WASHINGTON June 17, 2019 – In spite of an advanced smartphone-based payments system that is widely adopted in China, panelists at a Brookings Institute event on Monday expressed skepticism that such a system would become popular in the United States. More and more people in are exclusively using payment platforms such as Alipay and WeChat… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 12, 2019 - New critics of Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act seem to emerge every day on both the political right and the left. The law states that "no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 11, 2019 — The practices of Google and Facebook were closely scrutinized at a House Antitrust Subcommittee hearing Tuesday, and the companies’ impact upon the digital news media came in for particularly stark criticism. Some said that these major tech platforms were making it difficult for other media companies to survive, speaking at… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 5, 2019 – Further ratcheting up its call for government regulation of the technology industry, speakers at the New America's Open Technology Institute called for government rules to limit hate speech online. Doing so is necessary in order to solve the dichotomy of maintaining free speech while limiting hate speech online, said panelists… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, May 2, 2019 - Social media and technology platform companies are wasting the talents of a generation, addicting and impoverishing middle America, and even driving teenagers to commit suicide in record numbers, Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday. In a blistering speech attacking Facebook, Google, and the supposed "crown jewel" of the American economy known culturally… Keep Reading
A new breed of internet applications that some are calling the “livestream economy” is becoming increasingly popular in China and other Asian markets. The rise of Facebook Live in Taiwan and the growth of user-generated content has prompted much of this discussion, particularly relative to other Chinese markets.The following are three key points that emerge… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 11, 2018 – The CEO of search engine Google came to Washington on Tuesday and politely rebutted all charges that the world’s largest search engine is biased against conservative viewpoints. In the calm and controlled voice of an engineer, CEO Sundar Pichai said, “Our products are built without any bias,” responding to a… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 11, 2018 — Republicans and conservative activists used Tuesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing with Google CEO Sundar Pichai to revive claims that large technology companies are biased against them. But these same activists appear unwilling to accept any result that doesn’t validate their claim. One prominent Republican who has raised claims of censorship… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 10, 2018 — When Google CEO Sundar Pichai raises his right hand before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday morning, it’s possible the ensuing hearing will be a sober and judicious look into his company’s data collection practices. But Pichai is far more likely to become the latest punching bag for House members –… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Facebook is only the first of the feared tech giants (#GAFA - Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon) who appear to be buckling into this pressure. Can you imagine the reaction if the Trump administration were seeking to "embed" journalists into the company? Tech companies are increasingly being hit by both sides: Conservative… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Are Facebook and Amazon really GDPR compliant? Researchers used artificial intellence software to analyze Facebook and Amazon new GDPR policies. The AI tool found one-third of policy clauses to be “potentially problematic” or containing “insufficient information”, which could put the companies’ in violation of GDPR. Meanwhile, Google and Facebook asserted they are working… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Against a backdrop of complaints by American conservatives that Facebook and other social media giants promote non-conservative content, a new report finds that the opposite is occurring. Facebook accused of protecting far-right activists that broke site rules A documentary says some pages are kept safe from deletion by "shielded review," from CNET: Facebook allegedly… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 21, 2018 - The man behind the app at the heart of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal defended the company’s use of personal data in front of the Senate, claiming he believed there was “almost no chance” that the data helped political campaigns in the 2016 election. The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce,… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 20, 2018 - Data privacy experts questioned the effectiveness of the European General Data Protection Regulation as a means of regulating international data privacy on the grounds that it may be incompatible with current U.S. policies. At the 2nd Annual Transatlantic Symposium on information communications technology and policy, industry and policy experts joined… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 7, 2018 – A top Facebook policy official on Wednesday defended the social media giant’s new policies about safeguarding privacy and data transparency against the doubts of an audience at the New America Foundation, a think tank generally friendly to Facebook. In recent months, Facebook has faced heavy scrutiny from Congress for potential… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 4, 2018 - If the tenor of a Thursday event at the CATO Institute is any indication, Facebook continues to face tough scrutiny from many sides in Washington. Although the event was titled, “Will Social Media Save Democracy?”, the panel instead became a multi-pronged attack on the company framed around a more negative… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: While Washington alternatively obsesses over net neutrality, beating up on Facebook, or other distractions brought to us by the man in the White House, how refreshing is it to encounter a piece like this. Mark Howell is demonstrating that leadership on a local level can make a difference in bringing people what… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, April 11, 2018 – Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrived at the Rayburn House Office Building Wednesday for the second day of his first trip to Capitol Hill as a witness, this time before members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. His prepared testimony was the same, but the atmosphere was quite different. Not… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, April 10, 2018 – After months of seemingly-unending scandal over his company’s role in the 2018 election, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg began his first of two days of testimony on Capitol Hill Tuesday by making it clear he was well aware of the laundry list of problems with the company he created 14 years… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, April 5, 2018 — As Facebook users continue to learn more about how the social networking pioneer allowed third parties to gain access to contact information, lists of friends, interests, and other information, the companies behind another social networking app are beginning to face scrutiny over whether they allowed far more sensitive information to… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, March 23, 2018 – The odds that Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg will make an appearance on Capitol Hill to explain his company’s actions regarding the misuse of millions of