In my January 2009 column I encouraged readers to make opening the media in Canada their 2010 resolution. I asserted that 2010 would be a pivotal year for communities working to open communication in Canada and beyond. And so here we are at the end of the year, and it appears that indeed there is a growing community focused on openness, with the open Internet at its core.
internet neutrality
Internet freedom getting stifled in the U.S.
One of President Barack Obama's signature campaign promises was to protect the freedom of the Internet. He said, in November 2007, "I will take a back seat to no one in my commitment to network neutrality, because once providers start to privilege some applications or websites over others, then the smaller voices get squeezed out and we all lose."
Jump ahead to December 2010, where Obama is clearly in the back seat, being driven by Internet giants like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast. With him is his appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, his Harvard Law School classmate and basketball pal who just pushed through a rule on network neutrality that Internet activists consider disastrous.
TV versus the Internet
Which side are you on?
It makes sense that many people believe that cable and Internet are two separate services, brought to us through distinct wires. And why wouldn't we think this, after all, these services are also in competition for our business. The reality is that television services actually go through the same wires as Internet services. Why is this important? Because it raises serious questions about both the practice of slowing access (throttling) to Internet services and the new imposition of broadband download caps by Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Are telecom companies discriminating against the open Internet in favour of their own gatekeepered digital TV services?
All-encompassing surveillance or 21st-century citizenship?
It's time to re-imagine the role of both citizens and government. We need a future where governments are more permeable and where citizens are better equipped to govern themselves.
Herdict
Herdict is a project of Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society.
Herdict allows users to report instances of Internet inaccessibility around the world. In real time, Herdict aggregates reports of all such instances. By comparing data via crowdsourcing, a user will be able to determine whether inaccessibility is a shared problem. Ultimately, Herdict aims to help users determine why a site may be unreachable.
Why Internet monitoring is bad for Canada
I want to start this column with a statement from the Office of the Privacy Commission: "Privacy is often viewed as a fundamental human right and, arguably, the right from which many other essential freedoms flow: individual autonomy and decision making, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom of thought."
The government has promised to push through an invasive, anti-Internet set of "Lawful Access" electronic surveillance laws within the first 100 days of Parliament. If passed, these laws will turn Internet service providers (ISPs) against their own customers by making them collect our personal information without court oversight.
Vote Mob: For the engine of social change
For those us following the election this spring, things started getting interesting on April 4 -- but not because of some profound statement from one of the candidates, or the release of a groundbreaking policy position, or even a political scandal. The election became noteworthy when 700 students at the University of Guelph organized a "Vote Mob," rallying students to vote this election.
The UBB fight starts with a simple message: Sell Bell
Bill Wittur explores how we can resist the increase in the cost of Internet services in Canada by cancelling and boycotting services related to the companies behind these increases. Focusing on just one company -- Bell Canada or BCE Inc -- makes it that much easier to funnel concern about what's happening to Canada's digital infrastructure.
I used to work with a marketing agency that did "Day in a Life" stories about typical consumers. That's you and me and what we do every day so that they could push ads at us... every day from every place and space we occupied.
February 2, 2011 |
The Harper government’s decision to review the CRTC ruling is just a stall tactic. They should stand up for Canadians and immediately reject the decision.