Internet & Tech

The Virtual Skinny: All Net Neutrality Every-thang

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11.11.2014

Good to Know:  November 11 is Alibaba’s Singles’ Day in China (and Veterans Day in the U.S. – thank you to all those who have served and are currently serving).  Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce site, is responsible for what is basically the anti-Valentine’s day and also the biggest e-commerce day of the year.  Sales have already reached over $8 billion. We’re starting to reconsider Cyber Monday and Black Friday. 

THE SKINNY.

The InterWebs Is All Abuzz…

Because on Monday, November 10, President Obama ensured that we’d be talking about net neutrality all week when he came out with a strong statement and video in support of net neutrality rules that would keep the Internet open and free.

Why Is This Big Deal?

First, the back-story… For many years, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been working towards implementing net neutrality rules. However, the Commission’s efforts have been consistently challenged in court – first by Comcast and then most recently by Verizon.  In January 2014, the D.C. Circuit struck down most of the Commission’s rules (namely no blocking and no discrimination).  Subsequently, the FCC had started a lengthy, record breaking public comment process of trying to figure out what rules to adopt and how it would legally carry out implementation of these rules.  Through this process, the FCC heard from about 3 million plus people, and many of you want the FCC to reclassify broadband services under Title II of the Communications Act (Title II) as a common carrier service.

What is Title II, and Why Should I Care? 

By reclassifying broadband services under Title II, it is argued that this would prevent ISPs from discriminating against certain types of services and content and stop them from charging Internet users a premium just to access our favorite online shows (kind of like how you have to pay more for HBO).  Proponents say going down the Title II route will protect the open Internet and allow us to do as we please online.   ISPs/cable companies are not feelin’ this idea and think things should be left just as they are.

Ok? So What’s the Punch Line …

Well, there’s been intense debate about what rules are appropriate and the best legal approach to get there.  Last week, we told you about the WSJ leak where we found out that the FCC was considering a hybrid legal approach, which pretty much everyone and their mother hated.  Then yesterday, President Obama called for strong rules that would prevent discrimination and blocking while encouraging transparency. And, Obama recommended that the FCC (an independent agency) implement these rules by reclassifying broadband services under… wait for it … TITLE II!  #MicDrop

What Does Obamacare Have to Do With This?

In a nutshell, the Democrats and Internet companies came out in support of the President’s statement.  As expected, Republicans and ISPs were not pleased.  Speaking of Republicans, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) went there and said that net neutrality is the Obamacare for the Internet.  Needless to say, the Internet responded, and it wasn’t pretty.

Till Next Year … 

President Obama’s statement is a game changer.  Originally, we all thought we’d see an official FCC proposal come out this December but looks like things have been pushed back until the new year.

What Else Is Going On This Week?

They’re Having the Last Laugh …

Remember when Facebook told you that you’d have to download its Messenger app to send messages via your phone? And we were all like ain’t happening … Well, turns out that 500 million of us gave in.  The social network now has over 1 billion users using messaging and has passed 500 million monthly users on its Messenger app in addition to 600 million active users on its newly owned WhatsApp.

Join the Social Movement …. 

In the fight against Ebola, Internet companies are coming out big.  Last week, Facebook released a donations function for its users to contribute towards these efforts. Mark Zuckerberg and his wife personally donated $25 million, and this week, Google donated $10 million to some non-profits and announced that it would donate $2 dollars for every dollar donated through its new campaign.  Oh, Larry Page and fam also contributed about $15 million.

More Stolen Data…

The U.S. Postal Service is the latest victim in data theft.  Though the public is just learning about it, back in September, databases containing about 800,000 employees and retirees personal information (names, birth dates, addresses, and Social Security numbers) were compromised. The government’s not sure who is responsible, but they think it looks like work of Chinese hackers.

