[isoc-ny] Internet Society North America Updates – March 2017

[ISOC-NY announcements]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mark Buell <buell at isoc.org>
Date: Sun, Mar 19, 2017 at 8:10 AM


Welcome to the March 2017 edition of the Internet Society North American
Bureau’s monthly newsletter!





*In the News:*Trump Budget Proposal Retains Funding for Internet
Governance, Despite Cuts Elsewhere
<https://www.bna.com/trump-backs-internet-b57982085284/>
“According to the proposal, the Trump administration will continue
supporting the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s
participation in “multi-stakeholder forums” on internet governance and
digital commerce.



On the campaign trail, Trump opposed an NTIA plan to give up oversight of
the technical functions that make the internet work. Going through with the
plan could empower countries like China and Russia to censor online speech,
Stephen Miller, national policy director for the campaign, said last
September in a statement on Trump’s campaign website.”



Lessons for Business from the CIA Data Breach
<http://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/what-businesses-can-learn-from-the-cia-data-breach/d/d-id/1328413>

“The primary issue for organizations is that the insider threat represents
a multi-competency problem, says Jeff Pollard, an analyst with Forrester
Research. It is a multi-stakeholder issue that affects everyone from IT,
security teams and app developers to business unit leaders, human resources
and general counsel, he says.



"An [organization] has to know what their sensitive data is, who has
access, how data is used and stored and how data flows through their own
environment and partner environments," Pollard says. In addition, there
also must understand how data is used normally, so that they can begin to
identify anomalies. "It's a tremendously complicated endeavor to pull data
from all those systems together, define a baseline, and then begin policing
usage," he says.”

.africa Domain Name Launches After Overcoming Final Legal Hurdles
<https://www.nigeriatoday.ng/2017/03/dotafrica-now-in-the-league-of-the-internet-community/>
“The aim for .africa is to “foster relationship within the continent and
portray Africa as an internet community”. Africans will be able to connect
better with the world, by businesses being able to create their website.
More than thirty years after the first domain name .com was launched,
Africa has finally launched its own domain name — dotAfrica (.africa), a
generic Top Level Domain (gLTD).



According to Lucky Masilela,  the CEO of the South African based company
(ZA Central Registry) that will manage the gTLD, .africa is going to be a
market disruptor that will assist in lowering the cost of domain names.”

New York State Considering Right-to-Be-Forgotten Legislation
<http://reason.com/blog/2017/03/15/right-to-be-forgotten-legislation-attemp>
“The state of New York wants to tell you what's appropriate to post online
and what should be removed. The concept behind the European Union's "right
to be forgotten" has crossed the Atlantic, and two state lawmakers in New
York want to attempt to institute it here.



The "right to be forgotten" in the European Union originated from a court
ruling demanding Google and search engines remove links to a story that
embarrassed a Spanish man because it detailed a previous home repossession.
The story was not factually inaccurate. He insisted it was no longer
relevant and that it embarrassed him, and the court agreed he had the right
to have the information censored from search engines.”



Canadian Policymakers Exploring Potential of Blockchain Tech
<https://www.thestar.com/business/2017/02/28/ottawa-explores-potential-of-blockchain-billed-as-next-generation-internet-tech.html>

“Experts say Canada has shown considerable potential in these early days of
blockchain — and they believe it’s key for the country to help create
conditions to keep the momentum going.



Ottawa has taken notice; widening the path for more blockchain development
would fit nicely with the Trudeau government’s stated goal of increasing
innovation as a way to help jump-start Canada’s lacklustre economy.”



Ottawa Retains Title as Canada’s Most Tech-Intensive City
<http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/new-report-ranks-ottawa-top-tech-hub-in-canada-1.3330059>

“According to analysts Expert Market, 71 per cent of respondents would set
up their new tech business in Ottawa. The respondents ranked quality of
living, high salary averages, the number of available tech jobs in the city
and tech diversity as reasons for their choice. Calgary was ranked second,
with Montreal in third.



Ryan Gibson, the Lead Marketing Strategist for Invest Ottawa, said demand
for top tier tech talent in Ottawa is high. He said that like many cities,
there are too many tech jobs in Ottawa and not enough qualified applicants.
That's one of the reasons Invest Ottawa has launched an online campaign to
draw in more prospective employees, including many in the United States.”



Facebook and Instagram Ban Developers from Using User Data for Surveillance
<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/13/facebook-instagram-surveillance-privacy-data>

“Our goal is to make our policy explicit,” Facebook said in its
announcement on Monday. “Over the past several months we have taken
enforcement action against developers who created and marketed tools meant
for surveillance, in violation of our existing policies; we want to be sure
everyone understands the underlying policy and how to comply.”



The ACLU praised the policy reform and said: “Written policies must be
backed up by rigorous oversight and swift action for violations.”



San Francisco Supervisor Working City Wide High-Speed Plan
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20170315_san_francisco_working_on_plan_for_citywide_high_speed_internet/?platform=hootsuite>

“If it becomes reality, San Francisco would be the largest city in the
country to implement citywide high-speed Internet. City officials are
currently targeting speeds of 1 gigabit per second. The average Internet
speed in the U.S. is 31 megabits per second according to the most recent
data published by the Federal Communications Commission, so this could be
about 30 times faster.”



