May 2014

Cellphone market needs a shake-up

[Commentary] Motorola, which is still owned by Google but about to become part of PC maker Lenovo, is changing the equation. A few months ago, it introduced the unlocked Moto G Android phone for $180 and last week, it introduced the Moto E, which sells for $129 unlocked and without a contract. I'm hoping that other companies will follow Motorola's lead by introducing high-quality phones for under $200 without a contract. Personally, I'm tired of being locked into a long-term relationship with my cellphone carrier.

Hispanic Consumers Embrace Mobile Technology

Hispanic consumers are just as hooked on their smartphones and tablets as any other American -- but they tend to use their mobile devices more frequently to stream and download video than the rest of the US population.

A new study from PricewaterhouseCoopers examines how this fastest-growing segment of the US population uses mobile technology. It paid particularly close attention to how Hispanics consume media, make purchases and gather information about healthcare. Matt Lieberman, director in PwC’s entertainment and media practice, said one of the most striking findings was the extent to which Hispanics turn to their smartphones and tablets for entertainment.

Youths in ‘Happy’ Video Find Iran’s Grip on Internet Is Still Tight

Six young Iranians who were arrested for posting a YouTube video of themselves dancing on Tehran rooftops to “Happy,” the globally infectious pop song, were released on bail as new details emerged of their possible mistreatment while incarcerated amid an outpouring of sympathy -- including a subtly supportive Twitter post from Iran’s president.

The arrests of the six, who were all under 25 and included women not wearing their mandatory headscarves, were carried out over the weekend. They were taken into custody just as the president, Hassan Rouhani, was giving a speech arguing that Iranians should embrace the Internet instead of viewing it as an insidious Western threat to Islamic morals. The six were shown on state television a day before their release, backs to the camera, apologizing for having made the video, which was uploaded on YouTube in April and received more than 165,000 hits. The television broadcast also included an admonition from Tehran’s police chief, Hossein Sajedi, who told all young Iranians never to make such videos.

The Right Response to the “Right to Delete”

[Commentary] The decision by the European Court of Justice, requiring Google to delete search results that display a Spanish user in a bad light, continues to cause consternation among online experts and supporters of free speech.

Unwittingly, the European Court appointed Google a global online censor, imposing on it the unenviable burden of policing content on the Web. In doing so, it furnished Google (and similar online intermediaries) with strikingly vague criteria and little process, to boot. And if understaffed privacy regulators intend to handle complaints case by case, they will soon be swamped by an unmanageable deluge of individual take-down requests.

But condemning the Court’s decision should not invalidate the concerns it sought to address.

In general, much of our information is subject to fairly clear norms that guide us in who can accessible what and for how long.

Why can’t technology do more to ensure that certain types of recorded data decays or becomes less accessible with time? Much more than law, technology can account for subtle differences in individuals’ subjective privacy expectations, which fluctuate based on the context and nuance of interpersonal relationships. Let’s have many more companies experiment with default settings that allow for data decay.

While these solutions are imperfect, they chart a promising path toward a world where some friction allows us to retain and hide a bit of ourselves.

[Polonetsky serves as executive director and co-chair of the Future of Privacy Forum; Tene is vice president of research and education at the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)]

Tech hits back after Sen Leahy shelves patent bill

The tech industry is accusing the Senate Judiciary Committee of bowing to “patent troll” lobbyists after Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) shelved his patent reform bill.

“Patent trolls and their special interest allies are the only winners today,” Matt Tanielian, executive director of the Coalition for Patent Fairness, said. Sen Leahy announced that he would be pulling his patent reform bill from his committee’s agenda.

In response, tech groups slammed Sen Leahy and the committee for caving under pressure from patent trolls, the companies that profit by bringing and threatening meritless patent infringement lawsuits. Many groups pledged to continue pushing for patent reform, pointing to the businesses that currently spend time and money defending themselves from patent trolls.

Internet Association CEO Michael Beckerman called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) -- who some say played a role in derailing Sen Leahy’s bill -- to circumvent the Judiciary Committee. “If it is not possible for the Senate Judiciary Committee to proceed with its own legislation,” Reid should “stand with innovators and bring the House-passed Innovation Act to the floor of the Senate for an up or down vote,” Beckerman said. The Internet Association includes Google, Facebook, Amazon and Reddit.

Sen Franken Seeks Answer On Comcast Net Neutrality Condition

Sen Al Franken (D-MN) has asked Comcast to clarify what it means in ads suggesting the Time Warner Cable deal will be a boon to network neutrality.