The Streets Are Talkin’ 

Let’s talk more about Alibaba.  Last week, we told you about Alibaba’s much anticipated first earnings report.  The company killed it reporting its profit had increased by about 16%, and it’s now valued at $250 billion.  Now, its CEO Jack MA is saying that AliPay (its financial services arm) will definitely be going public.  Note to self:  Should’ve jumped on the bandwagon earlier.

The Virtual Skinny: GET OUT THE VOTE!

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11.4.2014

Your Voice Really Does Matter:  It’s Election Day, ya’ll! Midterm elections that is. Not to sound too preachy, but if you are of voting age and able to vote, now is the time to do so. Contrary to popular belief, midterms are just as important as the national Presidential election (if not more important).

Today, you get to vote for not only state governors but also Senators, and Members of Congress (you know, the people who actually write and pass laws and greatly impact things we should all care about – jobs, the economy, social issues, foreign policy, etc.).

Nate Silver has spoken and predicts that Republicans have a 76% chance of taking control of the Senate. But, there’s still time to prove him wrong. Bottom line: Every vote counts so please do exercise your rights today. Not sure where to go? No worries, we got you! Check it out below.

[voterinfotool]

THE SKINNY.

Why Not Just Do Both?

It’s no longer a strategy for avoiding making those hard decisions about what to have for lunch. The Federal Communications Commission is using it too for its approach to maintaining an open Internet.  According to a leak late last week via the Wall Street Journal, the FCC wants to please everyone and is thinking about a hybrid approach to net neutrality.

Wait, What’s Net Neutrality Again?

As described in one of our posts back in July, net neutrality is the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally, and preferential treatment should not be given to any one application, content, platform, etc. based on who pays for what.  In other words, you shouldn’t have to pay extra fees just to watch high-quality streams of your fave shows or movies on Netflix or Amazon Prime.  We’d like to stream the content of our choice sans that dreaded buffering circle without having to fork over any more $$$, please and thank you.  Still, not sure about net neutrality?  John Oliver is still your guy.

Standing Out from the Crowd…

Of the 3 million plus comments the FCC received from the public on its proposed Open Internet (aka net neutrality) rules, it seems like 2 submissions stood out and is seriously being considered by the FCC.  So, what are these submissions?  They come courtesy of Mozilla and DC-based non profit the Center for Democracy & Technology.  For months, DC policy folks have been throwing around terms like Title II, Section 706, and common carrier.  Basically, the gist of these proposals is to treat content flowing from Internet platforms to ISPs (“wholesale” transactions) differently from content flowing from ISPs to users (“retail” transactions).  While the retail part won’t be heavily regulated, the wholesale part will be subject to the FCC’s net neutrality rules.

Compromise Is Good, Right?

Not exactly.  No one seems to like where this is headed.  ISPs are still strongly opposed to what seems like pretty much anything short of leaving things just the way they are and avoiding reclassification of Internet services as a utility (just think telephones).  Those who are pro-net neutrality are concerned that this hybrid approach still leaves room for “paid prioritization,” the exact same concept net neutrality seeks to ban. In other words, there could still be room for you to get charged to watch that high quality streaming of House of Cards or OITNB. Oy!

What’s Next?

We’ll have to wait and see how things unfold between now and the end of the year.  Some speculate that it’s possible we’ll see proposed rules by December but others are thinking sometime in January. But in the meantime, there’s talk about how a new Congress will deal with this issue, how this will impact things like the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger, and even the markets.  So much to think through …

What Else Is Going On This Week?

It’s Not You, But It’s Not Me Either …

Its just business.  This is what Taylor Swift is probably telling Spotify.  Last week, she was on top of the world with the release of her new album.  Then, she kicked out this week by announcing her world tour! But, you gotta take the good news with the bad. And, the bad news is that she also pulled her entire catalog of music from Spotify. Why? It may have to do with concerns about piracy as she did pen an WSJ Op-Ed on the issue back in July.  Needless to say, Spotify isn’t too pleased.

