1. Monthly archive
  2. March 2018

March 2018

Erasing History: YouTube’s Deletion Of Syria War Videos Concerns Human Rights Groups

YouTube hosts 4 million videos related to Syria that have been uploaded since the outbreak of the war in 2011, according to Keith Hiatt, vice president of the human rights program at Benetech, a technology nonprofit. But YouTube wasn’t designed to be the world’s largest repository of war footage. Over the summer of 2017, YouTube introduced a machine-learning-based algorithm to flag videos for terms of service (ToS)-related violations.

Parents Television Council Pushes White House to Vet Violent Content on Broadcast Networks

The White House has scheduled a meeting with the video game industry's Entertainment Software Association March 8 to talk about video game and real world violence, but the Parents Television Council wants to expand the conversation to include broadcast network TV.  “As the White House and other leaders work to confront societal gun violence, we hope that they will demand meaningful change from the entertainment industry, which presents dress rehearsals for gun violence on TV, in the movies, and in violent video games,” said PTC President Tim Winter.

Facebook Really Is Spying on You, Just Not Through Your Phone’s Mic

A conspiracy theory has spread among Facebook and Instagram users: The company is tapping our microphones to target ads. It’s not. “Facebook does not use your phone’s microphone to inform ads or to change what you see in News Feed,” says Facebook. 

Commissioner Clyburn Remarks at HIMSS 2018 Conference

Four years ago, I urged the Federal Communications Commission  to create what is now known as the Connect2HealthFCC Task Force under then-Chairman Tom Wheeler. This is a dedicated, interdisciplinary team, focused on the intersection of broadband, advanced technology, and health. I am grateful to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai for his continued commitment to the Task Force and his enthusiasm for bridging the digital divide in health care. 

Sen John Kennedy (R-LA) Introduces Bicameral Net Neutrality Bill To Protect Consumers

Sen John Kennedy (R-LA) filed the Open Internet Preservation Act to protect consumers by preventing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from slowing down and controlling web content.  The legislation also creates transparency by requiring ISPs to make public their terms of service.  The House companion of this bill was introduced in 2017 by House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

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