The parents of Maya, a three-year-old girl with speech problems, thought they found a solution with a tablet app called Speak for Yourself. Now a patent infringement lawsuit could put an end to it.
Policy & Law
The Case Against Letting the U.N. Govern the Internet
All this year, and culminating in December at the World Conference on International Telecommunications in Dubai, the nations of the world will be negotiating a treaty to govern international telecommunications services between …
FBI Hacked While Congress Ponders Cybersecurity Legislation
At a rare open hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last week, FBI Director Robert Mueller testified that threats from cyber-espionage and cyber-attacks will surpass terrorism as the number one threat facing the …
What Europe’s ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ Has in Common with SOPA
In George Orwell’s 1984, the Ministry of Truth employs a “memory hole” to eliminate inconvenient facts. If a previously published photo or record later proves to be embarrassing for the government, it is thrown down the …
Why We Won’t See Many Protests like the SOPA Blackout
The SOPA blackout protest last week was an unprecedented event. Its massive success — with dozens of members of Congress switching their stance in one day under the withering intensity of thousands of phone calls — surprised …
Why Google’s Biggest Problem with ‘Search Plus Your World’ Isn’t Antitrust
Last week Google lit up the blogosphere with controversy when it introduced tighter integration between its Google+ social network and its organic search results. The main charge is that the new service – called Google Search …
At the Top of Congress’ New Year Agenda? Regulate the Net
When Congress gaveled for the year in December, opponents of two Internet-censoring piracy bills cheered. Their efforts seemed to have blocked the legislation’s movement. But when Congress comes back later this month, it …
First Privacy, Now Censorship: Will Twitter Continue to Stand Up for Its Users’ Rights?
You may not like its latest redesign, but Twitter deserves praise for how it stands up for its users’ rights. In the face of legal pressure last year, Twitter fought for user privacy. This year, its new challenge will be …
Should We Ban Apple’s Siri While Driving?
Look out, Siri. Federal regulators have you in their sights.
Last week the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) issued a recommendation that state governments ban hands-free, as well as hands-on, mobile device use …
Face Recognition Technology Comes to Malls and Nightclubs
The privacy concerns around the tracking of consumers and targeted advertising online may be coming to the physical world.
At a Federal Trade Commission workshop about the privacy implications of face recognition on Thursday, …
The Case Against More Wireless Spectrum for First Responders
Last month’s failure of the congressional “Supercommittee” to reach agreement was bad news not just for deficit reduction, but for mobile broadband as well. The committee had been considering auctioning broadcast TV …
Hackers Blow Up Illinois Water Utility…or Not
Earlier this month hackers accessed the control system of a water utility in Springfield, Illinois via a Russian IP address and caused a water pump to malfunction and eventually fail, according to reports. This would have been …