1. Monthly archive
  2. January 2018

January 2018

Facebook’s Experiment in Ad Transparency Is Like Playing Hide And Seek

Facebook has said it plans to avoid a repeat of the Russia fiasco by improving transparency. An approach it’s rolling out in Canada now, and plans to expand to other countries this summer, enables Facebook users outside an advertiser’s targeted audience to see ads. The hope is that enhanced scrutiny will keep advertisers honest and make it easier to detect foreign interference in politics. So we used a remote connection, called a virtual private network, to log into Facebook from Canada and see how this experiment is working.

FTC Provides Comment to FCC Encouraging Providers of Call-Blocking Services to Take Steps to Avoid Blocking Wanted Calls

In a comment provided to the Federal Communications Commission, staff of the Federal Trade Commission responded to the FCC’s request for input on potential mechanisms to address erroneously blocked robocalls, without imposing undue harm on callers and consumers.  In the comment, FTC staff stresses its support for the FCC’s inquiry into this important issue, which requires balancing the “long-overdue progress in developing call-blocking and call-filtering solutions to protect consumers from illegal and unwanted calls,” along with “the interests of subscribers and legitimate callers that coul

Commissioner Carr Remarks on "The U.S. View on 5G" at ETNO-MLex Regulatory Summit in Brussels, Belgium

Wanting to lead in 5G is not enough to get the transition across the finish line. The key is to update our regulatory structures so that they are what I call “5G Ready.” This means taking concrete steps to reform our regulations and ensure that they incentivize the massive private sector investments necessary to build the networks of the future. I want to highlight three steps that I think regulators must take to get 5G Ready.

Google Search results to give 'diverse' answers

Google says it will soon alter its Search tool to provide "diverse perspectives" where appropriate. The change will affect the boxed text that often appears at the top of results pages - known as a Snippet - which contains a response sourced from a third-party site.

At present, Google provides only a single box but it will sometimes show multiple Snippets in the future. The change could help Google tackle claims it sometimes spreads lies. But one expert warned the move introduced fresh risks of its own.

Draft FEC Rules Target Political Ads on Social Media

The Federal Elections Commission is moving forward with a plan to introduce new rules on political advertising on social media ahead of the 2018 election cycle. The commission has a working draft of the rules in front of it now, longtime Democratic FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said, though she divulged few details. 

Defining Recoverable Expenses for Rate-of-Return Providers

As the Federal Communications Commission begins to explore potential changes to its regulations for rate-of-return carriers, we both wholeheartedly support action to curb impermissible expenditures.  The public trust is violated, if or when bad actors take extensive leeway in defining what is acceptable for reimbursement by the FCC and ratepayers.  Past stories highlight spending on personal mansions, fancy boats, lavish parties, and country club memberships, just to name a few.

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