More Of The Same …

Amazon recently jumped in on the diversity dialogue and released numbers on the make up of its employees.  Turns out Amazon employees are mostly white males, particularly as you climb up the ranks into leadership.  The U.S. breakdown of workers is as follows: White  – 60%; Black – 18%; Asian – 13%, and Hispanic – 9%.

From Russia With No Love 

Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly came out as gay.  This should be “NBD,” but it’s the first time this has been done by a CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  Almost everyone reacted positively and had nothing but kind words for Cook.  Russians, on the other hand, had a different reaction. In efforts to combat “gay propaganda,” a Steve Jobs memorial located in St. Petersburg in the form of a six feet plus iPhone monument has since been dismantled.

The Streets Are Talkin’

Google may or may not be looking for a new mission statement.  Larry Page, Google co-founder, recently told the Financial Times that the Internet company is probably due to update its mission statement.

Rumor has it that Apple Watch will be available in Spring 2015.

This past September, Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba went public. Today, it’s set to release its first earnings report. Some speculate that the company’s impressive growth will continue, and its revenue will probably increase about 45% from last year, totaling about $2.61 billion.  Things are looking good, but it could also face stiff competition from Tencent, a rival Chinese Internet holding company that owns a popular mobile messaging platform.

The Virtual Skinny: We’ve Been Gone For A Minute, But Now We’re Back …

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

10.28.2014

Where Have You Been? No, we have not been hiding from you.  After a short hiatus, we're 
excited and happy to announce that we're back in business! We continue to appreciate your 
support as we keep you posted on the top tech and Internet news-related stories to watch 
for the week.  Cheers! 

THE SKINNY.

Your Money’s No Good Here.

Yesterday, CVS and Rite Aid made a bold move and announced that they won’t be accepting Apple Pay – the tech company’s new mobile payment service.

Keepin’ It In the Family.

Though CVS and Rite Aid haven’t commented on their decision, turns out that Walmart, Best Buy, and about 50 other retail chains are developing their own in-house, rival systems. Interesting …

Never Let ‘Em See You Sweat.

In the first few days of Apple Pay’s existence, Apple saw more than a million credit cards registered.  Apple CEO Tim Cook says Apple Pay offers better privacy and security than other services. Cook also said, “Merchants have different objectives sometimes. But in the long arc of time, you only are relevant as a retailer or merchant if your customers love you.” #NoShadeButShade

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON THIS WEEK?

Back to the Future …

Back in August, Taylor Swift announced to the world that she’d be releasing a new album via a live stream on Yahoo .  ICYMI – pop is in, and country is out. Then, just last week, a portion of her already critically acclaimed album, 1989, leaked online. But, yesterday marked the official launch of her album. She teamed up with iHeartRadio for a secret session live streamed on Yahoo to celebrate with some of her closest fans on a NYC rooftop.  Needless to say, the Internet is freaking out. We’re calling it now, record sales by the end of this week! In the meantime, we’ll see how T-Swift continues to leverage online platforms.

It’s All About the Numbers…

The good news is Twitter’s users via mobile is growing, and it’s revenue outperformed projected estimates.   And now for the bad –  Twitter didn’t attract quite as many new users in the third quarter and existing users aren’t engaging with the service as much.  This means a lot on Wall Street.  The social media platform’s shares fell by 11% – losing about $3 billion in market value.  CEO Dick Costolo isn’t discouraged and says the company will continue to reach its ““aspirational goal to build the largest daily audience in the world.” Looks like continued innovation is key.

Facebook Takes on Journalism…

With about 1.3 billion people across the globe signing into the social network at least monthly, Facebook is looking to tap into the journalism and change how people consume news. Even the Washington Post’s Senior Editor for Digital News admits that people will no longer be going to his paper’s website directly but will instead opt for “search and social.”

The Streets Are Talkin’

Content is king, and Amazon knows it.  The e-commerce company just expand its digital content by purchasing online comedy service Rooftop.

YouTube is considering a paid subscription for those of us that want to skip the ads. This new approach being led by Google vet Susan Wojcicki, and the online platform is actively searching for potential content partners for this service.

