Information Policy

AM PT Now English social media users know the line between ‘troll’ and ‘criminal’

By David Meyer

The UK’s director of public prosecutions has published provisional social media guidelines for the country’s police and courts, reminding them that there’s a difference between bad taste and serious threats.

Standing up for Internet freedom, in Israel and the world

By David Shamah

Israel sided with the US — and 54 other countries — against changes to an international treaty that, some fear, could limit private use of the Internet and provide a basis for regimes to prevent their citizens from freely accessing and posting material on the Internet. The World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai last week ended with ratification of the treaty that encourages governments to take an active role to “foster an enabling environment for the greater growth of the Internet.” The changes to the treaty were approved by 89 countries.

Internet advertising revenue hits $9.2 billion in Q3 2012

Advertisers spent $9.26 billion on Internet ads during the third quarter of 2012, according to a report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. That's the most spent in a single quarter, according to the bureau's records. The IAB is a group of media and technology companies that sell 86 percent of online ads in the U.S. This latest revenue figure reflects a 6 percent increase from last quarter and a 18 percent increase from last year. The executives at IAB said the increase is a reflection of how effective online advertising is for marketers.

http://www.ejc.net/media_news/internet_advertising_revenue_hits_9.2_billion_in_q3_2012/

EU Cookie Yawn

eConsultancy describes an "activity update" from the EU Information Commissioner's Office, regarding complaints & enforcement of the controversial ePrivacy directive (a.k.a. the EU cookie law). "Six months after the enforcement 'deadline', it seems that the cookie apocalypse hasn't transpired, but the ICO has felt the need to write to 174 companies about their cookie policies," Total complaints from web users number about 550. For perspective, 53,000 have reported unwanted marketing, so cookie infractions (and user concerns about them) are a tiny blip on the radar

http://econsultancy.com/by/blog/11373-eu-cookie-law-ico-has-received-just-550-complaints

Instagram tests new limits in user privacy

Instagram, which spurred suspicions this week that it would sell user photos after revising its terms of service, has sparked renewed debate about how much control over personal data users must give up to live and participate in a world steeped in social media. In forcefully establishing a new set of usage terms, Instagram, the massively popular photo-sharing service owned by Facebook Inc, has claimed some rights that have been practically unheard of among its prominent social media peers, legal experts and consumer advocates say. Users who decline to accept Instagram's new privacy policy have one month to delete their accounts, or they will be bound by the new terms. Another clause appears to waive the rights of minors on the service. And in the wake of a class-action settlement involving Facebook and privacy issues, Instagram has added terms to shield itself from similar litigation. All told, the revised terms reflect a new, draconian grip over user rights, experts say. Instagram's new policies, which go into effect January 16, lay the groundwork for the company to begin generating advertising revenue by giving marketers the right to display profile pictures and other personal information such as who users follow in advertisements. The new terms, which allow an advertiser to pay Instagram "to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata)" without compensation, triggered an outburst of complaints on the Web on Tuesday from users upset that Instagram would make money from their uploaded content. The uproar prompted a lengthy blog post from the company to "clarify" the changes, with CEO Kevin Systrom saying the company had no current plans to incorporate photos taken by users into ads.

http://www.ejc.net/media_news/instagram_tests_new_limits_in_user_privacy/