Facecook users’ data by Cambridge Analytica – the “big data” company linked to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign – just went up. After… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, November 21, 2017 – In a move that could further infuriate an already-energized coalition of technology industry power players, consumer advocates, and progressive interest groups, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday unveiled plans to undo the net neutrality rules that put in place in some form or another since the early years… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Impossible task, meet unfortunate federal agency. | Federal Agency Drafts New Rules For Transparency In Political Social Media Ads, from NPR: The Federal Election Commission is moving to improve disclosure of the money behind Internet and digital ads, as the shadow of Russian-funded social media ads in last year's presidential race hangs… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: A good attempt to "decode" the furor surrounding Facebook's artificial intelligence experiment, and all of those chattering robots. Scare stories aside, the opportunity for machine intelligence and human intelligence to complement each other is truly remarkable. The 'creepy Facebook AI' story that captivated the media | Facebook has been experimenting with AIs that… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 26, 2017 – The official topic of Tuesday’s House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing was reauthorization of the Federal Communications Commission, but the big focus was on net neutrality. “The Commission’s decision in 2015 to reclassify the internet as a public utility was a power grab laced with the irony of suffocating the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2017 – Even though People are now streaming emergencies on Facebook, but there is not yet a way to stream videos to 911, said Patrick Halley, executive director of the NG911 Institute, on Capitol Hill on July 17. The NG911 Institute is a nonprofit organization that promotes advanced 911 services. The event… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: An example of the convergence of the Washington and Silicon Valley elites, in the form of technology and broadband taking over (at least one portion of) our world. || Campaign and White House veterans who in years past would have turned their resumes & connections into cushy jobs are headed west to… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Great and fascinating article urging a more widespread tolerance of electronics in the courtroom, such as Tweeting. A Trial and a Twitterstorm: On Live-Tweeting From a Federal Courthouse As I walked into a federal court in Dallas last Tuesday, waiting to hear the Facebook founder’s testimony, my pockets were filled with the… Keep Reading
ASPEN, August 17, 2015 - The Technology Policy Institute's Aspen 2015 Forum opened here on Sunday night with a focus on the increasing prominence that cybersecurity threats play in core national defense matters.
"A greater and greater percentage of the president's daily briefings is taken up with cybersecurity threats," said Michael Daniel, special assistant to the president and cybersecurity coordinator, speaking at the mountain resort here in a question-and-answer session with Alan Raul, a partner and global coordinator for privacy and data security with the law firm of Sidley Austin.
Michael Daniel, White House Cybersecurity Czar, and Alan Raul, at Aspen.
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WASHINGTON, October 13, 2014 - As technology permeates society, students are growing more comfortable with learning in the technology medium. Whether it's organizing tables in Microsoft's Excel, learning design software, or computer programming, there are increasingly fewer excuses to avoid technology. Tech giants like Microsoft, Autodesk, Apple and Prezi are embracing this rapid evolution and… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 17, 2014 - A variety of developments on the battle regarding network neutrality: FreePress Tells FCC Title II Ensures Net Neutrality Protections The advocacy group Free Press blasted Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler’s efforts to use Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as the means to enough to ensure network… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 12, 2014 - In what would have seemed highly unlikely just a few months ago, growing support for public utility regulation is emerging. Tech companies, politicians, internet service providers, and component makers have started to outline their views regarding their policy approach to the issue of net neutrality. In order to understand the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 14, 2014 - Some of the world's leading tech giants, represented by a lobbying firm called the Internet Association, have officially filed their petition for net neutrality. The companies include Google, Facebook, Netflix and Amazon, among others. "The internet’s continued success is not inevitable," the group wrote. "Broadband internet access providers continue to… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 9, 2014 - In a blog post on Friday, AT&T gave its assurance that paid prioritization was not part of the telecommnications gianits plans. "Not a single [internet service provider] has asserted a desire or right to engage in any of these practices to create 'fast lanes and slow lanes.' AT&T certainly has… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, May 28, 2014 - The National Journal reported that the Federal Trade Commission released a report charging the data brokerage industry with collecting "troves" of information on nearly all American consumers. The agency urged Congress to push for more transparency. Believing that an invasive collection of personal data could harm consumers, the FTC recommended… Keep Reading
SALT LAKE CITY, March 25, 2013 - Dennis Brimhall, CEO of Family Search International, discusses some of the recent changes and upgrades to the FamilySearch.org web site during the RootsTech conference here. FamilySearch.org is one of the most well-used genealogy web sites in the world. During the interview, Brimhall discussed the addition of social features… Keep Reading
SALT LAKE CITY, March 22, 2013 - When I was younger, family history was for old folks. Now that I am older, family history is for kids adept at using computers and mobile devices. What accounts for this change? Personal computing and broadband. Nowhere is this remarkable change -- from the province of the old to a playground for the young -- more visible than at the RootsTech conference that kicked off here on Thursday.
March 17, 2013 – How a music festival connects to their audience is paramount to having a successful event. In recent years, several festivals – including the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival – have turned to aggressive viral campaigns to keep people talking about a festival before and after the music plays. The culture of… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, January 24, 2013 - Whenever a large gathering commences, chances are that, in addition to cramped quarters and long lines, the influx will also mean a major increase in the number of cell phones, laptops and other Wi-Fi dependent devices. As when on January 21, 2013, President Barack Obama was sworn in for his… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 21, 2012 - The Nation Cable and Telecommunications Association, the trade group representing cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's households, on Friday released a statement criticizing the Data Cap Integrity Act introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. “Regrettably, this ill-conceived legislation ignores the substantial pro-consumer benefits of usage-based pricing," according to the NCTA… Keep Reading
