If there is one thing the Internet is not, it is not devoid of news. Whether you’re Googling a specific story or perusing the latest updates, news is everywhere in cyberspace. You can even set up specific alerts based on news categories and Google searches. A few days ago, Search Engine Land covered the hot topic of the Swedish parliament calling for consideration of a Google “link tax” for newspapers.
Niclas Malmberg, a member of the parliament, is calling for the search engine giant to help fund various Swedish news publications. His call for action closely follows the French link tax of 2013. According to TheNextWeb.com, Google, Fresh book publishers, and authors were in disputes that lasted for years. It was all over the want to create and institute a link tax on Google. The French incident ended with Google setting up a 60 million-euro Digital Publishing Innovation Fund. The goal of the fund was to support the transformation of French digital publishing initiatives.
Alarming Events Fuels Link Tax Discussion
Why did the French, and now the Swedish, push for a link tax on Google? In both cases, alarm was raised by the decline of the newspaper industry. The digital age is pulling so many people online and into a news packed environment that newspaper sales and subscriptions are dying out.
Naturally, the blame goes to Google since the majority of users use a search engine to hunt down news. And who can blame the user? Why pay for a newspaper when you already pay for Internet service, and Google search is free? It just makes sense.
According to Search Engine Land’s Greg Sterling, who used both Bing and Google translate to get a look at the Swedish proposal, Malmberg is pointing to Spotify as a potential newspaper industry model. Spotify is a privately held Swedish company founded in 2006 with headquarters in London and Stockholm, Sweden. The company supplies digital music.
According to Spotify’s website, you can use their software free on mobile, tablet, and computer to listen to the music wherever you are. Spotify itself provides musicians a combination of royalties and pay based on user subscriptions. While the analogy between their model and Google News is somewhat flawed, some—like Malmberg—feel a link tax is a needed solution.
Spreading the Wealth: Link Tax on Google
In essence, Malmberg is proposing that a sort of allocation for Google ad revenue sharing take place with Swedish newspapers. The “tax” percentage or amount would vary based on traffic or market share. It all comes down to a simple idea: Spread the wealth.
Sweden and other countries in Europe believe Google is unfairly collecting profit off their content and blatantly harming the publishing and newspaper industry in the process. In fact, ZDNet.com recently covered a story where Axel Springer, a German publishing giant, gave in to the Google news snippets row. Axel Springer was demanding that Google pay to publish news snippets derived from its publications. The publisher was arguing that Germany’s ancillary copyright law made is legal to demand and collect licensing fees from major search engines for republishing portions of their stories.
The story caught some press before culminating in a solution few saw coming. The German publisher announced a free license for Google. Why the sudden change in stance? The company saw record-setting decline (nearly 40 percent) in traffic to their sites after Google stopped producing thumbnails and snippets on October 23rd.
By the first week of November, they were happy to hand Google a free license to reproduce portions of their coverage in snippets. According to Google’s statement to the Wall Street Journal, their snippets “send over 500 million clicks to German publishers each month,” and their “advertising partnerships have generated [over] €1bn [$1.25bn] in revenue for them in the last three years.”
Riches to Rags
Many in the industry believe that Google is abusing its dominate power. Some staunchly believe the monstrous company is plotting to force publishers into licensing their content for free.
As a result, link tax demands and discussion are beginning to pop up. It’s a fair assumption that we haven’t seen the last of such demands. The proposal from Swedish parliament member Niclas Malmberg is the latest attempt to capitalize revenue with an outlook toward upgrading outdated publishers to the technology of today.
The real question is whether the revenue from such a “tax” would be properly allocated and funneled into the industry. Most taxes are eventually passed on to the end user, which makes one wonder whether a link tax would ultimately fall to you and me. And would this dynamically change where we go for our online news coverage?
Intellectual copyrights have always been tricky, and link tax could add a new playing field if it ever comes into practice. Will Sweden institute a link tax on Google? The answer is anyone’s guess, but those who have tried in the past failed.
Is Google to Blame?
It’s the question at the heart of the debate. Is Google truly to blame for the noticeable decline in newspaper and hard print publishing? Is the pacesetter among search engines the reason the publishing industry is feeling the financial pinch?
While there’s no denying that a great exodus to the Internet has taken place, it’s a bit over the top to focus blame on Google. The debate can stretch on for ages with advocates pro and against Google. Regardless of whether Google’s scapegoated role for the change in user behavior is fair or not, one thing is certain: The publishing and newspaper industry needs to get with the digital age sooner rather than later.
