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The UK High Court has said Google and its peers can be held responsible for defamatory comments posted on their websites in a ruling described as “bad news” for internet companies.
The judgment, made in response to a defamation claim appeal, means companies which receive complaints about defamatory or offensive content on their websites could have to spend more in order to deal with them in a timely manner. The complaint relates to eight comments posted on a blog titled “London Muslim”, which was hosted by Google’s free Blogger service. Payam Tamiz was seeking a libel claim against Google over the comments, which were posted in April 2011 and removed in August 2011 by the blog owner after a complaint was made via Google. Although Lord Justice Richards and Lord Justice Sullivan agreed with the original ruling that Google was not a primary or secondary publisher of the content it hosted, they said it was “at least arguable that some point after notification Google became liable for continued publication of the material.” The Lords Justice likened the situation to a 1930s court case in which a golf club was held responsible for defamatory material left on its noticeboard because it failed to remove it after it was notified.
Court ruling ‘bad news’ for internet companies
A bipartisan group of 35 House members and 18 senators introduced legislation that would allow states to tax online purchases.
"This is gaining momentum, and this is the year to do it," Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), the lead Senate sponsor, said during a Capitol Hill press conference. Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR), the bill's top author in the House, said he is confident the measure will become law this year. "I have talked to [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid [(D-NV)]. Harry Reid wants to bring this to the floor," Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said. Many of the same lawmakers pushed similar legislation last year, but the measures never made it to the floor for a vote. The latest version of the bill, called the Marketplace Fairness Act, combines several proposals from the last Congress and includes revisions aimed at winning over skeptics. The lawmakers argued that their bill would close an unfair loophole that benefits online retailers over local brick-and-mortar stores. The Marketplace Fairness Act would empower states to tax online purchases. The bill would exempt small businesses that earn less than $1 million annually from out-of-state sales — an increase from the $500,000 threshold proposed last year.
Lawmakers claim momentum in push for Internet sales tax
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Donovan joined Zachary Leverenz, CEO, Connect2Compete (C2C), Susan Hildreth, Director, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Scott Durchslag, President of Online and Global e-Commerce, Best Buy, and Adrianne Todman, Executive Director, District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) at the Southwest Family Enhancement Center in Washington (DC) to announce that HUD will join C2C as a digital literacy outreach partner.
Currently, one-third of Americans don’t subscribe to broadband services at home and more than 60 million Americans lack the digital literacy skills needed to use a computer and access the Internet. Since 1995, when HUD launched the Neighborhood Networks initiative, HUD has encouraged the development of computer labs in public and assisted housing.
- HUD to Join C2C Digital Literacy Coalition as Outreach Partner
- C2C Will Launch Nationwide Digital Literacy Training Program
- HUD and C2C Holding Successful Digital Literacy Training Curriculum Pilot at HUD Sites
- HUD is Committed To Extending Access to Computers and the Internet for Low-Income Americans
- Digital Literacy is Key to America’s Economic Future
- Connect2Compete Is a National Nonprofit Organization Improving the Lives of Americans Through the Power of Technology
HUD Will Join Connect2Compete's Digital Literacy Coalition
The Federal Communications Commission filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia arguing the Commission was justified last fall in sunsetting the requirement that hybrid (digital/analog) cable systems provide must-carry station signals in analog format (the viewability rule, as broadcasters see it; the "dual-carriage" mandate, as cable operators view it).
The National Association of Broadcasters and others filed suit against the ruling, asking that it be overturned and the mandate restored. In its filing, the FCC argues that its decision was consistent with statute and its discretion to interpret that statute, that its interpretation was reasonable and that it gave adequate notice that it was considering a device-based approach (cable operators must make boxes that convert digital signals to analog available at low or no cost).
FCC Defends Viewability Rule Sunset
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), one of the loudest congressional critics of News Corp. as a TV station owner, will not seek re-election when his current term ends.