Comcast is subject to network neutrality regulations through 2018 regardless of the legal status of FCC rules -- they are currently mostly invalidated but the FCC is reworking them.

In a letter to company CEO Brian Roberts, Sen Franken, who is a vocal critic of that deal, wants to know if Comcast will extend that condition beyond 2018 whether or not the FCC succeeds in reinstating them.

"Comcast has made net neutrality a central issue in its affirmative case for the Comcast-TWC deal. As such, it should explain fully its intentions with respect to net neutrality, not just for the period that runs from now until 2018," said Sen Franken.

Why We Need The DOTCOM Act

The Obama Administration announced in March plans for a process that could remove the United States, specifically the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, from its oversight role of critical Internet functions.

Members of Congress are concerned that this move could result in a clampdown on the openness and freedom of the Internet by authoritarian regimes in countries like Russia and China. The Internet has flourished as a model of social connectivity and economic activity since its inception. To preserve freedom and openness as tenets of the Internet’s future, Rep John Shimkus (R-IL) introduced HR 4342, the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters (DOTCOM) Act of 2014.

Co-sponsored by 10 members of the committee, the legislation requires that the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office study any potential consequences before NTIA may take action. The DOTCOM Act was approved by the full committee on May 8 and is expected to be considered as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

DHS Cyber Workforce Legislation Advances

The Homeland Security Department would receive additional hiring and compensation authorities for cybersecurity professionals under new legislation introduced and approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The bill (S. 2354), sponsored by Sen Tom Carper (D-DL), would enable the DHS Secretary to make direct appointments, set rates of basic pay and provide additional compensation, benefits, incentives and allowances in order to recruit and retain critically needed cybersecurity personnel.

“Unfortunately, the demand for cybersecurity experts in the government greatly outpaces the supply, and many agencies have had difficulty attracting the best and brightest and retaining those already in service,” Carper said in a statement.

The new flexibilities would bring DHS in line with recruitment and retention tools currently offered at the Defense Department and National Security Agency.

While DHS has a broad cybersecurity mission, it does not currently have in law any tools to hire faster, pay higher salaries or offer retention bonuses. The flexibilities offered in the legislation would help the department improve its ability to compete with the private sector and other agencies to hire and retain the most skilled cyber workforce, Carper said.

States Continue Banning Employer Access to Social Media

Social media has been a remarkable tool over the last several years, enabling friends and family members to connect and stay in touch.

But for all the benefits sites like Facebook can provide, they’ve also become privacy landmines for those people who want separate professional and personal lives.

Employers have been pushing employees for access to their social media accounts for years, raising a number of legal concerns. While an employee or prospective hire could decline such a request, a denial may potentially cost someone their job. And if permission is given, who’s to say that a photo shared between “friends” doesn’t influence a boss’ opinion of someone?

As a result, many states are now banning private- and public-sector employers from making compliance with social media password requests necessary. Louisiana may become the latest state to outlaw the practice.

The Louisiana House of Representatives unanimously voted in favor of the Personal Online Account Privacy Protection Act. Also known as HB 340, the measure prohibits employers from demanding online account access as a condition of employment, both before and after a person is hired. In addition, the bill forbids K-12 and post-secondary schools from disciplining those students that don’t provide access to their accounts.

Time Warner Cable Begins Major Internet Speed Increases in Los Angeles and New York City

Time Warner Cable is now delivering Internet speeds up to 300 Megabits per second (Mbps) to customers in several New York City and Los Angeles communities following network upgrades to transform the customer experience, boosting speeds for all its residential Internet plans in Costa Mesa and West Hollywood in California and in areas of Woodside (in Queens) and Staten Island in New York City.

Most notably, TWC customers in these communities who subscribe to the Standard Internet plan, formerly up to 15 Mbps, will now receive up to 50 Mbps, and customers who subscribe to the Ultimate plan, formerly up to 100 Mbps, will receive up to 300 Mbps -- more than three times their current speeds, at no extra charge.

Customers will need a DOCSIS 3.0 modem to enjoy the full benefits of the speed increases, and will be contacted by Time Warner Cable about their choices for receiving a new device.

The network and Internet speed upgrades will soon come to the LA areas of Covina, Cypress, Hoover, Crenshaw District and Jefferson Park, and to upper Manhattan and additional neighborhoods in Queens and Staten Island in New York City. By the end of June, TWC will be delivering the new, faster speed plans to more than 200,000 customers and small businesses.

Benton

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