Ofcom, Britain's telecommunications regulator, intends to intervene in an early-stage telecommunications market -- one in which the country's incumbent fixed line operator, BT Group, has blazed a trail and invested lots of money. And all this before it claims to have clear evidence of behavior harmful to consumers. Ofcom thinks additional steps are needed to prevent BT’s dominance in traditional telephony from leaching into the new superfast broadband market.
BT, or rather Openreach, the subsidiary ensuring equality of access for rivals that piggyback on its network, can charge whatever wholesale price it chooses for the new service -- so long as all the suppliers get the same deal. Now, however, Ofcom wants to introduce tweaks that might constrain what BT can charge. The regulator believes this is necessary because of fears the group may dominate the market by squeezing the retail margin it earns on the product. Ofcom worries about BT’s ability to tinker with the economics of the market in ways that could tighten its already firm grip. The group has 74 percent of superfast connections over Openreach, compared with 40 percent for conventional broadband. No one is suggesting BT be forced to demerge the fixed-line network. But should it do so for commercial reasons, few would stand in its way.
The Syrian conflict has been marked by a very active, if only sporadically visible, cyberbattle that has engulfed all sides, one that is less dramatic than the barrel bombs, snipers and chemical weapons -- but perhaps just as effective. The United States had deeply penetrated the web and phone systems in Syria a year before the Arab Spring uprisings spread throughout the country. And once it began, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s digital warriors have been out in force, looking for any advantage that could keep him in power.
This information has come from a new study by the intelligence-gathering division of FireEye, a computer security firm, which has delved into the hidden corners of the Syrian conflict -- one in which even a low-tech fighting force has figured out a way to use cyberespionage to its advantage. FireEye researchers found a collection of chats and documents while researching malware hidden in PDF documents, which are commonly used to share letters, books or other images. That quickly took them to the servers where the stolen data was stored. But the FireEye report, makes it clear that such “network exploitation” is now a routine part of even the most low-tech if brutal civil wars, and available to those operating on a shoestring budget.
Having tried and failed to get his hands on Time Warner, Rupert Murdoch is back to king-making. As the man who controls both the Fox News Channel and The Wall Street Journal, he doesn’t exactly have to attend a precinct caucus to exercise political influence. It has been reported that Michael Bloomberg might try to buy the New York Times. Rupert Murdoch has a big national newspaper, and though Michael Bloomberg does not, they are otherwise similarly situated overlords. And so Murdoch’s entreaty to his friend Bloomberg: C’mon in, the water is fine.
Even if The New York Times were for sale, how would it benefit Murdoch to have a rival paper in the hands of an equally moneyed media baron? It wouldn’t, but it is in Murdoch’s nature to stir the pot and create mischief. He’s mostly just having his version of fun, all the while tweaking a competitor, which is another hobby. Watching Murdoch, who controls and owns big chunks of a movie studio, a cable news channel and newspaper and television properties all over the world, and Bloomberg, who owns a worldwide terminal and data business, along with various media assets, it’s easy to guess that the empire-building is all part of one, huge unified plan.
Peter Greste, an Australian reporter jailed in Egypt for more than a year, was deported, winding down a case emblematic of the crackdown that imprisoned tens of thousands of perceived opponents of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi ’s new regime after a coup. Greste was one of three imprisoned reporters from the Qatar-based Al Jazeera English language channel.
There was no word on the fate of his colleagues, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed. Greste, who had served 400 days of a 7-year sentence on charges of aiding a terrorist organization, left on a flight to Cyprus. Egypt didn’t explain why he was released early. The decision came a few months after President Sisi granted himself the power to to repatriate foreign prisoners, raising hopes that all three would be released soon.
