The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security will now consider approval for U.S. telecom exports to Sudan on a case-by-case basis, rather than keeping in place the agency’s previous policy of denial for such exports, it said in a final rule in Wednesday's Federal Register. BIS also will expand the consumer communications devices (CDD) license exception for U.S. telecom exports to the Sudanese private sector, it said. The CCD license exception, authorized in 2009 but restricted to exports to Cuba, covers shipments to Sudan starting Wednesday. Most of the items covered under the CCD don’t require licenses for export to most countries, BIS said in the final rule. BIS published this rule alongside a concurrent Treasury Department rule. Treasury's decision on the export of hardware and software “incident to personal communications” to Sudan comes "after years of campaigning from Sudanese and international activists," Electronic Frontier Foundation Director-International Freedom of Expression Jillian York wrote on EFF's blog Wednesday. "The sanctions restrict the export of everything from MOOCs [massive open online courses] to mobile phones, harming innovation, access to information, and development. For a country like Sudan, where the number of Internet users has grown from around 400,000 to more than 8 million in less than a decade, the forthcoming influx of technology can mean a world of difference for average consumers."
Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced a bill Thursday to quadruple the duty-free de minimis level for U.S. imports to $800, from $200. The de minimis is the threshold on which goods are able to enter the U.S. duty-free. Both lawmakers tried but failed to advance the Low Value Shipment Regulatory Modernization Act last Congress. The measure would be a particular boost to small businesses and the digital trade world, both lawmakers said in statements. “Current import policies on low-value shipments are outdated and need to be modernized for the benefit of American consumers and for small businesses, which increasingly use the Internet to access global markets,” Thune said. “Goods shipped to American consumers should be treated the same way as goods carried on a plane to the United States by American travelers.” In recent years, Congress raised the de minimis to $800 for most circumstances where U.S. citizens are returning from abroad. The increased level would take effect in 2016. The bill also calls on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to try to raise de minimis levels in trade negotiations. Many lawmakers on Capitol Hill support that goal, as do industry representatives.
Language in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement “poses massive threats to users in a dizzying number of ways,” said Electronic Frontier Foundation Global Policy Analyst Maira Sutton in a blog post Thursday. All nations that sign the TPP will have to “accept the United States’ excessive copyright terms,” she said, as the U.S. exports “bad rules to other nations.” The broad definition of what constitutes a criminal violation of copyright could result in people being convicted of a crime for even noncommercial activities, Sutton said. “Fans who distribute subtitles to foreign movies or anime, or archivists and librarians who preserve and upload old books, videos, games, or music, could go to jail or face huge fines for their work,” she said. “Someone who makes a remix film and puts it online could be under threat.” The TPP also contains digital rights management “anti-circumvention provisions that will make it a crime to tinker with, hack, re-sell, preserve, and otherwise control any number of digital files and devices that you own,” according to the latest leak of the TPP in May 2014, Sutton said. The TPP encourages “ISPs to monitor and police their users likely leading to more censorship measures such as the blockage and filtering of content online in the name of copyright enforcement,” Sutton said. “TPP negotiators have already agreed to more vague provisions that would oblige countries to enact prison sentences and monetary fines that are ‘sufficiently high’ to deter people from infringing again.” Another concern is that law enforcement would be encouraged to seize laptops, servers or domain names. “These excessive criminal copyright rules are what we get when Big Content has access to powerful, secretive rule-making institutions,” which is “yet another reason why we need to stop the TPP,” Sutton said.
“Take Action Now -- Help Avoid a Full West Coast Ports Shutdown,” headlines a grassroots letter campaign launched Thursday warning that West Coast ports have “been temporarily shut down through Monday.” CEA fears “a full shutdown is possible after that if West Coast labor negotiations collapse between dockworkers and port terminal operators,” it said. “If this occurs, U.S. trade will immediately suffer.” CEA estimates a ports shutdown “could cost the U.S. economy $2 billion a day, impacting a range of goods we rely on -- agriculture, manufacturing, retail and transportation,” it said. “Congress and the White House must urge these groups to stay at the negotiating table. Tell the President and your members of Congress to get involved -- a possible shutdown will hurt American businesses, middle-class workers and the economy."
