WebProNews - Politics

Legalized Online Gambling Would Bring In Billions

Mike Sachoff — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:38:35 +0000

A Joint Committee on Taxation report released today by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) found that regulating Internet gambling would generate roughly $42 billion over 10 years.

The report is based on the requirement of a federal license for operators that would allow them to offer online gambling throughout the United States, while keeping the federal prohibition on any form of sports betting.

"This analysis further reinforces the fact that a regulated environment will generate billions in new revenue to offset the costs of health care reform or other vital government programs," said Michael Waxman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative.

"With the completed analysis, and support for Internet gambling regulation growing daily, it's only a matter of time before Congress acts and begins allocating the billions in new revenue sitting on the table to one program or another."

Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) has introduced legislation that would legalize Internet gambling and McDermott has a companion bill that would collect tax revenues on online gambling.

"We believe this tax revenue analysis will encourage immediate discussions and consideration of pending legislation to regulate Internet gambling," said Waxman.

"With everyone acknowledging that attempts to prohibit the activity have failed, this provides even more incentive for Congress to act."

Currently the amount of revenue that remains uncollected while Americans gamble online is more than $100 billion annually.

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New Googleplex Established In Brussels

Doug Caverly — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:27:20 +0000

Google has branched out (or more accurately, built up) yet again. Simon Hampton, Director of European Policy and Public Affairs, announced today that the search giant's established a Googleplex in Brussels, Belgium.

Hampton explained on the European Public Policy Blog, "Until now, our small policy team in Brussels worked from temporary abodes. From now on, you can find us at Chausse d'Etterbeek 180 1040 Bruxelles, right in the heart of the European quarter."

A satellite view of the address makes it look like a very nice, green spot - exactly the sort of place you might expect Google to set up camp. Unfortunately, Street View's not available in the area to allow for a closer inspection.

Details about price, square footage, and other relevant stuff are also lacking (although Hampton promised that bright, Google-y furniture is on hand, along with a number of game consoles).

Anyway, it would appear that this move signals a real intent on Google's part to become and stay involved in European politics. Hampton wrote, "We hope to make our new Brussels Googleplex a periscope for policymakers peering into the future of the Internet."

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Social Media Playing Role In U.S. Policy Making

Mike Sachoff — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:21:27 +0000

Senior staff in the U.S. Congress and European Parliaments regularly access digital outlets and social media to research, influence and set policy, according to a new study by StrategyOne.

Nearly every staffer (96%) uses online resources for public policy research, more than half (54%) reported learning of policy issues for the first time online and (19%) actually changed policy positions based on information and opinions they found online.

Sixty percent said they access social media for personal reasons, but in addition, nearly one-third use it for communicating with professional colleagues (28%), one in five (21%) to reach out to constituents, and one in ten (9%) to research policy issues.

In addition, blogs are an important resource for staffers with two in five (39%) using blogs and social media sites in the past 30 days to monitor news about issues and the same percentage (39%) to monitor constituent opinion about an issue.

"When it comes to policy development and public affairs, we're seeing a digital about-face as staffers and elected officials move from face time to Facebook and other social media to research and communicate on critical issues," said Jere Sullivan, Vice Chairman of Global Public Affairs, Edelman.

"Traditional communications and advocacy channels remain important and effective in all countries, but the growing influence of online cannot be overlooked and needs to be included in the mix of tools for communicating about and forming consensus on important policy issues."

The survey identified the growing importance of digital tools for both communication with constituents and for constituents reaching their members. They noted websites have become universal in terms of their usage and effectiveness in reaching constituents (82% feel they are effective) while other outlets have shown positive impact, including online videos (52%), blogging (46%) and micro blogging such as Twitter (22%).

"Currently, staffers are showing a willingness to embrace these digital resources on a professional level which will allow them to build on their effectiveness in communicating on policy issues," said Mike Krempasky, Executive Vice President, Digital Public Affairs.

"We were also encouraged by the fact that our survey sample was of senior, tenured staffers who dispelled the myth that digital is only used by younger entry level staff."

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Lawmakers Benefit From Online Town Hall Meetings

Mike Sachoff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:10:59 +0000

Online town hall meetings with a member of congress has significant and positive impact on a voter's view of a lawmaker and increases the likelihood that they will become more politically engaged, according to research form the Congressional Management Foundation.

"Conducting online meetings with constituents offers Member of Congress a flexible tool for communication in addition to the traditional in-person meetings, tele-townhalls and newsletters," said Beverly Bell, Executive Director of the Congressional Management Foundation.

"Our research shows that people like hearing from - and feeling heard by - their representatives in all formats, including online."

