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News

  • US senators stall vote to extend NSA phone records dragnet

    Four U.S. senators ground the chamber's business to a halt Wednesday in an effort to prevent lawmakers from voting on a bill to extend portions of the Patriot Act used to collect telephone and business records from the country's residents.

    Written by Grant Gross21 May 15 07:09
  • Critics blast US NSA phone records bill as 'fake reform'

    A lopsided vote in the U.S. House of Representatives this week to rein in the National Security Agency's domestic telephone records dragnet won muted praise, with many supporters calling on Congress to take stronger action.

    Written by Grant Gross15 May 15 06:09
  • Thousands call on Congress to overturn net neutrality rules

    Opponents of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's new net neutrality rules aren't giving up, with a conservative advocacy group saying it has collected more than 540,000 signatures on a petition asking Congress to overturn the agency's action.

    Written by Grant Gross01 April 15 07:45
  • Both sides make last-minute push on Net neutrality

    The clock is running down on the chance to lobby the US Federal Communications Commission before it votes on putting stronger net neutrality rules in place, and both sides of the battle are making sure their voices are heard.

    Written by Grant Gross19 Feb. 15 08:51
  • Net neutrality advocates: Hybrid approach won't work

    In the fractious debate over net neutrality, efforts to strike a compromise don't seem to be working. A proposal reportedly favored by a top U.S. regulator is drawing fire from groups on both sides of the issue, with 70 pro-net neutrality groups speaking up against the plan Friday.

    Written by Grant Gross08 Nov. 14 03:10
  • The ratings: Most net neutrality groups get poor grades for funding transparency

    After a spate of news stories about alleged "astroturf" advocacy in a contentious U.S. net neutrality debate, the IDG News Service looked into the funding transparency of several think tanks and advocacy groups involved in the issue. Several disclose limited or no information about their funding, we found.

    Written by Grant Gross25 Oct. 14 05:50
  • Groups accuse FCC of helping net neutrality advocates file comments

    The U.S. Federal Communications Commission engaged in the worst kind of "partisan politics" by working closely with net neutrality advocates to ensure their comments were filed with the agency, but not extending the same courtesy to the other side, a coalition of groups opposed to the regulations said in a sharply worded letter to the agency.

    Written by Grant Gross03 Oct. 14 05:06
  • Net neutrality advocates plan slow-lane protest

    Several high-profile websites -- including Kickstarter, Etsy, Reddit, Mozilla and Meetup -- will display spinning-wheel icons next Wednesday in an attempt to show visitors the Internet slow lanes they say will appear if the U.S. Federal Communications Commission doesn't pass strong net neutrality regulations.

    Written by Grant Gross06 Sept. 14 05:34
  • Groups want to 'reset the 'Net' to resist NSA surveillance

    Web users and developers should take new steps to avoid surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency and other spy organizations, a group of privacy and digital rights advocates said Monday.

    Written by Grant Gross06 May 14 04:52
  • Senators: Comcast deal could mean higher broadband prices

    The proposed US$45.2 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable by Comcast would give the company huge market power to determine broadband prices and Internet content, a group of U.S. senators said Wednesday.

    Written by Grant Gross10 April 14 04:32
  • NSA protest results in tens of thousands of phone calls, emails

    Organizers of The Day We Fight Back, a protest Tuesday against U.S. National Security Agency surveillance programs, called the effort a "tremendous success," with nearly 100,000 phone calls made to U.S. lawmakers and 185,000 people signing up to send email blasts to their congressional representatives.

    Written by Grant Gross14 Feb. 14 19:13
  • More than 4,000 groups sign up to protest NSA

    More than 4,000 groups and websites have signed on to support a day of protest against U.S. National Security Agency surveillance programs, scheduled for Tuesday.

    Written by Grant Gross06 Feb. 14 17:29
  • Obama proposes changes to NSA surveillance

    U.S. President Barack Obama called for changes to U.S. National Security Agency surveillance, with new privacy advocates assigned to a surveillance court and a transition away from a controversial telephone records collection program in the U.S.

    Written by Grant Gross17 Jan. 14 17:42
  • Advocacy groups plan day of protest against NSA surveillance

    A group of activist groups and Internet companies are planning a coordinated protest of U.S. National Security Agency surveillance on Feb. 11, with the hope that millions of people will join them.

    Written by Grant Gross10 Jan. 14 17:21