"I will be traveling to my hometown of Paterson [Feb. 15] to announce that I will not seek re-election in 2014," he said. "This is not the end of anything, but rather the beginning of a two-year mission to pass new gun safety laws, protect children from toxic chemicals, and create more opportunities for working families in New Jersey. While I may not be seeking re-election, there is plenty of work to do before the end of this term and I'm going to keep fighting as hard as ever for the people of New Jersey in the U.S. Senate."
Sen Lautenberg Won't Seek Re-Election News Corp. Critic Sen. Lautenberg Won't Seek Re-Election in 2014 (AdWeek)
Board of Directors
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
12:00 – 1:30pm ET
http://www.cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=1007
On the draft agenda:
- Approval of Public Session Minutes
- President’s Report to the Board
- Legislative Update
- Approval of Executive Session Minutes (executive session)
- Personnel Matters (executive session)
- Update on 2013 CSG Distribution
- Report on FY 2012 Audited Financial Statements
- Support to PBS for Nielsen Research
- Update on Education Activities
- Update on Television License Transfer Issues
With the exception of the executive session, the public may attend and observe this meeting in the Blair/Killian Board Room of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy released the first national report detailing U.S. library engagement with the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). The preliminary report highlights statewide library BTOP projects and improvements they have made to public access technology resources, digital literacy and workforce development.
The report estimates that 1744 libraries were impacted through public computer center grants and 226 libraries were impacted by sustainable broadband adoption grants, which were aimed at providing computer training. In addition 1438 libraries received broadband connectivity through the infrastructure program. Other notable statistics include:
- 13% of libraries added or replaced computers with BTOP funds in FY2012 and 12% plan to add or replace computers with such funds in FY2013.
- Public libraries reported an average of 16.4 computers in FY2012, up from 14.2 computers two years earlier. 65% of libraries report insufficient public computers to meet demand, down from 76% the previous year.
- 62% of libraries report being the only source of free public access to computers and the Internet in their communities.
- 77% of Americans aged 16 and older say free access to computers and the Internet is a “very important” service of libraries
- 30 million people relied on library public access technology for job search resources and assistance in one year. Of these people, 76% used the library’s computers or Internet access for their job search and 23% received job-related training at the library.
- 58% of U.S. adults have public library cards.
The report also includes detailed descriptions of the impact of the BTOP program on libraries in 19 states and the District of Columbia, many of which include anecdotal evidence about the program’s impact. Some examples:
- Through collaboration with the New Jersey Community College Consortium, the New Jersey State Library has delivered more than 1,000 job readiness computer skills workshops. More than 10,000 N.J. residents have accessed online career resources at public libraries, including more than 183,000 job searches conducted and 9,400 resumes created. In addition, residents conducted over 36,500 searches using the libraries’ online small business and entrepreneurial resources.
- The Maine State Library is working with the Volunteer Lawyers Project to provide legal information clinics through new library videoconferencing technology. The clinics will be offered in real time, allowing patrons at multiple locations, and especially in rural locations, to attend and ask questions directly of the presenting attorney.
- More than 365,000 Coloradans increased their digital literacy skills through that state’s BTOP project. Ninety-five percent of those who took formal classes in Colorado stated they learned a valuable skill and would recommend the classes to others.
- The Nebraska Library Commission expects to more than double its grant goal (45 libraries) for upgrading broadband speeds in this mostly rural state. Of the 85 libraries upgraded so far, the average speed moved from 2.9Mbps to 18.2Mbps. All 147 Nebraska libraries now offer Wi-Fi.
US Public Libraries and the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program Report: Nearly One-Third of Libraries Offer 10 Mbps Broadband or Higher (telecompetitor)
GAO and inspector general reports have identified a number of key challenge areas in the federal government’s approach to cybersecurity, including those related to protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure. While actions have been taken to address aspects of these, issues remain in each of these challenge areas, including:
- Designing and implementing risk-based federal and critical infrastructure programs
- Detecting, responding to, and mitigating cyber incidents.
- Promoting education, awareness, and workforce planning.