Lawmakers who held an online town hall meeting experienced an average approval rating jump of 18 points. There were similar increases in trust and perceptions of personal qualities such as hardworking and accessible. The meetings also increased voter's approval of the lawmaker's position on the issue discussed.

More than half (56%) of voters who participated in online town hall meetings were more likely to vote for the lawmaker, with a particularly dramatic impact on swing voters.

Other highlights include:

The sessions were extremely popular with constituents. A remarkable 96% of participants said they would like to be included in similar events in the future.

The town hall meetings attracted a diverse array of people. These sessions were more likely than traditional venues to attract people from demographics not traditionally engaged in politics and people frustrated with the political system.

The discussions in the town hall meetings were of high quality. By standards of deliberative quality (use of accurate facts to support arguments, respect for alternative points of view, etc.) the discussions were of a very high quality.

"Members of Congress are always looking for ways to stay connected back home. It only makes sense that they would turn to the Internet for its almost limitless networking capabilities, the same way other people are using it to stay in touch with far-flung friends and family," said Bell.

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Kentucky Supreme Court Hears Online Gambling Case

Mike Sachoff — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:32:18 +0000

The Kentucky Supreme Court heard arguments on Thursday on whether the Common Wealth of Kentucky has the power to seize 141 domains belonging to online gambling sites.

Previously a Franklin Circuit Court Judge ruled for the state saying it was allowed to seize the domain names, but the Court of Appeals overturned that decision. The case was then appealed to the Supreme Court.

Jon L. Fleischaker, attorney for the Interactive Media Entertainment &Gaming Association (iMEGA) called the efforts by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to block the state residents' use of Internet gambling websites "intellectually dishonest."

"They made up a process that is totally lacking in due process," Fleischaker said during arguments before the Supreme Court.

Fleischaker, along with attorneys representing Sportsbook.com and the Interactive Gaming Council, asked the Supreme Court to uphold an earlier decision by the Kentucky Court of Appeals, blocking the seizure of 141 domain names belonging to online gambling sites.

In a 2-to-1 decision, the Appeals Court in January rejected the governor's claim that Kentucky players and the Internet gambling sites had violated state law. The decision also held that a lower court had erred when it applied the state's "gambling devices" statute to justify the seizure of the Internet domain names.

"[I]t stretches credulity to conclude that a series of numbers, or Internet address, can be said to constitute a "machine or any mechanical or other devicedesigned and manufactured primarily for use in connection with gambling," Judge Michelle M. Keller wrote in her majority opinion.

A decision is not expected before the end of the year.

ICANN Becomes More Independent

Mike Sachoff — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:35:06 +0000

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the body responsible for managing Internet domain names, has announced it will no longer be controlled by the U.S. government.

ICANN and the U.S. Department of Commerce signed an agreement today supporting the model of international multi-stakeholder governance of the global Internet addressing system.

ICANN was created in 1998 to manage the Internet's addressing system such as top-level domain-names and IP address space. The group has been criticized for being too influenced by the U.S. government.

"A decade ago the US government was a catalyst for a global discussion on how to coordinate the vital resource that is the Internet's unique identifiers," said Peter Dengate Thrush, ICANN's Chairman of the Board.

"They understood that it needed to be coordinated not controlled. That vision has been affirmed in the model of private sector leadership that ICANN represents."

The European Commission, which has called for reform of ICANN since 2005, sounded support for the latest changes.

"I welcome the US administration's decision to adapt ICANN's key role in internet governance to the reality of the 21st century and of a globalised world," said Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media.

"Internet users worldwide can now anticipate that ICANN's decisions on domain names and addresses will be more independent and more accountable, taking into account everyone's interests. External review panels will periodically evaluate ICANN's performance. If effectively and transparently implemented, this reform can find broad acceptance among civil society, businesses and governments alike."

Under the agreement, the U.S. will join ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), a group that advises the corporation on publicly policy issues related to the Internet.

EU Plans To Limit MP3 Player Volume

Mike Sachoff — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:22:41 +0000

The European Commission said today it wants to implement new rules for the makers of MP3 players that would require them to follow new volume standards.

The Commission pointed to a study that found listening to personal music players at a high volume over a long period can lead to permanent hearing damage and 5 to 10 percent of listeners risk permanent hearing loss. It's estimated that up to 10 million people in the EU may be at risk.

Meglena Kuneva,
EU Commissioner

"It's easy to push up the sound levels on your MP3 player to damagingly loud levels, especially on busy streets or public transport. And the evidence is that particularly young people - who are listening to music at high volumes sometimes for hours each week- have no idea they can be putting their hearing at risk. It can take years for the hearing damage to show, and then it is simply too late," said Meglena Kuneva, EU Consumer Affairs Commissioner.

"These standards make small technical changes to players so that by default, normal use is safe. If consumers chose to override the default settings they can, but there will be clear warnings so they know the risks they are taking."

