Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by John Perrino

Robin Wilton 🇱🇧 @komadori.bsky.social · 6d

When a BBC reporter can do this, without privileged access to communications data, I find it hard to accept law enforcement's constant claim that they are "going dark" because of encrypted messaging. Encryption is not the main obstacle to effective law enforcement.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

BBC tracks down sextortion scammer targeting teenage boys

The BBC challenges the scammers targeting teenagers like Evan Boettler, who took his own life just 90 minutes after being contacted.

www.bbc.co.uk

4 53 120

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Sep 12

Congressman: "Free speech only applies if you agree with me."

thehill.com

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Sep 8

I am proud to have worked on an Internet Society amicus brief with the Supreme Court raising concerns that a case could cause thousands of innocent people to lose Internet access.

Your Internet Access Is at Risk. We’re Speaking Up - Internet Society

The Internet Society filed an amicus brief in Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment, urging the Court to consider Internet implications.

www.internetsociety.org

2

Reposted by John Perrino

Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · Sep 8

Again, I know this will upset some AI haters, but I worry that in our efforts to stop all AI, we're going to end up shutting down the open internet in ways we won't easily get back.

Techdirt @techdirt.com · Sep 8

We’re Walling Off The Open Internet To Stop AI—And It May End Up Breaking Everything Else

A longtime open internet activist recently asked me whether I'd reversed my position on internet openness and copyright because of AI. The question caught me off guard—until I realized what he was seeing.…

We’re Walling Off The Open Internet To Stop AI—And It May End Up Breaking Everything Else

A longtime open internet activist recently asked me whether I'd reversed my position on internet openness and copyright because of AI. The question caught me off guard—until I realized what he was seeing. Across the tech policy world, people who spent decades fighting for an open, accessible internet are now cheering as that same internet gets locked down, walled off, and restricted.

www.techdirt.com

17 36 200

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Sep 8

People across the Middle East reported slower Internet speeds Sunday as undersea cable cuts were reported in the Red Sea.

It's not clear if the cuts were the result of an accident or an attack. Some have blamed Yemen Houthi rebels for attacks.

Either way, repairs can take weeks.

Undersea cables cut in the Red Sea, disrupting internet access in Asia and the Mideast

Undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea have disrupted internet access in parts of Asia and the Middle East.

apnews.com

2

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Sep 3

Guess what? Bluesky isn't the only social network that's unable to comply with the Mississippi age verification law.

Mastodon says it doesn't 'have the means' to comply with age verification laws | TechCrunch

Decentralized social network Mastodon says it cannot comply with age verification laws, like in Mississippi and elsewhere, and says it's up to individual server owners to decide.

techcrunch.com

3 5

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 29

📄 Brief of Cox Communications, Inc. and CoxCom, LLC
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...

www.supremecourt.gov

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 29

Arguments are being filed in a Supreme Court case that could force ISPs to shut off Internet connections for the mere allegation a user is engaging in copyright infringement by sharing or downloading songs.

Cox argues an adverse ruling would "yield mass evictions from the internet."

If allowed to stand, the Fourth Circuit’s one-two punch will yield mass evictions from the internet. ISPs confronting steep penalties will have no choice but to terminate the connections of homes, barracks, hospitals, and hotels, upon bare accusation. The ramifications extend beyond copyright infringement: Under the Fourth Circuit’s reasoning, once an aggrieved party sends an ISP a notice asserting any manner of customer wrongdoing, the ISP is a willful accomplice for every subsequent customer misdeed. That notion turns internet providers into internet police and jeopardizes internet access for millions of users.

1 1

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 29

Some members of Congress want to control Wikipedia articles they don't like. Yay First Amendment!

Comer and Mace Investigate Efforts to Manipulate Information on Wikipedia - United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

oversight.house.gov

1 1

Reposted by John Perrino

Bluesky @bsky.app · Aug 22

Unfortunately, Bluesky is unavailable in Mississippi right now, due to a new state law that requires age verification for all users.

While intended for child safety, we think this law poses broader challenges & creates significant barriers that limit free speech & harm smaller platforms like ours.

2.6K 14K 57K

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 22

Earlier this month, Trump extended US-China tariff negotiations to November 8.

Further Modifying Reciprocal Tariff Rates to Reflect Ongoing Discussions with The People's Republic of China

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency

www.whitehouse.gov

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 22

Talks with China about TikTok resumed in July, but later last month the Commerce Secretary said the site will go dark unless the US takes control. In other words, the talks must not have gone well.

thehill.com/policy/techn...

thehill.com

1

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 22

Quick Recap Since the Third Extension:

Back in June, President Trump said there is a buyer group, but the deal needed to be approved by China.

Trump Says There’s a Buyer for TikTok But He Won’t Provide Name

President Donald Trump said he has identified a buyer for the US operations of TikTok, the social media app owned by Chinese company ByteDance Ltd., without naming the winning bidder.

www.bloomberg.com

1

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 22

Here we go again! The next TikTok sell or ban "deadline" is September 17, but President Trump says he may do another extension and that he'll keep extending until there is a buyer.

For those keeping score at home, that would be the fourth deadline extension by executive order.