As more industries step into the 21st Century, an issue involving us all comes into even more precise focus. What is this issue? It’s the debate of net neutrality. The dispute centers on whether businesses and websites should pay substantial fees to stay in the “fast lane” of traffic or risk vanishing into the “slow lane” of cyberspace. If net neutrality isn’t upheld, it could stifle innovation, expansion, and the creation of jobs for years to come. Learn more via our net neutrality coverage.
Did you notice anything strange on Wednesday, 10th September? Maybe spinning objects kept appearing before your eyes? Were you inundated with messages asking you to contact your congressman as a matter of urgency? Don’t worry, we weren’t under attack from outer space, you were merely experiencing the Internet slowdown.
Have you ever stopped to think about how important the Internet is? It’s changed the way we communicate with each other, and the way we buy our goods. It’s also changed the way that smart businesses attract and retain customers. Is your advertising budget spent on pieces of paper, or ads on television or radio? If you want to attract the millennial generation, you’re much better off attracting them with up to date blogs, or exciting and content rich articles. Put simply, the Internet has revolutionized business in a way that would have been unimaginable just 20 years ago.
Yes, we sure have a lot to thank the Internet for, and it’s only going to keep on getting better and better, or is it? The Internet slowdown was a coordinated attempt by some of the web’s biggest players to highlight plans by the FCC that could have a devastating effect on the Internet as a whole. So what was the Internet slowdown, what are they protesting about, and what effect could it have on your business and your content? It’s a battle over net neutrality, so let’s put our tin hats on and head on out to the front line.
1. What Is Net Neutrality?
The Internet slowdown was essentially about net neutrality, and what some companies saw as an attack upon it. Neutrality isn’t something we’d normally get excited about. Think of neutrality and you think of Switzerland. They had 500 years of neutrality and all they came up with was the cuckoo clock and cheese with holes in it. I’m tipping my hat to Orson Welles there of course, but the point I’m making is that maybe we shouldn’t think of net neutrality, with the negative context that brings, but net freedom?
It’s the concept that federal governments shouldn’t interfere with what’s traveling along the Internet highway, but should instead let the content providers regulate themselves. Many content providers say that this allows everyone a fair playing field, and encourages innovation and development. This in turn helps the end user, as well as businesses who use the net for advertising and promotion.
2. What Exactly Is the FCC Proposing?
The Federal Communication Commission has proposed radical changes to the way that the Internet is operated within the United States. The main thrust of their proposal is that ISPs (Internet service providers) will be allowed more power and flexibility to charge what they like to content providers who use the ISP. What do I mean by content providers? Well, just about everybody. Netflix, Digg, Vimeo, Etsy, Kickstarter and Reddit are just some of the companies who have been vociferous in their criticism. It also affects us. It affects you, if you have a blog or business website. And, of course you do.
Under the FCC proposals the ISPs would be able to charge these content companies to provide faster access to their content. If you have enough bucks, you’ll be able to jump the queue. There’s nothing more irritating than waiting at the back of a departure lounge, while a handful of priority passengers walk smugly on board the plane. That’s what could be about to happen to the Internet. The fear is, of course, that this new Internet fast lane will inevitably create an Internet slow lane, and lead to the end of net neutrality as we know it.
3. Is the Net Neutral Outside of the United States?
The USA isn’t the first country, or group of countries, to grapple with this controversial concept. The European Union looked at this issue earlier this year, and eventually decided to enshrine the concept of European net neutrality in their law. European ISPs had lobbied the decision makers in the same way that American service providers have been, arguing that the new restrictive rules would impact on creativity and Internet growth. The ISPs didn’t explain how rules that guaranteed equal and indiscriminate access to the Internet could be regarded as ‘restrictive’, but then Europe is the continent that gave us George Orwell and his ‘newspeak’.
The EU have effectively made it illegal to create Internet fast and slow lanes in Europe, but most of the world’s Internet traffic comes via the United States. Don’t think that you’re safe because your business is based in Berlin, London, Tokyo, Sidney or anywhere. If the FCC proposals are enacted, Internet traffic across the globe will be affected.
4. How the Internet Slowdown Could Have Affected Your Content
The Internet slowdown was a well-planned attempt to raise awareness of the effects that a long-term slowdown could bring. The sites involved showed what a slowdown would look like, by including images of the ‘page loading’ symbols across their pages. Whilst they were not seeking to slow their services down for the day, some people did feel that their content access was slower than it usually was. Did it affect you? If so, the effectiveness of your content could have been compromised.
We live in a fast paced world, and people want things to happen immediately, whenever they want it. This applies especially to web content. People hate to be sat waiting for pages to load up. That’s time that could be spent doing something useful, like having a cappuccino, or perfecting a minecraft strategy. Web content and blogs are a great marketing tool, but if your content becomes too slow, no one will want to read it. Just think of all the hard work spent putting your thoughts into words, only to see it shunted down the Internet priority list to make way for more videos of cats riding Roombas.