The EU plans to implement the new MP3 volume standards after a 24-month process involving scientists, industry and consumer groups as well as other stakeholders.

Group Announces Support Of FCC Open Internet

Mike Sachoff — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:10:50 +0000

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) said today that it is critical for U.S. policy makers to combine the important goals of Internet openness with the need to encourage investment in building a 21st century broadband system.

The CWA says it supports the plan announced by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski to develop rules to protect an open Internet. It looks to the FCC to set rules in polices that will encourage investment, reasonable network management, maintain transparency, promote media diversity and lead to the growth of good jobs in the telecommunications industry.

Julius Genachowski
FCC Chairman

In the past, the U.S. has missed a number of opportunities to set an effective, national policy that would promote the deployment of broadband networks. The CWA maintains that such a policy is critical to economic growth and boosting the economy.

Currently the U.S. ranks 15th in broadband penetration globally and 26th in broadband speeds.

"The Internet is an extraordinary platform for innovation, job creation, investment, and opportunity. It has unleashed the potential of entrepreneurs and enabled the launch and growth of small businesses across America," said Chairman Genachowski.

"It is vital that we safeguard the free and open Internet."

eBay Petitions EU Over Brand Rules

Mike Sachoff — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:21:25 +0000

eBay called on the European Union today to amend an EU competition law to stop brands from restricting the sale of their products on the Internet.

The company has given a petition to the European Parliament, signed by 750,000 Europeans' calling for reform.

Mary Honeyball
European Parliament,
London

eBay has been embroiled in a number of lawsuits in recent years involving luxury brands such as Tiffany and LVMH over the sale of counterfeit goods on the site. The luxury brands have charged that eBay has not done enough to keep counterfeit brands off its site.

eBay has argued for greater clarity and support for cross-border Internet sales, increased consumer choice and non-discrimination in the way that online and offline channels are treated for distribution purposes.

"eBay was built on a simple idea - that it could empower individuals by building a global marketplace where practically anyone could buy or sell practically anything," said Alex von Schirmeister, Director General, eBay.

In total, 752,605 eBay users in Europe have signed the petition so far, which was launched in July. Signatories include over 250,000 consumers from the U.K., more than 200,000 from Germany and over 100,000 from France.

The signatories support eBay's position that brands should "not be allowed to impose blanket bans on Internet selling, or keep online prices artificially high.

"In these tough economic times European customers and businesses need to be free to buy and sell all products at the most competitive market rates available," said Mary Honeyball, Member of the European Parliament for London.

The Internet provides a way for us to do this, by creating equal access to goods and services across Europe. So I support eBay's call to change outdated European competition laws this autumn and enable online retailers to sell all goods no matter whether they originate from Asda, Apple or Armani."

Government Embraces Cloud Computing With Store Launch

Doug Caverly — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:44:14 +0000

The concept of cloud computing received a big pat on the back this afternoon. Vivek Kundra, the CIO of the USA, announced the launch of Apps.gov, a storefront designed to help federal agencies research and buy cloud-based solutions.

Kundra explained in a White House Blog post, "Cloud computing is the next generation of IT in which data and applications will be housed centrally and accessible anywhere and anytime by a various devices (this is opposed to the current model where applications and most data is housed on individual devices). By consolidating available services, Apps.gov is a one-stop source for cloud services - an innovation that not only can change how IT operates, but also save taxpayer dollars in the process."

What's interesting (and makes this story more relevant to the search engine industry), though, is that some taxpayer dollars may now make their way to Google. Google is one of the service providers that were allowed into the Apps.gov store, and in response, it's taking a couple of steps.

First, Google's attempting to make sure that Google Apps is authorized to operate under the Federal Information Security Management Act. Second, the search giant intends to create a dedicated cloud for government customers. (Matthew Glotzbach, Google's Enterprise's director of product management, gave more details on the Google Public Policy Blog if you're interested.)

Accomplishing these things and securing the U.S. government as a customer would obviously represent a huge victory for Google.

Americans' Trust Of News Media At New Low

Mike Sachoff — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:51:48 +0000

Americans' perception of the accuracy of news stories is now at its lowest level in more than two decades, according to a new report from Pew Research.

Just 29 percent of Americans say that news organizations generally get the facts right, while 63 percent say that news stories are often inaccurate. In the initial survey by Pew about the news media performance in 1985, 55 percent said news stories were accurate while 34 percent said they were inaccurate.

In addition, only 26 percent now say that news organizations are careful that their reporting is not politically biased, compared with 60 percent who say news organizations are politically biased.

Pew found that television remains the dominant news source for the public, with 71 percent saying they get most of their national and international news from TV, while 42 say they get most of their news on these subjects from the Internet, compared with 33 percent who cite newspapers.