Xiaomi became the world’s most valuable tech startup, worth $46 billion. And the recent blowout quarterly results for Apple were credited to just about everything -- from consumers’ lust for big phones to Chief Executive Tim Cook ’s steady hand on the tiller -- except for the most important factor of all. Apple and Xiaomi’s successes reflect the world’s growing income inequality. It demonstrates a trend that has damaged the fortunes of just about every smartphone maker other than Apple, Xiaomi and a couple of other companies at the low end of the market: a hollowing out of demand for smartphones priced in the middle range.
If current macroeconomic trends continue, two things will happen. The first is that, as long as it can maintain its luxury brand, Apple should continue to show strong revenue, if not growth. Analysts say there are about 350 million iPhones in use in the world, which means Apple has already captured nearly 5 percent of the world’s population. The second thing that will happen is that the average selling price of Android phones will continue to drop, as manufacturers battle each other to offer the most value at the lowest price. The good news in this fight is that hundreds of millions of people gaining access to the cheap but serviceable smartphones made by Xiaomi is hardly a Dickensian outcome.
Netflix's Chief Executive Reed Hastings said that the recent “phenomena” of channels becoming apps, easily watched across an array of devices, has validated Netflix’s “fundamental thesis.” While that means more competition for Netflix, he said, Internet TV becoming mainstream is a welcome trend. But as networks such as HBO, CBS and Viacom ’s Nickelodeon begin offering programming directly to customers via the Internet and distributors such as Dish Network launch online-streaming TV services, Netflix’s place in the puzzle of TV’s future looks a bit murkier.
There is a risk that the burgeoning streaming-TV sector could end up eclipsing Netflix. The company is moving aggressively already to avoid that fate. To maintain its share of attention and wallets, not to mention achieve pricing power, Netflix needs distinctive content that can’t be found elsewhere. Hence its decision to release 320 hours of original programming in 2015, triple 2014’s total. Netflix also said it plans to keep increasing the percentage of its content spending, roughly $3 billion in 2015, dedicated to original material.
With revenue bouncing back in many states, governors once again are talking about investment. But are any of them talking about sinking that new money into technology? The answer is, not really -- at least not overtly. Our analysis of State of the State addresses delivered to date found relatively few direct references to improving the technology systems that run government or launching new digital services. Still, the priorities spelled out in these speeches will drive new tech investment and deployment in a range of areas. Two clear winners in the contest for gubernatorial attention are transportation and education.
[Commentary] Google wrote its mission statement in 1999, a year after launch, setting the course for the company’s next decade: “Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” For years, Google’s mission included the preservation of the past. In the last five years, starting around 2010, the shifting priorities of Google’s management left archival projects in limbo, or abandoned entirely.
Recently, Larry Page said the company’s outgrown its 14-year-old mission statement. Its ambitions have grown, and its priorities have shifted. Google in 2015 is focused on the present and future. Its social and mobile efforts, experiments with robotics and artificial intelligence, self-driving vehicles and fiber optics. As it turns out, organizing the world’s information isn’t always profitable. Projects that preserve the past for the public good aren’t really a big profit center. Old Google knew that, but didn’t seem to care. Google may have dropped the ball on the past, but fortunately, someone was there to pick it up. The Internet Archive is mostly known for archiving the web, a task the San Francisco-based nonprofit has tirelessly done since 1996.
[Baio is an American technologist and blogger]
On February 2, the Washington Post reported that the Federal Communications Commission will begin consideration of a proposal to intervene against state laws in Tennessee and North Carolina that limit Internet access operated and sold by cities. The following statement can be attributed to Benton Foundation Director of Policy Amina Fazlullah:
BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2015 (2 weeks ‘til pitchers and catchers report!)