- Promoting research and development (R&D)
- Addressing international cybersecurity challenges.
No overarching cybersecurity strategy has been developed that articulates priority actions, assigns responsibilities for performing them, and sets timeframes for their completion. In 2004, GAO developed a set of desirable characteristics that can enhance the usefulness of national strategies in allocating resources, defining policies, and helping to ensure accountability. Existing cybersecurity strategy documents have included selected elements of these desirable characteristics, such as setting goals and subordinate objectives, but have generally lacked other key elements. The missing elements include:
- Milestones and performance measures
- Cost and resources
- Roles and responsibilities.
- Linkage with other key strategy documents.
To address missing elements in the national cybersecurity strategy, such as milestones and performance measures, cost and resources, roles and responsibilities, and linkage with other key strategy documents, GAO recommends that the White House Cybersecurity Coordinator develop an overarching federal cybersecurity strategy that includes all key elements of the desirable characteristics of a national strategy. Such a strategy would provide a more effective framework for implementing cybersecurity activities and better ensure that such activities will lead to progress in cybersecurity.
This strategy should also better ensure that federal departments and agencies are held accountable for making significant improvements in cybersecurity challenge areas, including designing and implementing risk-based programs; detecting, responding to, and mitigating cyber incidents; promoting education, awareness, and workforce planning; promoting R&D; and addressing international cybersecurity challenges. To address these issues, the strategy should 1) clarify how OMB will oversee agency implementation of requirements for effective risk management processes and 2) establish a roadmap for making significant improvements in cybersecurity challenge areas where previous recommendations have not been fully addressed.
Further, to address ambiguities in roles and responsibilities that have resulted from recent executive branch actions, GAO believes Congress should consider legislation to better define roles and responsibilities for implementing and overseeing federal information security programs and for protecting the nation’s critical cyber assets.
[GAO-13-187]
National Cybersecurity Strategy, Roles, and Responsibilities Need to Be Better Defined and More Effectively Implemented
Few expect Internet privacy legislation in Congress this year. But many were heartened that the “p” word came up at all in the State of Union address.
The Obama administration’s latest salvo resurrects a difficult, urgent debate over keeping Americans safe online and respecting their privacy. His executive order on cybersecurity sought to strike a balance. It asked government agencies to share with private companies what intelligence they have about computer security threats; but it did not ask the private sector to share its own information with the government. The president, in his State of the Union address, explicitly cited the need to protect both “national security” and “privacy.” The White House cybersecurity order reopens rather than settles an argument that computer scientists, lawyers and civil liberties groups have been having for years over whether increased surveillance of our digital lives will make us safer. It has been fought over body scanners at the airport and surveillance cameras on the street. But expect a new political brawl on this. Both sides have powerful advocates in Washington.
The President Revives an Old Debate About Privacy
The same groups that fought off the anti-piracy bill Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) are now rallying the Internet community against Cyber Intelligence and Sharing Protection Act (CISPA). Like all good advocacy groups these days, Internet activist groups Demand Progress and Fight for the Future are employing social media in a big way in the campaign to put added pressure on lawmakers. On the same day CISPA was introduced, Demand Progress and Fight for the Future delivered to the Hill a petition with 300,000 signatures opposing the act. The groups also set up a dedicated Twitter account (@CISPApetition) that automatically tweets (under the hashtag #NoCISPA) a portion of the signatures every hour to Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), the ranking member of the committee. Other organizations, including Free Press and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are also collecting signatures for online petitions opposing the bill. In total, the groups have amassed more than 1 million signatures to date. Opponents of the bill argue it violates consumer privacy because it would allow companies to share users' private data with the government in unprecedented ways. Aaron Swartz, co-founder of Demand Progress, who died in January, had said, "It sort of lets the government run roughshod over privacy protections and share personal data about you."
Is CISPA the New SOPA? Digital rights activists vow to fight CISPA (Washington Post) House Intelligence Committee leaders defend aim of cybersecurity bill (The Hill)