However, online news lags behind newspapers as a source for news about local issues with 41 percent citing newspapers compared to 17 percent who rely on the Internet for their local news.

The majority (82%) of Americans say that if all local television news programs went off the air and shut down their websites it would be an important loss. About three-quarters say the same about the network evening news and cable news networks. Slightly fewer people (68%) say that it would be a major loss if large national newspapers were to stop publishing and go offline.

U.S. Copyright Office Objects To Google Books Settlement

Doug Caverly — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:40:20 +0000

More and more, it's shaping up to be Google versus the world as far as the proposed Google Books settlement is concerned. In fact, the head of the U.S. Copyright Office sided against Google today, and she seemed to consider that scenario is a real possibility.

Marybeth Peters, who's the official U.S. Register of Copyrights, stated during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, "[I]t is our view that the proposed settlement inappropriately creates something similar to a compulsory license for works, unfairly alters the property interests of millions of rights holders of out-of-print works without any Congressional oversight, and has the capacity to create diplomatic stress for the United States."

Peters also said, "We are greatly concerned by the parties' end run around legislative process and prerogatives, and we submit that this Committee should be equally concerned."

Peters has held her position for over 15 years, so her recommendations may carry quite a bit of weight. Moreover, she's a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Copyright Society of the U.S.A., the Intellectual Property Section of the American Bar Association, the International Technology Law Association, and the U.S. chapter of the Association litteraire et artistique internationale.

A federal court will try to arrive at a decision regarding the Google Books settlement on October 7th.

Vietnam Clamps Down On Bloggers And Online Journalists

Mike Sachoff — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:45:41 +0000

The Committee to Protect Journalists is condemning the recent arrests of online journalists and political bloggers in Vietnam.

The crackdown comes as online journalists and bloggers independent reporting challenges Vietnam's tightly censored state-run media's monopoly on local news and opinion.

Bob Dietz, CPJ
Asia Program Coordinator

On August 28, police arrested journalist Pham Doan Trang, a reporter with the popular online news site VietnamNet. Trang had recently reported on sensitive land disputes between China and Vietnam. Access to a number of Trang's articles on that topic were blocked after her arrest.

According to the Free Journalists Network of Vietnam (FJNV), an independent press freedom group, Trang had also shared sensitive information with bloggers and other journalists about a Chinese advisor for economic and trade issues who called on his Vietnamese counterparts to discipline certain local newspapers and journalists.

On August 27, police arrested political blogger Bui Thanh Hieu, also known by his blogger name, Nguoi Buon Gion, which means "Wind Trader." In recent posts, the 37-year old blogger wrote critically about competing territorial claims with China. The FJNV said police searched Hieu's house after his arrest and confiscated two of his computers and other personal belongings.

"We call on Vietnamese authorities to unconditionally and immediately release Pham Doan Trang and Bui Thanh Hieu," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator.

"Vietnam is already one of the world's worst violators of Internet freedom, and recent actions only underscore that reputation."

Missouri Asks For $142M In Stimulus For Broadband Access

Mike Sachoff — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:11:52 +0000

Missouri is applying for $142 million in federal stimulus money to help expand the reach of broadband Internet access to rural areas in the state.

The initiative would expand broadband accessibility to 91.5 percent of the total population, a significant increase from the current projected accessibility of 79.7 percent.

Under the application filed Thursday with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S Department of Commerce, the state and Sho-Me Technologies will request $142,300,000 in federal recovery funds to help lay 2,500 miles of fiber -optic cable and construct 200 new broadband towers across the state.

The state of Missouri would provide $25.2 million in matching funds if the application is approved, and Sho-Me Technologies would contribute $8.3 million in fiber lines along the new network.

Jeremiah W. Nixon
Governor of Missouri

"Just as the railroads and interstates transformed Missouri communities in decades past, this massive undertaking would truly help connect every corner of Missouri with the information superhighway of the future," Gov. Nixon said.

"We will compete for every possible dollar to turn this project into reality and bring the tremendous resources of broadband Internet to homes and businesses in nearly every community in the Show-Me State."

Nixon said Missouri is also working with local Internet service providers to apply for stimulus funds to build "last-mile" connections for broadband access.

"The Internet holds the potential to help every Missourian lead a healthier, more productive life, and to bring about real savings for the people of our state," Gov. Nixon said.

"It's time to close the divide between communities with broadband access and those without, and this project will help us accomplish that goal."

State Websites Failing To Provide Details On Stimulus

Mike Sachoff — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:20:03 +0000

While some states have created solid websites to provide information about their portion of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), most are failing to effectively educate taxpayers about the impact of economic stimulus spending, according to a report from Good Jobs First, an economic development research group.

