Free Republic

The Supreme Court faces the challenge of trying to manage the unmanageable on Tuesday when it hears a case that could drastically change the functioning of social media platforms. The case is Gonzalez v. Google and it deals with whether tech platforms can be legally liable for content posted, even from third parties. Social media giants have created a “wild west” atmosphere over the years, where tons of crazy and potentially dangerous material circulate in the “virtual marketplace of ideas.” Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, however, provides broad protections for these platforms from legal liability for the...

Everyone’s favorite self appointed world speech policeman, Mark Zuckerberg, recently took part in a long form sit down interview with leftist hack “journalist” George Stephanopoulos on ABC, where they talked about user’s privacy on Facebook, putting “strong data controls in place” for policing speech. Zuckerberg also complained that there’s too much free speech, especially “divisive” political speech, even suggesting that the FCC should regulate speech online.

"I believe we need a more active role for governments and regulators," he wrote. His call comes as US federal prosecutors are reportedly probing Facebook's data sharing deals with a number of large technology companies. The US Federal Trade Commission is said to be in talks with Facebook over a possible record fine. And European officials continue to scrutinize the company. Zuckerberg called for regulators to hold internet companies "accountable for enforcing standards on harmful content," an idea that has served as a point of contention in the United States and other countries where social media platforms have long been...

"One of the unintentional consequences of GDPR is the strengthening of the duopoly," said Gil Elbaz, a former Google executive who now runs the marketing firm Factual. "If Google continues to go unchecked, their dominance will be extreme." Google is still raking in marketing dollars from advertisers, propelling the online search giant to another strong quarter in the face of costly regulatory trouble in Europe. Parent company Alphabet reported second-quarter revenue, minus partner payouts, of $26.24 billion during the second quarter. Google's advertising business grew 24 percent. Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat said most of that came from mobile and...

Republican FCC Commissioner Slams ‘Obama’s 332-Page Plan To Regulate The Internet’ Republican FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai on Friday raised the first of many criticisms to come about FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s aggressive net neutrality plan distributed to commissioners Thursday, which Pai described as “President Obama’s 332-page plan to regulate the Internet.” In a statement released Friday, Pai lamented the fact that the 332-page plan, which he tweeted a picture of himself holding next to a picture of Obama, won’t be released to the public until after the commission votes on its implementation later this month.

After spending millions of dollars to help elect a Republican House and Senate, Capitol Hill sources report Las Vegas gambling mogul Sheldon Adelson received a private briefing with Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee in the second week of January. The meeting sends a strong signal that the billionaire, who is one of the most generous contributors to Republican candidates and campaigns—ever, will not retreat away from his desire to outlaw legal and regulated Internet gaming by the states. Sources familiar with Adelson's lobbying describe the meeting as both a strategy session and an update for the gambling mogul....

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, following a recent anti-piracy legislative debacle with SOPA and PIPA, will lead his second effort of 2012 to push Internet-regulating legislation, this time in the form of a new cybersecurity bill. The expected bill is the latest attempt by the Democrats to broadly expand the authority of executive branch agencies over the Internet. Details about the bill remain shrouded in secrecy. Clues available to the public suggest that the bill might be stronger than President Barack Obama’s cybersecurity proposal, which was released in May 2011. Reid said that he would bring the bill — expected...

(CNSNews.com) - Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, an Obama appointee, told CNSNews.com that the FCC does not want to regulate Internet content but it does want to regulate the Internet's “on/off ramps.” At the National Association of Broadcasters Service Awards on Monday, CNSNews.com asked Clyburn to what extent the federal government should regulate the Internet.

It was hardly noticed at the time, but its consequences could be catastrophic. Late last September, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which assigns internet domain names, approved a huge change in the way it operates. Europe and North America will now have five seats on its Board of Directors, instead of ten, and a new "Arab States" region will have five seats as well. How big a deal is this? ICANN at the same time took a reference to "terrorism" out of its Draft Applicant Guidebook. Why? Because Arab groups complained. And so now jihad terror...

"Net neutrality" rules must be implemented for content control while the government should quintuple federal funding for public and community broadcasting, Ben Scott, the State Department's recently appointed policy adviser for innovation, argues...The two were writing in the January/February 2009 edition of Tikkun Magazine, run by avowed Marxist Michael Lerner.... The two recommended the following policy implementations: *Restore the original mission of the Federal Communications Commission as a guardian of the public interest. The FCC must become a 21st-century agency focused on the digital media marketplace of ideas and commerce, with a commitment to public engagement, transparency, and accountability. *Support...

