News and Research articles on US Government

"D-day is soon approaching for internet governance," says European Commission officer Maciej Tomaszewski. Read his op-ed to gain insights on how Europe is shifting gears in the face of the great switch in internet oversight.

The debate around internet governance is at full steam in advance of the Brazil's NetMundial conference in April. Especially so since academics have suggested privatising the management of critical internet resources and removing US oversight.

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff sent a stern warning to the US over its spy activities and announced counter-measures. Will this lead to real change in infrastructure, legislation and participative proccesses?

There are significant dangers in surveilling online communications unless the mechanisms and policies of surveillance are subject to strict and legally enforceable standards of transparency, oversight, and control.

KEYWORDS: Surveillance, Intelligence services, Base rate fallacy, Interception, Fundamental principles, Predictive algorithms, Privacy, Security, Content data, Communications data, Bundestrojaner, National Security Agency (NSA), PRISM, Tempora, Encryption, Liability, Transparency, Cyber security, Content, Censorship, Filtering

We knew the US (and other governments) were watching us, many politicians and engineers said after The Guardian and the Washington Post published information about the spy programme PRISM, which allows US agencies access to all of your whereabouts on the net.

The last years have seen a growing politicisation of intellectual property issues, especially those relative to the internet. Sebastian Haunss assesses the current state of the policy field and draws attention to three parallel processes, which structure the future development of intellectual property policies related to the internet: the growing focus on enforcement, the plurilateralisation of international IP policies, and the trend to open access.

KEYWORDS: Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), Intellectual property, Copyright, Content, Academic publication, Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), Free trade agreements, Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (IPRED), Digital rights management (DRM)

About 1,000 internet policy specialists are currently discussing internet related issues at the 5th World Telecom Policy Conference in Geneva (WTPF). While only non-binding “opinions” on “internet related public policy issues” are on the agenda, the conference is seen as a stepping stone towards potential changes in the future mandate of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the role of governments in internet governance.

With the growing tension between the cross-border internet and the patchwork of national jurisdictions, it becomes crucial to keep track of key global trends that drive the debate on appropriate frameworks. Based on the 2012 monitoring work of the Internet & Jurisdiction Project, twelve high-level patterns can be identified. Paul Fehlinger of the I&J project reports.

Cloud computing is an inherently international matter, because it usually involves storage and processing of data in different locations. However, regulatory frameworks in non-EU contries do not always live up to European demands, i.e. concerning data protection. Looking at the EU cloud computing strategy, three political mechanisms can be identified through which the EU might try to promote regulatory changes beyond its borders.

KEYWORDS: Regulation, Positive conditionality, Emulation, Legal adequacy, Data protection, Multi-stakeholderism, Digital Millennium Act, Cloud, Cloud strategy, Free trade agreements, Marco Civil da Internet, EU Data Protection Regulation, Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), Notice and take down, Cloud services

Cloud computing provides a large number of advantages to many internet users. Most of the perceived benefits are related to the concept of ubiquity, or the ability to access data from anywhere at any time, regardless of the device used. Yet, these benefits come at a cost. The widespread deployment of cloud computing services is source of growing concern as regards the fundamental rights of EU citizens.

KEYWORDS: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendments Act (FISAA), USA Patriot Act, EU Data Protection Regulation, Data sovereignty, EU Cybersecurity Directive, Cloud services, Cloud

News and Research articles on US Government

Multistakeholder approach in internet governance - advantages and possible improvements

Central internet resources could be privatised

Brazil to lead the governance of the internet

Necessary and inherent limits to internet surveillance

PRISM: No surprise to those who wanted to know

Enforcement vs. access: wrestling with intellectual property on the internet

5th World Telecom Policy Forum – stepping stone to changes in the internet governance arena?

Time to take stock: twelve internet and jurisdiction trends in retrospect

Cloud-friendly regulation: The EU’s strategy towards emerging economies

Foreign clouds in the European sky: how US laws affect the privacy of Europeans

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