The Week in Internet News: Mexico, NYC Push for Internet Access for All

Everyone’s invited: Politicians in Mexico and New York City announced plans for universal Internet access in recent days. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced a plan to bring access to the large swaths of the country that don’t have it, including a government investment of more than $500,000, according to AA News. Meanwhile, New York City Major Bill de Blasio is pushing an “Internet master plan” to improve access. About 18 percent of the city’s residents have neither mobile nor home Internet connections, and about 40 percent have one or the other, but not both, the New York Daily News reports.

New pressure campaign: The U.S. FBI is asking Apple for help to access encrypted communications on an iPhone that belonged to the Saudi military student who killed three people last month at a naval base in Pensacola, Fla., the Washington Post reports. It’s unclear what information the FBI is looking for, given that the shooter is dead, but the request is a new step in the long-running fight between the U.S. government and large tech vendors over the use of encryption on smartphones and other devices.

Cyber retaliation: Many cybersecurity experts expect Iran to retaliate with cyberattacks Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: New Chinese Law Regulates Encryption

Crypto-regulation: A new law in China regulates the use of encryption, but it’s aimed at strengthening it, at least in some settings, Reuters reports. The law is aimed at aiding the development of a digital currency in China, and it is focused on “facilitating the development of the cryptography business and ensuring the security of cyberspace and information,” according to the official Xinhua news agency said. The law also that all state secrets be stored and transmitted using “core and common” encryption, Engadget says.

Build your own: Some rural Colorado communities are tired of waiting for large broadband providers to bring them service and are seeking grants or forming partnerships to build their own networks, the Canon City Daily Record says. Grants from the state at the Federal Communications Commission are helping communities build fiber networks.

Not so secure: Wyze Labs, the maker of a line of IoT-connected security cameras, has announced a data breach affecting 2.4 million customers. The breach included WiFi network details and customer email addresses, Salon reports. The security cameras don’t appear to be compromised, but compromised email addresses can lead to further customer data breaches, the story notes. Also, there’s this: “The blog Twelve Security Continue reading

Member News: Internet Society Highlights from 2019

It’s been a busy year for Internet Society Chapters around the world, with members pushing to extend Internet connections to remote areas, involved in public policy, and focusing on cybersecurity. Here are some of the highlights in 2019:

Extending Internet connections

Community awareness: The Madagascar chapter provided awareness training on community-based broadband networks in the rural areas of Ambohimasina, Antambolo, and Morarano-Antongona during February and March. “Our main objective was to ensure that people using the Internet continue to be convinced of its usefulness,” the Chapter wrote. Another goal was for local leaders to have access to the Internet for the “purposes of innovation, creativity and economic opportunities for their municipality.”

Network planning: In Nigeria, the Internet Society Chapter began planning to set up a community network in Zaria, a city in the northern region of the country. The Internet Society provided startup funds of about 10 million naira, or “about the cost of a fairly used Toyota Corolla,” the Chapter noted. “By being very frugal and leveraging on existing infrastructure being contributed by community members, this will cover the cost of the initial wireless hardware required to connect at least 12 locations across Zaria.”

Connecting classrooms: Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: Worries of a Fragmenting Internet

Fragments: Some activists are raising concerns about a fragmented Internet, with two University of Southampton professors writing about four competing versions of the Internet in Wired. The two professors wrote about the same issues for the World Economic Forum earlier this year. The vision of a coordinated, global network “might change in 2020 as Internet governance will be at the centre of a number of ongoing debates coming to the fore,” they wrote. “What values should the technology support? How should it deal with free speech and association? What about privacy?”

Squirrels on wheels: Mont Belvieu, a city near Houston, Texas, has built its own broadband network after struggling with slow speeds from existing providers, the Dallas Morning News reports. “I believe squirrels run on a wheel for my Internet,” one resident half-joked on a city survey. About half of the city’s households have signed up for the service, offering speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second for $75 a month, since it launched in mid-2018.

