In 1998, Congress passed a temporary moratorium on state taxes collected for Internet access (though a number of states were still allowed to collect them). The ban has been extended numerous times in the 17 years since, but is set to expire again this fall. Rather than merely kick the can down the road with another extension, the House of Representatives has voted (again) to make the moratorium permanent. [More]
internet
YouTube Kids Accused Of Running Beer Ads, Crotch-Grabbing Lessons, Wine-Tasting Tips
By 5.19.15
Since Google launched the YouTube Kids app in February, the service has come under fire from consumer advocates for its advertising practices. Now, instead of focusing on the commercials shown through the service, several of those same groups are raising concerns with federal regulators over what they call disturbing and potentially harmful content for young children to view. [More]
Warrant: Researcher Claims He Commandeered Flight Through In-Flight Entertainment System
By 5.18.15
Nearly a month after a government report identified security weaknesses within the airline industry, including the possibility that newer airplanes with interconnected WiFi systems could be hacked, a recently obtained Federal Bureau of Investigation search warrant shows a security researcher claims he briefly took control of an aircraft after hacking into the plane’s in-flight entertainment system. [More]
More Google Searches Are Done On Mobile Devices Than PCs For First Time
By 5.5.15
In the beginning, a person with a question that needed to be answered would shout, “To the Google!” and that would most often mean sitting in front of a desktop computer or opening a laptop. Not so, anymore: For the first time, U.S. Googlers are Googling more on mobile devices than personal computers. [More]
Watch The Very First YouTube Video, Uploaded 10 Years Ago Today
By 4.23.15
It might be hard to remember a time when getting one’s mug on the Internet involved more than just point, shoot and upload, but it was only 10 years ago that we came stumbling out of the Dark Ages and into the light of web videos for all, where we promptly posted whatever the heck we wanted to YouTube for strangers to watch. To that end: The first video ever uploaded, 10 years ago today, features thrilling commentary on the nature of elephants. [More]
Amazon & DHL Testing Delivery To Customers’ Car Trunks
By 4.22.15
It’s not uncommon for consumers to shuttle around packages and shopping bags in the trunks of their cars. While most people put those items there themselves, Amazon wants to take that task off the hands of a very exclusive group of Prime members. [More]
Nearly 7% Of Americans Say Their Smartphone Is Their Only Way To Get Online
By 4.1.15
We may often joke that losing our smartphone would mean being cut off from the outside world. While that’s likely an exaggeration for many consumers, a new report from The Pew Research Center finds Americans’ reliance on smartphones to stay connected with the rest of the world is very real, especially when it comes to accessing the internet. [More]
Microsoft Putting Internet Explorer Brand Out Of Its Misery
By 3.17.15
It’s been a long, slow march toward the end, but now Internet Explorer as a brand is facing the executioner: Microsoft confirmed that it’s ditching the IE name for its upcoming browser, which is known as Project Spartan at the moment. [More]
Google Expands “Safe Browsing” App To Warn Users About Sites Riddled With Unwanted Software
By 3.13.15
First of all, we’d like to offer a belated Happy Birthday to the World Wide Web, which turned 26 yesterday. You’re closer to 30 than 20 now, so your hangovers will only get worse. Second, to honor that milestone, Google announced updates to its Safe Browsing technology, including a warning when users are about to visit a site chockfull of unwanted software. [More]
Car Dealership Workers Demand Pizza Delivery Guy Return His Tip, And The Internet Is Displeased
By 1.15.15
Everybody wants to go viral, but for workers at one car dealership in Massachusetts the dream of Internet popularity went totally awry after a video posted online appears to show employees stiffing the pizza delivery guy out of his tip. [More]
Employees: Internet Is Vital To Our Work, We Promise We Don’t Just Watch Cat Videos
By 12.30.14
Some employees might freely admit that at one point or another they’ve been sucked into the unending vortex that is the Internet; whether it be cute cat videos, hilarious memes, in-depth investigative pieces or stalking your former significant others on Facebook. But a new report from Pew Research Center finds that most employees only use the power of the Internet for good, productive things while at work. [More]
The Organization That Coordinates All The Internet Domain Names In The World Got Hacked
By 12.19.14
If the Internet was the Death Star, then the weak point hackers might be trying to aim at would be the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN (though I’d like to think the non-profit organization that administers and coordinates all the world’s Internet domain names wouldn’t be on the dark side [althouuugh the company logo does kind of look like a Death Star…]). As it turns out, ICANN says it was hacked — though there will be no space explosions because of it. [More]
Bing Adds The Option To Search The Internet With Emojis
By 10.28.14
For all those moments when the words escape you and you’re thinking strictly in pictures, search engine Bing announced this week that it’s launching a new option to cruise for answers on the Internet using emojis. [More]
Social Networking Site For Rich People Charges $9,000 Fee To Join
By 9.17.14
Looking out across the vast oceans of the Internet, at all those massive schools of plebeians just swimming around and congesting Facebook and Twitter with their everyday ordinariness, one can only imagine it gets lonely out there for the super rich “who have more money than time.” Well, look at that, there’s a social media site designed just for those folks, and it costs $9,000 to be a member. [More]
Major Internet Players, Including Reddit, Tumblr, And Others, To Protest For Net Neutrality On September 10
By 9.4.14
In an action somewhat reminiscent of the widespread protests against SOPA back in 2012, several major internet businesses are planning a symbolic “internet slowdown” on September 10 to advocate for stronger net neutrality regulations. [More]
Internet’s Organizing Body: Nobody Actually Owns Country Codes, Not Even Countries. Or Us.
By 7.31.14
Does anyone actually own the internet? That might be the existential crisis of our age. We know companies own and operate websites, that other companies own the software that let us look at those sites, and that still other companies own and operate the physical infrastructure that allows us access to those sites. And when we stop to think about it, we know that there are registrars and regulations and standards in place that make specific parts of web addresses — the bits after the dot — work around the world. But does anyone own those? According to the organization that manages the names and numbers that make the whole system tick, the answer is a resounding no. [More]
Birds Eye Creates “Mashtags” Potato Shapes So You Can Eat The Internet
By 2.18.14
Because it’s just not enough to consume the Internet with your eyes/brain, Birds Eye is trying to get people to eat the darn thing with its new Twitter-themed “Mashtags” potato shapes. Ah yes, potato shapes — the redheaded step children of French fries and tater tots. [More]
Verizon Offers 2-Year Price Guarantee To New FiOS Customers, Doesn’t Mention New Fee
By 2.7.14
UPDATE: A rep for Verizon has reached out to Consumerist to clarify that the $50 activation fee is only required for customers who order FiOS service offline and that this fee varies from market to market. Additionally, the $5/month router rental fee has not yet started. It will begin Feb. 16 in all markets except New York State. [More]
