June 2010

On the Media: Las Vegas Review-Journal bares its claws

The Las Vegas Review-Journal has filed lawsuits against more than 30 websites and blogs it says used its works without permission. So what is fair use? Courts have drawn no bright lines. The amount of Internet traffic driven to the originating publisher by the reuser has never been deemed a definitive factor in the judgments.

Online literary magazine Rumpus sows community

The Rumpus launched its beta site in December 2008 with a definitive statement about its intentions: "All the major online magazines are focusing on the exact same stories. The Rumpus is not worried about being the first to break the news. We care about good writing, and we'll publish essays just because the writing is good." This philosophy compelled well-known writers like Rick Moody, Steve Almond and Jerry Stahl to become founding columnists for the Rumpus.

New local health site combines journalism, social media

The Lawrence Journal-World has launched a new local health site, WellCommons, which integrates social media with journalism.

The new site is built with Ellington Community, a new social media publishing system that provides the community with the same tools used by the site's reporters, including tools to help the community set and achieve its goals to improve health. "We think this is what journalism looks like in a social media world," said Jane Stevens, director of media strategies for The World Company's media division. The site helps resolve the "signal to noise" complaint about the web. In other words, its architecture helps people assess the reliability of a particular piece of information. Two ingredients of WellCommons'™ special sauce is that it is built around groups, and participants use their real names.

Film project gives homeless and vulnerable a voice in Leeds

A new film-making project in Leeds is helping the city's most vulnerable people find their voice - and become social entrepreneurs at the same time. The Fourth World.tv project helps marginalized people in Leeds who suffer from addiction problems, mental health issues, asylum seekers and ex-offenders to have a voice. The project supports them to film their own their own life experiences and become social filmmakers, equipping them with vital skills and improving self-esteem.

Libraries prepare for cuts as the state tightens its belt

Gov. Chris Christie's (R-NJ) proposed budget cuts state aid to libraries by 74 percent. If passed, the budget will go into effect on July 1 and the impact on library services will be immediate. As that deadline draws closer, local public libraries are scrambling to figure out how they will deal with the loss in funds and still provide the services that residents have come to rely upon and expect. Local librarians are even more concerned about the cuts in services provided by the New Jersey State Library and other organizations that depend on state funding to operate.

June 10, 2010 (Da Chicago Blackhawks!)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2010 (HAWKS!)

A very busy day for wonks http://bit.ly/dvQd8k


GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
   Efforts in Gulf to Limit Flow of Spill News
   Google Says West Should Press China On Censorship

MEDIA AND ELECTIONS
   California political ad spending set for record

NEWS FROM THE HILL
   Reclassification and Spectrum Hot Topics at FCC Budget Hearing
   Sen Franken Grills Justice Official on Comcast-NBCU
   Panel Backs Bill Targeting Misleading Online Tactics
   CALM Act Passes in Senate Committee
   Senators Urge New Powers for President to Respond to Cyber Attacks

INTERNET/BROADBAND
   Telecom, tech giants seek voluntary network neutrality commitments
   See also: Net Neutrality Backers: TAG Isn't It
   USDA Highlights Impact of Recent Recovery Act Broadband Loans and Grants
   Lessons for Cities from the National Broadband Plan
   Digital Bridge Wins $4.3 Million BTOP Grant
   Neighbors Online

PRIVACY
   AT&T Said to Expose iPad Users' Addresses
   Google could face privacy complaint
   Poll Finds Public Concern Over Online Privacy
   Barton Says He Wants To Work On Privacy Bill
   States Ponder Privacy Concerns as Smart Grid Deployment Takes Shape

CHILDREN & MEDIA
   Parenting and the Internet
   FTC Rejects Group's Request For COPPA Safe Harbor
   When to Buy Your Child a Cellphone
   Not everyone ready for the digital textbook revolution
   Facebook and National PTA join forces on online child safety

WIRELESS
   Google Blasts Apple on Ad Rules

MORE ONLINE
   More sets, DVRs have changed the TV picture
   Paper Remains King in the Electronic Age, Study Says
   OMB wants agencies to emphasize IT efficiencies in 2012 budgets
   Groups want agencies to post more advisory meetings on the Web

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GOVERNMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