The Obama administration continues its relentless march toward a fully regulated and controlled economy, slowly but inexorably erasing the freedoms Americans have long held, piece by piece. The latest assault on our freedom comes in the form of internet regulations approved by the Federal Communications Commission, designed, they claim, to ensure “net neutrality.” “As we stand here now, the freedom and openness of the Internet are unprotected ... That will change once we vote to approve this strong and balanced order.” So intoned FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, posturing like a gallant knight riding to the defense of a fair maiden...

The socialist left gives lip service to freedom and equality but what they really mean by this is that they want complete government regulation of industry, the economy, and absolute control of the population. One of the surest ways to control the population is to control the information the population has access to. Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, and Mao knew this which is why they had complete and total control of the information the population had access to and this is what the FCC’s move is all about – CONTROL.

The Obama administration has formed a subcommittee drawn from various parts of the federal government to advise the White House on regulatory and legislative issues for the Web. The panel, which will focus on the Internet privacy, comes as consumer advocacy groups have complained that Internet users need more protection from social media, advertising and other sites that collect user information. A blog post last Sunday on the National Science and Technology Council Web site said the subcommittee will include members of several federal agencies, such as the Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security and State departments. Cameron Kerry, general counsel at...

Complete title: FCC Moves to Regulate Internet--Even Though the Law Calls for Internet to be 'Unfettered by Federal or State Regulation' (CNSNews.com) – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted on Thursday to begin the formal process of bringing the Internet under greater federal control – a move sought by both President Barack Obama and FCC Chairnman Julius Genachowski--even though federal law calls for an Internet "unfettered by Federal or State regulation." This step comes after the federal D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in April rebuked the FCC in its attempt to enforce a controversial regulatory doctrine called Net Neutrality, which  would allow the government...

WATCH VIDEO (1:43)chuckdevore.com - Nobody is really sure what Carly Fiorina really stands for. In the past year she has supported the bailout parts of the stimulus, cap and tax, and other liberal policies proposed by President Obama and Barbara Boxer. Can we really trust Carly on these issues?

There was a time, not so long ago, when the term "Internet Freedom" actually meant what it implied: a cyberspace free from over-zealous legislators and bureaucrats.... Those days are now gone; the presumption of online liberty is giving way to a presumption of regulation. A massive assault on real Internet freedom has been gathering steam for years and has finally come to a head. Ironically, victory for those who carry the banner of "Internet Freedom" would mean nothing less than the death of that freedom.... Here is the reality: Because of the steps being taken in Washington right now, real...

The House Democrats' $825 billion legislation released on Thursday was supposedly intended to "stimulate" the economy. Backers claimed that speedy approval was vital because the nation is in "a crisis not seen since the Great Depression" and "the economy is shutting down." That's the rhetoric. But in reality, Democrats are using the 258-page legislation to sneak Net neutrality rules in through the back door. The so-called stimulus package hands out billions of dollars in grants for broadband and wireless development, primarily in what are called "unserved" and "underserved" areas. The U.S. Department of Commerce is charged with writing checks-with-many-zeros-on-them to...

Beltway Fever has infected the national leaders of the Christian Coalition, and the latest bout of illness has them standing with the ACLU, MoveOn.org, U.S. PIRG, SEIU and the Progressive Democrats of America in support of Net neutrality regulation. Sadly, this is not the first time leadership at the Christian Coalition of America has sided with the forces of big government and against good sense and the rest of the conservative movement. In 2003, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley--also my friend and former House colleague--attempted to pass a voter referendum to broadly raise state taxes. The usual suspects--public employee unions and...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Press Office 202-863-8614 WASHINGTON – The RNC today submitted comments to the Federal Election Commission regarding the Commission's Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking on Internet Communications."The RNC strongly supports a view of the Internet as an open public square where political ideas may be exchanged freely, without burdensome federal oversight or regulation that potentially discourages the use of the Internet in the political arena," RNC Chief Counsel Tom Josefiak said.Among the RNC's suggestions is that many, if not all, bloggers should be included under the FEC's media exemption rules.To view a complete copy of the RNC's comments...

Captain's Quarters has really stirred up the Canadian blogosphere by carrying details of court testimony on a governmental scandal that is banned from publication in the Great White North. The scandal is about the use of Canadian government money, laundered through a private ad agency, to hire Liberal Party hacks, and is so serious it may catapault the Canadian conservatives into power. This incident marks one more step by the blogosphere into the realm of news generation as opposed to mere commentary. Captain Ed is well aware of this and adds the uncustomary (for a blog) disclaimer: Thanks to a...