The FCC may join European regulators in at least looking more closely at Google’s dominant position in the Internet search market, in light of the agency’s new net neutrality rules, observers said in recent interviews. The FCC is intensifying its look at privacy issues, with a workshop Tuesday on broadband consumer privacy, to be opened by Chairman Tom Wheeler.

The FCC may join European regulators in at least looking more closely at Google’s dominant position in the Internet search market, in light of the agency’s new net neutrality rules, observers said in recent interviews. The FCC is intensifying its look at privacy issues, with a workshop Tuesday on broadband consumer privacy, to be opened by Chairman Tom Wheeler.

Privacy advocates are concerned about the commercial and private use of unmanned aircraft systems, said comments posted on the NTIA’s website Friday as a preliminary part of its multistakeholder process on privacy, transparency and accountability issues of drones. Comments were due Monday (see 1504200045). More than 50 individuals and organizations filed, including Amazon, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and TechFreedom. Though some backed stringent privacy guidelines to protect privacy, others said Americans are apprehensive when new technologies are introduced and strict rules shouldn't be written for drones because they may hamper innovation.

Privacy advocates are concerned about the commercial and private use of unmanned aircraft systems, said comments posted on the NTIA’s website Friday as a preliminary part of its multistakeholder process on privacy, transparency and accountability issues of drones. Comments were due Monday (see 1504200045). More than 50 individuals and organizations filed, including Amazon, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and TechFreedom. Though some backed stringent privacy guidelines to protect privacy, others said Americans are apprehensive when new technologies are introduced and strict rules shouldn't be written for drones because they may hamper innovation.

Tech populists oppose “certain technologies because they do not trust societal institutions to establish or enforce reasonable controls over their use,” said a paper released by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in conjunction with a Wednesday panel on “How Tech Populism is Undermining Innovation." As a result, tech policy debates are becoming increasingly likely to be shaped by angry, populist uprisings, as made evident by the submissions to the FCC about net neutrality and the blackout of popular websites in January 2012 in response to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the paper said. Policymakers and advocates should instead embrace “tech progressivism,” looking at innovation in terms of fact and reason, the paper said.

ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade’s dismissive rhetoric about the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority cross-community working group (CWG) points to the need for strong oversight of the transition by Congress, said Daniel Castro, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation vice president, in an op-ed for The Hill Tuesday. "There is no one today in the CWG who even understands how the functions work," Chehade said last month at a Domain Name Association event. "I sent my CTO David Conrad to explain to [the CWG] how the system works,” and “no one there even knew that he was talking about." Castro called the comments “disappointing” and said they “show that unless the Internet community, including the U.S. government, demands strong accountability reforms, the ICANN CEO is likely to dismiss these efforts out of hand.” “The greatest concern is that a future CEO or board might take ICANN in an undesirable direction,” said Castro. “‘Trust me’ is not a model for good governance on the Internet or anywhere else.” The CWG met in Istanbul last week to discuss its delayed names proposal (see 1503300057 and 1503170058). The CWG scheduled a 30-day public comment period of its draft proposal, which was originally slated for early April, beginning April 20. ICANN didn’t comment.

ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade’s dismissive rhetoric about the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority cross-community working group (CWG) points to the need for strong oversight of the transition by Congress, said Daniel Castro, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation vice president, in an op-ed for The Hill Tuesday. "There is no one today in the CWG who even understands how the functions work," Chehade said last month at a Domain Name Association event. "I sent my CTO David Conrad to explain to [the CWG] how the system works,” and “no one there even knew that he was talking about." Castro called the comments “disappointing” and said they “show that unless the Internet community, including the U.S. government, demands strong accountability reforms, the ICANN CEO is likely to dismiss these efforts out of hand.” “The greatest concern is that a future CEO or board might take ICANN in an undesirable direction,” said Castro. “‘Trust me’ is not a model for good governance on the Internet or anywhere else.” The CWG met in Istanbul last week to discuss its delayed names proposal (see 1503300057 and 1503170058). The CWG scheduled a 30-day public comment period of its draft proposal, which was originally slated for early April, beginning April 20. ICANN didn’t comment.