policy

Quebec sued for not considering open source. Why this is bad policy

Facil, a Quebec-based open-source organization, has sued the Quebec provincial government for buying Microsoft software without considering open-source software, as CBC reports. The problem, it seems, is that Quebec has an "open markets" policy that it is supposed to follow. In practice, however, the Quebec government IT buyers have been shoveling money into Microsoft and other proprietary vendors without any real consideration for open source:

In [the lawsuit], the group says the provincial government has refused to entertain competing bids from all software providers, opting instead to supply public-sector departments with products bought from proprietary vendors such as … Read more

Yahoo lets users opt out of targeted advertising

In response to a Congressional inquiry about targeted advertising, Yahoo announced Friday that consumers will be able to opt out of customized advertising on Yahoo.com.

The news comes one day after Google announced the addition of DoubleClick ad tracking across its sites with an opt-out capability for users.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on August 1 sent a letter to 34 companies about concerns that privacy protections already in place for consumers may not be applicable to customized advertising. The letter asked the companies to respond to 10 questions about their targeted ad policies, including, "If your … Read more

"A Better World by Design" summons change agents from various sectors

" A Better World by Design" is a first-of-its-kind conference on "globally conscious design," as the organizers call it. Held at Brown University/RISD from November 7-9, it aims to generate innovative solutions to issues facing today's world, including extreme poverty, access to basic resources, and environmental degradation.

The conference wants to attract academics and professionals interested in learning and discussing ways in which user-centric and affordable technology can improve the world around us. It will bring together such far-ranging fields as social entrepreneurship, engineering, design, economics, development, and environmental studies in search of new opportunities … Read more

U.S. lifts block on solar applications for public land

Companies seeking to install utility-scale solar plants on federal land in the sunny Southwest found one barrier removed on Wednesday.

The federal Bureau of Land Management reversed an earlier decision to turn away new applications for solar energy projects on public lands until May 2010.

The agency is scrutinizing the potential ecological impact of solar farms in California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

It had announced that it would stop reviewing new proposals, but would continue to process some 125 plans it had already received. Public rejection to that plan reportedly influenced Wednesday's decision.

"By continuing … Read more

Reports suggest China may have blocked access to Facebook

(Updated at 10:45 p.m. PDT with ping information from CNET China, and at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday with further information.)

Rumors began to surface late on Tuesday that Facebook could no longer get past the Great Firewall of China.

The company has acknowledged the situation but could not confirm a reason why. "We are disappointed to learn of reports that users in China are having difficulty getting access to Facebook," representatives from the social network said in a statement. "We have not made any changes to our site that would create access problems … Read more

New group makes broadband a national priority

NEW YORK--Federal Communications Commission commissioner Jonathan Adelstein joined tech policy pundits, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists Tuesday to launch a new initiative aimed at making broadband a priority in the U.S.

The group, which calls itself InternetforEveryone.org, officially launched at Free Press' Personal Democracy Forum here. The main purpose of the new initiative is to help organize public support for a national broadband policy.

Prominent figures in the tech world, including Google Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf, as well as law professors Larry Lessig of Stanford and Tim Wu of Columbia were on hand with Brad Burnham of the … Read more

McCain proposes $300 million car battery contest

Presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain on Monday proposed a $300 million prize to develop a car battery that will "leapfrog" today's plug-in hybrids.

In an energy policy speech at Fresno State University in California, McCain also called for an overhaul to existing policies that favor domestic ethanol production--one of the biggest differences he has with his expected opponent, Senator Barack Obama.

McCain said that, if elected, his administration would issue a Clean Car Challenge that would give give a $5,000 tax credit to people who purchase "zero-emissions cars."

There would be a sliding … Read more

Should governments legislate open source?

Last week there was a minor ruckus over Jason Matusow's suggestion that governments should not legislate IT policy, whether for or against open-source software. He wrote:

I think technology mandates are not good policy in any country....Technology providers want their current and future technologies considered on the merits of the technology and the value those technologies bring to those who choose to consume it. If a government mandates a specific technology and/or class of technologies, they are unnecessarily restricting their own choices. Inevitably statue moves more slowly than technology, and mandates subsequently lead to sub-optimal choices.

Jason's perspective is actually one that I've shared, but my viewpoint has been changing. A recent article by Jack and Suzy Welch actually pushed my thinking more than the "mandate" debate did.

In the article, the Welchs discuss how to help local businesses compete locally, and deride the practice in some countries of propping up local companies against outside competition:… Read more

'Carbon Belch Day' promotes un-green actions

Smoke cigars, do a partial load of laundry, drink bottled water, and feel no shame. That's what a campaign against a carbon trading bill is urging.

The latest parody of the proliferation of "green" social-networking sites and eco-friendly events comes via "Carbon Belch Day," a campaign from the conservative Grassfire.org alliance that encourages people to pollute as much as possible on June 12.

So far, more than 140,000 people have signed a petition against "climate alarmism," according to Ron De Jong, spokesman for Grassfire.org. If the effort attracts half a … Read more

Report sees 'Hate 2.0' on the rise

No, we're not talking about vile blog commenters. A Jewish human rights group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, released a report last week that says online terror and hate is on the rise, particularly on social-media sites.

According to a briefing detailed by The New York Times' Brad Stone, the Wiesenthal Center flagged about 8,000 "problematic" sites on the Web pertaining to terrorism and hate, a 30 percent increase from last year.

In addition to religious terror groups, the sites identified also pertain to anti-Semitic, racist, xenophobic, and various anti-religion and anti-government sentiments. And social media is … Read more