Nov 27
Today in things that will never happen, Republican Representative Darrell Issa has proposed a new bill called the Internet American Moratorium Act (IAMA) that would put a stop to any internet-related lawmaking for the next two years. More »
Sep 19
Google, Amazon, Facebook and more confirmed as members of the Internet Association
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Pitching itself as the first trade alliance to represent the concerns of the online economy, the Internet Association lobbying group has just confirmed its member companies and policy platform. As suspected Amazon, Facebook, eBay, and Google are joined by other large tech firms, under the leadership of Capitol Hill advisor Michael Beckerman, to form the umbrella public policy organization. Citing its three main areas of focus as protecting internet freedom, fostering innovation and economic growth, and empowering users, the Internet Association will represent regulatory and political interests of its member companies, and their employees. There is no word on what the first freedom or innovation to benefit from the associations collaborative-clout will be, but while we wait to find out, you can lobby on the source link for the Mission- and Purpose-statement containing press release.
Continue reading Google, Amazon, Facebook and more confirmed as members of the Internet Association
Google, Amazon, Facebook and more confirmed as members of the Internet Association originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 30
TorrentFreak has posted a supposedly leaked presentation by the RIAA’s chief lawyer that says that it defended SOPA and PIPA even though it knew the censorship legislation wouldn’t be effective against music piracy. Is the RIAA for real or are they just covering their asses, and what does it mean for your freedom going forward? More »
Jul 26
Internet Association to lobby Washington, may tout Amazon, Facebook, Google among its ranks
Posted in: Today's Chili
Political lobbying is often a mixed bag at best. Still, there’s a cautious amount of optimism surrounding the Internet Association, a soon-to-start lobbying group that plans to advocate for an “open, innovative and free” internet among US politicians. The unsurprising (if well-intentioned) aim is to prevent another SOPA or PIPA with more formal opposition than even the Internet Defense League can manage. Who’ll be pulling the strings is nebulous — officially, the Association will only say that former Congressional staff director Michael Beckerman is at the helm until a formal September 19th launch. That internet openness must extend to some very leaky representatives, however, as the National Journal, AFP and Reuters all claim that Amazon, eBay, Facebook and Google are charter members. None of them are talking on the record; we certainly wouldn’t be shocked if the roster is real, knowing how much Google and other partners have fought takedown laws that would bypass much of the normal legal system. We’re hoping that whatever manifests a genuinely rational counterbalance to media and telecom influences that often aren’t very interested in protecting internet-only business models or due process.
Filed under: Internet
Internet Association to lobby Washington, may tout Amazon, Facebook, Google among its ranks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 18
Internet Defense League forms with support of EFF and Mozilla, bills self as ‘bat signal’ of the web
Posted in: Today's Chili 
It looks like the Dark Knight Rises hysteria is affecting more than just spoiler-averse fans. Billing itself as the “internet’s bat signal,” the newly formed Internet Defense League is a collective of companies, websites and non-profit groups– including the EFF, Mozilla, Reddit and WordPress — banding together to nip future SOPAs and PIPAs in the bud. The IDL will officially launch today, and according to its website it’s enlisting web denizens to sign up and “broadcast an action” when net freedoms appear to be under threat. The League is really milking that Batman metaphor to full effect; it will broadcast its logo, a cat that looks plenty eager to tackle all foes of speech, into the sky in five cities around the world, including, interestingly, Ulan Bator, Mongolia.
Filed under: Internet
Internet Defense League forms with support of EFF and Mozilla, bills self as ‘bat signal’ of the web originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 04
European Parliament Declares Feared International Copyright Agreement Dead [Privacy]
Posted in: Today's Chili
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was an EU treaty to protect copyright—but many feared that it was too restrictive and would in turn lead to online censorship. Fortunately the European Parliament has has just rejected the agreement. The internet lives to fight another day. More »
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