Rumor has it that Roku streaming player is eyeing an initial public offering aka as an IPO.

You Should Know That…

This Friday is Halloween! We hope you enjoy the festivities and put in a little work to come up with a creative costume.  But, please do try to avoid costumes likes these.  You’re welcome!

The Virtual Skinny: Get Your Head in the Game

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

7.29.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  Not everything happening in Silicon Valley should be a trend we all adopt. Apparently, use of illegal drugs is a thing for some entrepreneurs and engineers burning the midnight oil trying to come up with the next big thing. Kids, don’t do drugs.

THE SKINNY.

WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?

According to OKCupid’s President Christian Rudder, we’re all just a bunch of lab rats.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN EXACTLY?

Weeks after Facebook’s somewhat controversial revelation about its Newsfeed experiments, OkCupid just released results of three experiments it conducted on its users.  From obscuring users’ profile pictures to telling users they weren’t a match, when they actually were, the online dating service, OKCupid says it’s all in the name of improving it services to help users find their match.  Similar to FB, OKCupid’s user agreement does disclose that users’ information may be used for research.

DON’T BE SO SHALLOW.

Results show that we tend to equate people’s looks with their personality.  Also, if people are told they are a good match, they are way more likely to communicate with each other. And, if looks aren’t involved, people are likely to engage in more substantive conversations — that is until they find out what the other looks like … Interesting.

IN A NUTSHELL.

Social science experiments are becoming increasingly difficult in the same ways as medical experiments.  Experts say that “natural experiments” — observational studies that occur naturally — though difficult to execute would solve these problems.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

CALLING ALL BUSINESS TRAVELERS.

AirBnB is looking to expand their customer base to include business travelers.  The company seems to be giving its customers what they want as an estimated 10% of its users are professionals traveling work who wanted this option.  To cater to this customer base, AirBnB also recently partnered with Concur, an expense account and travel booking company.  Your move, Hilton.

TECH-ING AIN’T EASY…

At least in China – what was once a promising market for American tech companies is now becoming a bit of a nightmare.  As spying allegations on both sides strain US-China relations, China is clamping down on U.S. tech companies.  The latest target — Microsoft.  The Chinese government is launching an “anti-monopoly investigation” into the company for allegedly failing to disclose details about its operating system and Office software.  The investigation is a bit questionable since the size of Microsoft business doesn’t come close to monopoly status, and its revenue in China have been relatively low.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Zillow is taking over for the ‘ 99 and 2000s ’14 and 2015.  The real estate website just purchased its closest competitor Trulia for a whooping $3.5 billion.

According to reports, Google and Motorola are collaborating on another device — the Nexus ‘phablet.’   No specifics yet on this product, but we should expect to see it later this year.

Music service Rhapsody now has 2 million subscribers from 32 countries, partly due to UnRadio — its Pandora-like service. Good news for the company, but it still trails behind others like Spotify with 10 million subscribers.  Competition in online music services is getting real.

The Virtual Skinny: Cheers to the Freakin’ Weekend

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7.25.2014

A Special Note to You: Just a quick but heartfelt thank you for supporting us from all around the globe!  We are excited and happy to keep you in the know of what’s going on in the tech world. We hope you’ll keep coming to us to get the low down and will tell your friends and network about us as well. 

THE SKINNY

 

REELING IT IN. 

Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee thinks we can do better on legislation to limit the NSA’s bulk collection of phone records.

HOW SO?

Leahy has about a dozen changes he wants to make to the U.S.A Freedom Act, surveillance reform legislation that passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives back in May.  Privacy advocates said that legislation wouldn’t get the job done in bringing about any real change in the NSA’s bulk collection program.

SAME GOAL, DIFFERENT APPROACH. 