"Many states are failing to support President Obama's vow that the Recovery Act will be carried out with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability," said Good Jobs First executive director Greg LeRoy.

"By failing to use broadly available web tools, they are making it more difficult to measure the success of ARRA in mitigating the effects of the recession."

The report evaluated the general ARRA websites that all states have created and graded them on transparency on a scale of 0 to 100.

Greg LeRoy
Good Jobs First
Executive Director

Six states score 50 or better for their main ARRA site: Maryland (80), Colorado (68), Washington (63), West Virginia (60), New York (53) and Pennsylvania (50). Thirteen states score 50 or better for their highway reporting, led by Maryland (75), Washington (73), Colorado (65) and Nebraska (60). The average score for the ARRA websites is 28.

Five states that scored very low on providing specifics on how ARRA money is used include Alabama, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky and Vermont. Illinois received a zero and only provided nation figures on its website and nothing on how much is being spent in the state.

"Given the Recovery Act's high profile, we expected better results, but most state ARRA sites simply do not measure up," said Philip Mattera, research director of Good Jobs First and principal author of the report.

"The challenge is not insurmountable," he added. "States such as Maryland, Colorado and Washington are doing a very good job in conveying vital information about stimulus spending and are leading the way in establishing best practices for state ARRA disclosure."

Senators Push For Ban On Texting While Driving

Mike Sachoff — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:27:32 +0000

A group of Democratic senators are co-sponsoring legislation that would ban texting while driving nationwide.

The four senators co-sponsoring the legislation - Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.). The legislation would force states to ban texting while driving or risk losing all federal highway funds. The legislation is set to be announced at a press conference today.

Charles Schumer
New York Senator

Fourteen states currently have bans in place that ban texting while driving, while five states and the District of Columbia, ban all drivers from talking on a handheld cell phone while driving.

Earlier this week, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released a study that found truck drivers who text while driving are 23 more times likely to be in a traffic accident. The study found talking on a cell phone increased the risk of an accident for drivers of cars, light trucks and heavy trucks, but was most risky for tuck drivers who used texting.

Schumer is also pushing for legislation that would ban bus drivers and train conductors from texting while on the job.

"Texting while conducting a train or driving a bus is not only irresponsible, it's extremely dangerous," Schumer said.

Twitter Blocked In White House

Doug Caverly — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:58:14 +0000

Twitter may not have as many friends in high places as its fans imagined. Robert Gibbs recently let slip that Twitter is blocked on White House computers.

This news seems a bit odd, considering that the BarackObama Twitter account was used so much prior to the election, and that it still gets the occasional update. There's an official whitehouse account that sees a fair amount of action, as well.

But White House Press Secretary Gibbs said during a C-SPAN interview, "Twitter is blocked on White House computers," and given his job description, he's liable to be pretty well informed on the matter.

Gibbs also sort of pooh-poohed the idea of famous people using Twitter, explaining why he personally doesn't have an account by saying, "I'm on camera enough that people have a decent sense of what I'm doing minus Twittering."

These remarks don't represent the end of Twitter's world, of course. Still, given how much widespread government use might have helped the company, it's not great news that things have taken a turn in the opposite direction with an official block at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in place.

Google’s Lobbying Expenditures Up 30 Percent YOY

Doug Caverly — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:47:18 +0000

Our elected representatives might want to get used to running into Googlers around Washington. A fresh lobbying report indicates that Google’s ramped up its efforts in this area by quite a bit.

Between April 1st and June 30th, Google spent $950,000 on lobbying activities. That represents an increase of 8.0 percent compared to the $880,000 it spent last quarter, and an increase of a whopping 30.1 percent compared to the $730,000 it spent during the second quarter of 2008.

As for what Google focused on, the search giant talked to lawmakers about a number of different issues, including the regulation of online advertising, online consumer protection, health information technology, and copyright issues related to the Google Book Search settlement.

Renewable energy policies and the Smart Grid were on the company’s agenda, as well, and cloud computing was discussed several different times.

It’s probably not appropriate to worry that Google’s got too tight a hold on lawmakers’ ears and wallets, though. Jessica E. Vascellaro noted, “[O]ther tech giants still spend far more on lobbying. For example, Microsoft spent $1.9 million in the second quarter. AT&T spent $3.1 million.”

Privacy Commissioner Scolds Facebook, Sets Deadline

Doug Caverly — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:07:04 +0000

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada isn't campaigning against Facebook; representatives have actually said some very nice things about the company and social networks in general. Just the same, following an investigation, they believe Facebook isn't meeting certain standards.

"It's clear that privacy issues are top of mind for Facebook, and yet we found serious privacy gaps in the way the site operates," Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said in a statement.