This week’s events: https://www.benton.org/calendar/2015-02-01--P1W
PRIVACY/SECURITY
President Obama must finally end NSA phone record collection, says privacy board
Verizon to Allow Complete Opt Out of Mobile ‘Supercookies’
Google Now powers up by pulling in info from other apps [links to web]
SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon Win Spectrum in FCC Auction That Raised $41.3 Billion
Spectrum auction is bipartisanship in action - op-ed
FCC Commissioner Pai Objects to Dish’s Wireless Deal
This Week's Wireless Warnings - Kevin Taglang analysis
Hotels Withdraw Request to Block Personal Wi-Fi Hotspots
4G wireless coming to CTA subways later this year [links to web]
INTERNET/BROADBAND
The FCC is moving to preempt state broadband limits
Municipal Broadband: A Snapshot - FCC Commissioner O'Rielly press release
Mayors of Boston, Seattle, KC, others: No more muni broadband restrictions, please
Bringing broadband to everybody - op-ed
How FCC chair took control of Internet
How Did An Idea That Seemed Like A Long Shot Win The Net Neutrality Debate? - analysis
The One Loophole to Rule Them All - analysis
Rolling Internet, Government to ’34 - WSJ letter to the editor [links to web]
Netflix, Verizon get in last word on Internet rules [links to web]
AmericanExceptionalism.com - L Gordon Crovitz editorial [links to web]
FCC 25 Mbps Decision Draws Diverse Crowd [links to web]
New FCC broadband threshold misses innovation opportunity - AEI op-ed [links to web]
Broadband speeds around the world, in one map [links to web]
DIVERSITY
Senior tech helps baby boomers come of digital age
With shows like ‘Empire,’ ‘Black-ish’ and ‘Cristela,’ TV is more diverse than ever [links to web]
OWNERSHIP
Sen Franken Queries Attorney General Nominee On Comcast/Time Warner Cable [links to web]
Time Warner Cable's Q4 Has Some Analysts Wondering, Who Needs Comcast? [links to web]
ADVERTISING
Cablevision Sues Verizon Over Wi-Fi Ads [links to web]
TELEVISION
Multi-Screen TV Viewing Far Exceeds OTT Video Viewing [links to web]
NAB Board: Go For Auction; Split on ATSC 3.0 - Harry Jessell editorial [links to web]
HEALTH
HHS proposes path to improve health technology and transform care - press release [links to web]
A New Year’s Resolution: Using Broadband to Get Healthy and Stay Well [links to web]
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Google to change privacy policy after ICO investigation - Information Commissioner's Office press release
A Question Over the Reach of Europe’s ‘Right to Be Forgotten’
Google, Microsoft and Amazon pay to get around ad blocking tool [links to web
What’s Really Happening with China’s Great Firewall [links to web]
MORE ONLINE
When did we stop ‘surfing’ the Web? [links to web]
PRIVACY/SECURITY
PRESIDENT OBAMA MUST FINALLY END NSA PHONE RECORD COLLECTIONS, SAYS PRIVACY BOARD
[SOURCE: The Guardian, AUTHOR: Spencer Ackerman]
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board is calling out President Barack Obama for continuing to collect Americans’ phone data in bulk, a year after it urged an end to the controversial National Security Agency program. The Obama Administration could cease the mass acquisition of US phone records “at any time”, the Board said. PCLOB Chairman David Medine said that the Administration was acting in “good faith” and had agreed in principle to most of the 22 reform recommendations the board had offered in its two 2014 reports into bulk NSA surveillance. The board’s report found that the Administration had in many cases not implemented recommendations it agreed to in principle, such as assessing whether the NSA is successfully filtering out purely domestic communications when it siphons data directly from the “backbone” of the Internet.
