Google Not Publisher to Australian Court, Omnispace Testing 5G Satellites, AT&T’s $6M to Digital Literacy

August 18, 2022 – Australia’s highest court ruled Wednesday that Google is not a publisher of information that emerges from the use of its search engine, overturning a lower court decision that opened Google up to a defamation lawsuit.

The Supreme Court of Victoria ruled that Google was a publisher by virtue of the fact that it was providing a hyperlink in its search results to a 2004 news article which outlined conspiracy and incitement to murder charges – that were later dismissed – against the defendant and now criminal lawyer George Defteros. The appeal court upheld this view.

But the country’s highest court disagreed Wednesday. “A hyperlink provides a reference to another source and does not itself constitute publication of it,” the decision said. “Although the link may facilitate the transfer of information, which her Honour accepted as a hallmark of publication, it is equally clear that when a person follows a link, they are leaving one source and moving to another.

“The fact that accessing the content is made far easier with hyperlinks does not alter the fact that a hyperlink, by itself (and as distinct from a search result in which the link is embedded), is ‘content-neutral,’” added the decision.

In a press release on Wednesday, internet advocacy group Public Knowledge said it supports the decision, which “affirms the important of 230-like protections for entities that provide access to user-generated content,” referring to a provision in the Communications Decency Act that shields internet platforms from being liable for what their users post.

Omnispace and Philippine telecom collaborating on 5G from space

Virginia-based mobile communications and satellite company Omnispace announced Wednesday it is partnering with Philippines-based telecom Smart Communications to test space-based 5G communications using low-earth orbit satellites.

The demonstration will examine use cases for the Philippine market, according to a press release, including enabling 5G in rural areas, using internet of things and sensors to monitor weather and natural calamities, and enhancing network coverage for disaster relief and other uses.

Earlier this year, Omnispace completed the deployment phase of its Omnispace Spark program, which is the initial phase in the company’s delivery of a 5G capable satellite network. Omnispace’s satellite network will communicate with mobile networks on land to serve mobile subscribers.

“We are excited to announce this collaborative agreement with Smart Communications, which shares our vision of delivering reliable mobile connectivity to consumer, government and enterprise users, everywhere,” Brian Pemberton, chief commercial officer at Omnispace, said in a press release. “Together with Smart, we seek to bridge the digital divide, while also providing the communications infrastructure to power the development of the Filipino economy of the future.”

Meanwhile, USCellular and Swedish telecom equipment provider Ericsson announced earlier this summer that they were testing 5G performance at attitude using drones.

AT&T commits $6M to digital literacy initiatives

AT&T said Tuesday that it is making $6 million in contributions to in-person digital literacy workshops ot more than 400 libraries and community centers across the country.

The telecom said in a press release it aims to help more than 65,000 people learn to use computers and mobile devices, navigate the internet and apps, participate in the digital world, and avoid scams.

The $6 million is part of a $2-billion commitment the company is making from 2021 to 2023 to bridge the digital divide, it said in the release.