1. Monthly archive
  2. March 2018

March 2018

Go ahead and #DeleteFacebook. But here’s the change we really need.

[Commentary] A storm dubbed #DeleteFacebook is brewing in techie communities, on Twitter and — irony alert — on Facebook. The idea is this time is different from all the other times the social network has violated our trust. There have been many calls to boycott Facebook for past indiscretions. If we want the result to be any different this time, we need to address the broader problem. Aside from a dramatic change of heart from founder Mark Zuckerberg, getting Facebook to reform what data it collects and how it uses it requires destabilizing its business.

An Update on the Cambridge Analytica Situation

[Press release] This was a breach of trust between Cambridge University Researcher Aleksandr Kogan, Cambridge Analytica, and Facebook. But it was also a breach of trust between Facebook and the people who share their data with us and expect us to protect it. We need to fix that. We already took the most important steps a few years ago in 2014 to prevent bad actors from accessing people's information in this way. But there's more we need to do and I'll outline those steps here:

Reps Eshoo and Clarke Urge FCC Chairman to Protect Lifeline Program

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) sent a letter signed by over 60 House members to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, urging him to protect the Lifeline program which provides access to phone and broadband services to over 13 million low-income Americans, the majority of whom earn less than $10,000 a year. 

Broadcasting Board of Governors Employees Fear Breitbartization of Its Media Outlets

Employees at the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), a US government-supported international media arm, are sounding alarm bells of a “coup attempt” behind closed doors to install new leaders allied with Steve Bannon, the right-wing firebrand and former White House strategist. André Mendes, a longtime BBG official, and Jeffrey Shapiro, a former Breitbart contributor-turned-senior advisor to the BBG, conspired to oust the current leadership, four current and former BBG officials say.

Chairman Pai Remarks at the American Cable Association Annual Summit

I think it’s worth looking back to 1993 to appreciate how remarkable it is that American Cable Association has, in fact, stood the test of time. Back then, you were in the video delivery business. The technology that looked like the biggest disrupter from your perspective was the introduction of new satellite TV services. But we now know that the public introduction of the World Wide Web in 1993 would prove to be the biggest game-changer.The key for ACA was (and is) that your members have embraced this change. But that wasn’t a given.

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