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Telecom Experts Tell EU Leaders Their Plan To Tax ‘Big Tech’ On Behalf of ‘Big Telecom’ Is A Dumb Idea

2 years 8 months ago
Last year we noted how FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr had launched a bad faith effort suggesting that “big tech” gets a “free ride” on the internet, and should be forced to fund broadband expansion. This argument, that tech giants like Google and Netflix somehow get a free ride (they don’t) and should “pay their fair share” to […]
Karl Bode

Court Strips Immunity From Cop Who Shot A Dog Within Seconds Of Arriving On The Scene Of A Non-Crime

2 years 8 months ago
Cops kill dogs literally all the time. It happens so often even the DOJ has taken notice. Laurel Matthews, a supervisory program specialist with the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (DOJ COPS) office, says it’s an awful lot. She calls fatal police vs. dogs encounters an “epidemic” and estimates that 25 to 30 […]
Tim Cushing

FCC Finally Starts Playing Hardball With Robocall Enablers

2 years 8 months ago
The FCC is finally starting to toughen up when it comes to tackling our nationwide robocall scourge. The agency announced this week that it will soon kick seven voice-over IP providers out of its database of trusted carriers if they continue to fail to implement safeguards against robocalls: “This is a new era. If a […]
Karl Bode

Daily Deal: Mobile Pixels Mini Mouse

2 years 8 months ago
The Mobile Pixels Mini Mouse is a comfortable mouse built for your PC or notebook. Its great build quality encourages long-term use, and the ultra-thin profile makes it easy to store as well. This mini wireless mouse features Bluetooth connectivity, so there’s no need for any unnecessary cords. You can use the integrated red laser […]
Gretchen Heckmann

Stadia Developers Blindsided By Shutdown

2 years 8 months ago
Last week we noted how Google’s streaming game service, Stadia, is finally being shut down. Google had initially tried deny the obvious last July when rumors began circulating that the company was preparing its exit strategy. This denial apparently resulted in many of the service’s own developers being left in the dark, given they were […]
Karl Bode

UK Taqueira Under Trademark Threat Gets 100k People Worth Of Public Support

2 years 8 months ago
You will hopefully recall our recent discussion about a taco restaurant, or taqueria, in the UK being bullied by Worldwide Taqueria because the latter had somehow gotten a trademark on the word “taqueria.” As we pointed out in the original post on the topic, everything about this is ridiculous. First, it’s absurd that the company […]
Dark Helmet

Techdirt Podcast Episode 322: Celebrating 25 Years Of Techdirt

2 years 8 months ago
As you probably already know, Techdirt recently marked its 25th anniversary and celebrated the occasion with an online party for our Insider subscribers. At the event, Mike was joined by Techdirt co-founder Dennis Yang for an interview conducted by Alex Feerst of Murmuration Labs, in which they looked back on the history of the site […]
Leigh Beadon

Laura Loomer Loses Again; Appeals Court Affirms $124,000 Legal Fee Judgment In Bogus Lawsuit Over Twitter Ban

2 years 8 months ago
Engaging in performative litigation may be fun to do and score points with your fan base. But, sooner or later, these theatrical productions tend to generate actual costs — something that can’t be offset with shares and retweets, or even votes at the polls. Laura Loomer, an alt-right personality mostly known for ineffectively handcuffing herself […]
Tim Cushing

Daily Deal: Apple Watch Portable USB Charger

2 years 8 months ago
This Apple Watch Portable USB Charger allows you to charge anytime, anywhere. With a built-in magnetic adsorption module, you can charge your watch immediately after contact. This charger has the ability to charge your watch within 2 to 3 hours fully. It’s lightweight and portable, so you can charge your watch while traveling, when working […]
Gretchen Heckmann

In Agency First, FCC Employee Union Backs Gigi Sohn

2 years 8 months ago
Despite being hugely qualified and popular across both sides of the aisle, Congress still hasn’t approved Gigi Sohn to the FCC, leaving the agency without the voting majority to do anything popular or even remotely controversial, such as restoring net neutrality, the FCC’s consumer protection authority, or the media consolidation rules stripped away during the […]
Karl Bode

‘Central Park Karen’ Loses Defamation Suit Against Employer That Fired Her Following Viral Video Of Her Calling Cops On A Black Birdwatcher

2 years 8 months ago
The long saga of one of the most infamous internet “Karens” has come to a close as New York City resident Amy Cooper, a.k.a. “Central Park Karen,” has lost her defamation lawsuit against her former employer. (h/t Volokh Conspiracy) The same day unarmed black man George Floyd was being murdered by a white police officer, […]
Tim Cushing

Lazy-Ass House GOP Uses Foreign Stock Photos In Video About America

2 years 8 months ago
I get that stock photos are a thing and that political campaigns or teams may be pressed for time, but some things really shouldn’t be so hard. If you follow politics, you may be aware that House Republicans, led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, unveiled an agenda for 2023 politics it’s calling “Commitment to America.” […]
Dark Helmet

New Study Shows That High R&D Costs Don’t Explain High Drug Prices

2 years 8 months ago
For years, defenders of pharma patents loved to claim that the reason that they needed patents and the reason they had to charge extortionate rates for drugs was because of the high cost of R&D for new drugs. The numbers keep going up. When I first started covering pharma patents, the number bandied about was […]
Mike Masnick

DOJ, Senate Leader Continue To Stoke Irrational Fear That Drug Dealers Are Targeting Kids With Multicolored Fentanyl

2 years 8 months ago
People who fail to understand the basics of supply and demand continue to insist suppliers want to kill potential customers. The DEA is leading the charge, engaging in hysterics while pretending to present facts, claiming that recent busts involving multicolored fentanyl indicate drug dealers are targeting children — children prone to ingesting pills that look […]
Tim Cushing