Tim Wu is talking net neutrality. First has been laying the groundwork….talking about the 2010 legislation that provides for net neutrality. Now is going back to the 15th century England to make a point about how net neutrality should be considered public infrastructure and therefore should always be publicly available. [Chinese government built the wall, [...]
Category Archives: Legal/Regs
Online privacy reminder: You don’t have much
January 10, 2011 – 9:30 am
This quick read from the New York Times is a great reminder that your seemingly private online information isn’t all that private. While law enforcement can obtain a search warrant for even your home or business with probable cause [meaning there's reason to suspect there's evidence related to a crime], it’s apparently not all that [...]
Net neutrality primer
January 2, 2011 – 12:16 pm
I had relatives asking me about net neutrality over the holidays, but now I’ve just run across a fabulous primer about net neutrality. If you or someone you know is wondering what the buzz is all about, take 60 seconds to see this web page. h/t Craig Neumark
Social media is neutral, but people are angry
November 4, 2010 – 7:04 pm
I was talking to some folks today about social media, and got a question I didn’t feel like I answered well. It was along the lines of, How is social media contributing to the downfall of civility in our society today? My quick answer is: It’s not. My longer answer is [hopefully better than I [...]
Creative Commons licensing makes sharing simple
June 27, 2010 – 9:58 pm
Creative Commons has been around for several years, but my conversation about copyright law with Summer Huggins last week made me think it’s time for a reminder about this great service. I grew up on The Cluetrain Manifesto. I can even still make a great argument for why your information wants to be free, but [...]
FTC on “saving” journalism: Disaster waiting to happen
June 8, 2010 – 7:42 am
Lest you think your government works for you…. The FTC released a “discussion draft” document [PDF] this week that outlines some of the challenges facing the newspaper industry. It goes through through the motions of evaluating all these challenges as if the FTC’s role is to prop up the news business, and this is the [...]
America’s broadband access issue
April 28, 2010 – 6:30 pm
If you’re reading this right now in America, chances are high you’re on a broadband Internet connection. You’re likely to have a decent amount of disposable income. And, if you’re like me, and you’ve had broadband for more than 10 years, it’s probably difficult for you to imagine how you might navigate the world today [...]
Paying for stories is a bad business
April 27, 2010 – 9:47 pm
Apparently this idea still hasn’t gotten all around in the journalism world — but paying for stories is a bad business that doesn’t end well for anyone, except those who walk away with cash in hand. If Gizmodo hadn’t paid for the lost 4G iPhone, it seems likely we wouldn’t be talking about the criminal [...]
Go read this column on net neutrality
April 7, 2010 – 10:51 am
I was going to spend a little time writing a post on yesterday’s net neutrality ruling [PDF] by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. But Newsweek’s Nick Summers saved me the time. Just go read his post on why this ruling is so bad, and why there’s still hope for innovation and neutrality online. h/t: [...]