Keeping politicians' hands off the Net & everything else related to technology
I’d like to recommend Sonia Arrison’s recent article on the need for updating the Electronic Privacy Communications Act (ECPA). She makes a good case why citizens should feel a bit worried about the ability of government to invade their privacy when they keep data in the cloud. And citizens are customers, so online businesses are [...]
I’m sorry to report that the Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF) announced today that it was concluding its 17-year run and ceasing all operations immediately. The organization had been through some tumultuous times recently with 5 presidents in 5 years and steadily declining support during that period. Thus, the decision was made to close the [...]
Based on two (1, 2) previous cyber security bills, a draft bill that has been circulating around town backed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would give the White House sweeping new powers over companies that operate “covered critical infrastructure” or (CCI). And more than that, the bill would eliminate a vital aspect of the [...]
If you follow the Tech Liberation Front, you’ll no doubt have run across the weekly podcast I post here on Mondays. It’s called Surprisingly Free and it features in-depth discussions with an eclectic mix of authors, academics, and entrepreneurs at the intersection of technology, policy, and economics–including some of the TLF gang. We’ve now released [...]
Clear’s coverage map shows service in many cities and plans to expand to many more. Competition is rendering moot the call for public utility-style regulation of Internet service in the name of ‘net neutrality. I expect to hear soon about how unsatisfactory competition is under triopoly conditions.
If you blinked, you missed it. Heaven knows, I did. The OECD privacy guidelines celebrated their 30th birthday on Thursday last week. They were introduced as a Recommendation by the Council of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on September 23, 1980, and were meant to harmonize global privacy regulation. Should we fete the [...]
An interesting and thought-provoking piece by Malcolm Gladwell over at The New Yorker this month takes a look at the intersection between true civic activism (the kind that could get you killed) and “social networking” activism (the kind that only takes a retweet or hitting the “like” button on Facebook). Gladwell’s piece starts off retelling [...]
My article for CNET News.com this morning analyzes the “leaked” net neutrality bill from Rep. Henry Waxman, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. I put leaked in quotes because so many sources came up with this document yesterday that its escape from the secrecy of the legislative process hardly seems dramatic. Reporters with [...]
I encourage tech policy wonks in Washington to attend next week’s (Oct. 5th) Information Technology and Innovation Foundation event on “A Guide to the Internet Political Landscape,” which will feature the release of Rob Atkinson’s new report, “Who’s Who in Internet Politics: A Taxonomy of Information Technology Policy Perspectives .” The report identifies nine distinct [...]
Nick Bilton, Lead Technology Writer for The New York Times Bits blog and a reporter for the paper, discusses his new book, I Live in the Future & Here’s How It Works. In the book, Bilton examines how technology is creatively disrupting society, business, and our brains. On the podcast, he talks about neuroplasticity and reading, a debate with George Packer about Twitter, innovators’ dilemmas in the porn industry, why many CEOs and movie producers bristle at how the future works, and “ricochet working.” He also discusses effects of combining human curation with computer algorithms, hyperpersonalization, informational veggies, and serendipity. He concludes with his theory about today’s news (and the reason he doesn’t worry about missing tweets): “If it’s important, it will find me.”
January 27, 2012
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.
