In the rapid growth of the online gig economy, many workers have felt squeezed and at times dehumanized by a business structure that promises independence but often leaves them at the mercy of increasingly powerful companies. Some are beginning to band together in search of leverage and to secure what they see as fairer treatment from the platforms that make the work possible.
Wael Ghonim’s anonymous Facebook page helped start a revolution in Egypt. Here is what he concluded about social media today
Sen Orrin Hatch (R-UT) has moved to speed passage of a key privacy bill that is linked to several transatlantic data sharing agreements. The so-called Judicial Redress Act would give European Union citizens the right to challenge misuse of their personal data in a US court, a right US citizens already enjoy in Europe. “Our legislation rights an inequity — a reciprocal benefit that has been withheld from our European allies with little justification,” Sen Hatch said.
“It is the right and fair thing to do,” he added.
Feb 1, Sen Hatch moved to hotline the bill, meaning it could bypass normal floor procedure and pass swiftly if no senator objects. The bill's approval is required to finalized an “umbrella agreement” between the US and EU that would allow the two sides to exchange more data during criminal and terrorism investigations. Sen Hatch called the measure “the catalyst to finalizing the long-awaited data-protection deal.” The House has already passed its companion legislation, and the Senate Judiciary Committee recently approved the upper chamber's measure. In recent weeks, the Judicial Redress Act was also drawn into the tense negotiations over another transatlantic data sharing agreement, the so-called Safe Harbor pact, which was invalidated last fall. Sen Hatch’s move to hotline his bill came hours before US and EU officials revealed they had struck a deal to resurrect the legal framework that Facebook, Google and thousands of other American companies had used for nearly 15 years.
I want to start by talking about spectrum policy in the immediate future—or the next several months. Then I want to talk about spectrum policy in the near future—or the next several years. First up, the immediate future. Mark your calendar. Because two months from now the Federal Communications Commission will hold the world’s first spectrum incentive auction...
Next, I want to talk about the near future, a few years from now, and the possibilities of fifth generation wireless technology, or 5G. Today, the bulk of our fourth generation or 4G wireless networks are built on spectrum frequencies from 600 MHz to 3 GHz. This is our current sweet spot for mobile communications. To wrap-up, I have predicted that the Commission’s upcoming spectrum incentive auction will be a success. I have predicted that millimeter wave spectrum will be a big part of 5G multi-radio access technology networks.
[Commentary] The discussion of diversity in Hollywood (CA), or the lack thereof has been at a fever pitch since the nominations for the Oscar awards were released. This announcement by the Academy Awards was followed with videos made by several celebrities announcing boycotts, and attempts by the Academy to regain their trust with a quickly enacted change in the awards voting policy. Yet, the real discourse on diversity and inclusion does not center on who is in front of the camera, nor who is even directing its lens. The conversation should be focused on who owns the camera, and the content it's used to create.
#BlackMediaMatters and it is inside of ownership where you see the starkest disparity between blacks and whites across all major platforms, film, television, print and digital. While the nomination for an Oscar serves as a symbol of diversity, it does little to address the lasting effects that the disenfranchisement of blacks in media has had on content, employment and wealth for Black Americans.
[Antonio Moore is an attorney and producer of the documentary "Freeway: Crack in The System"]
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