July 2017 – Page 81 – news.buyenne.com

If FCC gets its way, we’ll lose a lot more than net neutrality

Beyond no-blocking rules, Title II plays big role in overall consumer protection.

The Republican-led Federal Communications Commission is preparing to overturn the two-year-old decision that invoked the FCC's Title II authority in order to impose net neutrality rules. It's possible the FCC could replace today's net neutrality rules with a weaker version, or it could decide to scrap net neutrality rules altogether.

Either way, what's almost certain is that the FCC will eliminate the Title II classification of Internet service providers. And that would have important effects on consumer protection that go beyond the core net neutrality rules that outlaw blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization. Without Title II's common carrier regulation, the FCC would have less authority to oversee the practices of Internet providers like Comcast, Charter, AT&T, and Verizon. Customers and websites harmed by ISPs would also have fewer recourses, both in front of the FCC and in courts of law.

Title II provisions related to broadband network construction, universal service, competition, network interconnection, and Internet access for disabled people would no longer apply. Rules requiring disclosure of hidden fees and data caps could be overturned, and the FCC would relinquish its role in evaluating whether ISPs can charge competitors for data cap exemptions.

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Ars Technica supports net neutrality

Get the word out. Net neutrality is at a crossroads. Resistance is not futile.

You may have noticed that Ars looks a bit different today. We're standing in solidarity with the Internet's "Day of Action," in which thousands of companies and websites are protesting plans by the US Federal Communications Commission to dismantle Obama-era net neutrality rules.

We hope it doesn't happen—and that the FCC doesn't give corporate America even more control over something on which our daily lives now depend. But stopping it now will require some major public pressure.

To explain how the current rules work, Ars Senior IT Reporter Jon Brodkin today takes us on a deep-dive into net neutrality and the current "Title II authority" behind the rules. If FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, appointed by President Donald Trump, revokes the rules, as he says he will, "Title II provisions related to broadband network construction, universal service, competition, network interconnection, and Internet access for disabled people would no longer apply."

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Ikea Trådfri im Test: Drahtlos (und sicher) auf Schwedisch

Ikeas eigenes Beleuchtungssystem Trådfri ist einfach einzurichten und kann ohne Internetverbindung verwendet werden. Das macht es zu einem sehr sicheren Smart-Home-System – das optionale Gateway dient nur Komfortfunktionen. Wer trotzdem basteln möchte, kann dies dank Home Assistant dennoch tun. Ein Test von Tobias Költzsch und Sebastian Grüner (Ikea, Server)

Ikeas eigenes Beleuchtungssystem Trådfri ist einfach einzurichten und kann ohne Internetverbindung verwendet werden. Das macht es zu einem sehr sicheren Smart-Home-System - das optionale Gateway dient nur Komfortfunktionen. Wer trotzdem basteln möchte, kann dies dank Home Assistant dennoch tun. Ein Test von Tobias Költzsch und Sebastian Grüner (Ikea, Server)

Dell Latitude 7285: Dells Surface-Konkurrent kann kabellos laden

Stift, Tastaturdock, Touchscreen: Dells Latitude 7285 ist ein Gegenstück zu Microsofts Surface Pro. Das Interessante ist das Zubehör, mit dem das Gerät drahtlos geladen werden kann. Das treibt den Kaufpreis jedoch nach oben. (Dell, Display)

Sicherheit: Android 7.1 hat Panik-Schaltung für Zurück-Button

Schad-Apps unter Android haben mitunter die Angewohnheit, den Bildschirm des Gerätes zu übernehmen und Eingaben des Nutzers zu blockieren. Android 7.1 hat einen eingebauten Sicherheitsmechanismus, der auf hektisches Drücken der Zurück-Taste reagieren kann. (Android, Virus)

Gaming-Headsets: Logitech kauft Astro für 85 Millionen US-Dollar

Der Peripheriehersteller Logitech übernimmt Astro, ein für Gaming-Headsets bekanntes Unternehmen. Astro soll in Logitech G integriert werden und die Position der Schweizer im Spielekonsolen-Segment stärken, da bisher der Fokus auf PCs lag. (Logitech, Headset)

