In The News

NPR: Net Neutrality Rolled Back – But Not Dead Yet

Laurel Wamsley June 12, 2018
The US Federal Communications Commission has rolled back net-neutrality rules but telecommunications companies may be slow to charge more for popular sites or slow down smaller sites that cannot pay new charges: “The net neutrality rules were approved in 2015,” explains Laurel Wamsley. “Companies couldn't pay service providers like Verizon or AT&T extra to make their site or app load...

Channel 4: Cambridge Analytica Election Consultants Filmed

March 20, 2018
Cambridge Analytica executives claim to have consulted on more than 200 elections around the globe - the website claimss 100 - and an undercover investigation in London suggests the company may have used extreme measures to support candidates in violation of the UK Bribery Act and the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Channel 4 News reporters posed as prospective clients over four months, filming...

Lawfare: Mueller’s Indictment of Russian Hackers Highlights Stakes of Microsoft Case

Andrew Keane Woods February 20, 2018
Since the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, in 2001, the United States developed sophisticated surveillance techniques. Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russians and three Russian organizations for interfering in the 2016 presidential elections, describing elaborate efforts to avoid detection including virtual private networks and US travel to set up servers and accounts...

BBC: India Net Neutrality Rules Could Be World's Strongest

Prasanto K Roy November 30, 2017
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India issued recommendations in strong support for net neutrality, prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal internet access for all. The recommendations are unlike efforts in the United States to reverse net neutrality rules and allow internet providers to set limits and impose differential pricing for access. Reversing the US protections will mean the...

Wired: FCC Plans to Gut Net Neutrality, Allow Internet “Fast Lanes”

Klint Finley November 22, 2017
The US Federal Communications Commission has published its plans to reverse net neutrality rules that ban blocking or slowing certain internet content. Proponents describe the action as “fast lanes” and ending government “micromanaging.” In truth, corporations and anyone willing to pay will have unhindered internet service, while small startups and organizations could struggle for notice or even...

Reuters: Russian Firm Provides New Internet Connection to North Korea

Jeremy Wagstaff, Eric Auchard and Maria Kiselyova October 6, 2017
A state-owned Russian company has given North Korea a second internet connection. The first one was provided by China Unicom. North Korea has thousands of trained cyber specialists, and the new connection could increase North Korea’s hacking capabilities while helping the country evade similar attacks from the United States. “Dyn Research, which monitors international internet traffic flows, said...

The Economist: English-Language Newspapers in Latin America Are Struggling

August 15, 2017
Whether shutting down completely or going digital-only, many English-language newspapers in Latin American countries, including those in Argentina, Venezuela and Peru, are confronting the realities of technological change. The Internet has upended a previously successful business model for newspapers, as Anglophone immigrants and tourists can now use the Internet to “browse their hometown papers...