benton.org/headlines/president-obama-must-finally-end-nsa-phone-record-collection-says-privacy-board | Guardian, The | read the report
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VERIZON TO ALLOW COMPLETE OPT OUT OF MOBILE 'SUPERCOOKIES'
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brian Chen, Natasha Singer]
Verizon has decided to make a major revision to its mobile ad-targeting program. Users who do not want to be tracked with an identifier that Verizon uses for ad-targeting purposes will soon be able to completely opt out, the company said. In the past, Verizon allowed users to opt out of the marketing side of the program, but they had no option to disable being tagged with its undeletable customer codes, which critics dubbed “supercookies.” Some security researchers quickly illustrated that third parties, like advertisers, could easily exploit Verizon’s persistent tracking to continually follow a user’s web browsing activities. Even if Verizon now allows subscribers to opt-out of having their online activities tracked using a unique customer code, that option may not satisfy privacy advocates who say consumers are unlikely to understand the implications of default tracking. Some say Verizon should have the feature turned off by default and require people to voluntarily switch it on. “What they really should be doing is opt-in,” said Nate Cardozo, a staff lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
benton.org/headlines/verizon-allow-complete-opt-out-mobile-supercookies | New York Times
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS
T-MOBILE, AT&T AND VERIZON WIN SPECTRUM IN FCC AUCTION THAT RAISED $41.3 BILLION
[SOURCE: Revere Digital, AUTHOR: Ina Fried]
The Federal Communications Commission revealed the list of winning bidders in its spectrum auction, with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile among the 31 bidders that paid more than $41.3 billion. AT&T spent $18.2 billion; Verizon won $10.4 billion worth of bids, while T-Mobile’s winning bids totaled just under $1.8 billion. Two entities tied to Dish Network had winning bids of a combined $13.3 billion. Less than $1.2 billion went to other entities. The $41.3 billion total is more than double the reserve price set by the government and well ahead of what many wireless industry watchers were expecting.
benton.org/headlines/t-mobile-att-and-verizon-win-spectrum-fcc-auction-raised-413-billion | Revere Digital | Public Notice | winning bids | The Verge | ars technica | GigaOm
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SPECTRUM AUCTION IS BIPARTISANSHIP IN ACTION
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUHTOR: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR)]
[Commentary] What if someone told you that Republicans and Democrats in Washington, DC, worked together to create thousands of new American jobs, reduce the deficit, and contribute billions to our country’s economic growth? The Federal Communications Commission completed an auction of spectrum that will be used to expand and improve mobile broadband. Gross bids totaled almost $44.9 billion, making this auction -- known as the AWS-3 auction -- the highest-grossing spectrum auction in US history. The wireless industry estimates that for every 10 Megahertz of spectrum licensed for wireless broadband, 7,000 American jobs are created and US gross domestic product increases by $1.7 billion. Not long ago, many people said an auction like this couldn’t be done. But both parties in Congress got together in 2012 to pass legislation, which authorized the AWS-3 auction. As we’ve seen, that auction’s success is a good sign that bipartisan, collaborative efforts can and do produce positive results for the American people. We hope to see the same level of dedication, cooperation, and ingenuity as the FCC and its partners work to ensure the Incentive Auction is a success. Bipartisan collaboration across the government is still very possible, and this work will help cement our country’s global leadership in mobile innovation.
benton.org/headlines/spectrum-auction-bipartisanship-action | Hill, The
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PAI QUESTIONS DISH AUCTION WIN
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ryan Knutson, Thomas Gryta]
Federal Communications Commission member Ajit Pai is objecting to Dish Network’s claim on more than $3 billion in discounts aimed at small business in the government’s auction of wireless licenses. He plans to ask FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to investigate the award, saying that giving such a lucrative break to a company as large as Dish “makes a mockery” of the small-business discount program. The move adds an element of uncertainty to an auction that drew surprisingly aggressive bidding that culminated in a record $44.9 billion being spent, mostly by telecom companies looking to meet growing demand for the airwaves that carry signals to smartphones. Dish racked up $13.3 billion in winning bids, topping even Verizon Communications, the largest US wireless carrier. It qualified for the discounts by bidding via a pair of partnerships that reported having less than $15 million in annual revenue. Its partners included mutual-fund giant BlackRock, employees of private-equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners and a native Alaskan investment fund, among others.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-commissioner-pai-objects-dishs-wireless-deal | Wall Street Journal
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THIS WEEK'S WIRELESS WARNINGS
[SOURCE: Benton Foundation, AUTHOR: Kevin Taglang]
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the United Kingdom’s Ofcom all weighed in on wireless Internet issues. The three big takeaways: 1) Wi-Fi is important; 2) the Internet of Things has some trust issues to work out; and 3) throttled Internet is not unlimited Internet.
