Tag Archives: internet

The New York Times reports: The Federal Communications Commission is preparing a full repeal of net neutrality rules that require broadband providers to give consumers equal access to all content on the internet, putting more power in the hands of those companies to dictate people’s online experiences. Ajit Pai, the chairman of the F.C.C., plans to reveal a sweeping proposal …

Bloomberg reports: Equifax Inc. learned about a major breach of its computer systems in March — almost five months before the date it has publicly disclosed, according to three people familiar with the situation. In a statement, the company said the March breach was not related to the hack that exposed the personal and financial data on 143 million U.S. …

The Associated Press reports: An Austrian company has revoked the domain name of an American neo-Nazi website that previously was rejected by internet hosts in the United States. Monika Pink-Rank, a spokeswoman for Austrian domain registry nic.at, said The Daily Stormer’s domain was removed on Monday after Austrian politicians reported the white supremacist platform’s presence. The website has been looking …

The Hill reports: Tech companies and activists will be mobilizing supporters of the net neutrality rules on Wednesday for an online “day of action.” Many websites that have signed up for the demonstration will show their support for net neutrality by displaying “alerts,” warning the public about how the internet could change if the rules are rolled back. The protest …

What’s On Weibo reports: Over the past few days, discussions about homosexuality are all over Chinese social media. On Friday, the China Netcasting Services Association issued new criteria to strengthen regulations over online audio-visual content on Chinese platforms. One of the new regulations regarded the removal of online content that “displays homosexuality”, grouping homosexuality together with incest and sexual perversity …

Fortune reports: China released a new regulation Friday banning any display of “abnormal sexual behaviors” — including homosexuality — in online video and audio content. The regulation, published by the China Netcasting Services Association (CNSA), lays out strict censorship rules for online content ranging from movies and documentaries to cartoons and educational videos. Under the new rules, content will be …

Business Insider reports: Amazon has been granted a patent designed to stop you from visiting a shop to buy something, but then looking for a cheaper version online while you’re there. The patent, which we first saw via The Verge, would essentially try and intercept you if you made a price comparison search using the shop’s WiFi. It outlines a …

Mediaite reports: BBC is receiving some pushback from free speech advocates after the broadcaster released the latest version of their privacy policy, which included a warning that “if you post or send offensive, inappropriate or objectionable content anywhere on or to BBC websites…the BBC may use your personal information to stop such behaviour.” The section about “offensive or inappropriate content …

The New York Times reports: The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday outlined a sweeping plan to loosen the government’s oversight of high-speed internet providers, a rebuke of a landmark policy approved two years ago to ensure that all online content is treated the same by the companies that deliver broadband service to Americans. The chairman, Ajit Pai, …

Today’s letter from the editor: As we launch a brand-new name and look for HuffPost, I’ve been thinking a lot about these questions. How can we become better listeners? How can we serve you, our audience, better? We’re doubling down on our bold, splashy style, and serving up the news with a sense of humor, outrage and empathy. We’re also …

Raw Story reports: In a town hall appearance held on Thursday, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. defended his decision to vote to repeal the Broadband Consumer Privacy Rules passed by the FCC last October by arguing that “nobody’s got to use the internet.” When a constituent attending the event in Wisconsin’s fifth district raised the issue that she has only one …

“This is an outrage!” – Wingnut sites, probably. CNET reports: A Connecticut student gets to share her vision of the future with the world, with a little help from Google. Sarah Harrison, a 10th grader from Bunnell High School in Connecticut, won the annual Doodle 4 Google competition with her drawing showing peace and diversity among people from all walks …

The New York Times reports: Republican senators moved Thursday to dismantle landmark internet privacy protections for consumers in the first decisive strike against telecommunications and technology regulations created during the Obama administration, and a harbinger of further deregulation. The measure passed in a 50-to-48 vote largely along party lines. The House is expected to mirror the Senate’s action next week, …

From the Consumer Reports company blog: In our recent CR Consumer Voices survey, 65 percent of Americans told us they are either slightly or not at all confident that their personal data is private and not distributed without their knowledge. We think it’s unfair and unrealistic to expect consumers to constantly play defense when the products and services they use …

CNN Money reports: Donald Trump has a vast online portfolio of domain names — digital addresses that foreshadowed his political career, business projects and accusations of unethical behavior. Before he reached the White House, Trump’s company had laid claim to at least 3,643 website domains, according to internet records gathered by CNNMoney. The buying spree continued as he ran for …

The Hill reports: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday suspended its probes into whether thee major telecommunications companies violated net neutrality rules. The FCC’s wireless telecom bureau sent letters to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile informing them that the probes were over. The letters are a sign that the FCC is changing under new Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican who …

USA Today reports: After seeing sales drop during the holidays, Macy’s said Wednesday it has either closed or will shutter 68 stores and cut an additional 6,200 positions at a time when shoppers are going online to buy everything from scarves to lipstick. Of the 68 stores out of 730 in total, nine closings had been previously announced and three …

Go Upstate reports: An Upstate legislator is hoping to prevent anyone who buys a computer in South Carolina from accessing pornography. State Rep. Bill Chumley, R-Spartanburg, said the Human Trafficking Prevention Act would require manufacturers or sellers to install digital blocking capabilities on computers and other devices that access the internet to prevent the viewing of obscene content. The bill …

Via Mashable: Google has posted its top lists of most popular topics in 2016, and a lot of it is a painful reminder of all the great people that left us this year. In overall global searches, Prince and David Bowie are in fourth and sixth place. Google lists a category called “Losses” this year, and there the two rock …

As many of you have surely noted, this here website thingy has been going down intermittently all afternoon. The problem appears to be “network connectivity issues” with the hosting company’s server farm on the West Coast, where JMG lives in a dark electronic cave. My apologies, but at least this time it’s not a DDoS attack aimed just at us.