Readings

The readings for this week are:

Network Neutrality

1. FCC Releases Open Internet Order

   • These are the FCC's full rules for protecting net neutrality

   • What is net neutrality and what does it mean for me?

   • An Introduction to Net Neutrality: What It Is, What It Means for You, and What You Can Do About It

   • Is Net Neutrality Good or Bad for Innovation?

2. EFF - Net Neutrality

   • Why the FCC Can't Actually Save Net Neutrality

   • Net Neutrality: What You Need to Know Now

   • Sam Altman - Net neutrality, Keep the Internet Open

   • A Guide to the Open Internet

3. Net Neutrality Is A Bad Idea Supported By Poor Analogies

   • Thoughts on Network Neutrality, the FCC, and the Future of Internet Governance

   • Why Net Neutrality Isn't Worth Celebrating

   • Net Neutrality-and Obama's Scheme for the Internet - Are Lousy Ideas

   • Net neutrality hurts health care and helps porn, Republican senator claims

4. This Is the Year Donald Trump Kills Net Neutrality

   • Ajit Pai, staunch opponent of consumer protection rules, is now FCC chair

   • Why Is The Media Smearing New FCC Chair Ajit Pai As The Enemy Of Net Neutrality?

   • FCC weakens net neutrality rule in a prelude to larger rollbacks

   • If Trump Fans Love Freedom, They Should Love Net Neutrality

Online Censorship

1. Cracking the 'Great Firewall' of China's Web censorship

   • Scaling China's Great Firewall

   • A Week Behind The Great Firewall Of China

   • Behind the Great Firewall of China

   • GreatFire.org - Expanding Online Freedom of Speech in China

2. Yahoo! in China - Background

   • Bing Goes Full-on Censorship in English Search Results Within China

   • Google to Stop Censoring Search Results in China After Hack Attack

   • Why Google Quit China-and Why It's Heading Back

   • China’s Internet Controls Will Get Stricter, to Dismay of Foreign Business

3. How Egyptian and Tunisian youth hacked the Arab Spring.

   • The truth about Twitter, Facebook and the uprisings in the Arab world

   • MAP: Here Are the Countries That Block Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

4. Why Facebook and Twitter Can't Just Wipe Out ISIS Online

   • Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft agree to remove hate speech across the EU

   • Twitter Steps Up Efforts to Thwart Terrorists' Tweets

5. The New Censorship

   • How Facebook censors your posts (FAQ)

   • Facebook Is Collaborating With the Israeli Government to Determine What Should Be Censored

Fake News

1. Donald Trump Won Because of Facebook

   • The top 20 fake news stories outperformed real news at the end of the 2016 campaign

   • Facebook fake-news writer: 'I think Donald Trump is in the White House because of me'

   • How Teens In The Balkans Are Duping Trump Supporters With Fake News

   • We Tracked Down A Fake-News Creator In The Suburbs. Here's What We Learned

2. After Trump's win, even some in Silicon Valley wonder: Has Facebook grown too influential?

   • Mark Zuckerberg Continues to Miss the Point on Facebook as a Media Entity

   • Mark Zuckerberg is in denial about how Facebook is harming our politics

   • Facebook admits it must do more to stop the spread of misinformation on its platform

   • Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook Must Defend the Truth

3. Former Facebook Workers: We Routinely Suppressed Conservative News

   • A Bold New Scheme to Regulate Facebook

   • Censors and sensibility

   • Facebook Tweaks Its 'Trending Topics' Algorithm To Better Reflect Real News

   • Facebook’s Cautious, Sensible Plan to Fight Fake News

4. Facebook and Google Won't Let Fake News Sites Use Their Ad Networks

   • Twitter suspends alt-right figureheads

   • Twitter's Misbegotten Censorship

   • Google starts flagging offensive content in search results

5. Your Facebook Echo Chamber Just Got a Whole Lot Louder

   • Snowden: Stop Relying on Facebook for Your News

   • Fact-checking in a 'post-fact world'

Questions

Please write a response to one of the following questions:

1. From the readings, what exactly is Net Neutrality? Explain in your own words the arguments for and against Net Neutrality. After examining the topic, where do you stand on the issues surrounding Net Neutrality?

   • If you are in favor of Net Neutrality, explain how you would implement or enforce it. How would you respond to concerns about possible over-regulation, burdening corporations, or preventing innovation?

   • If you are against Net Neutrality, explain why it is unnecessary or undesirable. How would you respond to concerns about providing level playing fields or preventing unfair discrimination by service providers?

   • In either case, discuss whether or not you consider that "the Internet is a public service and fair access should be a basic right".

2. From the readings, what are the ethical, social, and moral concerns regarding online censorship? Should governments be able to suppress certain forms of speech? Should technology companies engage in the suppression of speech performed on their platforms? Consider the following:

   • Is it ethical for companies to remove dissenting opinions for governments?

   • Is it ethical for companies to remove information broadcasted by terrorism organizations, or about terrorism organizations?

   • Is it ethical for companies to remove discriminatory, provocative, hateful content generated by its users?

   • Is it ethical for companies to remove information that does not promote or share their interests or political beliefs?

   Finally, is online censorship a concern to you? What do you think about the possibility that you may be living in a filter bubble?

3. From the readings, what exactly is meant by the term "Fake News"? Do you find the deluge of this content as harmless, annoying, or dangerous? Should technology companies monitor and suppress "Fake News"?

   • Take a look at your Facebook or social media feeds and that of your friends and family. Does it contain "Fake News"? If so, how much? What is your response when you see such items?

   • What is the responsibility of social media platform providers such as Facebook and Twitter in regards to regulating "Fake News"? Are you comfortable with a private entity censoring information?

   • What is the responsibility of news or content aggregators such as Facebook and Google in regards to regularing "Fake News"? Are you comfortable with a private entity classifying information as "fake"?

   • How much do you rely on social media such as Facebook or Twitter for your daily news? Are you living in an echo chamber or even concerned about that? If so, what are some ways to break out of the bubble?

   Finally, does the rise of social media and "Fake News" mean we live in a "post-fact" world? Does truth stand a chance in a world dominated by "Fake News"?

Feedback

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the course, please provide your feedback at the end of your response.