Group opposing SOPA now loading up to fight data retention bill

A progressive group is opposing Rep. Lamar Smith’s bill Protecting children from Internet Pornographers Act that would make Internet service providers to keep user information on file to help track pedophiles and child pornographers. Demand Progress claims the bill attacks privacy and civil liberties. -db From the National Journal, February 2,2012, by Josh Smith. Full [...]

Senate majority leader stalls Internet piracy legislation

In a victory for the technology industry, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid postponed a vote on the Protect IP Act, the online piracy bill before the Senate. In effect, Congress is going back to the drawing board to balance intellectual property rights with openness and innovation on the Internet. -db From Wired, January 20, 2012, [...]

Balance sought in fight over bills to stop Internet piracy

With copyright protection established in the U.S. Constitution and free speech in the Bill of Rights, it is vital to honor each in the fight over the new online piracy bills currently before Congress says Ken Paulson of the First Amendment Center. It will be a difficult task to craft a law that intercepts pirated [...]

Online piracy legislation stalls in Congress

It now appears now that Congressional bills to protect copyright on the Internet will be embroiled in a long, intense struggle even as President Barack Obama declared his opposition to key elements of the bills. The technology industry opposes the bills out of concern that they will stifle free speech and innovation. -db From The [...]

Report: U.S. corporations joining with tyrants to curb Internet freedom

Current laws and codes of conduct aren’t enough to prevent United States companies from helping repressive regimes censor the Internet and control information that have abetted human right abuses, according to a report from a Canadian security firm. The Global Online Freedom Act, a law under consideration, would prohibit U.S. companies from helping governments restrict [...]

Alternatives emerged after Egyptian government shut down Internet

During the Internet shutdown from January 28 to February 2, news continued to flow through the work of dedicated citizens determined to thwart the attempts at censorship. As Eva Galperin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said: “For example, France Data Network (FDN) and Telecomix News Agency responded by providing dial-up access to Egyptians during the [...]

Internet freedom reaffirmed in recent Chicago case

While the Blockowicz parents suffered greatly from scurrilous posts about their daughter, First Amendment Center’s Douglas Lee says their attempt to force a website to remove the posts was rightly denied in federal court thus making the internet “an even freer environment for speech.” -db First Amendment Center Commentary January 27, 2011 By Douglas Lee [...]

EFF lists projects underway to protect internet speech

Electronic Freedom Foundation’s Technology Director Chris Palmer says that a number of projects are underway to reduce centralization on the Internet and improve security and accessibility for the public. -db Electronic Freedom Foundation Commentary December 14, 2010 By Chris Palmer The past few weeks have highlighted the vulnerability of centralized information systems to censorship: online [...]

Europe losing ground in fight for press freedom

The 2010 World Press Freedom Index shows that while Europe claims some of the highest rated countries for press freedom, many other countries in Europe rank near the bottom. -db MediaShift Commentary October 21, 2010 By Clothilde Le Coz Reporters Without Borders yesterday released its 2010 World Press Freedom Index. Thirteen of the EU’s 27 [...]

ACLU report affirms ‘net neutrality’ as key free speech issue of our time

A report by the American Civil Liberties Union urges the Federal Communications Commission to act aggressively to prevent powerful companies from exploiting the Internet for commercial gain and compromising the Internet as a free speech forum. -db American Civil Liberties Union Press Release October 19, 2010 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Protecting the Internet against content discrimination [...]

Thai government arrests webmaster to discourage dissent

The Thailand government arrested a leading Webmaster for allegedly committing a computer crime and defaming the Thai royal family. -db Electronic Frontier Foundation Commentary September 29, 2010 By Eddan Katz On Friday, the Director of a popular alternative Thai news portal Prachatai was arrested by the Thai government. Chiranuch Premchaipoen — popularly known as Jiew [...]

Craigslist founder asked to testify before congressional committee on sex trafficking

A CNET commentator says that in an election year Craigslist had better brace themselves for a political onslaught on the issue of sex trafficking beginning with congressional hearings. -db CNET News Commentary September 9, 2010 By Declan McCullagh A year ago, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark was busy touting e-government, promoting neighborhood social networks, and blogging [...]