LIMITING NEWS ACCESS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jeremy Peters]
Journalists struggling to document the impact of the oil rig explosion have repeatedly found themselves turned away from public areas affected by the spill, and not only by BP and its contractors, but by local law enforcement, the Coast Guard and government officials. To some critics of the response effort by BP and the government, instances of news media being kept at bay are just another example of a broader problem of officials' filtering what images of the spill the public sees. Scientists, too, have complained about the trickle of information that has emerged from BP and government sources. Three weeks passed, for instance, from the time the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 20 and the first images of oil gushing from an underwater pipe were released by BP. "I think they've been trying to limit access," said Rep Edward Markey (D-MA), who fought BP to release more video from the underwater rovers that have been filming the oil-spewing pipe. "It is a company that was not used to transparency. It was not used to having public scrutiny of what it did." Officials at BP and the government entities coordinating the response said instances of denying news media access have been anomalies, and they pointed out that the company and the government have gone to great lengths to accommodate the hundreds of journalists who have traveled to the gulf to cover the story.
benton.org/node/36731 | New York Times
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GOOGLE SAYS WEST SHOULD PRESS CHINA ON CENSORSHIP
[SOURCE: National Public Radio, AUTHOR: ]
Google is asking governments to put more pressure on China to stop censoring the Internet. Google's top attorney, David Drummond, described the practice as an unfair barrier to free trade and said Western governments should defend the flow of information the same way they do products. The West has complained to the World Trade Organization that China sells its goods below cost and undermines competitors. He said government talks are "the only way that it's going to change, that this tide of censorship or this rising censorship is going to be arrested." "Censorship, in addition to being a human-rights problem, is a trade barrier," Drummond said. "If you look at what China does — the censorship, of course, is for political purposes, but it is also used as a way of keeping multinational companies disadvantaged in the market." "It should be obvious that the Internet sector is very important to the West and so we should be working on seeing that that kind of trade is protected," he said. Drummond did not say if he wanted the U.S. to make a case with the WTO, which could give the U.S. trading rights to compensate for harm to American companies. Instead, he said new trade rules may be needed to cover the Internet.
benton.org/node/36719 | National Public Radio
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MEDIA AND ELECTIONS

CALIFORNIA AD SPENDING
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Matthew Garrahan]
California is set for a year of record spending on political advertising after Meg Whitman poured $80 million into her successful bid to win the Republican nomination to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger as the state's governor. At one stage Whitman, the former Ebay chief executive with a $1 billion fortune, was spending as much as $2 million a week on TV commercials that stressed her conservative credentials. But the strategy worked: her convincing victory on Tuesday over fellow Silicon Valley millionaire Steve Poizner sets her up for what is likely to be a closely fought contest with Jerry Brown in November's election.
benton.org/node/36725 | Financial Times
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NEWS FROM THE HILL

