Will the internet of things finally kill privacy?
Immense economic pressure could eventually coerce everyone into sharing their information with firms, since not disclosing your data will itself imply that you are undesirable. In the internet of things, the Federal Trade Commission sees the possibility of flourishing new markets. But it also sees a prologue to Black Mirror: […]
Why Netflix is entering Cuba even though the internet barely works there
Netflix just launched in the unlikeliest of locales: Cuba, where less than 5% of the population has internet access and the streaming media company’s subscription cost—$8 a month—is almost half of the average salary. The move was made possible by the recent deal to normalize relations with the United States, which included a promise […]
Smart TVs raise privacy concerns
Reports that new Samsung TVs can capture personal information with their voice recognition feature has sparked concern about what critics perceive as digital spying by so-called smart devices. Nor is Samsung the only smart TV manufacturer collecting this type of data. In Samsung’s case, at least, users have the option to disable the collection. […]
Hacked again? Russian hackers still inside Sony Pictures’ network, security firm says
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) might have a second security breach on its hands, or maybe the hackers from November’s scandalous attack are still inside the company systems, according to a security firm that claims to have seen evidence of Russian hackers having access to SPE internal data. The hackers accessed SPE’s Culver City, California network […]
Tribunal says UK spies’ Internet surveillance was unlawful
U.K. spies acted illegally when they scooped up data about Britons’ electronic communications gathered by the U.S. National Security Agency, a court ruled Friday in a landmark judgment against Britain’s security services. But the judges said now that details of the practices are known, they are within the law. Britain’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which deals […]
Biggest test in U.S.-Cuba talks: the Internet
Contrary to what the headlines suggest, the biggest test of President Obama’s move to normalize relations with Cuba will not be whether the two countries agree to set up embassies in their respective capitals, nor whether there is an avalanche of U.S. tourists to Cuba, but whether Cuba will accept U.S. help to expand Internet […]
Pebble: More than 1 million smartwatches sold
Pebble has sold more than 1 million smartwatches, the company said Monday. The milestone was reached on December 31, a company rep confirmed with CNET. The sales figure is up dramatically from the 400,000 sold as of last March, CEO Eric Migicovsky told The Verge. A price drop last fall may have helped boost […]
FCC redefines advanced broadband as 25 Mbps; Republicans blow a gasket
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has redefined advanced broadband as having 25Mbps download speeds, up from 4Mbps, giving the agency new authority to pass rules to encourage deployment across the country. The FCC, in a 3-2 party-line vote Thursday, also determined that this newly-defined advanced broadband wasn’t being rolled out in a timely manner […]
China Further Tightens Grip on the Internet
BEIJING — Jing Yuechen, the founder of an Internet start-up here in the Chinese capital, has no interest in overthrowing the Communist Party. But these days she finds herself cursing the nation’s smothering cyberpolice as she tries — and fails — to browse photo-sharing websites like Flickr and struggles to stay in touch with the […]
Congress should let cities provide their own Internet
PRESIDENT OBAMA made it a point to highlight the importance of providing high-speed Internet access to all Americans in his State of the Union address last week. No one disagrees with the sentiment. The method he proposed, however — removing legislative barriers that prevent some cities and towns from creating their own Internet networks — […]
Cuban youth build secret computer network despite Wi-Fi ban
Cut off from the Internet, young Cubans have quietly linked thousands of computers into a hidden network that stretches miles across Havana, letting them chat with friends, play games and download hit movies in a mini-replica of the online world that most can’t access. HAVANA — Home Internet connections are banned for all but a handful […]
DRONE FILMS MAN CHANGING A LIGHTBULB 1,500 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND
On the great windswept plains of South Dakota rises a tower in stark mockery of the flat environment around it. Once that tower, so tall and so sudden, relayed television to viewers in the Mount Rushmore state. Now defunct, it is 1,500 vertical feet of hazard for any aircraft in the area when […]
Google Fiber, Comcast’s nightmare come to life
What’s every incumbent ISP’s worst nightmare? If we had to guess, it looks something like the filing that Google just made with the Federal Communications Commission. As The Wall Street Journal reports, Google this week told the FCC that reclassifying broadband providers under Title II of the Telecommunications Act would have a big side benefit […]
Want to see broadband’s future? Check out the airline industry
A New Yorker explainer on why the airlines want to make you suffer has been making the social media rounds. It’s an excellent case study in how the airlines have created a miserable experience for passengers so they can build a profitable business based on charging fees for bags, early boarding and better seats. […]
AT&T could become a television giant, too, with a $50 billion DirecTV merger
AT&T could become a television giant, too, with a $50 billion DirecTV merger The rumors keep escalating. AT&T might be willing to pay $100 a share to acquire DirecTV, one of the nation’s few satellite TV operators, according to Bloomberg. The deal would amount to about $50 billion. That’s a staggering figure, particularly when you consider […]
CABLE PROVIDERS, ISPS RANK DEAD LAST FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE
CABLE PROVIDERS, ISPS RANK DEAD LAST FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE The bottom of the barrel in this survey from Temkin Group is a who’s who of TV and Internet providers: Charter, Cox, TWC, Comcast, Verizon, AT&T… Cable TV and Internet providers aren’t scoring well with their customers, at least according to a report out […]
AT&T TO CAP ITS DSL CUSTOMERS’ BROADBAND USAGE
AT&T will begin capping its DSL customers’ monthly usage beginning May 2nd. According to Broadband Reports, which broke the story last night, the cap for DSL customers will be 150 GB per month and 250 GB per month for U-Verse customers. AT&T spokesperson Seth Bloom confirmed the story, saying that customers will soon receive notices […]
Cablevision’s OMGFAST broadband service bites the dust
Cablevision’s short-lived OMGFAST foray into fixed wireless broadband service–which relied upon licenses the company sold to, and then leased back from, Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH)–is coming to an end next month. Our sister publication FierceCable reported that an outgoing message on the OMGFAST customer line indicates the wireless Internet and telephone service will be discontinued […]
Intel CEO startled board chairman with decision to retire
The chairman of Intel’s board tried to convince CEO Paul Otellini to stay, according to an interview in Barron’s. Intel CEO Paul Otellini’s decision to retire likely caught a lot of people off-guard, one of them being the company’s own chairman of the board. Speaking with Barron’s yesterday, Intel board chairman Andy Bryant acknowledged that […]
Cloud storage services have their benefits and flaws
A new report looks at the pluses and minuses of different cloud services, including Google Drive, Box, SugarSync, DropBox, and Apple’s iCloud. Tons of options exist for which cloud storage service to choose from. You’ve got Google Drive, Box, SugarSync, DropBox, Apple’s iCloud, and more. A new report by tech support site FixYa, which sourced […]