Both the House and Leahy’s bills aim to limit NSA’s bulk collection, but Leahy’s bill will take a different approach to the phrase “specific selection term.”  The House bill used this term as a way to limit requests for records from U.S. companies by the NSA.  But, pretty much everyone said that this phrase would actually broaden the amount of records the NSA would be authorized to collect. To fix this issue, Leahy’s bill says that the selection term must “narrowly limit the scope of the tangible things sought to the greatest extent reasonably practical” and cannot be “based on a broad geographic region, including a city, state, ZIP code or area code.”

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Congress has one more week in session before taking off in August so a vote on this bill before then is unlikely, but it’s a good start.

 

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

 

SEARCH ENGINES UNDER FIRE.

Post the European Court of Justice’s ‘right to be forgotten’ ruling that’s requiring Google and other search engines to remove links that users in the European Union believe invades their privacy, European regulators put Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft through the ringer yesterday.  In a two-hour session, regulators questioned Google about how it’s been applying the ruling to its take down requests and what gives them the right to notify sites prior to removing links.  But, the two hour session wasn’t enough to answer all their questions.  Regulators gave the search engines a week to respond to 26 additional questions. Fun!

LET’S ALL DO THE RUNNING MAN.

Indian startup Ducere Technologies Pvt. is gearing up to make its “smartshoe” available in India this September.  Originally intended for the visually-impaired, the shoe is now available for the masses.  The bluetooth-enabled shoe will comes just over $100 a pair and will link up with a smartphone app will use Google maps to tell people how to reach their desired destination and just how long it’ll take.  Your morning run could get just a little bit easier.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

When Google isn’t busy defending itself, it’s launching little projects like the “Baseline Study,” which will anonymously collect genetic and molecular information from about 175 people to get a better picture of what exactly a healthy human being should look like.  Sometimes, we wish we majored in the Sciences.

People generally think Pinterest is geared towards women users but turns out that most of its employees are men.  Only 40% of its employees are women, which is slightly better than other companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter who report women are about 30% of their employees.

According to reports, Instagram just leaked its response to SnapChat, called Bolt.  It’s describing Bolt as a “one tap photo messaging app.”  This is the second time in the past few months that Instagram users have previewed  an app similar to SnapChat. Remember, Slingshot? Yeah … watch your back, SnapChat.

 

The Virtual Skinny: Half Way There

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7.24.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  Pictures of cats are popular on the Interwebs, but they can also reveal interesting things about the location of the people who post them. 

THE SKINNY.

WHAT NOT TO DO FOR CONCERT TICKETS.

Joining an international cybercrime ring to defraud eBay’s online ticketing service, StubHub, is definitely not the way to go.

LEARN FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE.

Yesterday, seven people all based in different parts of the world including New York, New Jersey, Barcelona, London, and Toronto in connection with this group that stole credit and debit card numbers to purchase tickets to a number of high profile events like the JT and Jay-Z concert, a Yankees baseball game, and a Broadway play before reselling them to net profits. They dispersed these profits through PayPal accounts and British and German bank accounts. Six of the seven were indicted in New York yesterday.

WHAT’S THE CHARGE?

In the NY State Supreme Court, the six were charged with a slew of crimes including money laundering, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and identity theft.

TEAM WORK, MAKES THE DREAM WORK. 

In a rare showing of international cooperation, StubHub, Manhattan’s D.A.’s office, and other authorities worked closely with law enforcement around the globe for about a year. This coalition relied on I.P. addresses, and the PayPal and bank accounts to track down the individuals and successfully complete the second largest crime bust in the last year.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

YOU SHOULD NEVER SETTLE.

The European Union’s competition commissioner, Joaquín Almunia, is feeling some pressure to either delay or get rid of certain parts of its antitrust settlement with Google. Alumnia previously proposed a settlement to address anitrust complaints against the Internet company for favoring its services over its competitors in search results. Online review companies involved believe the settlement could be stronger and want the commissioner to at least require Google to use their results to power the company’s specialized search products when appropriate. Almunia is expected to reach final decision on this case this fall in September.