5. Have We Had an Internet Slowdown Before?
So what’s new about Internet slowdown, I hear you say, we’ve had slow traffic days for years? That’s true, but it was largely due to intermittent attacks from malicious sources. These are often called denial of service attacks, where hackers bombard prominent websites with so much information that their servers can’t cope, and slow down. A huge attack can affect the Internet as a whole.
One such cyber attack happened in March 2013, and its effects were felt by businesses of all sizes. As Internet traffic became so slow that it was practically unusable, consumers had to take an enforced break from their usual browsing activity. The difference this time, is that future slow downs may not result from malicious sources, or cyber terrorists, but as a result of legislation from the US government itself.
6. Is Net Neutrality Relevant to Your Business?
If net neutrality is compromised, power will lie firmly in the hands of the big ISPs. They won’t just control how fast individual websites are to access, they could also control what content is displayed at all. Take this scenario: an ISP has a major client who distributes and sells gasoline. Your company has a new concept for greener cars that will use less, or no, gas. The ISP may decide it’s in their interests to make your content as slow as possible. Your content could effectively be broken if it doesn’t comply with what the ISP wants the public to hear.
7. Why Should I Worry About Content Providers Being Charged?
So what if big companies like Netflix have to pay more to have a reasonable speed for their content, how does that affect you? Small to medium businesses could be amongst those most affected. Could you afford to pay a premium to ensure that your web content was available at anything other than a slow speed? If not, an advantage has just been handed to the bigger companies that can afford it. Start up businesses in particular could find it hard to compete.
8. Is Speed Really That Important?
Would you rather ride a Harley Davidson or a 50cc moped? Do you like the express train to work, or would you choose to go on one that stops ten times along the way? People will always opt for the fastest and most convenient choice. You could have something incredible to announce, such as how you’ve invented shoes with a retractable heel that can be worn all evening long, or something really useful to tell people, such as giving them 10 facts about the Internet slowdown, but if your site’s too slow to access then you may as well not bother.
9. Why the Internet Is Essential For Your Business
Could your business remain unaffected by a widespread Internet slowdown? If so, then you’re probably not doing enough to utilize its power at the moment. Creating attractive, interesting and mobile-friendly content is the best way to get your product noticed by the modern consumer.
Statistics show that there are now over 190 million digital shoppers in the United States, and this figure continues to grow. Your main priority should be to attract these digital shoppers to your brand. Using websites, blogs and articles can be the most effective way to achieve this, but will your content be left lagging behind by the FCC driven Internet slowdown?
10. How to Fight Back Against Slower Internet Speeds
So now you know all about the Internet slowdown, except how to combat it. One way to do this is by shopping around for the best Internet Service Provider. Contact your ISP and ask them if they plan to introduce a two-lane Internet service. Tell them what you’ll do if that happens, but try to keep profanities to a minimum.
You should also keep in mind that quality content will still be king. High quality, relevant and up to date content is still more likely to feature highly in Google results pages. If your web content is slower than your competitor’s web content, your SERP position could be the only weapon you have left. Use it wisely.
Create that high quality web content, climb the rankings, and fight back against slow Internet speeds.
Did you hear that the world’s first online platform designed to fight Internet fraud will soon be implemented in China? The new project marks the collaboration between the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and Quihoo 360, a well-known provider of Internet security solutions and anti-virus software. This is a unique attempt to reduce the number of people who become the victims of skilled scammers who rely on viruses to conduct fraudulent activities. According to the Economist, China’s reputation has constantly been affected by major online fraud scandals; therefore its intention to put an end to Internet-based illicit activities is justifiable.
How Does the New Scammer Trap Work?
Fanzhapian.360.cn is the anti-fraud platform that will be accessed by users who will want to report a fraud. Net users are asked to file a complaint as soon as they stumble across a dubious situation that could expose them to a fraudulent action. Every single complaint will be verified by representatives from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. If the accusations are true, officials employed by this institution will take matters into their own hands by alerting all Net users and signaling the danger. The end goal is to identify and discourage scamming groups, by forcing them to invest much more money in viruses that would have to be updated regularly.
All in all, this seems to be a good plan, created to target websites sending fake advertisements and spreading viruses to deceive users and make them fall into their traps. Moreover, China seems determined to reinforce Internet supervision. At this point, this nation plans to go against websites displaying sexual advertisements via pop-up windows. The circular released by National Office against Pornographic and Illegal Publications reveals that all forms of pornographic web content, including photos, text and videos will be removed in the near future.
Why Is China So Determined to Improve Internet Supervision?