http://www.benton.org/blog/wireless-warnings-week
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HOTELS WITHDRAW REQUEST TO BLOCK PERSONAL WI-FI HOTSPOTS
[SOURCE: Revere Digital, AUTHOR: Amy Schatz]
Marriott International and the hotel industry withdrew their request for Federal Communications Commission approval to block some personal Wi-Fi hotspots on their properties. Marriott and the hotel industry had asked the FCC for permission to block Wi-Fi hotspots on their properties because of what they said were concerns about hacking. Marriott clarified its request recently, saying that it wouldn’t block guests from using their own Wi-Fi hotspots in hotel rooms, but would like to block them in convention or meeting spaces. That argument didn’t appear to convince a lot of people, who assumed instead that the hotel industry was more interested in protecting the revenue they receive from offering wireless Internet service than snuffing out rogue hotspots. Marriott said, “We thought we were doing the right thing asking the FCC to provide guidance, but the FCC has indicated its opposition. As we have said, we will not block Wi-Fi signals at any hotel we manage for any reason.”
http://recode.net/2015/01/30/hotels-withdraws-request-to-block-personal-...
Marriott says it won’t try to use “legal Wi-Fi security measures” again (ars technica)
benton.org/headlines/hotels-withdraw-request-block-personal-wi-fi-hotspots | Revere Digital | ars technica
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INTERNET/BROADBAND
FCC IS MOVING TO PREEMPT STATE BROADBAND LIMITS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Fung]
The Federal Communications Commission is moving ahead with a proposal to help two cities fighting with their state governments over the ability to build public alternatives to large Internet providers. The FCC will begin considering a draft decision to intervene against state laws in Tennessee and North Carolina that limit Internet access operated and sold by cities, according to a senior FCC official. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler could circulate the draft to his fellow commissioners as early as Feb 2 and the decision will be voted on in the FCC's public meeting on Feb. 26. If approved, the FCC would find that the states have erected barriers to the timely and reasonable deployment of high-speed Internet access in Chattanooga (TN) and Wilson (NC). It would effectively knock down the state laws that the cities say inhibit them from building viable competitors to the likes of Comcast and Verizon. The draft decision targets legal hurdles that make it more difficult for city- or community-run Internet services to get off the ground.
benton.org/headlines/fcc-moving-preempt-state-broadband-limits | Washington Post
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MUNICIPAL BROADBAND
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly]
Those who wish to preempt state laws impacting municipal broadband networks often cite up to 21 states that have limitations or restrictions on such networks. A closer inspection of the specific state laws being criticized, however, offers a much different picture regarding the scope and particulars of the specific state limitations. In other words, if the Federal Communications Commission were to preempt state laws (assuming it has requisite authority), what “barriers” would it be preempting? Upon review, it is clear that many of the limitations or restrictions appear to be justified practices by state governments and should be excluded from any preemption discussion. Beyond the extensive rhetoric and absent Congressional direction, nullifying state-enacted taxpayer protections to further a political goal sends the FCC down an extremely troubling path.
benton.org/headlines/municipal-broadband-snapshot | Federal Communications Commission
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MAYORS OF BOSTON, SEATTLE, KC, OTHERS: NO MORE MUNI BROADBAND RESTRICTIONS, PLEASE
[SOURCE: NetworkWorld, AUTHOR: Jon Gold]
A group of 38 mayors and other elected officials from cities like Boston, Seattle, and Kansas City urged the Federal Communications Commission to strike down state laws that restrict the development of public high-speed Internet services and allow municipal networks to flourish. In an open letter to the FCC commissioners, the Next Century Cities group emphasized the importance of universal access to high-speed Internet services. The ability to make that service generally available, according to Next Century Cities, requires that regulators give local governments a free hand in how they approach the problem -- which includes, for many, the creation of municipal broadband networks.