BUDGET HEARING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
At a House Appropriations Committee hearing on the Federal Communications Commission's FY 2011 budget, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski fielded lots of questions on the FCC's plan to reclassify broadband, saying he was willing to work with stakeholders to find the best way forward, which he continued to argue was his proposed "middle ground" between onerous regulation and doing nothing. Subcommittee Chairman Jose Serrano (D-NY) asked Genachowski when he thought the FCC could put the reclassification issue behind it. The chairman did not provide a timetable but said the commission would not put broadband plan implementation on hold while it resolves the question of its authority over broadband access. Rep John Culberson (R-TX) said he would introduce an amendment to block the FCC from reclassifying broadband under Title II. Media Access Project quickly weighed in against such a move. "Use of the appropriations process to block FCC efforts to clarify its authority over broadband transmission would be disastrous for the future of public access to the open Internet," said MAP associate director Matt Wood. Chairman Genachowski asked Congress for help in reclaiming broadcast and other spectrum for mobile broadband. The chairman promised to take "full account" of over-the-air viewers, and continued to maintain that the plan would be a win-win-win (for broadcasters, viewers and the government), but said the government needs to move fast to head off a spectrum crunch. Congress needs to approve the FCC's plan to use some of the proceeds of that auction to compensate broadcasters for giving up spectrum. While much of the broadband plan the FCC can do on its own, spectrum reclamation is one of the things that Congress needs to weigh in on as well.
benton.org/node/36718 | Broadcasting&Cable | Broadcasting&Cable - Culberson | Free Press | Chairman Genachowski
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SEN FRANKEN AND COMCAST-NBCU
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Sen Al Franken (D-MN) took aim at the Comcast-NBC Universal merger in a Senate Antitrust Subcommittee hearing June 9 on antitrust enforcement, as a top Justice Department official promised that the department would not rely on any stakeholders' promises when vetting a merger. During his questioning of Christine Varney, assistant attorney general for antitrust, Sen Franken focused entirely on that merger and what he said was his "inherent distrust of NBC and Comcast's promises." Sen Franken said he could not stress enough that "it matters who runs our media companies," which he said influence how people looked at and understood the world. "So, it is a problem when the same company produces the programs and runs the pipes that bring us those programs," he said, adding, "at least it is to me." Sen Franken repeated his concerns about the percentage of in-house productions on network schedules since the deep-sixing of the financial interest and syndication rules in the early 1990's, and raised the specter of NBCU raising prices for its cable channels to Comcast and other MSOs since the price increase to Comcast would be "from one pocket to another.' Sen Franken said that NBC had assured Congress when arguing against fin-syn rules that their exit would not result in networks filling their schedules with their own programming. He asked Varney if she was aware of what had happened to NBC's schedule in the wave of that decision, and she had a ready answer. "They relatively promptly favored their own programming," she said. "That's exactly right," he answered.
benton.org/node/36723 | Broadcasting&Cable
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PANEL BACKS BILL TARGETING MISLEADING ONLINE TACTICS
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
The Senate Commerce Committee approved three bills June 9 aimed at curbing texting and cell phone use while driving, loud television commercials and misleading online marketing tactics. The bills include legislation offered by Senate Commerce Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV) that would bar companies from automatically passing a consumer's credit or debit card information to a third-party online partner and also require such third-party merchants to clearly disclose the terms of their offers to consumers. The bill emerged out of the committee's investigation of a practice known as data-pass marketing. The committee's probe focused on firms that misleadingly get consumers to sign up for discount membership clubs and other services as part of other online transactions with online retail sites, which pass on consumer credit and debit card information to these third-party firms. The committee also approved legislation, introduced by Sen Rockefeller, that aims to crack down on drivers who text or use their cell phones while driving. The bill would create a grant program for states that enact laws to prohibit texting and hand-held cell phone use while driving. "I think it is most appropriate for the states to handle this issue and devise laws that best meet their particular needs," Commerce ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who cosponsored the bill, said.
benton.org/node/36722 | CongressDaily
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CALM ACT PASSES SENATE COMMITTEE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Senate Commerce Committee passed the CALM (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation) Act, which officially adopts the Advanced Television Systems Committee's recommended practices for variations in commercial volume in relation to the programs around them. The bill passed June 9 by unanimous consent, which means there was no recorded vote. The bill, which passed the House in essentially the same form, directs the Federal Communications Commission to regulate commercial volume per the ATSC recommendations adopted last November. It gives cable operators and broadcasters a year from the law's adoption to comply. The Senate version has a few slight tweaks. One clarifies that the standards will be an FCC "mandate," not simply an incorporation of the ATSC guidelines. Another extends that mandate to any "successor" standard approved by ATSC. A third change deals with the language a wavier (up to two years beyond the effective date) for small cable operators or stations for whom adopting the regime, and the equipment necessary to regularize the volume, would be a financial hardship.
benton.org/node/36721 | Broadcasting&Cable
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SENATORS TO INTRODUCE NEW CYBERSECURITY BILL
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Jeff Bliss]
Sens Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Tom Carper (D-Delaware) plan to introduce today a new cybersecurity bill. Under the legislation, the president could order emergency measures to combat cyber attacks, but the president's specific powers would be developed with companies and wouldn't allow the government to take over private networks or give it more surveillance authority. The bill would require the president to inform Congress in advance of what measures are being taken. The measures would expire in 30 days unless renewed by the president. Under the legislation, a White House Office of Cyberspace Policy would be established. The measure would leave it to businesses that run critical facilities such as power plants and telecommunications networks to choose the security they use to protect networks. A national cyber-security center would be created within the Department of Homeland Security. The center's Senate- confirmed director would advise the president on the federal government's computer-network security. The center would work with companies to develop requirements for tightening security and share warnings with the private sector about possible attacks.
benton.org/node/36720 | Bloomberg
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INTERNET/BROADBAND

TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
The nation's biggest broadband service providers and high-tech firms on June 9 said they are working together to come up with voluntary guidelines for managing network data traffic, a move aimed to appease regulators who are pushing for stronger Internet access rules. The Technical Advisory Group, formed by AT&T, Comcast, Google, Intel, Microsoft and Verizon, said it will consist of engineers and will be led by former Federal Communications Commission Chief Technology Officer Dale Hatfield. Their intention is to minimize disputes over policy questions such as how broadband providers can manage traffic on their networks in the context of the FCC's push for new net neutrality rules. Over the coming weeks, the industry advisory group said it would try to "develop consensus on broadband network management practices or other technical issues that can affect users' Internet experience, including the impact to and from applications, content and devices that utilize the Internet." And the group said in a press release that it would take its suggestions and agreements on what are best practices to the FCC and related consumer protection agencies. "The TAG will function as a neutral, expert technical forum and promote a greater consensus around technical practices within the Internet community," said Hatfield. "The TAG would consider a number of factors in looking at technical practices, including whether a practice is used by others in the industry; whether alternative technical approaches are available; the impact of a technical practice on other entities; and whether a technical practice is aimed at specific content, applications or companies." Other participants include DISH Network, EchoStar, Intel, Level 3 Communications and Time Warner Cable. The organizations unanimously expressed their appreciation to Hatfield, one of the most respected engineers in the communications policy field, for his willingness to organize and chair the effort. Public interest group Media Access Project said it welcomes the initiative but insists it is an open process. And the Open Internet Coalition, a group that includes consumer groups and Internet firms such as Google, said the group's recommendations can't be a substitute for rules at the FCC.
benton.org/node/36717 | Washington Post | The Hill | ars technica | techdailydose.nationaljournal.com | B&C
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CONNECTING RURAL AMERICA
[SOURCE: Department of Agriculture, AUTHOR: Press release]
Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released a report that details how broadband deployment funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) will improve the quality of life of over half a million rural American households. The report also states that broadband awards announced to date will create about 5,000 immediate and direct jobs. The report outlines the projects USDA Rural Development's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is funding under the first round of awards made under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP). In the first of two scheduled funding rounds, RUS awarded $1.068 billion for 68 broadband projects in 31 states and one territory. Three types of projects received awards:
Last-mile remote projects, which will provide broadband service to households and other users in rural areas located at least 50 miles from the nearest non-rural area.
Last-mile non-remote projects, which will provide broadband service to households and other users located less than 50 miles from the nearest non-rural area.
Middle-mile projects, which will provide necessary "backbone" services such as interoffice transport, backhaul, Internet connectivity, or special access to rural areas.
The projects will bring broadband service to an estimated 529,249 households, 92,754 businesses and 3,332 anchor institutions across more than 172,000 square miles - a geographic area approximately the size of the state of California. Community anchors, such as schools, libraries, health care providers, colleges, and critical community facilities, provide essential services for safety, health, education and well-being for area residents. These projects will also provide services to 19 Tribal lands. A second round of successful applicants will be announced later in the 2010 fiscal year.
benton.org/node/36715 | Department of Agriculture | USDA | Secretary Tom Vilsack | TechDailyDose | Connected Planet
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CITIES AND THE BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: John Horrigan]
What can cities do to take advantage of this broadband moment in the United States? 1) Understand the broadband environment in the city. 2) Lower the cost of deploying infrastructure in the city. 3) Support broadband access at city libraries. 4) Explore partnerships. 5) Understand & contribute to best practices around the country. 6) Undertake efforts to use broadband to improve services - such as education, energy, and government. 7) Monitor & Assess Programs.
benton.org/node/36714 | Federal Communications Commission
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DIGITAL BRIDGE
[SOURCE: BroadbandBreakfast.com, AUTHOR: Rahul Gaitonde]
Digital Bridge is the latest broadband stimulus award winner. The wireless broadband provider is one of the few WiMax providers in the nation. The Virginia-based firm was established in 2005 and launched its first network two years later. Digital Bridge maintains 15 networks nationwide. The firm was awarded a $4.3 million grant to provide service to underserved communities in three Idaho counties; Digital Bridge already provides service in neighboring Twin Falls. In addition to Idaho the company has submitted 31 round two applications for Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee and Indiana for a little over $150 million. By using wireless technologies and optimizing its equipment, Digital Bridge is able to provide coverage for $300 per household, which is one of the more cost effective options presented to the NTIA.
benton.org/node/36713 | BroadbandBreakfast.com
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NEIGHBORS ONLINE
[SOURCE: Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, AUTHOR: Aaron Smith]
Americans use a range of approaches to keep informed about what is happening in their communities and online activities have been added to the mix. Face-to-face encounters and phone calls remain the most frequent methods of interaction with neighbors. At the same time, Internet tools are gaining ground in community-oriented communications.
22% of all adults (representing 28% of Internet users) signed up to receive alerts about local issues (such as traffic, school events, weather warnings or crime alerts) via email or text messaging.
20% of all adults (27% of Internet users) used digital tools to talk to their neighbors and keep informed about community issues.
benton.org/node/36703 | Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project
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PRIVACY

