Tuesday 31 January 2017

What will Snap's IPO tell us about the Snapchat producer? — Quartz

What will Snap's IPO tell us about the Snapchat producer? — Quartz: "It’s been reported that the company planned for revenue between $300 million and $350 million in 2016, which would put it at about 0.05% of what Facebook generated last quarter.

Look for the filing to provide some information on where Snap’s revenue comes from, and the split between its advertising business—the video ads it sells that run between Snapchat stories, as well as the sponsored graphics and filters it sells for users to overlay on their snaps—and any other sources of income, such as Spectacles. Few advertising partners are spending large portions of their advertising budgets on Snapchat as of yet, according to Mashable, with many just spending “hundreds of thousands of dollars”—rather than the millions spent on Google, Facebook, and traditional advertising channels.

Although its IPO would value the company (paywall) at about $25 billion, Snap is likely not pulling in a lot of cash right now. " 'via Blog this'

Monday 30 January 2017

Digital Economy Bill: Gov’t seeks to bypass EU law with porn-blocking filters | Ars Technica UK

Digital Economy Bill: Gov’t seeks to bypass EU law with porn-blocking filters | Ars Technica UK: "Nonetheless, from the moment the Digital Economy Bill landed in the Palace of Westminster there has been uncertainty about the government's plans for a workaround to that directive. In November, digital minister Matt Hancock told MPs—who went on to pass the proposed law largely unchallenged—that an amendment would be added "in the other place to the effect that providers may offer these filters to put the issue beyond doubt.

This week, that desired amendment was finally tabled by the government." 'via Blog this'

Wednesday 11 January 2017

Nominet: Policy Committee Members Biographies

View our Policy Committee Members Biographies: "A .UK Policy Stakeholder Committee has been set up to support and enable the policy process. Members of the Committee bring a range of experience representing a range of interests and will help in engaging stakeholders in the process." 'via Blog this'

Big UK ISPs to Send First Internet Piracy Warning Letters this Month - ISPreview UK

Big UK ISPs to Send First Internet Piracy Warning Letters this Month - ISPreview UK: "As part of this the ISPs have agreed to adopt a Voluntary Copyright Alert Programme (VCAP), which aims to “send millions of educational notices” to those detected by copyright owners as infringing their content via “unlawful” Peer-to-Peer (P2P) File-Sharing (e.g. BitTorrent) networks (these networks will often expose your IP address to the public Internet and Rights Holders can spot that).

 Unlike the bullying letters sent by dubious copyright protection firms (aka – “speculative invoicing“), the “alerts” issued by this new system will NOT contain any threats or demands for money and should only act as a tool for educating customers about the legal alternatives (Netflix and Spotify etc.). The idea is to discourage future infringement, as opposed to punishment." 'via Blog this'

Thursday 5 January 2017

How To Write A Takedown Request Without Running Afoul of the Streisand Effect | Popehat

How To Write A Takedown Request Without Running Afoul of the Streisand Effect | Popehat: "No, Your Takedown Demand Is Not Copyrighted: Don't try to pull that ridiculous "I demand that you take down your post, and I demand that you not print this demand letter, because it is copyrighted." That's just stupid. Really, really stupid. That's begging for it to go full Streisand.

 I would sum up all of these points like this: when considering a takedown demand, take a "first do no harm" attitude. Make sure you understand what you're doing, and ask for help. Learn from the mistakes of the infamous." 'via Blog this'

Tuesday 3 January 2017

Cyberleagle: The Investigatory Powers Act - swan or turkey?

Cyberleagle: The Investigatory Powers Act - swan or turkey?: "Over 300 pages make up what then Prime Minister David Cameron described as the most important Bill of the last Parliament.

When it comes into force the IP Act will replace much of RIPA (the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000), described by David Anderson Q.C.’s report A Question of Trust as ‘incomprehensible to all but a tiny band of initiates’. It will also supersede a batch of non-RIPA powers that had been exercised in secret over many years - some, so the Investigatory Powers Tribunal has found, on the basis of an insufficiently clear legal framework. 


None of this would have occurred but for the 2013 Snowden revelations of the scale of GCHQ’s use of bulk interception powers. Two years post-Snowden the government was still acknowledging previously unknown (except to those in the know) uses of opaque statutory powers. 


Three Reviews and several Parliamentary Committees later, it remains a matter of opinion whether the thousands of hours of labour that went into the Act have brought forth a swan or a turkey." 'via Blog this'