Encryption warnings: Chloe Squires, the U.K. Home Office’s head of national security, has weighed in on a U.S. Senate debate on encryption, saying Facebook will undermine her government’s fight against Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: India Sets Record for Longest Internet Shutdown in a Democracy

The longest ever: The 130-day-plus shutdown of the Internet in the Indian region of Kashmir is now the longest ever in a democracy, the Washington Post notes. The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce estimates $1.4 billion in losses due to the shutdown. Meanwhile, the Indian government is stepping up its shutdown efforts in response to protests across the country, TechCrunch reports. The protests are largely focused on a new citizenship law, which creates a path to citizenship for immigrants of all the major religions except Islam.

Another encryption fight: There’s a battle brewing over the encryption of Internet traffic being pushed by Google and Cloudflare, the ACLU says in a blog post. Some U.S. telecom carriers are calling on Congress to stop the encryption efforts. The blog post has a good explanation of the technical issues, while taking sides in the debate.

New standards for the IoT: Amazon, Apple, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance are working on a new open-source networking standard for home Internet of Things connected devices, ZDNet reports. The Connected Home over IP standard aims to make it easier for various IoT devices to communicate with each other.

Protesting social media bill: Thousands of people in Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: U.S. Lawmakers Threaten Anti-Encryption Regulations

Don’t make us make you: Members of a U.S. Senate committee recently told representatives of Facebook and Apple that they need to give police access to customers’ encrypted communications, or they will be forced to by Congress, the Washington Post reports. The companies told lawmakers that backdoors in encryption would be exploited by cybercriminals.

Facebook declines: Meanwhile, Facebook has refused a request from U.S. Attorney General William Barr to build encryption backdoors into WhatsApp and Messenger, the New York Times reports.

Women want to be included: As Internet access is growing in the central African country of Chad, women are demanding to be in on the action, Reuters reports. Women across sub-Saharan Africa are currently 15 percent less likely to own a mobile phone than men are and 41 percent less likely to use the mobile Internet, the story says.

Gigabit tech boom: Gigabit-speed Internet service is turning some small U.S. cities into tech centers, bringing businesses and jobs to the areas, Inc. says. The story looks at businesses taking advantage of gigabit-speed networks in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Melbourne, Florida, and Sarasota, Florida.

Arrested for reporting: Thirty journalists are currently in prison worldwide on charges related to Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: Australian Lawmakers Push for ‘Fix’ to Encryption Law

An encryption fix: The Australian Labor Party says it will push for changes to an encryption law, passed in late 2018, that requires tech comp anies to give law enforcement agencies access to encrypted communications, ZDNet reports. Labor Party lawmakers have raised concerns about the law’s effect on the country’s tech industry, but it appears they don’t have the votes to make changes.

Telemedicine needs access: The use of telemedicine is growing, but low speeds in rural Internet are delaying its benefits to parts of Indiana, according to a story from the Kokomo Tribune, posted at Govtech.com. Some Internet-based diagnosis services need interactive videoconferencing technology with fast broadband speeds that aren’t available in parts of the state.

The future of IoT security: IoT World Today has six predictions for Internet of Things security in 2020. Among them: Facilities managers will become more concerned about smart building security, with buildings becoming a new avenue of attack. The security of 5G networks will also become an issue with new attacks on the way.

Goodbye WhatsApp: WhatsApp has begun automatically removing Kashmiri residents from WhatsApp, due to a long-running Internet shutdown in the region controlled by India, The Verge reports. WhatsApp’s Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: $1,200 a Month for Internet Service?

Gold-plated Internet access: Ulukhaktok, a small town in Canada’s Northwest Territories, is exploring ways to build its own broadband network after complaints of slow speeds and data caps, Vice.com reports. The price for exceeding the 10 GB data cap cost one resident $1,200 for the month. As part of the community-led effort, several residents have completed training on community networks with the Internet Society, which is supporting the project.

Editing ordered: Singapore’s government has ordered Facebook to “correct” a user’s post that contained accusations about the arrest of a supposed whistleblower and election rigging, in the first use of the country’s fake news law, Reuters says. The government called the allegations “false” and “scurrilous” and ordered blogger Alex Tan to issue a correction. But Tan does not live in Singapore and says he is an Australian citizen, and he refused to comply.

