1. Monthly archive
  2. July 2016

July 2016

Victims' families sue Facebook for $1 billion over Palestinian attacks

Israeli and American families of victims of Palestinian attacks filed a $1-billion lawsuit against Facebook, claiming the social network is providing a platform for militants to spread incitement and violence, their lawyers said. Shurat Hadin, an Israeli legal advocacy group, filed the suit on behalf of the five families in a New York court, alleging that Facebook is violating the US Anti-Terrorism Act by providing a service to militant groups that assists them in “recruiting, radicalizing, and instructing terrorists, raising funds, creating fear and carrying out attacks.” The lawsuit focuses on the Islamic militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and which has fought three wars against Israel since the Palestinian group overran the coastal territory in 2007.

The five families in the lawsuit lost relatives in attacks over the last two years. “Facebook can't sit in its stone tower in Palo Alto while blood is being spilled here on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It has a social responsibility. It can't serve as a social network for Hamas,” said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the Israeli lawyer who is representing the families. She compared Facebook to a bank, saying that just as money may be transferred as a service for terror groups, so can content.

Washington, Digital Advertising and Competition

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission is conducting a rulemaking proceeding right now in which the agency explains that it is trying to come up with additional regulations for Internet service providers (ISPs) that will protect consumer privacy online. It's a compelling sound byte, but upon closer examination of the FCC's proposal, it appears the agency's focus is on shaping the digital advertising market, not protecting privacy.

The stakes are high among the existing, dominant players so it is not surprising that the FCC wants to wade in. But it is surprising that the FCC seems to want to shield the dominant players from additional competition, an odd motivation when you read the continuous stream of FCC releases on any number of issues heralding its laser focus on increasing competition, not minimizing it. The only thing that the FCC's proposal will do is distort the digital advertising market and protect the dominant market position of the existing providers – the very anathema of American competition policy. Everyone is clear that the "privacy as a currency" business model is here to stay. Let's expose it to more rather than less competition and let's give Americans what they want – a consistent, comprehensive regime that protects them as well online as anywhere else.

[Roger Entner is founder and lead analyst at telecom consulting firm Recon Analytics]

Can We Talk?

[Commentary] The growing racial tensions over officer-involved shootings that have racked the country in recent days, from Dallas (TX) to Minneapolis(MN) to Baton Rouge (LA), are not going to be defused without a concerted effort on the part of everyone involved, which is everyone in this country. As President Barack Obama has said, there is a problem that needs addressing. Broadcasters remain the "go to" medium for local news and public service in their communities and can be a part of the solution -- or at least part of figuring out what the solution is. They should join with cable news outlets to televise -- and roadblock if necessary -- a town hall meeting or meetings between communities and the police sworn to protect and serve.

Network Attached Storage Forecast Driven by Video Surveillance

Consumer demand for network storage will fuel the market for consumer and small and medium-sized business network attached storage (NAS) to grow at an 11% compound annual growth rate from 2016 to 2020, according to a network attached storage forecast from Technavio ICT. In addition to growing demand for personal data back-up storage, growing use of networked video surveillance services is driving consumer and SMB NAS market expansion, Technavio ICT highlights about the network attached storage forecast. Other drivers will include ongoing increases in the number of connected home devices and growing demand for reliable, secure data storage solutions. Connected 24x7x365 video camera surveillance feeds require a lot of storage and processing, more than on-site home and SMB servers can provide, Technavio ICT analysts note. That’s going to make the use of NAS devices a requirement.

The tech lobby should be really nervous about what Hillary Clinton just said about immigration reform

Expanding visas to allow more high-skilled workers to come to the United States was supposed to be the last bipartisan immigration proposal standing. But Hillary Clinton described comprehensive immigration reform as a way to "keep the pressure on" the tech industry to "resolve the bigger problem" — "and then we can look to see what else, if anything, can and should be done."

Clinton is making it clear that for Democrats, immigration is an issue primarily about Latino voters — not tech donors. The tech industry has sometimes thought of itself as first among equals when it comes to the "immigration reform" coalition — now there’s reason for it to worry it might be last.

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