benton.org/headlines/mayors-boston-seattle-kc-others-no-more-muni-broadband-restrictions-please | NetworkWorld
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BRINGING BROADBAND TO EVERYBODY
[SOURCE: Morristown Daily Record, AUTHOR: Sen Cory Booker (D-NJ)]
[Commentary] Barriers to broadband adoption still remain, particularly in lower-income communities. As technology moves forward, we are seeing certain communities fall behind. This so-called "digital divide" is unacceptable, and municipal broadband offers the kind of low-cost options these areas desperately need. Localities should have the right to decide how to invest in their broadband infrastructure. I applaud the President's commitment to this shared goal of expanding broadband access to communities that are missing out, and my legislation aims to ensure that communities have the option of developing broadband networks. When it comes to ensuring that residents have access to affordable and dependable broadband, local communities should be empowered to make the best decisions for their unique needs. In the United States, we don't settle for average, and we shouldn't be satisfied with anything less than universal access to broadband.
benton.org/headlines/bringing-broadband-everybody | Morristown Daily Record
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HOW WHEELER TOOK CONTROL OF INTERNET
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Brooks Boliek, Alex Byers, Bill Duryea]
It was August 2014 when Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler was coming -- quietly -- to the conclusion that he was going to have to turn on the industries that launched his career in Washington. On Feb 5, he is expected to present to the FCC a set of rules that would treat broadband providers like utilities, effectively denying them the right to charge companies a premium for faster access to consumers and holding them accountable for any attempt to secretly impede the flow of data. When the FCC finally approves them -- a vote is scheduled for late February -- it will mark the most significant rewrite of the rules of the road for the Internet in more than a dozen years and affect the competitive playing field for generations to come. The origin of Wheeler’s dramatic pivot? An intense and relatively brief grass-roots lobbying campaign that targeted two people -- him and President Barack Obama. “We [knew] that Tom Wheeler was going to make the decision on this,” said Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press, a liberal public interest group. “He was the guy with the most influence over the details, and the question becomes who has the most influence over him, and that is President Obama.”
benton.org/headlines/how-fcc-chair-took-control-internet | Politico
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TITLE II AND NET NEUTRALITY DEBATE
[SOURCE: Forbes, AUTHOR: Michael Bobelian]
[Commentary] To the disappointment of many network neutrality advocates, the Federal Communications Commission’s first cut at its proposed rules -- leaked in April by the Wall Street Journal -- didn’t embrace Title II. Instead, the FCC returned to the portion of the Communications Act rejected by the courts. As the leaked proposal horrified net neutrality proponents, it also served as rallying cry, helping to coalesce a diverse set of advocates with different interests, missions, and organizational structures into a formidable coalition. Within weeks, this group combined non-profit groups like Free Press and Public Knowledge with a bevy of Internet heavyweights like Netflix and smaller, midsized web-based businesses like Etsy. Academic think-leaders like Columbia Law School’s Tim Wu rounded out the group. Soon, this core group of institutions and individuals swelled as organizations like the ACLU, which hadn’t focused much on net neutrality, joined the effort. This ad hoc coalition mobilized one of the most successful advocacy campaigns seen in recent years.
benton.org/headlines/how-did-idea-seemed-long-shot-win-net-neutrality-debate | Forbes
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THE ONE LOOPHOLE TO RULE THEM ALL
[SOURCE: Slate, AUTHOR: Marvin Ammori]
[Commentary] We are one month from the Federal Communications Commission issuing a final decision on network neutrality. But it will be a month that matters because it’s not yet clear who will triumph. For the next month, the giant phone and cable companies will be lobbying to put a loophole in the FCC’s rule. Any significant loophole will do. They will ask for many loopholes, but all they need is one. So they can “compromise” by letting go of several outrageous loopholes because with one alone they can create an entirely new business ecosystem of slow and fast lanes that undermines the open Internet. It would be the one loophole they need to rule all the websites and users. If FCC Chairman Wheeler’s rule deviates from President Obama’s proposal and doesn’t include these four principles, you should be freaked out.