China joins in: Meanwhile, the Chinese government is targeting fake news and deep fake videos under new Internet content rules, Reuters reports. In addition, any use of AI or virtual reality needs to be clearly marked in a prominent manner in the government’s efforts against deep fakes. Failure to follow the rules could be considered a criminal Continue reading

Member News: Innovative Projects to Help Close the Digital Divide

Vote of Confidence: Voting is open for Chapterthon 2019, the global Internet Society Chapters marathon, where Chapters can develop projects within a timeline and budget to achieve a common goal for the development of the Internet. This year’s theme is Connecting the Unconnected. Twenty-eight Chapters – from Argentina to Zimbabwe – have submitted projects.

Keep the connections: The Venezuela Chapter is among several groups calling for large technology companies to maintain the availability of their services to Venezuelans. While an executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to block support for the government of Nicolás Maduro, the order does not ban the Internet and other technology services from serving the nation, the chapter notes. Access to the Internet and online services is “critical” because it brings access to independent news and allows citizens to express their opinions, the chapter said.

Trading chips: The Washington, D.C., Chapter recently hosted a conference on digital trade, including the impact of some nations’ policies that require data to be stored locally. “Data has become the most traded good and/or service across borders,” the Chapter said. “Meanwhile, many countries have adopted policies that inhibit digital trade, including requirements that Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: Balloon-Based Internet Comes to the Amazon

Internet from the skies: Loon, Google’s sister company, is teaming up with Internet provider Telefonica to provide Internet access to remote areas of the Amazon rainforest in Peru, TechCrunch reports. Loon, the high-altitude balloon company, plans to have the service available in 2020. The area of Peru targeted by the service has about 200,000 residents.

Internet from the highway: Meanwhile, Osceola County Schools in Florida has equipped an unused bus with computer equipment in an effort to bring Internet access to homeless students living in motels, WSBTV.com reports. The school district, south of Orlando, has about 500 students living in motels, some with limited Internet access.

Investigating encryption: A top official at the U.S. Department of Justice has hinted that end-to-end encryption services could be part of a sweeping investigation into some big tech companies, the New York Times reports. The DOJ and law enforcement agencies from other countries have been pushing large tech companies like Facebook to drop their end-to-end encryption services, to the chagrin of many security experts.

Iran shuts it down: The Iranian government shut down Internet access for citizens for several days in response to protests about huge hikes in fuel prices, CNN.com reports. Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: Let’s Encrypt Doubles the Number of Secure Websites

A more secure Internet: Let’s Encrypt, the nonprofit certificate authority, has helped the percentage of websites protected with HTTPS encryption jump from 40 percent in 2016 to 80 percent now, TechXplore notes. The free certificate service has “turned the implementation of HTTPS from a costly, complicated process to an easy step that’s within reach for all websites.” Let’s Encrypt has become the world’s largest certificate authority and provides more HTTPS certificates than all other certificate authorities combined.

The right to the Internet: A new study by Merten Reglitz, a lecturer in global ethics at the University of Birmingham, suggests Internet access should be a human right, Vice reports. Internet access is “highly conducive to a multitude of crucial human interests and rights,” the study says. “Internet access is a uniquely effective way for lobbying and holding accountable global players like global governance institutions and multinational corporations.”

You must include these apps: The Russian government may require PC and smartphone makers to pre-load Russia apps, ZDNet reports. The Russian parliament is debating a bill to require the pre-loaded apps. If the bill passes, the Russian government would publish a list of electronic devices that will need to comply Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: Facebook Moves Forward with Encryption, Despite Concerns

Forging ahead: Facebook plans to move ahead with plans to expand encryption despite concerns from law enforcement agencies that it will be used by criminals, the New York Times reports. Facebook’s decision to expand encryption across its Messenger platform comes after complaints by top law enforcement officials in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia that Facebook’s plan to encrypt messaging on all its platforms would make it more difficult to find child sex predators and pornographers.

Investigate the ISPs: Mozilla has asked Congress to investigate data collection by Internet service providers following reports that Comcast is lobbying against browser plans to implement the encryption scheme DNS-over-HTTPS, Vice reports. Mozilla’s rollout of DNS-over-HTTPS “has raised questions about how ISPs collect and use sensitive user data in their gatekeeper role over internet usage,” the browser maker wrote.

