February 2013

Is this the year everybody gets hacked?

[Commentary] What was once just an annoyance has turned into something much more serious. Not only have some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley — Apple, Facebook and Twitter — reported being hacked by third-parties this year, it now appears that almost all of Washington has been hacked at one time or another by Chinese cyberspies. And, most discouragingly, these do not appear to be isolated, one-time hacks - according to the latest National Intelligence Estimate, these intrusions are part of a concerted, strategic effort by the Chinese to hack into our nation’s leading corporations, think tanks, newspapers and government agencies. So, let’s call a spade a spade. We’re very close to being pulled into the world’s first cyber-war and, right now, the Chinese appear to have the upper hand. If this were the nuclear age, we’d probably be on DEFCON 3 by now, ready to scramble our jets anywhere in the world within 15 minutes to counter the threat. Unfortunately, it's a bit more difficult to discern exactly what comprises a cyber-attack from what comprises a nuclear attack. When an addled dictator in North Korea pushes the nuclear button, the world knows. But what about a cyber-attack, which takes place in the realm of digital 1’s and 0’s, hidden behind your computer screen? Not only is it extraordinarily difficult to prove that a cyber-attack has taken place, it’s also extraordinarily difficult to ascertain who, exactly, has been behind the attack.

Why Google, Facebook continue to track you closely

[Commentary] Ever wondered why website ads seem to know exactly what you need, before you actually need it? It has to do with web trackers and their ability to monitor your every search query, clicked link or visited website.

It might seem like a scene from an old spy movie, but rogue web trackers could act like double agents that trade company secrets and sell your online profile to the highest bidder. They can know everything from your shopping addiction to the kind of movies you like. Imagine being targeted by ads that try to sell you movie tickets at incredibly low prices or maybe your favorite brand of shoes at a discount. Would you really want that all the time? No law clearly states how long web trackers can store your profile. Marketers can argue that internet information on you is not stored forever and as such, privacy is neither abandoned nor violated. Truth be told, only best practices and moral guidelines steer web trackers.

[Catalin Cosoi is chief security strategist at antivirus firm Bitdefender]

Petition to unlock cellphones passes mark for White House response

A petition on the White House website arguing that people should be allowed to unlock their cellphones has passed the number of signatures required to receive an official response. The petition argues that customers should not have to receive permission from their cellphone carrier to unlock their phone — which allows them to use the device on other companies' networks.

NCTA, ACA Agree: FCC Needs Broadband Challenge System

Both the National Cable and Telecommunications Association and the American Cable Association are in agreement that the Federal Communications Commission needs to set up a process to verify that government broadband subsidies are going to unserved areas rather than to over-builders of existing broadband service.

The FCC, in implementing its Connect America Fund Phase II of its move of Universal Service Funds from phone to broadband subsidies, proposed to use the National Broadband Map to identify eligible census blocks. The FCC also proposed that eligibility be based on a definition of available broadband service tied to a definition of 4 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. But it also recognized that might be tough since the map info was collected on a definition of 3 Mbps/768 Kbps. In comments on the Phase II rollout, both ACA and NCTA urged the FCC to adopt the lower standard. ACA pointed out that the proposal by the price cap LECs to up the standard to 6/1.5 Mbps would bring some census blocks with 4/1 provided by cable operators under the unserved definition. "Such a misguided policy would undermine the FCC's objective of not providing support where an unsubsidized competitor provides service."

House Judiciary Member Wants Answers on Google Sharing

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) is concerned enough about Google's data-sharing practices to have sent the company's founder a letter asking for some answers. Rep Johnson, a member of the Judiciary Committee, asked CEO Larry Page to detail the process of selling apps through Google Play, citing reports that it sends the names and addresses, physical and online, to app developers. Such sharing, says Rep Johnson, "potentially threatens the physical and financial safety of consumers while chilling speech and criticism online."

Cops can search mobile phones—only if they’re not password-protected

A provincial appeals court in Canada has ruled that police can search the mobile phone of an arrested person only if there is no password on that phone.

With a digital locking mechanism, however, officers must get a warrant. “In this case, it is significant that the cell phone was apparently not password protected or otherwise ‘locked’ to users other than the appellant when it was seized,” the Court of Appeal for Ontario, wrote in its unanimous decision. “Furthermore, the police had a reasonable belief that it would contain relevant evidence.”