Juli-Patchday: Microsoft sichert gegen Angriffe aus der Ferne ab

Mehr als 50 Lücken in Windows, den Browsern Internet Explorer und Edge sowie in seiner Scripting Engine hat Microsoft am heutigen Patchday geschlossen. Die meisten Schwachstellen erlauben es, Code aus der Ferne auf einem Rechner einzuschleusen und auszuführen. Betroffen ist auch Microsofts Hololens. (Microsoft, Google)

Tastaturen: Das große ß sucht ein Zuhause

Der Großbuchstabe ẞ ist vom Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung abgesegnet. Auf Computertastaturen ist er aber kaum zu finden. Jetzt wird verhandelt: Welches Zeichen soll Platz machen? Von Marvin Strathmann (Tastatur, Eingabegerät)

3D-NAND-Flash: Toshiba liefert TSV-durchkontaktierten Speicher aus

Statt mehrere Chips einzeln mit Drähtchen zu verbinden, werden sie bei Toshibas 3D-Flash-Speicher durch vertikale Stäbchen (TSV) in den Dies verschaltet. Das soll die Effizienz verdoppeln und bis zu 1 TByte pro SSD-Package ermöglichen. (Flash-Speicher, Speichermedien)

Net Neutrality is Not a Pirates’ Fight Anymore

Today millions of people are standing up for net neutrality and an open internet. The “Battle for the Net,” backed by companies including Amazon, Google, and Netflix, hopes to stop a looming repeal of current net neutrality rules. While the whole debate was kickstarted ten years ago when torrent users couldn’t download their favorite TV-shows, it’s no longer a pirate’s fight today.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Today, millions of people are protesting the FCC’s plan to repeal the net neutrality rules that were put in place by the former Obama administration.

In this “Battle for the Net,” they are joined by many prominent groups and companies, including Amazon, BitTorrent, Dropbox, Netflix, and even Pornhub.

Under the present net neutrality rules, there’s a clear standard that prevents ISPs from blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization of “lawful” traffic. In addition, they allow Internet providers to be regulated as carriers under Title II.

If the current net neutrality rules disappear, some fear that throttling and ‘fast lanes’ for some services will become commonplace.

Historically, there is a strong link to between net neutrality and online piracy. The throttling concerns were first brought to the forefront in 2007 when Comcast started to slow down both legal and unauthorized BitTorrent traffic, in an affort to ease the load on its network.

When we uncovered this atypical practice, it ignited the first broad discussion on net neutrality. This became the setup for the FCC’s Open Internet Order which was released three years later.

For its part, the Open Internet Order formed the foundation of the net neutrality rules the FCC adopted in 2015. The big change compared to the earlier rules was that ISPs can be regulated as carriers under Title II.

While pirates may have helped to get the ball rolling, they’re no longer a player in the current net neutrality debate. Under the current rules, ISPs are allowed to block any unlawful traffic, including copyright infringing content.

In fact, in the net neutrality order the FCC has listed the following rule:

“Nothing in this part prohibits reasonable efforts by a provider of broadband Internet access service to address copyright infringement or other unlawful activity.”

The FCC reasons that copyright infringement hurts the US economy, so Internet providers are free to take appropriate measures against this type of traffic. This includes the voluntary censoring of pirate sites, something the MPAA and RIAA are currently lobbying for.

“For example, the no-blocking rule should not be invoked to protect copyright infringement, which has adverse consequences for the economy, nor should it protect child pornography. We reiterate that our rules do not alter the copyright laws and are not intended to prohibit or discourage voluntary practices undertaken to address or mitigate the occurrence of copyright infringement,” the FCC explains.

That gives ISPs plenty of leeway. ISPs could still block access to The Pirate Bay and other alleged pirate sites as a voluntary anti-piracy measure, for example. And throttling BitTorrent traffic across the board is also an option, as long as it’s framed as reasonable network management.

The worrying part is that ISPs themselves can decide what traffic or sites are unlawful. This could potentially lead to overblocking. Currently, there is no indication that any will, but the net neutrality rules do not preventing these companies from doing so.

This glaring “copyright loophole” doesn’t mean that the net neutrality rules are irrelevant. They’re certainly not perfect, but there are many aspects that benefit the public and companies alike.

What should be clear though clear though, is that the fight for net neutrality is no longer a pirate’s fight.

While the current protest is reminiscent of the massive “Internet blackout” revolt against the SOPA anti-piracy law five years ago, where many pirate sites joined in as well, you won’t see many of these sites calling for net neutrality today. Not out of personal interest, at least.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.