ALL IT DOES IS WIN, WIN, WIN … 

Facebook basically killed it in the second quarter on Wall Street.  According to reports, the social media company saw significant revenue growth all thanks to ads shown to users who accessed its service via their mobile devices.  We recently told you that FB just closed its deal with Oculus, and it also successfully purchased WhatsApp, a popular text messaging app, before that.  Now, the Zuck wants us to turn to the book of faces to search for content.  This plan will roll out over the next six month and will likely prompt us to spend even more time on the platform.  By the way, according to the company, you’re already spending about 41 minutes on FB daily (more than the time we spend exercising). Awesome.

 

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

 

LinkedIn just bought tech ad and measurements company Bizo for $175 million.  As soon as the deal closes in the third quarter, marketers can tap into Bizo’s resources, which will allow them to better target professionals with ads and measure the effectiveness of their ad campaigns.

Twitter is joining the ranks of Google and Facebook by revealing its also lacking in the diversity department. About 60% of its employees say they are white and about 70% identify as male. Unsurprisingly, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and black people are the most underrepresented.

 

 

 

 

The Virtual Skinny: Anddddd … We’re Back!

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7.22.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  Word to the wise — if you need a mental break from the day’s activities, spending too much time on Facebook may not be a great idea.  According to another study, the longer you spend going through your newsfeed, the worse you feel.  

 

THE SKINNY.

 

MO’ VIEWERS, MO’ PROBLEMS.

YouTube star Michelle Phan is known for her online beauty tips, which has open doors to other opportunities like a book deal and her latest national Dr. Pepper commercial.  Her popularity is just not garnering attention from more fans but also music labels – Ultra Records and Ultra International Music Publishing.

IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES TILL …

The dance music labels are suing Phan for allegedly infringing their copyright and claim that she didn’t get permission via a license to use some of their songs (like US DJ Kaskade’s music) in her popular videos.

YOU GOTTA PAY TO PLAY.

The music labels want Phan to fork over maximum statutory damages of $150,000 for EACH work allegedly infringed and an injunction to prevent her from using their music further.

IN MY DEFENSE. 

Phan simply says she had permission.  She thinks that using the music in her videos promoted their work and “showcased [them] to an international audience.”

 

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

 

PROVING YOUR WORTH.

Edward Snowden isn’t just good for massive leaks about NSA’s surveillance. He wants to fix the issues.  Snowden recently announced at HopeX – a hacker conference – that he wants to develop privacy protecting technologies.

THESE SUBSCRIBERS AIN’T LOYAL.

When Netflix and Verizon aren’t sparring against each other over net neutrality, they do in fact have other interests.  Verizon Wireless is launching a loyalty program for its subscribers to gain points for every dollar spent.  The only thing is subscribers have to agree to be tracked, which means more targeted ads from the company.  Meanwhile, back in the second quarter of this year, the online streaming site doubled its profits in the U.S. despite a slight increase in their monthly fee (up from $8 to $9). Netflix has international expansion on its brain across Europe and in China.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 30 SECONDS.

Seoul isn’t against the concept of ridesharing, but it is against Uber.  South Korea’s capital is banning Uber but plans to create its own ridesharing app.

The e-commerce scene in Nigeria is exploding.  With e-commerce sites like Konga.com and Jumia.com, tens of thousands of jobs are being created in Africa’s largest economy.  These services are poised to reach a value net worth of $10 billion in the next few years.

Mobile is definitely the wave of the future, and China is acting now.  Chinese Internet users total 632 million.  Of these users, about 83% are gaining online access via their mobile devices rather than PCs.

 

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

 

Last week, we let you know that news outlets were reporting on Yahoo!’s disappointing ad sales. Yesterday, the company announced that it’s acquiring Flurry, a mobile ad and analytics company. This move is intended provide insight into how apps are used on mobile as Yahoo! transitions to mobile.

It’s now Facebook official.  The company just closed its deal with Oculus VR.  The virtual reality company offers technology that allows people to peek into 3D, realistic realms.  Both companies say they are excited about their future together.  And, so are we.

