U.S. Delays Giving Up Oversight of Internet @WSJ

Commerce Department to renew contract with the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers

By 

JEFF ELDER

Aug. 17, 2015 6:48 p.m. ET

20 COMMENTS

The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday delayed for at least a year its plans to give up oversight of a key component of Internet governance.

The department said it would renew its contract with the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers for one year. Icann administers the Internet’s domain-name system, through contracts with the companies that sell website names and addresses.

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#Breaking #Drudge, #Fox News could be censored under new federal rules @WE

By RUDY TAKALA • 8/13/15 3:09 PM

A Washington, D.C., appeals court is set to hear arguments later this year on new net neutrality rules, which critics say could lead to government regulators censoring websites such as the Drudge Report and Fox News.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments against the Federal Communications Commission's rules on Dec. 4. A panoply of amicus briefs filed with the court last week offer a preview of the arguments.

In its February vote on net neutrality, the Federal Communications Commission stated that broadband providers do not have a right to free speech. "Broadband providers are conduits, not speakers … the rules we adopt today are tailored to the important government interest in maintaining an open Internet as a platform for expression," the majority held in its 3-2 vote.

The rules, which went into effect in June, require that broadband providers — such as Verizon or Comcast — offer access to all legal online content. It did not place such a requirement on "edge providers," such as Netflix and Google. The FCC defines edge providers as "any individual or entity that provides any content, application, or service over the Internet, and any individual or entity that provides a device used for accessing any content, application, or service over the Internet."

WE WON!!! FEC backs off flirtation with regulating Internet ! @FOX

By Judson Berger

Democratic members of the Federal Election Commission on Thursday backed off any consideration of regulating political Internet content, after a public outcry and pressure from Republican colleagues. 

The commissioners, in a Washington meeting, sought to calm a controversy that started last fall -- when incoming Chairwoman Ann Ravel said a "re-examination" of the agency's approach to the Internet was "long overdue." 

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This triggered concerns that the campaign-finance regulator could try targeting YouTube videos and other posts to make sure their creators file spending reports. But after the FEC received thousands of public comments opposing Internet intervention, Ravel stressed Thursday she was "never" proposing any such rules. 

"There is no such regulation," Ravel said. 

To affirm this, Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub proposed a motion, which Ravel backed, formally excluding "political activity on the internet" from an ongoing regulatory effort concerning contribution limits. 

Weintraub said she wanted to "allay" the public's concerns, and "make clear that we're not" pursuing Internet regulation. 

Republican Commissioner Lee Goodman, who for months has warned the FEC was looking to extend its regulatory reach and had pointedly accused Ravel of setting her sights on the Internet, declared victory shortly after the meeting ended. 

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#CCOT #TCOT #GOP Wants Control over #OBAMA #INTERNET Takeover !!!

#FCC Commissioner: Feds May Come for #Drudge !!! @WND

By Rudy Takala | May 4, 2015 | 1:18 PM EDT

CNSNews.com) – Federal Communications Commission (FCC) member Ajit Pai said over the weekend that he foresees a future in which federal regulators will seek to regulate websites based on political content, using the power of the FCC or Federal Elections Commission (FEC). He also revealed that his opposition to “net neutrality” regulations had resulted in personal harassment and threats to his family.

Speaking on a panel at the annual “Right Online” conference in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Pai told audience members, “I can tell you it has not been an easy couple of months personally. My address has been publicly released. My wife’s name, my kids’ names, my kids’ birthdays, my phone number, all kinds of threats [have come] online.”

#FCC Receives Request to Delay #NetNeutrality Regs !

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has received the first request to delay the implementation of new Internet regulations from a communication architect who said the rules threaten his business, a filing showed. The FCC’s new so-called net neutrality rules are slated to go into effect in June.

• Read the article: Reuters

 

China Intercepting Facebook Login Module

For three days, China’s Great Firewall has been intercepting the Javascript module from Facebook Login, which allows third-party sites to authorize users through Facebook infrastructure. First reported on Sunday, the attack causes sites using Facebook Login to redirect to a third-party page for many web users in China.

• Read the article: The Verge

 

Twitter Stock Trading Stopped After Earnings Leaked

Wall Street briefly halted trading for Twitter stock afternoon after the company’s Q1 earnings were leaked early. The leak appeared to come from Selerity, a data science company which is in the business of finding and reporting company earnings early. Selerity works to automatically identify the URL of a company’s earnings statement before that URL is shared publicly — essentially pulling back the veil on earnings information before the company is ready to do so.

• Read the article: Re/code

 

Google to Cooperate with European Journalists

Google said it would spend €150 million ($164 million) in Europe on grants for digital journalism experimentation, amid increasing tensions with EU regulators and publishers. The company also said it would work with European newspapers and journalism organizations to develop products and increase revenue, crucial for a cash-strapped newspaper industry that has struggled to stay afloat in the Internet age.

• Read the article: The Wall Street Journal

 

7 Lawsuits Pending Against #FCC Over #NetNeutrality Rule ! @CBN

April 24, 2015 - 1:40 PM

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By Rudy Takala

(CNSNews.com) -- The number of lawsuits filed by industry groups against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over its new "net neutrality" rules continued to grow, with a seventh organization joining the pack last Friday.