One specific problem is the lack of clarity when it comes to deleting an account. Deactivating one is easy enough, certainly, but the Office of the Privacy Commissioner wants to make sure users can have their data erased.

Another issue relates to third-party applications. The Office is of the opinion that it's too easy for developers to access users' personal info.

Anyway, Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, who also said, "Social networking sites can be a wonderful way to connect," concluded, "We urge Facebook to implement all of our recommendations to further enhance their site, ensure they are in compliance with privacy law, and ultimately show themselves as models of privacy."

Facebook has 30 days to take action (remember that it's in the middle of rolling out new privacy controls right now), and then the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, which can move the matter to Federal Court, will review its progress.

Google Solicits National Broadband Plan Ideas

Doug Caverly — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:51:09 +0000

It's probably not much of a stretch to suggest that the average WebProNews reader spends more than half of his waking hours in front of a computer. The National Broadband Plan is liable to affect you, then, and if you'd like to shape it, Google's giving you a chance.

Here's a quick refresher before we get to the new development: the National Broadband Plan is something the FCC is supposed to submit to Congress by February of next year. The goal of the Plan is to make high-speed Internet access more common in the U.S.

As for how you enter the picture, a post on the Official Google Blog explains, "We've teamed up with the New America Foundation to launch a Google Moderator page where you can submit and vote on ideas for what you think the Commission should include in its National Broadband Plan. Two weeks from now we'll take the most popular and most innovative ideas and submit them to the official record at the FCC on your behalf."

Interesting, right? It's not every day that the process of making government policy gets this participatory.

Google's already laid out some National Broadband Plan suggestions if you want something to use as a starting point. Otherwise, before finishing up here, we'll just mention that the earlier you submit an idea, the more votes it's apt to receive.

French Lawmakers Take Up Revised Internet Piracy Bill

Mike Sachoff — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:14:47 +0000

The French Senate is considering a revised version of an Internet piracy law that was ruled unconstitutional last month, despite backing by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Nicolas Sarkozy

The original law was set up as a three-strikes system for copyright violators, who would first receive an email warning, then a letter and finally lose their Internet access if they were caught a third time.

The Constitutional Court ruled that "free access to public communication services online" was a human right, and only a judge should have the power to deny a user access to the Internet.

The revised bill now has a provision that would allow a judge to decide if Internet access should be cut off from users. On the third strike a judge would either impose an Internet ban, a fine of up to $415,000 or a two-year jail sentence, under a fast-track ruling system.

Account holders found guilty of "negligence" for allowing a third party to pirate music or movies using their Internet connection, would face a $2,081 fine and a month-long suspension of service.

The original legislation was one of the toughest ever crafted against online piracy around the world. Supporters of the bill hoped it would encourage Internet users to visit legal download sites.

Critics warned the law could unfairly punish users if hackers used their accounts to download illegal files.

Hawaii Governor Vetoes Amazon Tax Law

Mike Sachoff — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:53:46 +0000

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle has vetoed a bill that would have required online retailers such as Amazon.com and Overstock.com to collect and pay sales tax on their affiliate programs within the state.

Earlier this week both Amazon and Overstock had notified affiliates in the state that they would be ending their programs there due to the new tax requirements.

Linda Lingle

"I am vetoing this bill immediately to help ensure Hawai'i is not economically hurt by legislation that was not well thought-out and would have negative consequences for non-profits such as the University of Hawai'i bookstore, and businesses throughout our State," Governor Lingle said.

"I am hopeful by vetoing this bill that mainland-based companies will promptly restore their relationships with our State."

Amazon said in an email it would be willing to re-open its associates program in Hawaii if the tax law was vetoed.

"In the event that Hawaii's governor vetoes this tax collection scheme, and that veto is not overridden, or in the event the law eventually is repealed, we would certainly be happy to re-open our associates program to Hawaii residents," Amazon said.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also vetoed similar legislation that would have forced online retailers to collect and pay taxes on their affiliate programs within the state.

"I vetoed the majority vote tax increase passed by the legislature. With unemployment at an all time high, we should be doing everything we can to - keep jobs and create jobs - in California," Governor Schwarzenegger said.

"That is why my Administration immediately contacted Overstock.com when we learned of this news and, I am pleased to announce Overstock.com has reversed its decision and will continue to do business with affiliates here in California."

Amazon and Overstock have pulled the plug on affiliate programs in North Carolina and Rhode Island due to similar tax collection schemes. Both companies have signaled they would be open to restarting their programs in those states if the tax laws were repealed.

Amazon Ends Affiliate Program In Hawaii

Mike Sachoff — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:17:12 +0000

Amazon.com is continuing with its policy to abandon its affiliates program in any state that even considers legislation that would force the online retailer to collect and pay sales tax.