 

The Virtual Skinny: It’s the Weekend!

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7.18.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  You did it … with the FCC’s net neutrality comment period almost up last night, the current count is at more than 1 million submissions.  Happy reading, FCC.

THE SKINNY.

IT’S FRIDAY, WHAT NOW?

Remember how we told you that Google is grappling with how to implement the European Court of Justice’s ruling on ‘right to be forgotten?’  Next week, the privacy regulators across the pond are gearing up for a round of meetings with search engine providers to clarify the news rules on what links should and should not be removed at users’ request.

WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?

Not only is the current ruling “vague and subjective,” German privacy regulator Johannes Caspar takes issue with the search engine alerting websites before links are removed.

HALF THE BATTLE IS SHOWING UP.

A Google rep says that they plan to “cooperate with privacy officials.”  Meanwhile, Microsoft plans to attend these meetings.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT YOU. 

Some Microsoft employees are definitely not happy and are likely not clapping along with the company’s recent announcement.  Yesterday, the company said it planned to lay off 18,000 of its people in a ‘restructuring.’  What a way to start off the weekend …. Bummer.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

 

Amazon is the new Netflix.  Today, the online retail company introduced a subscription service called Kindle Unlimited for subscribers to download unlimited e-books.  Big publishers like HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster haven’t made any plans to make their books available on the service just yet.

You can “like” things on social media, but now you’ll be able to “buy” things too with just one click. Facebook and Twitter and venturing into the e-commerce game by creating a “buy now” button on their services and partnering with payment processing companies. Looks like this move is still in the testing phase, but pretty soon, you’ll be able to buy random products you see while tweeting or spending time on FB.  Welp, there goes our paychecks!

The Virtual Skinny: Net Neutrality is Winning

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7.16.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  So, the FCC’s electronic filing system crashed.  In just 24 hours, the number of comments submitted on net neutrality climbed from 677,000 to 780,000 (and counting). Good work, people.  
 

THE SKINNY.

 

WHAT TO DO NOW?

The FCC pushed the deadline from midnight last night to Friday.  For those of you planning to weigh in (looking at you, procrastinators), it’s a good time to let the Commission know what you think of its proposal.

THIS IS HISTORY.

Here’s a quick rundown of the highest number of comments federal agencies have seen:

  • FCC 2006 Change to Media Ownership: 236, 315
  • IRS Proposal to Curb Social Welfare Orgs’ Political Actions:  143,497
  • Keystone Pipeline: 127,206

About 1.4 million submitters sounded off on the Janet Jackson (and Justin Timberlake) Super Bowl debacle.  However, that indecent exposure wasn’t part of an official rulemaking, comment period. Given that this is just the first round of comments, net neutrality is well on its way to reaching the 1 million mark.  We don’t speak for others, but Tim Berners-Lee is probably proud.

LOOK WHO’S TALKING NOW.

Mozilla says the FCC’s proposal is “rife with risk.”  It wants to see the Commission go down the Title II route and reclassify broadband services as a utility.  The National Cable and Telecommunications Association, on the other hand, wants the FCC to avoid Title II like it’s the plague.  Comcast has also chimed in and supports “putting in place legally enforceable rules to ensure that there is a free and open Internet, including transparency, no blocking, and anti-discrimination rules.”

SHOTS FIRED.

Meanwhile, Verizon doesn’t want over burdensome regulation and wants to be able to enter into “differentiated arrangements with broadband providers if they believe they can provide a service customers may want.” The ISP took this opportunity to point fingers at Google and Netflix as prime examples of content companies with growing market power. Verizon wants everyone to know that it cares about network openness and wants it just as much as the rest of us.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

 

NO ACTUALLY MEANS NO.

Ryan Block and his wife simply wanted to cancel their Comcast service. But, the customer service agent wasn’t having it.  After 10 minutes into the conversation, Block decided to record the back and forth.  The agent tries at all cost to convince the husband and wife otherwise.  Trying to assess why your consumer is unhappy with your service is fair, but sometimes you just gotta “let it go.”  Yup, we went there.

