Policy & Regulation

In Response to Offensive Destruction of Attack Assets

It is certainly true that DDoS and hacking are on the rise; there have been a number of critical hacks in the last few years, including apparent attempts to alter the outcome of elections. The reaction has been a rising tide of fear, and an ever increasing desire to "do something." The something that seems to be emerging is, however, not necessarily the best possible "something." Specifically, governments are now talking about attempting to "wipe out" the equipment used in attacks. more

Seattle Restores ISP Privacy Rules. Could be First of Many Cities to Defeat FCC’s Privacy Roll Back

The city of Seattle this week will move forward with its own plan to restore broadband user privacy rules despite the recent law passed by U.S. Congress, signed by President Trump in April, which gave ISPs the green light to collect customer data. more

The Economist: Data, the Oil of the Digital Era

In its latest print edition, The Economist calls the world's most valuable resource to be no longer oil, but data. more

Germany Investigating Legal Grounds to Destroy Servers Used to Carry Out Cyberattacks

Hans-Georg Maassen, Germany's head of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution says large amounts of data were seized during the May 20015 cyberattack on lower house of parliament (Bundestag). more

Internet Heavy Weights Staying Out of Net Neutrality Battle

Tech giants including Aamzon and Tiwtter are staring out of the contentious, public fight over the future of the Obama-era net neutrality rules. more

New Chapter Working Groups Open Closed Doors

One thing was clear from a recent presentation by the new leaders of the SF-Bay Internet Society (ISOC) Chapter Working Groups: inclusion and collaboration will be the key to these groups' success. As Dr. Brandie Nonnecke, the Internet Governance Working Group (WG) Chair said, "We haven't yet cracked the code on what 'multistakeholder' means." But that won't stop her and Dr. Jaclyn Kerr, the Data Protection, Privacy, and Security WG Chair, from trying. more

Over 800 Startups Send Letter to Pai: Focus Instead on Policies for Stronger Internet for Everyone

The coalition led by Engine, Y Combinator, and Techstars, along with over 800 tech startups sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai urging him to focus "on policies that would promote a stronger Internet for everyone," rather than dismantling the existing net neutrality framework. more

Fierce Political Battle Expected as FCC Chair Elaborated on Plan to Reverse ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai speaking in Washington today, said he wants to reverse rules that boosted government regulatory powers over Internet service providers. more

Internet for All Now: Legislation That Needs Your Support

California was recently reminded that rain can be very dangerous. In February, the nation's tallest dam, the Oroville dam in northern California, became so overloaded with rain that over a 100,000 people had to evacuate their homes. Many of them ended up at the fairgrounds, a common place for rural communities to gather in times of disaster. Many rural fairgrounds remain unconnected to broadband Internet services, which can make a dangerous situation worse. Especially during critical times, the public must be able to access resources and communicate with their loved ones through the Internet. more

Understand More, Fear Less: Will G20 Be Able to Contribute to an Internet Future with a Human Face?

Last week, the G20's ministers responsible for the digital economy met in Düsseldorf to prepare this year's G20 summit, scheduled for Hamburg, July 2017. Building on important strides initiated two years ago during the G20 summit in Antalya and based on the G20 Digital Economy Development and Cooperation Initiative (DEDCI), which was adopted last year under the Chinese G20 presidency, the Düsseldorf meeting adopted a "G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Declaration" which also includes a "Roadmap for Digitalisation". One day before the ministerial meeting, non-state actors were invited to discuss "Policies for a Digital Future" within a so-called Multistakeholder Conference. more

Internet Association Meets With the FCC In Efforts to Preserve Net-Neutrality Rules

Jon Brodkin reporting in Ars Technica: "Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and his staff met yesterday with the Internet Association, a trade group whose members include Amazon, Dropbox, eBay, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, PayPal, Reddit, Spotify, Twitter, and about 30 other Web companies. The meeting occurred about a week after Pai reportedly met with broadband industry lobby groups to discuss his plans for eliminating net neutrality rules." more

German Minister Calls for Rules Allowing Nations to Attack Foreign Hackers

Germany is trying to beef up its cyber defense, after the interior minister called for rules that allow nations to attack foreign hackers targeting critical infrastructure. more

Operator of .feedback Says Breach Cured, Threatens MarkMonitor for Disclosure of Confidential Info

It has been reported that Jay Westerdal, CEO of ‘.feedback’, has confirmed the registry has cured the breached in response to ICANN ruling reported last month. more

FCC Chairman Plans Fast-Track Repeal of Net Neutrality

"The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is moving quickly to replace the Obama administration's landmark net neutrality rules and wants internet service providers to voluntarily agree to maintain an open internet," David Shepardson reporting in Reuters. more

Twitter Files Lawsuit Against U.S. Government Over National Security Data

Twitter has filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court seeking to publish its full Transparency Report. In a blog post released this afternoon, Twitter's vice president, Ben Lee writes: "Our ability to speak has been restricted by laws that prohibit and even criminalize a service provider..." more