In this context, one question seems to be on everybody’s lips: is this radical decision good or bad? In other words, how does this measure impact everyday people who are surfing the Internet to stay informed, make purchases, and get in touch with different categories of other users?
Government + Internet = Good?
The government staying NEUTRAL was a great thing for Europe. Net Neutrality ensures unlimited, indiscriminative access to online info for all categories of users and stops media moguls and institutions from imposing their dictatorship. When government regulates something – like this fraud regulator, governed by the police, one question comes to mind: why does it actually get involved? Does it take action because it wants to protect the users’ best interest of does it follow its own secret agenda? We are not big fans of conspiracy theories, but we can’t help but wonder: why has the Chinese government taken such a sudden interest in digital frauds and why does it feel the need to be the first to launch an online platform designed to fight Internet fraud?
Is the Chinese government stepping behind the Internet good in any way? Only time will tell. In our last blog about Internet regulations, we saw that neutrality for the Internet on the part of the government was an excellent thing for our Internet freedoms. Clearly, Internet freedom should be listed as one of our basic rights, especially since the Internet belongs to no one and everyone at the same time.
Net neutrality is a trending topic these days for all the right reasons. After all, what could be more important than equal access to all the information that the Internet has to offer? These days, we simply can’t afford to take the Internet for granted. It reduces our workloads, supports and promotes our business, reinforces our communication with our loved ones and provides timely answers to all our questions.
The Internet is our unanimated Mr. Know-It-All whom we all need in our lives to function properly. But even so, the Internet is not technically ours. It belongs to no one and to everyone at the same time. This is precisely why news related to net neutrality and its virtually endless list of positive aspects is received with great enthusiasm by a large audience.
What It Net Neutrality and Why Does It Matter So Much?
A few days ago, the European Union made a huge step in the right direction, towards an improved legislation by signing net neutrality into law. The European Parliament voted in favor of the Telecoms Single Market proposal, a much-awaited change that could improve the online experiences for all European Internet users. The EU showed its eagerness to support a set of solid rules that ensure an equal, indiscriminative access to the Internet. According to an article published by Forbes, the whole concept of new neutrality gravitates around a very important nucleus: the idea that all the information available online should be treated identically, regardless of adjacent factors like users, application or platforms. This means that all EU-based Internet visitors would have unlimited access to the same content, without being forced to cope with interferences or any other kind of limitations.
In most cases, people do not appreciate the good until they meet the really bad and the ugly. Those who do not acknowledge the importance of net neutrality should imagine how the absence of a legal framework regulating the Internet access would influence their work, spare time and ultimately their whole life. Clearly, an Internet that would not be protected by net neutrality would look and feel completely different. In this context, there are two potential threats that should be factored in.
First of all, numerous companies could decide to fill the pockets of major players operating in the telecom industry by paying ridiculously high amounts of money for premium, faster services. This would be good news for telecom giants who would probably rub their hands together in anticipation, but a major drawback for the masses. The financial aspect is only a part of the problem. According to Forbes, the absence of a robust set of rules designed to protect the Internet as we know it and help it become a better version of itself, the content that users check out online could also be influenced. This would be a highly unethical practice that should be avoided at all costs. We all know that content is a mighty king. So the question is this: how much could we actually value a king in chains?
The Reason Why Net Neutrality Makes Telecommunication Moguls Choke
As expected, the new step completed by the EU has created quite a stir, especially among giant telecom players who realize that the net neutrality framework doesn’t really serve their best interests. Right before the much-awaited EU vote, 4 major companies operating in the telecommunication industry chose to express their discontent by releasing a joint statement. Their statement condemned the new legislation and all the proposed amendments, blaming them for their “restrictive” nature. According to these four influential players, the proposed changes would block innovations and impact competitiveness in this field of activity.
On the other hand, experts specializing in digital security and privacy issues beg to differ. For instance, Forbes’ Michael Fertik suggests that net neutrality would protect the consumers’ rights, support the evolution of a free Internet and block the abusive, aggressive, moneymaking strategies that would most likely be embraced by big players in the telecommunication sector.
Network Discrimination Comes to an End in Europe. What’s Next?
At this point, by giving the green light to net neutrality, Europe has managed to outpace the United States. Forbes reveals that America is a few steps behind the EU in what equal, unlimited access to the Internet and online privacy issues are concerned. Perhaps the recent changes implemented by the EU will accelerate discussions and compel the U.S. to follow a similar course of action.
Accessnow.org reveals that the positive proposal will be analyzed by the Council of the European Union, whose representatives will have to communicate their final position on the new set of rules later on this year. The same source indicates that the Council should protect the net neutrality and make sure that this principle could be enforced in a highly effective manner, to prevent power abuses and protect the consumers’ rights.
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