Copyright Blown Out of Proportion (or: the Great Youtube Pivot) »

22 November 2018 | Per Strömbäck

How should Big Tech deal with fake news, hacked elections, propaganda and hate speech? This is one of the biggest issues in tech policy for the moment. The general assumption is that a service created... »

No Pizza for the EFF (or: Throwing out the Baby with the Bathwater) »

1 November 2018 | Per Strömbäck

After the drama around the copyright reform votes in Parliament, the policy is now in trilogue negotiations. The tone has changed but nevertheless the debate continues. Last week, arch-techno-apologis... »

Arbiters of Truth »

31 October 2018 | Per Strömbäck

Should internet platforms be responsible for what their users do? Many say No, as it would have unreasonable consequences: should platform companies monitor everything users do? Others say, what about... »

Time for Youtube to Develop a New Business Model »

26 October 2018 | Per Strömbäck

This week, Youtube boss Susan Wojcicki called for help against the proposed copyright legislation in EU. The message is old, copyright gets in the way of creativity. And of Youtube’s freedom to moneti... »

The Unknown Clause that Could Kill the #1 Digital Business Model »

17 October 2018 | Per Strömbäck

I had a conversation with a tech entrepreneur the other day. He told me he wants to make apps on-demand. Why do you have to download apps? Why do users have to wait? All other forms of content are on ... »

Lynch Mobs – Whatsapp? »

21 September 2018 | Per Strömbäck

Did Whatsapp cause the brutal lynching of an innocent man in the state Karnataka in Southern India? A mob of 2000 attacked four men in a car on rumours that they were out to abduct local children. (In... »

Copyright Absurdism »

14 September 2018 | Per Strömbäck

There is a pattern in the copyright debate, which I think is different from most other fields of policy. Whatever the proposal, quickly the most extreme and absurd interpretation emerges and takes cen... »

Dozens of Europeans Took to the Streets Protesting Copyright Reform »

28 August 2018 | Per Strömbäck

This Sunday was “action day," when a million Europeans were supposed to stand up against the “censorship and control” of the proposed copyright reform. Except almost nobody turned up. Clicktivism T... »

The Pirates’ Pipedream »

16 August 2018 | Per Strömbäck

Some debates are evergreens. They go on forever, never end, regardless of fact or sense. The material for student debate clubs. The issue of whether piracy hurts legal sales is a good candidate for su... »

Information Wants to Be Precious – Copyright and Privacy Are One »

12 August 2018 | Per Strömbäck

We used to think that information wanted to be free. This was the idea that informed the vision in the early days of the internet. It’s a figure of speech of course, information does not want anything... »