Bright-line, enforceable rules: We need bright-line rules that clearly define in advance which behavior is and is not allowed, using easily verifiable behavior.
Applying the rules to “interconnection”: President Obama called for the FCC “if necessary to apply net neutrality rules to points of interconnection between the Internet service provider and the rest of the Internet.”
Policing “specialized services”: Nobody really knows what a specialized service is, but the idea is that cable and phone companies might offer services that are not access to the Internet and they should be subject to different laws. The FCC should define the term very narrowly and clarify that cable companies cannot use them to circumvent network neutrality rules on the Internet.
Title II authority: President Obama called on the FCC to use its “Title II” authority. That’s the FCC’s main authority, and the commission uses it to govern phone service, mobile phone service, rural access to the Internet, and big-business access to the Internet.
benton.org/headlines/one-loophole-rule-them-all | Slate
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DIVERSITY
SENIOR TECH HELPS BABY BOOMERS COME OF DIGITAL AGE
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Jessica Naziri]
Older people, as a group, continue to lag behind in adopting new technology, but an increasing number of elders are interested and involved in using technologies that allow them to stay more connected socially, with family and friends. Worldwide revenue generated by home healthcare devices and associated services are expected to soar to $12.6 billion in 2018, up 121 percent from $5.7 billion in 2013, according to numbers released by market researcher IHS. Companies nationwide are tapping into market opportunities pegged "connected aging," a term in which the growing array of Internet-based technologies and mobile devices will increasingly support older adults to age in place by taking well-known technology modalities, such as social networking, e-mailing and Internet browsing to address a comprehensive range of medical, health, social and functional needs -- making them "old people friendly." With technology changing daily and new gadgets quickly becoming a standard rather than a luxury in the most competitive senior living communities, the big conundrum for these vendors is providing technology that is drop-dead simple to use -- doesn't need a ton of charging or resetting, and has long-lasting battery charge.
benton.org/headlines/senior-tech-helps-baby-boomers-come-digital-age | USAToday
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STORIES FROM ABROAD
GOOGLE TO CHANGE PRIVACY POLICY AFTER ICO INVESTIGATION
[SOURCE: Information Commissioner's Office, AUTHOR: Press release]
The United Kingdom's Information Commissioner's Office has required Google to sign a formal undertaking to improve the information it provides to people about how it collects personal data in the UK after concerns were raised around changes to the company’s privacy policy. The ICO found that the search engine was too vague when describing how it uses personal data gathered from its web services and products. Google introduced a new privacy policy in March 2012 combining around 70 existing policies for various services, but the ICO ruled that the new policy did not include sufficient information for service users as to how and why their personal data was being collected. Google has now signed an undertaking committing to make further changes to the privacy policy to ensure it meets the requirements of the Data Protection Act and to take steps to ensure that future changes to its privacy policy comply, including user testing. The search engine must now make the agreed further changes by June 30th, 2015 and take further steps over the next two years.
benton.org/headlines/google-change-privacy-policy-after-ico-investigation | Information Commissioner's Office | GigaOm
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REACH OF RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Mark Scott]
The ability for Europe to enforce the region’s privacy rules beyond its borders will be a major part of a report soon to be published by a committee set up by Google. The report, expected to be released by mid-February 2015, will counsel the company on how to handle Europe’s right-to-be-forgotten standard. The company has complied with roughly 40 percent of the 760,000 link-removal requests that it has received over the last eight months, according to the company’s latest transparency report. The advisory group includes Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, who has been a vocal opponent of the European privacy decision, as well as a number of leading data protection academics. But after holding a number of public meetings across Europe, the committee remains divided over whether Google should impose the right-to-be-forgotten decision on all of its global search results, according to several people with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report had yet to be completed.
benton.org/headlines/question-over-reach-europes-right-be-forgotten | New York Times
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