Eight tech associations, including CEA, sent a letter to congressional leaders Thursday, calling for passage of Trade Promotion Authority. Others signing the letter were BSA/The Software Alliance, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Internet Association, the Semiconductor Industry Association, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and TechNet. “We need a gold standard framework for global trade that is reflective of today’s digital economy and the growing importance of the technology and Internet sectors,” the said. That requires TPA’s passage, it said. The Internet Association has pushed for copyright limitations and exceptions within TPA, which some believe could be a nonstarter for Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah (see 1501290054 and 1501300038). In their letter, the eight tech groups said that "when it comes to writing the rules for the future, we cannot be idle." The global economy "is quickly and inevitably moving forward, so we cannot let our trade priorities and our economy remain in the 20th century," they said. Any gold standard framework for global trade needs to be "reflective of today’s digital economy and the growing importance of the technology and Internet sectors," they said. "The first step for accomplishing this is to pass an updated TPA bill that recognizes the realities of the 21st century economy and provides guidance to negotiators on achieving this modern trade framework. The second step is to evaluate each trade deal on its individual merits and whether it reflects America's trade priorities. We urge Congress to swiftly pass updated TPA legislation to support the almost 40 million American jobs supported by trade and ensure that our trade policy is ready for the 21st century."
Canada’s broadband companies and third-party video streaming services are competing with over-the-top programming, a Moody’s Investors Service report said. Canadian TV distributors can use traditional channels, the Internet and subscription options to “counter some of the competition from Internet-based programming,” Moody’s said Wednesday. Broadband companies will survive the competition because “most of Canada’s television broadcasters are owned by its broadband companies, which also own the country’s television distributors,” it said. Advertising will continue supporting TV programming, it said.
Cubans with Internet connections and access to international payment methods can now subscribe to Netflix to view a “curated selection” of movies and TV shows for $7.99 a month, the over-the-top provider said Monday. Among the programs available to Cuban subscribers are House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, Marco Polo, kids’ shows All Hail King Julien and The Adventures of Puss in Boots and documentaries including Virunga and The Square, said Netflix. In a statement, CEO Reed Hastings said of the Cuban market: “One day we hope to be able to bring their work to our global audience.” Netflix didn’t immediately respond to questions about other specific content availability to the Cuban market or estimated market size.
Suggestions on when a European Union citizen has the right to be forgotten were made in a report by the Advisory Council to Google Friday. Google asked the independent experts on the council to voluntarily advise the search engine giant “on performing the balancing act between an individual’s right to privacy and the public’s interest in access to information,” the report said. Last year, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in Google Spain vs. Agencia Española de Protección de Datos and Mario Costeja Gonzalez that Google must remove links that are “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or excessive,” when an individual’s name is searched. Google is not required to remove search results if there is an overriding public interest in them “for particular reasons, such as the role played by the data subject in public life,” the report said. While individuals have rights to privacy and data protection, there are also rights to freedom of expression and access to information, the report said. Given that links no longer appear in search results under the law, but the content still exists on the Internet, the council used the term “delisting” instead of right to be forgotten. John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project director, in a news release, called the report a “self-serving publicity stunt,” since the delisting applies only to European Internet domains, not all Google Internet domains, including Google.com. Delisting “merely gives people some control over access to irrelevant information about them from the past,” he said. Simpson encouraged Google to adapt the delisting policy for those in the U.S., saying “Americans deserve the same right to be forgotten.” Google has removed about 40 percent -- 257,973 -- of the links that individuals requested be delisted, said a Google Transparency Report updated Friday. A rape victim in Germany, for example, asked that a link to a newspaper article about the crime be removed. About 60 percent of requests to remove links have been denied, said the transparency report, such as an Italian man who wanted 20 links to articles discussing his arrest for financial crimes committed in a professional capacity removed. Five of the eight members of the Google Advisory Council dissented to parts of the report. Google didn't comment.
Chinese E-Commerce marketplace DHgate announced integration with e-commerce platform Shopify, which gives buyers the chance to buy and manage shipping from major Chinese manufacturers directly through Shopify at discounts of 20-30 percent. The arrangement enables Shopify buyers to “effectively source products,” said Noah Herschman, DHgate chief operating officer, and gives them access to low minimum orders and “fast, affordable shipping.”
Turkey satellite operator Turksat will use Hughes Network Systems' Jupiter high-throughput satellite ground system to enhance Turksat services in Turkey and surrounding countries in Europe and the Middle East, Hughes Europe said in a news release Tuesday. Turksat will provide high-speed Ka-band satellite services with the Jupiter ground system after it launches the Turksat 4B satellite, scheduled for early next year, Hughes said.