BUT, EVERYONE’S DOING IT.

Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen testified in front on Congress on the U.S. economy, which hasn’t quite fully rebounded.  According to The Fed, people are overpaying for stocks in certain sectors, including for social media and biotech firms.  Subsequently, shares of our go to social media sites declined.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

 

Google is teaming up with Novartis, a European drug maker, to create “smart” content lens that could monitor blood sugar levels.  This information could be transferred via smart devices for real time monitoring by doctors and patients.  Pretty friggin’ cool.

Yahoo!’s ad prices decreased on average by 24% last quarter. The company previously saw improvements in its sales, but this step back may indicate that the company’s new ad offerings aren’t pulling in advertisers.

Amazon and Simon & Schuster are in the “talking” phase of a potential business relationship.  No word yet on the exact nature of these discussions.

The Virtual Skinny: Up and at ‘Em

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

7.15.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  People that work for Amazon probably look better than you. According to social networking app, Hinge, its users went for Amazon employees about 14% more than others.  In yo’ face, Google and Facebook! 
 

THE SKINNY.

 

STORY OF THE DAY.

Today is the deadline for the Federal Communications Commission’s public comment period on its proposed net neutrality rules.

WHO CARES?

Turns out a lot of you give a d*mn and like your Internet just the way it is — open and free.  The latest count is over 677,000 submissions to the Commission (thanks, John Oliver), and it looks like people aren’t digging Chairman Tom Wheeler’s plan.

ALL EYES ON THEM.

Everyone’s been waiting to see what Internet companies have to say about the proposed plan.  Yesterday, The Internet Association, a D.C.-based group representing leading Internet companies, turned in their comments. The group, whose mission is to fight for Internet freedom, made it clear that regardless of whether you prefer mobile or wireline, paid prioritization  for content on Internet platforms is a no-go.  So far, individual companies like Etsy and Kickstarter have also weighed in, and they are also worried about paid prioritization .  Etsy says if the proposal were in effect, the company wouldn’t even be able to exist.  reddit’s also activating its user base on this issue and urging them to support the reclassification of broadband services under Title II of the Communications Act (Title II).

WHAT ABOUT TITLE II?

The argument is that reclassifying broadband services as a utility (like your common carrier phone service) Title II would prevent paid prioritization of content that most of us are concerned about at the moment.  Some of us prefer not to pay more for us to watch or access certain content at faster speeds. Proponents say going down this route will protect the open Internet and allow for you and me to think up the next big Internet company.  Others against this idea, think it’ll open up the Internet to regulation and deter innovation. And by others, I mean cable companies.

SPEAKING OF…

Cable companies have yet to submit their filings, but there’s still time.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

This is just the first round.  The FCC will open another comment round for additional input from the public.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

NOT AGAIN.

In other news, privacy advocates, including ACLU and the Electronic Frontiers Foundations, are worried about CISA, the latest cybersecurity bill that would allow companies to share information with the federal government.  These groups compare this bill to a similar bill, CISPA, which would have permitted the same thing if passed into law.  They are writing to President Obama to speak out against the controversial bill.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Move over YouTube, Yahoo!’s got next.  With its push to deliver more content to users, Yahoo! is teaming up with Live Nation to offer free live steam videos of concerts.  If this bodes well, it’ll be a major boost in establishing Screen — the company’s answer to YouTube.  Free Justin Timberlake concert? Please and thank you.

LinkedIn wants in on the content game too.  The social network acquired Newsle, which lets people know when their connections have been mentioned in the news.

How about we acquire another dating site?  IAC/InterActive Corp just purchased HowAboutWe, an online service that matches people based on date-suggestions.  IAC already has OKCupid, Match, and Tinder in its portfolio.

Secret, an app people use to anonymously post gossip about their professional and personal lives, has raised $25 million to offer its services more broadly. It now wants to link its app to Facebook so users can easily connect with their “friends.”