AT&T BREACH
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Miguel Helft]
A group of hackers said Wednesday that it had obtained the e-mail addresses of 114,000 owners of 3G Apple iPad, including those of military personnel, business executives and public figures, by exploiting a security hole on AT&T's Web site. The group, which calls itself Goats Security and says it specializes in exposing security vulnerabilities, also obtained the identification number that those iPad use when they communicate over AT&T's network, known as an IC-ID, according to a member of the group who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. AT&T acknowledged the breach and said that by Tuesday it had turned off the feature on its Web site that allowed the group to find the e-mail addresses. Security experts said it was not clear whether the breach would have serious consequences for those whose information was obtained.
benton.org/node/36730 | New York Times | WSJ | FT | USAToday
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GOOGLE PRIVACY COMPLAINT
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Maija Palmer]
Privacy International, the London-based pressure group, is planning to file a criminal complaint with the UK police over Google's interception of private WiFi data. The move comes after Google on Wednesday published an audit by third party computer forensics experts into how the data interception happened. Privacy International said the report indicates that the interception was deliberate and therefore in violation of UK wiretapping laws. Privacy International said a third party report showed that the code had been deliberately set to store private data, which is a violation of the UK's Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).
benton.org/node/36724 | Financial Times
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PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT PRIVACY
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
A new poll shows that a large majority of consumers are concerned about being tracked on the Internet and favor a proposal from privacy groups to create a "do not track list." The survey, commissioned by the tech and telecom industry research group Precursor LLC, found that 81 percent of those polled said they were "somewhat" or "very" concerned about companies tracking their Web surfing habits and using that information for advertising, while 88 percent said it is "unfair" for companies to do such tracking without an Internet user's permission.
benton.org/node/36711 | CongressDaily
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BARTON ON PRIVACY
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Rep Joe Barton (R-TX), the ranking member of the House Commerce Committee, wants to work on an online privacy bill. He said that a draft bill offered by Reps Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Cliff Stearns (R-FL) must go further to protect consumer privacy, adding that he wants to give "as much control to individuals as possible." While saying he would like to see privacy legislation enacted this year, he said Rep Boucher, Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and senior Commerce Committee member Edward Markey (D-MA) need to reach consensus on privacy legislation. Reps Markey and Barton are the House co-chairmen of the privacy caucus.
benton.org/node/36710 | CongressDaily
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PRIVACY AND THE SMART GRID
[SOURCE: Government Technology, AUTHOR: Hilton Collins]
Vulnerable passwords, financial records or personal data are likely what first comes to mind when thinking of cyber-privacy and cyber-security. But if recent reports are to be believed, the newest and most pervasive threat to personal privacy could be the smart meter that public utilities departments are increasingly using to measure electricity consumption. The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 supercharged a movement that's developing a power grid that gives power to users via digital technology. But some say this smart grid might be too smart for everyone's own good. In May 2010, The Denver Post reported that smart meters can gather more data than just how much electricity a household uses. They can tell how many people live there, when they sleep and when they aren't home. Smart meters track when household members take showers, how much TV they watch or how often they use the microwave. According to the newspaper, 52 million smart meters will be in the country by 2015.
benton.org/node/36709 | Government Technology
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CHILDREN & MEDIA

