The digital age has revolutionized our concept of ownership and copyrights. We freely share content via blogs and social media. The ease of streaming and downloading music and videos demanded solutions for providing paid access and cracking down on digital piracy. Big data applications aggregate “private” information for companies to use, which can help or hurt your revenue.  We talked about some Internet turf wars on this week’s episode of Money Radio:

Digital Discrimination? Websites and ADA Compliance

The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Among other things, it stipulates that businesses must be accessible. You might remember the serial ADA compliance lawsuits filed last year in Arizona concerning issues like parking spaces and signage. Now, attorneys are filing complaints for clients based on website accessibility. ABC15 reports a dozen such cases in the past year, but some predict thousands of allegations will emerge in the next year or so.

The problem has to do with goods and services offered on the website, or with the website itself. You could be sued for thousands of dollars if your website is not compatible with software for the blind, for example. Or, if your hotel website doesn’t offer accessible accommodations, you might be hit with costly litigation.

Since the ADA doesn’t specify standards for websites, the law is open to interpretation, and judges will have to figure out how to enforce it. However, if you own a business, you might be inclined to settle rather than foot the bill for a legal battle. Either way, be proactive in building an “accessible” website and have your lawyer on speed dial, just in case.

It’s worth mentioning that a lot of software for the blind uses audio to navigate websites. So, while we anticipate a surge in voice searches and audio-based personal assistants, people with visual disabilities have been on that frontier for a while. Keeping up with technology trends could help you stay compliant.

Why We Need Net Neutrality

The days of waiting for websites to load are far behind us. These days, consumers expect even media-saturated pages to load instantly. We’ve spoken before about net neutrality, and how cable companies could dramatically change the Internet by making some pages load faster than others. It’s hard enough to compete on a level playing field. Imagine if the cable companies made it not level.

If you haven’t joined the battle for the net or if you want to learn more, Fight for the Future makes it really easy to get educated and get involved.

News Media Battles Antitrust Laws for Ad Revenue

As we’re well aware, Google and Facebook dominate the paid digital advertising sphere. At the same time, news media outlets struggle to maintain revenue as printed media goes the way of the flip phone and not everyone wants to pay for digital subscriptions. That means, like in the printed olden days, news organizations must rely on ads. They’re competing with Googliath – who wants to advertise in the local rag when you can reach millions more on Google or Facebook? So, the news media are seeking an antitrust exemption to basically unionize and gain more leverage in negotiations with the two tech giants.

Who owns the Internet? Who knows! But you can increase revenue with a savvy digital media strategy. Contact us for a free digital assessment!

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