2015 Event The U.S. Federal Communications Commission approves net neutrality rules, which guarantee equal Internet access to all users; broadband companies had been seeking the ability to sell faster access to certain customers while slowing access for others 2014 Event U.S. President Barack Obama states his support for 'net neutrality', urging federal lawmakers to regulate internet service providers in a manner similar to utility companies in order to ensure open access to all internet users 2014 Event Internet retailer Amazon, Inc. releases its own 'Fire' smart phone; the phone will allow users to connect directly to Amazon.com to shop for items they scan or identify in video and audio clips on the device 2014 Event Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha has become interim leader of Thailand in a military coup today; the military has thrown out part of the constitution, imposed a curfew and placed media and Internet communication under its control 2014 Event Microsoft identifies a security issue in Internet Explorer that can allow hackers to take control of personal computers using the browser; the flaw affects versions 6 to 11 of the software 2014 Event The Federal Communications Commission moves away from the idea of net neutrality, in which all Internet users are able to equally access and view content; the agency instead proposes to allow large companies to pay Internet service providers for access to faster-streaming 'lanes' 2014 Event A flaw in OpenSSL, the encryption method for many websites, has been identified, potentially compromising user security data across the Internet; web users are urged to change login names and passwords immediately 2014 Event Greenpeace releases its annual energy efficiency report praising several Internet companies, including Apple, which scored poorly a couple of years ago; Amazon was noted as lagging behind in use of renewable energy for its data centers 2014 Event The U.S. plans to let its contract with ICANN expire next year; this would end U.S. authority over the Internet 2014 Event German design company Art+Com sues Google, claiming the Internet company infringed on its patented spatial mapping technology by incorporating its features into Google Earth; Art+Com offered to sell the patent to Google in 2006 but wasn't satisfied with Google's offer 2014 Event It is revealed that the National Security Agency, NSA, is using software to spy on nearly 100,000 computers around the world; most of the software is implanted by accessing the Internet, but some technology enables data to be entered or altered through radio wave transmission 2013 Event Microsoft is fined €561 million for not providing E.U. residents with an alternative web browser to Internet Explorer 2013 Event The group of hackers known as Anonymous, hacks into the U.S. Sentencing Commission website as a response to the suicide of Aaron Swartz, an American computer programmer, and internet activist 2012 Event A temporary fix to the Internet Doomsday virus created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation expires, causing thousands of computer users across the globe to lose Internet access 2012 Event On the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, China blocks internet access to terms related to the event 2012 Event The United Kingdom's government announces it will introduce a consultation process on internet measures which require online users to opt-in if they want to view adult content 2012 Event In Illinois, a Cook County Circuit Court rules that the tax Amazon.com levied on Internet businesses by the U.S. state of Illinois is unconstitutional 2011 Event The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers grants private companies the right to create new website domain suffixes 2011 Event Microsoft announces it plans to purchase Skype, an Internet phone service, for $8.5 billion 2011 Event An undersea fiber-optic cable arrives in Cuba, linking it to Venezuela. Venezuela offered to help Cuba speed its internet connection when the U.S. refused 2011 Event Egypt partially restores Internet access after a five-day blackout 2011 Event Responding to anti-government protests in Egypt, the government cuts off access to the internet, cell phones, and imposes a curfew 2010 Event The internet population in China reaches 450 million 2010 Event Google's internet content provider license is renewed by China; the company is allowed to continue operating in the country 2009 Event Internet traffic reaches unprecedented levels after entertainer Michael Jackson's death triggers an outpouring of worldwide grief 1998 Death Jon Postel, Father of the Internet, dies at 55 1998 Event AOL raises monthly flat rate internet access from $19.95 to $21.95 1997 Event Microsoft Corp releases Internet Explorer 4.0 1997 Event Supreme Court strikes down Internet indecency law 1997 Event Mercury Mail announces its 1 millionth internet subscriber 1997 Event Microsoft Corp releases Internet Explorer 4.0 1997 Event Supreme Court hears Internet indecency arguments 1996 Event Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 3.0 1996 Event HotMail, a free internet E-mail service begins 1996 Event 3 Philadelphia Federal Court judges overturn U.S. indecency ban on internet 1995 Event Cable News Network joins internet 1994 Event Thomas Nicely reports bug in Intel's Pentium-processor on Internet 1971 Birthday Tom Green, born in Pembroke, Canada, actor, media personality, rapper, host of Tom Green's House Tonight' internet talk show, autobiography, 'Hollywood Causes Cancer' 1971 Event Chatrooms make their debut on the Internet 1968 Birthday Mark Harding, Bath England, keeper of Internet biographies