PARENTING AND THE INTERNET
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Tracey Hope-Ross]
A survey of mothers of children age 8-13 reveals that kids start getting interested in social media at around 10. At that age, 44% of kids join online communities to connect with friends and other kids from school. Their desire to join these sites primarily stems from an interest in continuing conversations with their friends after school and on weekends, rather than peer pressure. One-third also turn to social networking sites to communicate with family members online, as well as to stay in touch with others who may be separated by distance. But Moms worry that their children may be exposed to inappropriate content and "stranger danger." Even Moms with younger children understand the larger, long-term ramifications of kids sharing online. Regardless of their child's age, 55% of Moms feel acutely aware that colleges search online for background information when kids apply to college. Awareness shifts closer to 60% as kids enter junior high/high school. Moms actively supervise their children's use of social networking and gaming sites. Bottom line for marketers creating online content for kids: While Moms allow their children access to many popular social networking and gaming sites online, they retain tight control over their child's activities. Moms perceive various sites differently, particularly when participation involves young family members.
benton.org/node/36706 | MediaPost
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FTC REJECTS ISAFE BID
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
On June 8, the Federal Trade Commission rejected a proposal by the Internet safety education group iSAFE to operate a self-regulatory program that would allow firms that sign up for it to comply with the provisions of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The FTC voted 5-0 to reject iSAFE's application to operate a "safe harbor" program in compliance with COPPA, which requires Web sites aimed at children under 13 to obtain parental consent before collecting information from them. In a letter to iSAFE Chief Operations Officer Dennis Shaw, the FTC said the California-based group failed to meet the FTC's requirements for a safe harbor program. These include that the program provide "substantially similar" requirements to those included in the COPPA rule, provide an independent mechanism for assessing participants compliance with the safe harbor program and provide "effective" incentives for participants' compliance with the program.
benton.org/node/36712 | CongressDaily
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WHEN TO BUY YOUR CHILD A CELLPHONE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stefanie Olsen]
At what age should you buy your child a cellphone? And when you do buy that first phone, what kind should it be? About 75 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States own a mobile phone, up from 45 percent in 2004, according to an April study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, part of the Pew Research Center. And children are getting their phones at earlier ages, industry experts say. The Pew study, for example, found that 58 percent of 12-year-olds now had a cellphone, up from 18 percent in 2004. Parents generally say they buy their child a phone for safety reasons, because they want to be able to reach the child anytime. Cost also matters to parents, cellphone industry experts say; phones and family plans from carriers are both becoming more affordable. Also, as adults swap out their old devices for newer smartphones, it is easier to pass down a used phone. But for children, it is all about social life and wanting to impress peers. The Pew study found that half of 12- to 17-year-olds sent 50 text messages a day and tented their friends more than they talked to them on the phone or even face to face. Experts say the social pressure to text can get acute by the sixth grade, when most children are 11 years old.
benton.org/node/36729 | New York Times
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NOT ALL STUDENTS LIKE E-READERS
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: Dennis Carter]
Don't let the iPhones and BlackBerries fool you: Research and a recent pilot program that put eReaders in college students' hands suggest that most students aren't ready to read their textbooks electronically, despite the proliferation of Internet-ready mobile devices on campuses nationwide. In fact, 74 percent of students surveyed by the National Association of College Stores (NACS), a nonprofit trade organization representing 3,000 campus retailers, preferred printed textbooks for their college classes. The study, released May 25, also found that more than half of college students surveyed on 19 campuses said they "were unsure about purchasing digital textbooks or would not consider buying them even if they were available."
benton.org/node/36708 | eSchool News
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WIRELESS