Rebecca Madigan

This time Amazon has eighty-sixed its affiliate program in Hawaii. Amazon informed its affiliates Monday, in an email, it was ending its relationship with residents in Rhode Island over a tax collection law passed by the general assembly. The company has also terminated its affialte program in North Carolina due to similar proposed legislation.

Amazon notified it Hawaii affiliates of its decision in an email. "We were forced to take this unfortunate action in anticipation of actual enactment because of the uncertainty and timing of a veto, and the possibility that a veto could be overridden. The governor has until July 15 to veto the bill but, as indicated, the bill has an effective date of July 1," the e-mail said.

Other states considering similar legislation include California and Connecticut. New York passed such legislation last year, and Amazon has begun collecting sales tax there as it challenges the law in court.

"It's one of those things that on the surface looks interesting, but we believe the states are just shooting themselves in the foot," Rebecca Madigan, the founder of an affiliate trade group called the Performance Marketing Alliance told The Wall Street Journal.

Amazon Kills Affiliate Program In Rhode Island

Mike Sachoff — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:04:59 +0000

Amazon.com has killed another affiliates program due to proposed legislation that would force the company to collect and pay sales tax in Rhode Island.

The move comes less than a week after Amazon notified its affiliates in North Carolina it would be ending its program there due to similar proposed legislation.

The affiliates are members of a program called Amazon Associates, which allows them to place ads for Amazon items on their websites. Users can click through to Amazon's site, and each affiliate receives money if a purchase is made.

Sucharita Mulpuru

Rhode Island affiliate Rick Wilson posted Amazon's termination email on his blog.

"We are writing from the Amazon Associates Program to notify you that your Associates account has been closed as of June 29, 2009. This is a direct result of the unconstitutional tax collection scheme passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly with a veto-proof majority."

"As a result, we will no longer pay any referral fees for customers referred to Amazon.com or Endless.com after June 29. We were forced to take this unfortunate action in anticipation of actual enactment because of uncertainties surrounding the legislation's effective date. The governor could sign the bill - or have his veto overridden - any day now."

The email goes on to say, "In the even that Rhode Island repeals this tax collection scheme, we would certainly be happy to re-open our Associates program to Rhode Island residents."

Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru estimated that 10 percent of Amazon's sales could come from its associates, but the move to pull out of Rhode Island was unlikely to significantly impact the company's bottom line.

"It couldn't have been such a materially significant part of their revenue in the first place, that's what it comes down to," she told Reuters. "Affiliates are nice to have but by no stretch of the imagination are they going to make or break Amazon's Web site."

Other states considering similar tax laws include California, Connecticut and Hawaii.

Oxford University Press Endorses Google Book Settlement

Doug Caverly — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:43:40 +0000

The world's largest university press has sided with Google in the ongoing Google Book Settlement debate. Yesterday, Tim Barton, the president of Oxford University Press, spent about 2,700 words explaining that he believes even a flawed settlement is better than nothing.

The phrase "if it's not online, it's invisible" best sums up the position Barton outlined for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Barton's observed students ignoring important modern books in favor of old, out-of-copyright stuff that can more easily be found on the Internet, and feels making texts available online is critical to keeping "written wisdom" alive.

Barton isn't ready to blindly support Google, however. With regards to so-called "orphan works," he wrote, "Making those books available again is a clear public good. Google's having exclusive rights to use them, as enshrined in the current settlement, however, is not."

Barton then encouraged Congress to get involved, continuing, "If the parties to the settlement cannot themselves solve this major problem, then at a minimum Congress should pass orphan-works legislation that gives others the same rights as Google - an essential step if Google is not to gain an unfair advantage."

This development represents an interesting half-win for the search giant. Hat tip goes to Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson and Richard Waters.

China Accuses Google Of Spreading Vulgar Content

Mike Sachoff — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:53:38 +0000

China on Thursday expressed anger at Google for providing links on its English language search site that lead to vulgar content that violated the country's law.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang dodged a question about whether the government had played a role in recent disruptions to Google sites within China. He did make it clear that the government was angry with Google.

Qin Gang

"According to complaints from many residents, Google's English language search engine has spread large amounts of vulgar content that is lascivious and pornographic, seriously violating China's relevant laws and regulations," he told a regularly scheduled news conference.

Qin said a number of actions were taken against Google that were in line with the law, but did not reveal what specific actions were taken or comment on disruptions to Google services in China.

"I want to stress that Google China is a company operating within China to provide Internet search services, and it should strictly abide by Chinese laws and regulations."

Chinese authorities have said their Internet restrictions are done to protect children from disturbing online images, but an official newspaper reported on Thursday about a plan to recruit volunteers to search the Internet for banned content also has a political angle.