Trump says he’ll keep extending TikTok shutdown deadline

President Donald Trump is calling national security and privacy concerns related to TikTok and its Chinese parent company highly overrated.

apnews.com

1 1 1

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 21

A little oopsie in the Great Firewall may have unintentionally cut China off from the rest of the Internet for an hour yesterday.

China cut itself off from the global internet on Wednesday

: Great Firewall took out all traffic to port 443 at a time Beijing didn't have an obvious need to keep its netizens in the dark

www.theregister.com

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 20

More than 100 million Russian WhatsApp users could lose access to a vital secure communications channel with the outside world in the coming days.

Russia restricts calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, the latest step to control the internet

Russian authorities have announced partial restrictions on calls in messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp. This is part of a long-standing effort to control the internet.

apnews.com

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 18

We need to move policy debates from the impossible to the possible of online safety!

Great @markscott.bsky.social piece today:

"To jump directly to the 'let's read everyone's messages!' stage makes good politics. But it does not represent a grown-up approach to what are impossible trade-offs."

The never-ending battle between safety and privacy

In the rush to protect kids online, policymakers are skipping over basic digital safeguards to undermine fundamental privacy rights.

www.digitalpolitics.co

2

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Aug 13

People are finally realizing that age verification for "adult content" doesn't just mean porn.

🎧 Want to listen to a song with explicit lyrics? 🚫 Age check.

💬 Access a message board on sexual health? 🚫 Age check.

📰 Read the news? 🚫 Age check.

We need another word for "adult" content. Any ideas?

Why U.S. politicians are up in arms about new internet rules in Britain

On Friday, Vice President JD Vance kicked off his trip to the U.K. by warning about online “censorship” in the country.

www.nbcnews.com

3

Reposted by John Perrino

Sam Cole @samleecole.bsky.social · Aug 13

Wyoming and South Dakota passed their own AV laws last month, with one important omission: they leave out the "one-third" or "substantial" content provision, opening up a whole new can of worms in those states www.404media.co/wyoming-and-...

Wyoming and South Dakota Age Verification Laws Could Include Huge Parts of the Internet

By omitting the "one-third" provision that most other states with age verification laws have adopted, Wyoming and South Dakota are placing the burden of verifying users' ages on all sorts of websites,...

www.404media.co

1 24 39

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Jul 28

Quick Facts:

👉 The case challenges a UK government order for Apple to provide access to certain encrypted iCloud backups.

👉 The government demand jeopardizes the security and privacy of millions globally, undermines the UK tech sector, and sets a dangerous precedent for cybersecurity.

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Jul 28

The Internet Society is taking a stand against secret UK government orders to break encryption. 🇬🇧 🏛️ 🔐

We jointly filed a request with a court on Wednesday to provide expert evidence on privacy and security.

A UK Government Order Threatens the Privacy and Security of All Internet Users - Internet Society

Earlier this year, the UK government ordered Apple to provide access to encrypted data in the company's cloud storage service, iCloud.

www.internetsociety.org

1 4 7

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Jul 16

Congratulations to my incredible colleague @josephhall.org who has taught and inspired many of us in tech policy!

🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/22nd-annua...

Public Knowledge 22nd Annual IP3 Awards - Meet the 2025 Awardees

Internet Protocol: Dr. Joseph Lorenzo Hall
Intellectual Property: Sarah Jeong
Information Policy: Dr. Alondra Nelson
President's Award: Alvaro Bedoya
Presidents Award: Rebecca Kelly Slaughter

2 17

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Jul 11

Search engines like Google and Microsoft must be in compliance by December 27, 2025.

Here's a screenshot of those eSafety Commissioner age assurance rules (alt text also available).

2) Age assurance and default tools and/or settings for account holders

By no later than 6 months after this Code comes into effect and where technically feasible and reasonably practicable, a provider of an internet search engine service must:

a) implement appropriate age assurance measures for account holders; and
b) apply tools and/or settings, like ‘safe search’ functionality, at the highest safety setting by default for an account holder its age assurance systems indicate is likely to be an Australian child, designed to protect and prevent Australian children from accessing or being exposed to online pornography and high impact violence material in search results.

At a minimum, such tools and settings must filter out online pornography and high-impact violence material detected in search results.

Note: Internet search engine services are designed for general public use, with or without an account. Providers of internet search engine services are not required to implement age assurance measures for end-users who are not account holders.

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Jul 11

For my fellow nerds, here is the link to the codes (.pdf)

Section 7, Compliance Measure 2 (Page 5)

www.esafety.gov.au/sites/defaul...

www.esafety.gov.au

1

John Perrino @johnperrino.com · Jul 11

Australia will require age checks for search engines to protect children from unwanted content with $50 million fines.

Except if you don't log in. No age check required and you can search for anything, same as now.

Makes sense right? 🤔

Not great for privacy. Not great for safety. 🤦

Australia is quietly rolling out age checks for search engines like Google

Just as Australians are adjusting to the idea of having their ages checked for social media, age assurance rules are being applied to search engines and many other corners of the internet.

www.abc.net.au

1 1 1