FTC: We’re getting tough on native ads (Media Life Magazine)
Back in the print era they were called advertorials, and they were not a big thing, pages in a magazine that sort of looked like editorial but were really extended ads, running several pages. Readers typically were not fooled. As a rule, advertorials were clearly labeled as advertising.
Authors Guild Takes Google Books Challenge to Supreme Court (Authors Guild)
The Authors Guild has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the organization’s decade-long challenge to Google’s Books program, which the guild says violates copyright law by making money for the online-search giant without providing any compensation to the books’ authors.
Hacking the Internet of Things looms over CES (USA Today)
The Internet of Things looms large at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, with a host of products and devices wired to send and receive information. They include connected LED systems that sent messages to store managers about which displays customers are lingering in front of.
Group says BBC website hack was a test for attack on ISIS (Mashable)
A group called New World Hacking has claimed responsibility for an attack that brought down the BBC’s website for several hours on Thursday. The group says it goes after ISIS online activity, but carried out the BBC attack to test its capabilities. A BBC source said it was a “distributed denial of service” (DDOS) attack.
Piracy Group Behind ‘Hateful Eight’ Leak Releases Apology (Hollywood Reporter)
The piracy group behind the leaked version of The Hateful Eight, Spectre, The Big Short and other recent films say they are “sorry.” Hive-CM8 has spoken out on why they decided to leak such awards contenders and how uploading the pics online weeks before their official release “hopefully” helps the film industry.
Here’s what you can no longer say on Twitter (Washington Post)
In an attempt to limit harassment of its users, Twitter is changing the rules for what you are allowed to tweet. The announcement of these changes is the latest in a series of attempts by the social-media powerhouse to fix its dismal reputation for dealing with harassment.
Poland’s new government cracks down on state media (FT)
Poland’s new rightwing nationalist government is seeking to rush new legislation through parliament that would give it comprehensive control over the country’s public broadcasters, in what critics view as the latest bid by the new administration to consolidate its power.
Digital divide widens as the Web adopts stronger encryption standard (CS Monitor)
Because the switch to a newer encryption algorithm means older phones won’t be able to use basic Web security measures, many in the developing world will be at greater risk from criminals and online surveillance.
Fate Of OTA TV Hangs In The Balance In 2016 (TV News Check- Commentary)
This is the year in which policymakers and broadcasters will decide whether over-the-air broadcast TV is worth preserving. The decision will come in the way they conduct themselves in the repacking of the TV band that will follow the incentive auction this spring and how far they go in embracing the next-generation broadcast TV.
Nielsen Dumps Diaries In Biggest Markets (Media Post)
Demographic data reported by Nielsen in all but the top 25 TV markets will be unaccredited. The move follows Nielsen’s decision to drop paper diaries — a nearly century-old measurement method — for estimating the demographic composition of audiences in its “set-metered” market ratings and to begin using new methods.
CES To Focus On Tech Industry Innovations (LA Times)
This year’s CES is slated to be the biggest ever, taking up more than 2.4 million square feet of exhibit space, about a 7% increase from a year earlier, when it officially kicks off Wednesday after two days of media previews. There will be less emphasis on the typical CES electronics like televisions, tablets and smartphones.
Content Tax Makes German iPhones, iPads (A Little) More Expensive (Recode)
Apple has raised prices on its iPhones by 5 euros ($5.43) and its iPads by 7 euros ($7.60) because of a new tax designed to distribute funds to German content-makers. Apple confirmed the price hike to the AP today, and MacRumors flagged the increase a couple of days ago.
How ‘Do Not Track’ Ended Up Going Nowhere (Recode)
Back in 2010, the FTC pledged to give Internet users the power to determine if or when websites were allowed to track their behavior. With just a few clicks, the FTC’s Do Not Track initiative promised to let consumers opt out of having any of their online data hoovered up by just about anyone on the Internet.