network Neutrality User Forum of Korea, Social Media Exchange, and more) from 19 countries to launch a website for a new Global Coalition for Net Neutrality at www.thisisnetneutrality.org.

In fighting for network neutrality in local, national, and international contexts in the coming months and years, the website will grow to become an important resource hub of informational materials and updates about net neutrality laws, policies, and advocacy efforts in various countries. By becoming a central resource on the global fight for net neutrality, the website will help users, policymakers, activists, technologists, and others from the United States and around the world make informed decisions on behalf of the open Internet.

Google to revamp its products with 12-and-under focus

Google plans to create specific versions of its most popular products for those 12 and under.

The most likely candidates are those that are already popular with a broad age group, such as search, YouTube and Chrome. "We expect this to be controversial, but the simple truth is kids already have the technology in schools and at home," says Pavni Diwanji, the Vice President of Engineering at Google, "So the better approach is to simply see to it that the tech is used in a better way." Google would not offer a timetable for the rollout.

Stuart Elliot Takes Buyout as New York Times Continues to Lose Top Media and Advertising Reporters

Stuart Elliott, the New York Times' longest-serving advertising columnist, has announced he will be "taking part in the (generous) buyout offer the Times has made to longtime employees." After more than 23 years in the role, his last day will be December 19. Elliott joins several massively influential colleagues who are also taking a paid exit, including 25-year TV beat reporter Bill Carter and newspaper/magazine industry writer Christine Haughney.

New cord cutting data spells trouble for traditional TV

TV viewers are abandoning traditional broadcast and cable networks for online streaming services, and new devices in their living rooms are making it easier for them to cut the cord.

That’s the gist of two new studies from Nielsen and GfK. Nielsen is reporting that traditional TV viewing dropped four percent last quarter. Viewing of streaming services rose to 11 hours per month, up from seven hours per month a year ago. Adding to Nielsen’s data is a report from market research company GfK that estimates that one third of all consumers who own a Roku box, Chromecast stick or similar streaming device have reduced or eliminated their pay TV subscription

Verizon to install teeny tiny cells for its enterprise customers

Verizon is tapping startup SpiderCloud’s small cell technology to move its LTE network indoors. The two announced a plan to begin wiring up office buildings and public venues with these tiny base stations that can deliver an entire cell’s worth of 4G capacity in close quarters. Though Verizon and SpiderCloud didn’t provide any specifics on where Verizon would deploy the technology or which customers would be using it, the idea is to use small cells to create dense indoor grids of cells that can deliver much more capacity in crowded areas where people congregate. SpiderCloud’s cells connect to a company’s Ethernet LAN network, linking back to a controller that can manage up to 100 cells in the same building.

Verizon starts killing off 3G networks to make room for LTE

Verizon has already launched two distinct LTE networks since it first turned on 4G in 2010, but now it has started paving the way for the third.

Unlike the first two, however, this new network won’t tap virgin airwaves. Instead Verizon has started cannibalizing its old CDMA EV-DO systems for PCS spectrum, marking the beginning of what will likely be a very slow death for 3G. As for 2G, it will be around even longer than 3G since it’s still Verizon’s primary voice network, but eventually Verizon will begin to shift the bulk of its voice traffic onto its new voice-over-LTE service. What we’re witnessing is the very beginning of a long, slow march toward death for Verizon 3G and the gradual transformation of Verizon into a carrier providing all its voice and data services over a single network technology.

Verizon Shuts Down SugarString, Site That Had Drawn Journalistic Criticism

One of the more controversial efforts of journalism and corporate promotion, a site called SugarString which was backed by Verizon, was shut down. Verizon confirmed the site had been shuttered and said in a statement: “As you know, we’ve always said this was a pilot project; and as with any pilot project, we evaluate, take our learnings, improve our execution and move forward.”

[Now cracks a noble heart. Goodnight SugarSweet Prince...]

Google is replacing the CAPTCHA with a simple checkbox

For years, Internet services tried to block spammers and bots by making Web users read a distorted series of characters and asking them to type back what they saw. Humans are a lot better at interpreting what machines see as gobbledygook -- or so the theory went. But in April, research from Google showed that computers are just as good at defeating these security systems, known as CAPTCHAs, as real people. So now Google is rolling out the next generation of this technology, which to most casual observers doesn't resemble a CAPTCHA at all. Users will now be presented with a checkbox that they can click with their mouse or, if they're on a mobile device, tap with a finger. Powering the new "No-CAPTCHA," as Google calls it, is a powerful back-end algorithm.

A unified 20-year history of the radically changing way we relate to the Web

[Commentary] Over the past 20+ years, our understanding of what the Web is and how it impacts society has developed. So has our understanding of Web literacy. My focus isn’t the history of the Web itself, but the history of the skills that people have thought necessary to use it. It’s a subtle, but important distinction.

The 5 eras of Web literacy:

1993-1997: The Information Superhighway
1999-2002: The Wild West
2003-2007: The Web 2.0 era
2008-2012: The Era of the App
2013+: The Post-Snowden era

My hope is that in this new fifth era, we understand the Web for what it is, a platform for human flourishing. Perhaps we will learn to teach current and next generations how to read, write and participate, effectively using it.

[Belshaw is Web Literacy Lead at the Mozilla Foundation.]

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