FCC Chairman Focuses on Broadband Access Expansion in New Speech
<https://www.cnet.com/news/fcc-chairman-ajit-pai-promises-broadband-for-all/>

“In a speech Wednesday at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pai
made the case to lawmakers that broadband should be a priority in the bill,
because it's a driving force for economic growth. He also offered ideas on
what should be included in the legislation to encourage the deployment of
high speed internet infrastructure.



First, he said any money going directly to projects should be administered
through the FCC's Universal Service Fund "to maximize the impact of these
investments" and "to minimize waste." Second, he urged Congress to include
his proposal for Gigabit Opportunity Zones, which offer tax incentives to
broadband providers building in low-income neighborhoods.”



Acting FTC Commissioner Backs Self-Regulation of IoT
<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/14/federal-trade-commission-internet-things-regulation?CMP=share_btn_tw>

“Maureen Ohlhausen, the commission’s sole Republican and its acting chair
under Trump, said the FTC was primarily a law enforcement agency and called
for wait-and-see approach to enforcement during a discussion at a
conference of cybersecurity professionals on Monday at the Nasdaq. She also
defended the use of big data to offer consumers different prices for the
same good and said she wanted manufacturers of internet-connected household
devices to decide best practices among themselves. The event was held by
the National Cybersecurity Alliance and Nasdaq.”



Future of Tech Policy Uncertain Under a Trump Administration
<http://www.cio.com/article/3181841/it-industry/future-of-tech-policy-murky-under-trump-administration.html>

“One area where many tech insiders see the potential for advancing
longstanding goals of promoting smart-grid technology and high-speed
broadband deployments is in the massive infrastructure package that Trump
has called for.

Much of that proposed $1 trillion undertaking would focus on physical
infrastructure like roads and bridges, but it is critical that policymakers
include strong provisions bolstering the technology build-outs that will
support future job growth, argues Karen Kornbluh, a veteran of the Bill
Clinton and Barack Obama administrations who currently serves as Nielsen's
executive vice president of external affairs.”



Congress Takes A Crash Course in Blockchain
<https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603820/congress-takes-blockchain-101/?set=603859>

“Schweikert, a Republican from Arizona, co-chairs the recently
launched Congressional Blockchain Caucus. He and fellow co-chair,
Democratic Representative Jared Polis of Colorado, say they created it in
response to increasing interest and curiosity on Capitol Hill about
blockchain technology. “Members of Congress are starting to get visits from
people that are doing things with the blockchain and talking about it,”
says Polis. “They are interested in learning more, and we hope to provide
the forum to do that.”



Vint Cerf Warns Against Cuts in Research Funding at SXSW
<https://www.yahoo.com/tech/googles-chief-internet-evangelist-seems-nervous-about-trumps-tech-policy-232602214.html>

“In particular, Cerf warned against cuts in federal funding for “curiosity
research,” long-term projects with an uncertain payoff. He advised against
hoping that the private sector can step in, saying even Google hesitates at
that level.



Cerf saw another threat to “permissionless innovation” in the Federal
Communications Commission’s steps to undo net-neutrality rules that ban
internet providers from blocking or slowing sites or charging them for
priority delivery.

“We need to have a legal framework to enforce the net neutrality rules, and
right now the only framework we have is Title II,” he said, referring to
the legal clause giving the FCC authority to regulate “common carriers”
like phone companies that provide open access to their customers.”



*ISOC’s Work:*

New Appointments to the Public Interest Registry Board of Directors
<https://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-announces-new-appointments-public-interest-registry-board-directors-0>

“The Internet Society today announced that Jeffrey Bedser has been
appointed to the Public Interest Registry (PIR) Board of Directors.  He
will serve a term of three years as will returning board member Eric
Burger.  Hartmut Glaser is also a returning board member who will serve a
term of one year. These appointments will begin at a PIR Board retreat
scheduled next month.”



ISOC Celebrates 25 Years of Fighting for an Internet for All, Launches New
Initiatives
<http://link.isoc.org/hostedemail/email.htm?CID=37200890144&ch=DDE97F11F158982100E8A8D14CEF85AF&h=a3b742d2ab8c20a14062399e60c29286&ei=TYuTM2bZN&schema=echo4>

“We have reached an important milestone in our history as well as a unique
opportunity to leverage our essential work in access and trust. The value
of our experience over the last 25 years lies in its application for the
future. That is why we are planning a year when we look back at our roots
while also looking forward to the next 25 years in support of the Internet.”

*Upcoming Events:*

IETF 98 Chicago, IL

26-31 March 2017

https://www.ietf.org/meeting/98/index.html



ARIN 39 Public Policy and Members Meeting

2-5 April 2017

New Orleans, LA

http://www.cvent.com/events/arin-39-public-policy-and-
members-meeting/event-summary-20438bfe6ee94a40b65594a4bf179973.aspx



The Data Effect

13 April 2017

Ottawa, ON

http://cityage.org/dataeffect/



---------



If you have any events, news or announcements you would like to include in
the North American newsletter, please let me know.



Mark Buell

Regional Bureau Director, North America

Internet Society

Skype: mark_at_isoc

Twitter: @mebuell <https://twitter.com/mebuell> and @isoc_na
<https://twitter.com/ISOC_NA>

www.isoc.org

<http://www.isoc.org/>
-- 
<http://www.isoc.org/>
<http://www.isoc.org/>

Joly MacFie
President - Internet Society New York Chapter (ISOC-NY)
<http://www.isoc.org/>
<http://www.isoc.org/>http://isoc-ny.org          218 565 9365
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