The next billion: The next billion Internet users will have significantly different goals and needs than the first billion, Quartz says. While many observers have talked about the Internet being a tool to deliver basic needs, many new users will be focused on using the Internet for leisure activities, the article predicts. And while many users in the West are focused on privacy, many Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: Russian Law Allows Country to Disconnect from Internet

Walking away: A Russian law that allows the country to disconnect from the outside Internet in the case of a cyberwar has gone into effect, PC Mag reports. The law allows the government there to serve up its own approved version of the Internet to residents. Some critics say the law could make the entire Internet more open to attacks.

Gone missing: The Internet has lost its soul by pushing commercial interests ahead of the public good, argues Janet Abbate, a professor of science, technology, and society at Virginia Tech in a column at the Washington Post. “Expanding access to the Internet, combined with looser government regulations, ultimately produced a situation no one foresaw or intended,” she writes. “On today’s Internet, conspiracy theories run rampant, identities can be faked and our real-life elections are vulnerable to manipulation. A network designed for spreading truth became a profit-driven industry, a public sphere that threatens to undermine the public good.”

Into middle age: There were a lot of recent articles about an important Internet milestone in late October. Ars Technica notes that the original ARPANET had just four nodes when it launched in 1969. “The first letters transmitted, sent from UCLA to Stanford Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: U.S. Big Tech Firms Skip Chinese Internet Conference

Not our model: Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Apple skipped a Chinese conference focused on a global governance model for the Internet, Asia One reports. During the conference, China promoted its highly restrictive model of the Internet. Google, Twitter, and Facebook are blocked in China, while Apple must use a local partner to offer cloud services, the story notes.

No news for you: Meanwhile, the Chinese government’s Great Firewall blocks 23 percent of the news organizations that have journalists stationed in the country, reports the South China Morning Post, citing statistics from the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China. Nearly a third of English-language sites are blocked. Blocked sites include the BBC, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.

Flying cars and smart mirrors: Among the Internet of Things trends to look for in 2020 are flying cars and mirrors that deliver news and weather while you’re brushing your hair, What Mobile says. Widespread use of flying cars may be a way off, but one startup is working on them. Multilingual voice assistants and flexible displays are other things to watch for.

Opposed to encryption: A large U.S. Internet service provider is lobbying lawmakers in opposition to Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: A Fight over Community Broadband in Missouri

Broadband battle: Missouri law prohibits cities from launching their own broadband services, but some groups are pushing again that policy, reports The Salem News Online, a newspaper in the south central area of the state. More than half of the rural residents of the state lack broadband with download speeds of 25 Mbps. Several electric cooperatives are exploring ways to provide broadband service.

Connecting Africa: In recent years, Microsoft has focused on bringing broadband to rural areas in the U.S. through its Airband initiative, and the program, focused on providing wireless broadband through unused television spectrum, could also have great benefits for Africa, according to a column at Forbes.com. The company’s international effort aims to connect 40 million people to the Internet by 2022.

Shutdown fuels fake news: An ongoing Internet shutdown in the India-controlled region of Kashmir has created a “fake news battle” with neighboring Pakistan involved, the International Business Times says. Groups from India and Pakistan are spreading disinformation, with one side distributing old photos from Gaza as supposed evidence that Kashmir has turned into a “living hell,” and the other side spreading old photos of happy children to purportedly show that everything is great Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: China and Russia Target ‘Illegal’ Content

Content crackdown: China and Russia plan to sign an agreement to crack down on what they consider “illegal” Internet content, The Register reports. It’s unclear what the agreement will cover but critics already fear the deal will enable the two countries to further crack down on free speech. China has even effectively banned cartoon character Winnie the Pooh because some people have compared the chubby bear to leader Xi Jinping.

Eyes on you: In more censorship-related news, Thailand has ordered restaurants and Internet cafes to log the Internet histories of users, Privacy News Online says. The Thai government already requires ISPs to keep a log of customers’ Internet histories for 90 days as part of the country’s Computer Crimes Act.

Poor access: Some of the U.S. states with the lowest levels of broadband access also have the highest poverty rates, notes a report from Axios. About 30 percent of low-income U.S. residents do not have access to broadband, says the story, citing a Census Bureau report.

