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DuckDuckGo coming back online in India following country-wide block
The ban might have been accidental fallout from the Chinese app block
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Following the Indian ban of almost 60 Chinese apps including TikTok and Weibo, many people living in the country now report not being able to access the privacy-centric search engine DuckDuckGo. The company confirms as much, saying that the problem isn't on its end. It's currently talking to local internet service providers to resolve the issue. It looks like these have blocked the service via their DNS servers, as the search engine is still accessible through most third-party DNS resolvers.
Net neutrality is still an important topic here in the US and if you've been following the news around it, then you probably heard about the Save the Internet Act getting halfway to law, passing the House of Representatives in a 232-190 vote.
Net neutrality is a hot button topic in many of our circles since it affects each of us who use the internet in the U.S. It carries such significance with a lot of voters that several politicians have made it part of their platforms since the original FCC rules were repealed. Yesterday, however, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the Democrats will introduce a bill this week that aims to bring back net neutrality.
Many don't realize that net neutrality isn't just about ensuring you aren't (directly or indirectly) charged more for data from specific services and sites, it's also about making sure telecom companies don't abuse their position to charge less in a practice called "zero rating." Being able to access some services without counting the data used against your plan might sound like a free bonus, but there could be hidden long-term costs. According to a recent multi-year study by Epicenter.works related to net neutrality enforcement in the EU, countries which have allowed zero rating have higher costs for wireless data in the long term.
The dream of an open and free internet isn't dead. Net neutrality — the principle that internet service providers must treat traffic equally, regardless of the source — is still seeing a strong fight waged on its behalf. This week, a group of 23 attorneys general from across the U.S., led by New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, published a new brief reaffirming its dedication to the cause.
The Federal Communications Commission wants you to know that it is fighting on the side of the average American consumer, and not just devoted to appeasing the likes of Comcast and Verizon, by taking on the existentially crucial issue of scammy phone calls. Sort of. Like, they're thinking about it.
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- And they're off! The Hill reports that 23 Democratic state attorneys general are jointly suing over the FCC's action, with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman leading the effort.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published its final rules gutting net neutrality today. But like most phone announcements these days, there were no real surprises. We all knew what was coming.
The FCC is ending its enforcement of net neutrality (unless the Senate can override it), but it's still an important issue. Now that it's no longer illegal, we'll probably see more carriers and ISPs begin to interfere with internet traffic as time goes on. Researchers from Northeastern University and The University of Massachusetts have published 'Wehe,' an app that can verify if your carrier or ISP is throttling or blocking some services.
Net neutrality was codified under the FCC's Title II regulatory authority nearly three years ago, regulations that covered both wired and wireless internet providers. The providers were none too happy about this - Verizon's morse code sass being the most memorable response.
In what is likely a smokescreen intended to distract from the FCC planning a vote to destroy net neutrality, the FCC has issued additional rules which permit telecoms to block robocalls, specifically those which use Caller ID spoofing to impersonate phone numbers that do not exist, are not allocated by telecoms to subscribers, or are inbound-only phone numbers— in other words, allocated to systems which are unable to make outgoing calls.
Net Neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers (Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and so on) should treat all data the same. It has been a hot topic in the United States for years, especially after the FCC voted in 2015 to reclassify ISPs as Title II utilities, essentially making Net Neutrality law.
Netflix launched a speed test tool a while back in part because ISPs have been caught in the past doing shady things with Netflix traffic. The fast.com speed testing tool this week revealed Verizon has started throttling Netflix, and users report YouTube is also affected. So, what gives? Verizon says it's just testing some "video optimization" technology, whatever that means.
We've covered the FCC's dance with Net Neutrality and Title II regulation for ISPs in the past, and it looks like chairman Pai has come out with a few more statements about the return to a future of deregulated internet regional monopolies. The FCC is in full propaganda mode today, churning out piles of information (or misinformation) on the subject after Pai announced his plans to stop ISPs from following Title II regulations. Companies like Verizon are more than excited to jump on the bandwagon for deregulation, too. After all, captive markets are profitable markets, and now the FCC is happy to support them.
The practice of zero-rating data has been increasingly popular in recent years with programs like T-Mobile's Binge On. However, government regulators have not been entirely accepting of the practice. In light of the FCC's new leadership, Verizon has ramped up zero-rating with free data for Fios video streaming.
It's a great time to be an American - at least, it's a great time if you're in charge of a huge telecommunications corporation and you've been sweating some of your anti-net neutrality practices. With the election of Donald Trump and a new chairman appointed at the Federal Communications Commission, the FCC's position on zero-rating policies like T-Mobile's Binge On data services, AT&T's free access to DirecTV Now, and Verizon's free NFL game streaming, has shifted. The Commission is no longer investigating these policies for any reason, according to briefs issued by newly-appointed chairman Ajit Pai.
AT&T announced a major development following its merger with DIRECTV, adding to what is quickly becoming a byzantine mixture of offerings for those who want a cable channel package. The latest service, called DIRECTV NOW, can best be described as a streaming version of DIRECTV's satellite channel lineups. In other words, DIRECTV NOW is a bit like a beefed-up Sling TV.
What's better than unlimited data? You guessed it: unlimited data you can use to stream videos, music, and games at the same speed you can stream anything else. Well, Sprint has decided to offer us lucky consumers the opportunity to use unlimited data for the things that motivate most of us to consider these plans in the first place. Of course, you have to pay $20 more per month, per line for that right.
Net neutrality is a tricky beast. The informal principle is usually applied to the idea of data providers charging more for specific services, but it can also extend to telecoms giving away specific services (and, by extension, charging more for everything else). That's the attitude of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, known locally as "Trai," expressed in a statement today. The regulator says that it will not allow any service provider to "offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services on basis of content," more or less aligning India's wireless and landline data industry with the principles of net neutrality.
Verizon launched its go90 video streaming app in October of last year, and no one really paid attention. Even Verizon customers who had the app foisted upon them could care less, but now Verizon is pulling out the big guns. Go90 is now part of the carrier's FreeBee sponsored data program, so using it won't count against your plan.