APPLE AD RULES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jessica Vascellaro]
Google blasted Apple for imposing new rules on developers that could bar Google and other rivals from selling ads inside iPhone and iPad applications, the latest sign of growing tensions between the two Silicon Valley powerhouses. The flap underscores the rising stakes associated with selling ads on cellphones, a small but fast-growing market that prompted Google to outbid Apple to buy AdMob, which places ads on mobile devices. Apple on Monday amended the rules governing the development of apps that work with a new operating system for its iPhone and iPad devices. The language now prohibits developers from sharing usage data from iPhone apps with some ad companies, preventing those companies from targeting ads and making it harder for them to compete with Apple's own ad network, iAd, which is set to launch July 1. Omar Hamoui, AdMob's founder and now a Google vice president, said in a blog post Wednesday the new rules "if enforced as written, would prohibit app developers from using AdMob and Google's advertising solutions on the iPhone." He added Apple's new rules "hurt both large and small developers by severely limiting their choice of how best to make money."
benton.org/node/36728 | Wall Street Journal | FT
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Efforts in Gulf to Limit Flow of Spill News

Journalists struggling to document the impact of the oil rig explosion have repeatedly found themselves turned away from public areas affected by the spill, and not only by BP and its contractors, but by local law enforcement, the Coast Guard and government officials.

To some critics of the response effort by BP and the government, instances of news media being kept at bay are just another example of a broader problem of officials' filtering what images of the spill the public sees. Scientists, too, have complained about the trickle of information that has emerged from BP and government sources. Three weeks passed, for instance, from the time the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 20 and the first images of oil gushing from an underwater pipe were released by BP. "I think they've been trying to limit access," said Rep Edward Markey (D-MA), who fought BP to release more video from the underwater rovers that have been filming the oil-spewing pipe. "It is a company that was not used to transparency. It was not used to having public scrutiny of what it did." Officials at BP and the government entities coordinating the response said instances of denying news media access have been anomalies, and they pointed out that the company and the government have gone to great lengths to accommodate the hundreds of journalists who have traveled to the gulf to cover the story.

AT&T Said to Expose iPad Users' Addresses

A group of hackers said Wednesday that it had obtained the e-mail addresses of 114,000 owners of 3G Apple iPad, including those of military personnel, business executives and public figures, by exploiting a security hole on AT&T's Web site.

The group, which calls itself Goats Security and says it specializes in exposing security vulnerabilities, also obtained the identification number that those iPad use when they communicate over AT&T's network, known as an IC-ID, according to a member of the group who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. AT&T acknowledged the breach and said that by Tuesday it had turned off the feature on its Web site that allowed the group to find the e-mail addresses. Security experts said it was not clear whether the breach would have serious consequences for those whose information was obtained.

When to Buy Your Child a Cellphone

At what age should you buy your child a cellphone? And when you do buy that first phone, what kind should it be?

About 75 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States own a mobile phone, up from 45 percent in 2004, according to an April study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, part of the Pew Research Center. And children are getting their phones at earlier ages, industry experts say. The Pew study, for example, found that 58 percent of 12-year-olds now had a cellphone, up from 18 percent in 2004. Parents generally say they buy their child a phone for safety reasons, because they want to be able to reach the child anytime. Cost also matters to parents, cellphone industry experts say; phones and family plans from carriers are both becoming more affordable. Also, as adults swap out their old devices for newer smartphones, it is easier to pass down a used phone.

But for children, it is all about social life and wanting to impress peers. The Pew study found that half of 12- to 17-year-olds sent 50 text messages a day and tented their friends more than they talked to them on the phone or even face to face. Experts say the social pressure to text can get acute by the sixth grade, when most children are 11 years old.

Google Blasts Apple on Ad Rules

Google blasted Apple for imposing new rules on developers that could bar Google and other rivals from selling ads inside iPhone and iPad applications, the latest sign of growing tensions between the two Silicon Valley powerhouses.

The flap underscores the rising stakes associated with selling ads on cellphones, a small but fast-growing market that prompted Google to outbid Apple to buy AdMob, which places ads on mobile devices. Apple on Monday amended the rules governing the development of apps that work with a new operating system for its iPhone and iPad devices. The language now prohibits developers from sharing usage data from iPhone apps with some ad companies, preventing those companies from targeting ads and making it harder for them to compete with Apple's own ad network, iAd, which is set to launch July 1. Omar Hamoui, AdMob's founder and now a Google vice president, said in a blog post Wednesday the new rules "if enforced as written, would prohibit app developers from using AdMob and Google's advertising solutions on the iPhone." He added Apple's new rules "hurt both large and small developers by severely limiting their choice of how best to make money."