Not so smart: A new “smart” doorbell may literally unlock a home’s doors to hackers, according to The Daily Swig. A security researcher found that the Wi-Fi connected doorbell had no authentication Continue reading

Member News: Helping Schools Get Access to Internet, Educational Materials

News from Internet Society Chapters and Special Interest Groups across the world:

Library in a box: This month, the Kyrgyzstan Chapter installed an electronic library called the Ilim Box in secondary schools in the southern part of Issyk-Kul region. The device allows the schools to access educational resources when they don’t have an Internet connection. All the data is stored in the device itself, with only a power supply needed.

Refresher course: Earlier this year, the Paraguay Chapter helped set up improved Internet access and an electronics lab at Colegio Técnico Nacional, a secondary school in Asunción. The equipment at the 1,500-student technical school had become obsolete, and many classrooms lacked an Internet connection and modern computers.

Student governance: Sticking with our focus on education, the Benin Chapter hosted students from the National Institute of Technical and Industrial Sciences of Lokossa earlier this year to talk about Internet Governance issues. Chapter members talked to the students about ways to take care of the Internet and how to pay attention to its development.

Internet for everyone: The Israel Chapter is focused on ways to bring access to more Arab residents. “The Israeli Internet Association sees a narrowing of the digital Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: Governments Pressure Facebook to Halt Encryption Plans

Anti-encryption demands: Government officials from the U.S., U.K., and Australia have asked Facebook to put a hold on its plans to expand encryption on services like Messenger, CNet reports. “We are writing to request that Facebook does not proceed with its plan to implement end-to-end encryption across its messaging services without ensuring that there is no reduction to user safety and without including a means for lawful access to the content of communications to protect our citizens,” says a letter signed by U.S. Attorney General William Barr and other officials.

This law is not fake: A new fake news law in Singapore has taken effect, SPDP Radio says. The law includes penalties of up to US $60,000 and 10 years in prison for people found guilty of spreading what the government considers to be fake news. Web sites could face fines of more than $720,000 for not taking down so-called fake news after being ordered to do so. Free speech advocates have major problems with the law, as you might expect.

The lines are cut: Internet access in most of Iraq was shut down after violent protest in the country, CNet says. Some people were Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: The New Internet Space Race

Broadband in space: The Associated Press, via the New York Post, has a story on the new space race involving Amazon, SpaceX, and other companies. The competition is to be first to deploy new satellite networks to provide broadband service to all corners of the Earth. Still, there are some questions about these low-Earth orbit satellites, with the multi-billion-dollar cost of deployment being the biggest concern.

Secure by algorithm: Researchers at Princeton University have developed algorithms that they say can prevent hacker attacks on power grids, DownToEarth reports. The new algorithms target power spikes that could be driven by IoT-based attacks. One algorithm would prevent connections overloading by balancing power, and the other would help grids restore their functionality after an attack.

Please help: A column at ZDNet asks network operators to using existing tools to fix security problems with the Border Gateway Protocol, which routers use to tell each other the best way to route traffic. The BGP standard includes Route Origin Authorizations (ROAs) to confirm the accuracy of routing messages, but those tools aren’t as widely deployed as they could be, the column suggests.

Lost jobs: A nearly two-month Internet shutdown in the India-controlled Kashmir region Continue reading

The Week in Internet News: IoT Devices Could Put Privacy at Risk, Study Says

A real privacy headache: Internet of Things devices potentially expose consumer information to other parties, according to a recent study featured on Vice.com. Many IoT devices collect and share a wealth of information including the IP address, usage habits, and location data. That data is then often shared with “a laundry list” of third parties.

Encryption objections: ISP trade groups are objecting to a plan by Google to a new encryption regime for domain name lookups in its Chrome browser and Android operating system, Broadcasting and Cable reports. The plan would give Google too much power, the groups have told U.S. lawmakers.

Moving to the country: Microsoft and Nextlink Internet have unveiled a plan to bring broadband to millions of people living in the rural U.S., WindowsCenteral.com says. The Microsoft Airband Initiative’s goal is to extend broadband access to more than 3 million unserved U.S. residents by mid-2022, with more areas covered by 2024.

The FBI wants in: The U.S. FBI tried to get the operators of encrypted phone carrier Phantom Secure to create a backdoor, as a way to spy on the Sinaloa drug cartel, Vice.com reports. The company was accused Continue reading