AT&T's numbers show carriers' public Wi-Fi networks may not be justifiable

Mobile operators may want to reconsider their level of investment and commitment to the broader deployment of public Wi-Fi hotspots, based on a new report that finds smartphone users much prefer to access private or unmanaged Wi-Fi networks.

Smartphone users rely on Wi-Fi for their primary data connection, but they rarely turn to managed, public hotspots, favoring instead private or unmanaged, self-provisioned public Wi-Fi hotspots, according to mobile analytics vendor Mobidia Technology and analyst firm Informa. The findings were based on data collected in January 2013 from an anonymous sampling of millions of users who have downloaded Mobidia's smartphone application, My Data Manager.

Capped Internet: No Bargain for the American Public

The cable industry recently changed its tune on data caps. Previously, the industry insisted that caps on Internet usage were necessary for managing network capacity and preventing congestion. Now, they argue that caps promote fair pricing and more affordable broadband.

Michael Powell, president of the cable association NCTA and a former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), echoed this theme in January at an event held by the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC). Mr. Powell conceded that data caps are not about congestion management, but rather that “[the] principal purpose is how to fairly monetize a high fixed cost” and offer lower cost plans to encourage broadband adoption. The shift in rhetoric is clearly designed to win over a skeptical public. Yet cable providers paid off their fixed network construction costs long ago, and as a result now enjoy enormous profitability. Capped plans and usage-based pricing (a model in which users are charged for a specific amount of data usage) will enable cable companies to further increase those profits. Unfortunately for the American public, these new plans will also increase the cost on essential Internet service and discourage the development of innovative applications and services.

Mainstream Media Is Missing the Point

[Commentary] According to a much-discussed recent report in Politico, members of the press are frustrated by their lack of face time with President Barack Obama. Their anger apparently boiled over when they found themselves excluded from the president’s golf outing with Tiger Woods over Presidents Day weekend. Still, it would be hard to find an administration that did not inspire unhappiness among those who have the misfortune of drawing the assignment of covering it for their media outlet.

What a remarkably ahistorical bunch these reporters are—and they’re apparently dealing with a collective case of short-term memory loss, too. “He gives interviews not for our benefit, but to achieve his objective,” complained Mark Knoller, a veteran CBS News reporter—as if this were not true of every single politician who has ever given a press interview anywhere, anytime. It may or may not be true that President Obama is less available to the press corps than previous presidents—though in many respects, that means he is probably telling fewer lies to the media and the people than his predecessors did. But it has always puzzled me why so many members of the press think it important to merely regurgitate a play-by-play of the president’s day—to follow him around in a pack and report slight variations on exactly the same story, which happens to almost always be the one the White House wants covered that day. Wouldn’t it be a better use of resources to leave that sort of rote reporting to the wire services—or perhaps an intern, or even a stenographer or two—and let the reporters loose to actually find stuff out?

As FCC Chief’s Term Nears End, Speculation Grows Over Possible Successor

On June 30th, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski’s five-year term will expire, which has led to speculation that Chairman Genachowski might soon announce his departure. Although the FCC chair is not a cabinet-level position, DC chatter is already flying fast and furious about Genachowski’s replacement, because the FCC holds broad regulatory power over the most important media, communications, and technology companies in the United States.

There is particular focus on Genachowski’s future in part because his term at the FCC has been so contentious. Throughout his tenure, he has tried to thread a centrist needle on issues like broadband policy, industry competition, and media consolidation. In doing so, he has managed to annoy almost every constituency, from public interest groups that have pushed for a more activist FCC, to industry giants who have bristled at some of his decisions. Whoever serves as the next FCC chairman — whether it’s Genachowski or someone else — will confront a host of difficult issues. The agency is currently preparing for a complex wireless spectrum auction next year. Verizon Wireless is seeking approval for a controversial joint venture with several cable companies including Comcast and Time Warner Cable. The FCC is also weighing new rules regarding media ownership. And the agency faces a closely-watched legal challenge over its authority to enforce its “Open Internet” rules. Meanwhile, the FCC still has a lot of work to do to help improve broadband speed, service, and competition in the United States. In short, the FCC chairman has a crucially important and difficult government job, which is why it’s vital that the public be informed about the future of the agency and its leadership.

Benton

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