BlackBerry CEO says government intrusion would hurt growth of electronic commerce

Research In Motion CEO Michael Lazaridis says government who want to ban BlackBerry smartphones says his company will not allow government access to customer data and that attempts to invade privacy of users will undermine electronic commerce. -db Wall Street Journal August 4, 2010 By Spencer E. Ante and Phred Dvorak Research In Motion Ltd. [...]

Iranian bloggers at great risk in using Internet

In the last year since the protests over the Iranian election, the government has arrested 170 bloggers and journalists with 22 receiving prison sentences totaling more than 135 years. Authoritarian governments are sharing technology aimed at stifling dissent and in the last two years have increased their effectiveness in silencing critics. -db Voice of America [...]

FCC plans to establish legal authority over Internet through reclassification plan

The Federal Communications Commission wants to regulate the Internet as a phone service it says which would settle legal uncertainties and increase investment. -db The Wrap June 03, 2010 By Ira Teinowitz A second FCC commissioner is rejecting as hogwash contentions that regulating the internet as a phone service would lead to massive disruption and [...]

U.S. appeals court deciding if high school students can parody administrators online

A Pennsylvania federal court is deciding if adolescents can be punished for ridiculing school principals online using lewd and outrageous language. -db The Philadelphia Inquirer June 4, 2010 By Nathan Gorenstein A federal appeals court in Philadelphia is considering whether adolescents with home computers and lewd vocabularies can be punished for ridiculing school principals on [...]

Center argues for protecting Internet freedom

The Center for Democracy and Technology says it is crucial to protect intermediaries from liability to preserve freedom of expression and innovation.-db Center for Democracy & Technology Commentary May 3, 2010 1) Intermediaries Are Critical to the Success of the Internet Every day, millions of business people, scientists, government officials, journalists, educators, students, and ordinary [...]

Congress leads way in promoting world-wide internet freedom

Congressmen have introduced legislation to strengthen the ability of groups and individuals to evade government control of the internet. The legislation would provide grants to universities, private companies and research groups to develop technologies to defeat suppression and censorship. -db Tech Daily March 9, 2010 By Juliana Gruenwald Reps. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and David Wu, [...]

International internet freedom gets boost in latest regulations proposed by Obama administration

The U.S. Treasury Department announced changes in its sanctions against Cuba, Iran and the Sudan which allows internet service to these countries even when they are under U.S. sanctions. -db Electronic Frontier Foundation Commentary March 10, 2010 By Danny O’Brien The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on Monday key amendments to the [...]

Italian court deals setback to Google and internet freedom

Three Google executives were convicted of violating Italy’s privacy laws and responsible for posts by third parties, a blow to world internet freedom and particularly destructive to Italy’s participation in e-commerce. -db The New York Times February 25, 2010 By Rachel Donadio ROME — Three Google executives were convicted of violating Italian privacy laws on [...]

Call for private industry to join U.S. government to promote Internet Freedom

EFF International Outreach Coordinator Danny O’Brien says Hillary Clinton’s speech on Internet Freedom was encouraging but that both governments and global companies have to redouble their efforts to establish world-wide standards for privacy and free expression. -DB Electronic Frontier Foundation Commentary January 25, 2010 By Danny O-Brien Secretary Clinton’s speech last week on Internet Freedom [...]

Chinese official criticizes Clinton for attacking China’s Internet policies

It didn’t take long for China to vehemently condemn Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech on China’s restrictions on the Internet. The official said in a post on the Internet that the speech would damage China-U.S. relations. -DB Congress Daily January 22, 2010 By Juliana Gruenwald A Chinese official Friday blasted Secretary of State Hillary [...]

Secretary of State makes major address declaring internet freedom a basic human right

Hillary Clinton warned that a new information curtain is descending across the world, electronic barriers comprised of censorship and surveillance. -DB Wired Commentary January 21, 2010 By Nathan Hodge It was almost too easy. In a major speech today on net freedom, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reached back to Winston Churchill — and to [...]

U.S. looking at issues of internet freedom after alleged Chinese cyberattack on Google accounts

After Google announced this week that hackers had tried to penetrate Gmail accounts in China including those of U.S. financial institutions and defense contractors, the Obama administration is considering their options in maintaining internet freedom. -DB NextGov January 13, 2010 By Aliya Sternstein An alleged cyberattack by the Chinese government into systems operated by Google [...]