The list of those suing the FCC now includes three Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and four trade associations united in opposition to the FCC's decision that reclassifies ISPs as Title II utilities.

The controversial rules, which passed the FCC on a 3-2 party-line vote in February, give the FCC the authority to impose the principles of “net neutrality”. Those principles include the idea that ISPs should not be able to block Websites or throttle traffic on the Internet.

Although all of the groups filing suit expressed support for the principles of net neutrality, they argued that the FCC had exceeded its authority in reclassifying the Internet as a utility.

Net neutrality could have been imposed by using a different type of regulatory authority, but the FCC voted to use the much more invasive power afforded to it by the Communications Act of 1934.

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#NetNeutrality Suit Filed as Regulations Set for June 12 ! @Gigalaw

Tough new net neutrality regulations were published in the Federal Register, triggering an effective date of June 12 and the first formal legal challenge to the controversial online traffic rules. US Telecom, a trade group whose members include AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to stop the rules.

·         Read the article: Los Angeles Times

U.K. Law Creates 2-Year Sentence for ‘Revenge Porn’

Posting “revenge porn” images on the web will become a specific offence in the United Kingdom for the first time under new legislation coming into force. Under the new crime sharing “private, sexual images of someone without consent and with the intent to cause distress” will carry up to two years’ imprisonment.

·         Read the article: The Telegraph

Chinese Hackers Blamed for Decade-Long Hackings

Hackers, most likely from China, have been spying on governments and businesses in Southeast Asia and India uninterrupted for a decade, researchers at Internet security company FireEye Inc said. In a report, FireEye said the cyber espionage operations dated back to at least 2005 and “focused on targets — government and commercial — who hold key political, economic and military information about the region.”

·         Read the article: Reuters

Famous People, Brands Buying Unlikely Domain Names

Fabulous people and well-known brands are buying up Internet addresses with controversial endings such as .porn, .adult and .sucks to make sure they don’t end up in the hands of someone who could besmirch their names and reputations. The defensive moves come amid a major expansion of Internet addresses beyond the familiar .com, .org, .net and .edu endings.

·         Read the article: Los Angeles Times

#OBAMA #INTERNET Takeover Effecrive June 12 !!!

 

The FCC order implementing Obama’s plan to regulate the Internet has officially been published, and the effective date is June 12 – JUST 59 DAYS FROM TODAY.

You heard us right. Unless Congress takes action (or a court grants a stay), in less than two months we can say goodbye to the free-market internet and say hello to pervasive new regulatory controls along with billions in higher taxes and fees.

Now, maybe more than ever George, we are counting on you to write to Congress and tell them to STOP this order and SAVE the Internet. 

The free-market Internet has been an amazing engine of economic growth, innovation, and creativity without regulations and taxes.  It isn’t broken and it doesn’t need the FCC to try to fix it.

Representative Gohmert got it right when he railed at Obama FCC chief Tom Wheeler: "You're playing God with the Internet!"

Do you really want Tom Wheeler and the FCC “Enforcement Bureau” deciding what is and is not allowed on the Internet?

If that doesn’t sit right with you, I urge you to click here and send a letter to Congress telling them just that.

Two months will go by in the blink of an eye, and it takes time to build momentum in Congress and force Democrats to the negotiating table.  If you don’t act now, we might be witnessing the beginning of the end of Internet freedom.

Thank you,

Phil Kerpen
President, American Commitment

P.S. Liberal groups are again pouring letters into Congress shamelessly demanding that elected officials refuse to even negotiate, letting unelected bureaucrats seize control of the Internet.  We must grow our numbers to fight back, so please FORWARD this email and share our action page onFacebook and Twitter.

Want to support our work? We're working nonstop to protect economic freedom. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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Future of Privacy Oversight for #Internet Service Providers

FCC Faces Two Lawsuits Over #NetNeutrality Decision ! @GigaLaw

Two lawsuits were filed against the Federal Communication Commission’s new rules for broadband Internet service, the beginning of what is expected to be a flurry of legal challenges to the new regulations. The United States Telecom Association, a trade group that represents some of the nation’s largest Internet providers, filed suit in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On the same day, Alamo Broadband, a small broadband provider based in Texas, sued in federal court in New Orleans.

·         Read the article: The New York Times

Twitch Says Hackers Likely Accessed Passwords

Amazon’s Twitch unit said its website for streaming videogame play was likely hacked, though in disclosing the possible compromise the company raised more questions than it answered. Twitch said in emails to those potentially affected that their password, email address, user name, home address, phone number and date of birth may have been accessed.

·         Read the article: The Wall Street Journal

Advertisers Fighting Against Online Hijackings

A growing number of U.S. companies, including MillerCoors and AIG, are stepping up the battle against online ad fraud by demanding proof that their ads have been seen by real people instead of computers hijacked by cybercriminals. Spurred by a warning in December by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) that businesses are losing $6.3 billion a year to so-called “click fraud,” these companies now stipulate in advertising contracts that they will only pay for online ads when given proof that humans clicked on them.

·         Read the article: Reuters