The Legal Daily reported that Beijing was seeking 10,000 volunteers to also search for content that contained "threats to state security," "subverting state power," and "spreading rumors and disturbing social order."

Gordon Brown: Twitter Might Prevent Genocide

Doug Caverly — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:57:43 +0000

Twitter's gotten a lot of positive mentions lately due to the role it's played in Iran; protesters have used the service to spread information that might have otherwise been days or weeks in coming. However, Gordon Brown, the UK's prime minister, took things much further today, apparently crediting Twitter with the power to prevent genocide.

Photo Credit: World Economic Forum

In 1994, hundreds of thousands of Rwandans were killed over the course of about 100 days, with the final (estimated) death toll approaching one million. Press coverage was minimal, and the international community did little to interfere.

But that was all before Twitter. Brown talked to Katharine Viner about how Twitter has proven useful in Iran, and said, "You cannot have Rwanda again because information would come out far more quickly about what is actually going on and the public opinion would grow to the point where action would need to be taken."

Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know.

On a less controversial note, Brown then added, "Foreign policy can no longer be the province of just a few elites."

A DowningStreet Twitter account (not personally updated by Brown) exists if you'd like to keep up with the Prime Minister's Office.

Yahoo Takes Turn In Front Of House Subcommittee

Doug Caverly — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:53:54 +0000

Yahoo wants you to know that it values your privacy as much as - or possibly more than - Google. Yesterday, the Mountain View-based giant got a bit of a head start in terms of describing a hearing titled "Behavioral Advertising: Industry Practices and Consumer Expectations," but Sunnyvale has now published its take.

Anne Toth, Vice President of Policy and Head of Privacy at Yahoo, testified in front of the House Energy & Commerce Committee subcommittee and wrote about the experience afterward on the Yodel Anecdotal blog. A full transcript of her speech is available if you're interested.

However, one of the main points Toth made was this: "We now hold your data in identifiable form for just 90 days (with some limited exceptions) - the shortest duration in the industry. And we apply it to the widest array of data, far outpacing our competitors."

She also pointed out that links to Yahoo's Privacy Center are available from almost all Yahoo pages, and that users can opt out of receiving interest-based ads.

So Yahoo seems to have positioned itself as a privacy leader (as opposed to moral pygmy) acting in consumers' best interests. Yesterday, Chris Crum wrote about how a Google representative portrayed her company.

Google Aims For Idiot Box Opposite With Citizentube

Doug Caverly — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:48:40 +0000

Over the years, YouTube's been used for increasingly serious purposes. Now, we've apparently reached the point at which those purposes are important and numerous enough to get their own blog, as Google's set something called Citizentube (with zero capital "t"s, yes) aside to cover them.

A post on the Official Google Blog explained, "[Y]ou might have noticed that we started Citizentube as a video channel on the site a few years back, but we soon realized that keeping track of all the phenomenal uses of YouTube by posting our own videos just wasn't fast enough - so now we're blogging, too."

And although it looks like posts will appear at the rate of at least one per day, a Citizentube RSS feed and Twitter account are available if you don't feel like checking the Citizentube site every so often.

Anyway, the most recent Citizentube entry is quite interesting, touching on the Iranian election and censorship conflict by showing people how to circumvent Internet proxies. Before that, Senator Chris Dodd responded to user-submitted ideas for healthcare reform.

The Official Google Blog post acknowledged this mix of topics by continuing, "We generally focus on two types of posts: the compelling political and social uses of YouTube that we see the community bubble up every day, and our own programming initiatives and partnerships in the political, news, and nonprofit arenas."

Citizentube looks to be an intriguing - and important - site.

Twitter Proves Its Worth During Iran Protests

Doug Caverly — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:49:38 +0000

Comedians and cynics may have to shelve jokes concerning Twitter's uselessness for at least a few weeks. The site has started to play a significant role in Iran's election crisis, and executives have even rescheduled "a critical network upgrade" in order to keep it available.

At the moment, four of the top ten trending topics on Twitter are related to Iran. Many comments come from outside the country, of course, but people on the ground are also using it to give direct accounts. NBC reporter Richard Engel went so far as to characterize this as "the first true Internet uprising."

And again, Twitter's doing what it can to help. On the Twitter Blog, Biz Stone wrote late yesterday, "In coordination with Twitter, our network host had planned this upgrade for tonight. However, our network partners at NTT America recognize the role Twitter is currently playing as an important communication tool in Iran."

Stone then summarized, "Tonight's planned maintenance has been rescheduled to tomorrow between 2-3p PST (1:30a in Iran)."

Meanwhile, news sources based in the UK, France, Jordan, and many other places have taken note of Twitter's move. It's fascinating to see what many still view as a niche social network become so important on an international level.