Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Sapna Maheshwari

Congress Passed a Bill That Could Ban TikTok

Grace Tepper — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 18:34:50 +0000

A bill that would force a sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner, ByteDance—or ban it outright—was passed by the Senate on April 23 and signed into law April 24 by President Joe Biden. Now the process is likely to get even more complicated. Congress passed the measure citing national security concerns because of TikTok’s Chinese ties. Both lawmakers and security experts have said there are risks that the Chinese government could lean on ByteDance for access to sensitive data belonging to its 170 million U.S. users or to spread propaganda. The law would allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States if ByteDance sold it within 270 days, or about nine months, a time frame that the president could extend to a year. The measure is likely to face legal challenges, as well as possible resistance from Beijing, which could block the sale or export of the technology. It’s also unclear who has the resources to buy TikTok, since it will carry a hefty price tag. The issue could take months or even years to settle, during which the app would probably continue to function for U.S. consumers.

Benton Content:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/23/technology/tiktok-ban-bill-congress.html

Teaser:

A bill that would force a sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner, ByteDance — or ban it outright — has been signed into U.S. law.

Source:

New York Times

Author:

Sapna Maheshwari

David McCabe

Send date:

Thu, 04/25/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/24/2024

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

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Publish Date:

Wed, 04/24/2024

Coverage Type:

Reporting

Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare

Digital Content

Government & Communications

Sens Markey, Bluemnthal Call for Investigation of Smart TV Industry Over Privacy Concerns

Robbie McBeath — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 22:36:52 +0000

Sens Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Bluemthal (D-CT) have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the business practices of smart-television manufacturers amid worries that companies are tracking consumers’ viewing behavior without their knowledge.

In a letter to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons, the Sens said they were concerned about “consumer privacy issues raised by the proliferation of smart-TV technology.” Companies are using new tools to identify and log what people are watching as part of an effort to profile consumers and direct ads to other devices in their homes. The letter cited a New York Times article, published the week of July 2, that detailed the practices of Samba TV, a San Francisco software company. Privacy advocates have criticized the company for not being transparent with consumers when it seeks permission to track their viewing on internet-connected TVs to sell ads. “Regrettably,” the senators wrote, “smart-TV users may not be aware of the extent to which their televisions are collecting sensitive information about their viewing habits.” The letter went on to argue that Samba TV “does not provide sufficient information about its privacy practices to ensure users can make truly informed decisions.”

Benton Content:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/business/media/senators-smart-tv-investigatio…

Teaser:

Sens Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Bluemthal (D-CT) have asked the FTC to investigate the business practices of smart-television manufacturers amid worries that companies are tracking consumers’ viewing behavior without their knowledge.

Source:

New York Times

Author:

Sapna Maheshwari

Priority:

Medium

Send date:

Fri, 07/13/2018

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 7/12/2018

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

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Publish Date:

Thu, 07/12/2018

Coverage Type:

Reporting

Digital Content

Online privacy

YouTube Is Improperly Collecting Children’s Data, Consumer Groups Say

benton — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 13:45:47 +0000

A coalition of more than 20 consumer advocacy groups is expected to file a complaint with federal officials claiming that YouTube has been violating a children’s privacy law. The complaint contends that YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, has been collecting and profiting from the personal information of young children on its main site, although the company says the platform is meant only for users 13 and older. The coalition of consumer groups said YouTube failed to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a federal law that requires companies to obtain consent from parents before collecting data on children younger than 13. The groups are asking for an investigation and penalties from the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces the law.

Benton Content:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/09/business/media/youtube-kids-ftc-complaint.htm…

Teaser:

A coalition of more than 20 consumer advocacy groups is expected to file a complaint with federal officials on Monday claiming that YouTube has been violating a children’s privacy law.

Source:

New York Times

Author:

Sapna Maheshwari

Send date:

Tue, 04/10/2018

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/9/2018

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Not Available

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Publish Date:

Mon, 04/09/2018

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Media Organizations Grapple With the New Facebook

benton — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 12:37:18 +0000

Over the next few months, with the implementation of a revised strategy, Facebook’s two billion users will see less content produced by news organizations and more from their friends, if all goes according to the company’s plan. So what does that mean for the media companies that have come to depend on the social media giant to drive readers to the articles and videos they create? As part of the shift, Facebook pages run by publishers and businesses may see a reduction in the number of people they reach and site visits, he wrote. The numbers will vary based on factors including “the type of content they produce and how people interact with it,” said Adam Mosseri, the head of Facebook’s News Feed. For media companies, a reliance on the company as a driver of traffic has proved an unreliable business model, given that it can change what it prioritizes in its News Feed at any time. Facebook’s battle against clickbait, for instance, sent click-dependent publishers like Upworthy into a tailspin several years ago.

Benton Content:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/business/media/facebook-news-feed-media.html

Teaser:

Source:

New York Times

Author:

Sydney Ember

Sapna Maheshwari

Send date:

Fri, 01/12/2018

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 1/11/2018

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

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Publish Date:

Fri, 01/12/2018

Coverage Type:

Reporting

Digital Content

Internet/Broadband

For Marketers, TV Sets Are an Invaluable Pair of Eyes

benton — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 21:40:55 +0000

TVision — which has worked with the Weather Channel, NBC and the Disney ABC Television Group — is one of several companies that have entered living rooms in recent years, emerging with new, granular ways for marketers to understand how people are watching television and, in particular, commercials.

The appeal of this information has soared as Americans rapidly change their viewing habits, streaming an increasing number of shows weeks or months after they first air, on devices as varied as smartphones, laptops and Roku boxes, not to mention TVs. Through the installation of a Microsoft Kinect device, normally used for Xbox video games, on top of participants’ TVs, TVision tracks the movement of people’s eyes in relation to the television. The device’s sensors can record minute shifts for all the people in the room. The company then matches those viewing patterns to shows and commercials using technology that listens to what is being broadcast on the TV. “The big thing for TV advertisers and the networks is: Are you actually looking at the screen or not?” said Dan Schiffman, the chief revenue officer of TVision. “What you looked at is interesting, but the fact that you looked away is arguably the most interesting.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/business/media/tv-viewers-tracking-tools.html

Source:

New York Times

Author:

Sapna Maheshwari

Send date:

Mon, 02/27/2017

Publish Date:

Sun, 02/26/2017

Coverage Type:

Lauren Frayer