WWW
Internet used to be an innovative tech back in the day. Today, it’s like electricity or water supply, a fundamental utility in a household. And thanks to its omnipresence, at least in some countries, it’s now treated just like any other medium. Internet can be used to influence politics, to convey someone’s agenda, to gag government critics, as well as to promote values, to attain true freedom of speech. Today, it is subject to regulations. How do they change over time? How does the role of the internet change with them? Those are only some of the questions we’re here to ask, and to find answers.
Governments Getting Into Your Pants: Uganda Porn Ban and More
Last week’s headlines burst with news from Uganda, where the local government moved to ban internet porn, leaving the country’s nationals with less options to temporarily fix their love lives. In particular, the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) ordered the country’s ISPs to block local and international websites that offer pornographic content. While smaller providers have …
United States of America, the Enemy of the Internet
When you hear the words “enemy of the internet” you probably think of yet another oppressive government that reads your emails, bans websites at will, and puts internet users in jail for saying things it doesn’t much like. And most of the countries that have made it to the list of Enemies of the Internet …
Memes Saved: Copyright Directive
For two weeks in a row, the supporters of the free Internet were going above and beyond. They signed petitions, made an uproar in the media, caused the outrage on Facebook, etc. As a result, they succeeded in taming the dangerously incompetent lawmakers, at least for now. The European Parliament rejected the Copyright Directive proposal. …
Internet Laws: the Russian Federation
Freedom of Speech. One of the fundamental human rights with probably the longest history of oppression. When the internet gained more popularity, it became a platform for the freedom of speech to be accessible. Now, more freely than ever, anyone can express what they want, when they want and the way they want it. However, …
Google Antitrust Story Unfolds: Search Giant Appeals, President Trump Rushes to the Rescue
Recently we wrote about the record fines looming over Google due to its violation of the EU’s antitrust laws. Earlier this week, the European Commission has made its decision and actually fined the search giant for €4.34 billion (about $5 billion). While some think that this move by the European regulator isn’t a substantial spike …
Google Risks New Antitrust Fines in the EU. The U.S. Lags Behind Again
Yet again, European regulators are coming after U.S.-based tech companies that operate in the EU. This time the culprit is none other than Google and the misdeed is the company’s policy of forcing its software into Android-based devices by default. The penalty for the alleged violation of the EU’s antitrust laws is expected to include …