The Electronic Communications Privacy Act was established in 1986 and as you can imagine the technology of the day in 1986 was much different than the technology of today. Just like computers, our laws need to be checked regularly to make sure they are operating at peak efficiency.
Hedgehog Hosting, along with the i2Coalition, is working hard to ensure that our elected officials get this right. If we do not get a good markup of this Act we fear that US based hosting companies will lose our ability to compete globally. Moreover, we know that it will be very hard to operationalize the process needed to work effectively with agencies when there is a need to.
While there are many other points that can be brought up with regards to ECPA, the key issue for Hedgehog is the 4th Amendment protections of our customer's data. Anything that lessens our ability to say that we will fully protect the privacy of our client's data under these already established rights is not something that we will support. We take this responsibility very seriously, and as in the past with SOPA and PIPA, we will make our voices heard to ensure that ECPA reform will be prudent for today's Internet standards.
Hedgehog Hosting will stand with other like-minded companies on March 5th at the i2Coaltion's Internet Education Day on Capitol Hill to discuss how small to medium businesses can strike the right balance between safety and privacy while fostering the growth of the Internet ecosystem as a whole. If you are interested in learning more visit the i2coalition website and follow us on Twitter @HedgehogHosting.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Thursday, June 13, 2013
New technology makes it easier to petition your elected officials
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
When most people quote the First Amendment you generally hear them speak about freedoms of speech or maybe you hear about freedoms of the press or religion. Rarely do you hear people speak about the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
I think that we all know we have this right to speak with our elected officials, but I do not think people really know how to do it. Or maybe it is just that people fear the process. I can say from personal experience that it is quite daunting to go down to Capitol Hill and speak directly with our lawmakers.
But after a few trips to Washington DC, there are some things I am learning. The first is that our elected officials are generally good people and want to do good work. Another is that they really do want to hear from people within their districts. Elected officials hear from large corporations and lobbyists all the time, but rarely do they hear from smaller businesses or the actual people that they represent. Most every elected official I have met has expressed that they wish this was not the case.
To that end, there are two great services I would like everyone to get to know. The first is an app called Contact Congress. This mobile app simply lets you know who your elected officials are based on your geographic locale. Contact Congress while basic, gets you started on the path of contacting the right people.
Another great service that has been developed is not as much an app as it is a service that is closely tied to mobile devices. This service allows organizations to have messages sent to their elected officials through phone or text messaging, instantly. The service is called Phone2Action and I beleive it is the future of using social media to contact elected officials easily and with great speed.
When most people quote the First Amendment you generally hear them speak about freedoms of speech or maybe you hear about freedoms of the press or religion. Rarely do you hear people speak about the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
I think that we all know we have this right to speak with our elected officials, but I do not think people really know how to do it. Or maybe it is just that people fear the process. I can say from personal experience that it is quite daunting to go down to Capitol Hill and speak directly with our lawmakers.
But after a few trips to Washington DC, there are some things I am learning. The first is that our elected officials are generally good people and want to do good work. Another is that they really do want to hear from people within their districts. Elected officials hear from large corporations and lobbyists all the time, but rarely do they hear from smaller businesses or the actual people that they represent. Most every elected official I have met has expressed that they wish this was not the case.
To that end, there are two great services I would like everyone to get to know. The first is an app called Contact Congress. This mobile app simply lets you know who your elected officials are based on your geographic locale. Contact Congress while basic, gets you started on the path of contacting the right people.
Another great service that has been developed is not as much an app as it is a service that is closely tied to mobile devices. This service allows organizations to have messages sent to their elected officials through phone or text messaging, instantly. The service is called Phone2Action and I beleive it is the future of using social media to contact elected officials easily and with great speed.
As we learn to work with our elected officials in this fast-paced and very mobile way, apps and services like these may just be the key to getting us more comfortable with standing up for our First Ammendment Rights.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Hedgehog Hosting 12th Anniversary
Hedgehog Hosting is pleased that May 2013 marks our 12th anniversary of providing the highest quality service to our clients. It seems like only yesterday that we began this journey and now 12 years later we realize how fortunate we really are. Since Hedgehog has stayed the course and never really waivered from our intended purpose of providing the best hosted solutions to our clients, rather than tell you all abut what has (or in this case, has not) changed with the company, I would like to dedicate this post to the people that make it all possible.
So in 2001, Amanda Bean was holding down the fort in Annandale, VA with her two yellow labs, Madeline and Tucker. At this stage in her life, Amanda put everything she had into making sure that her newest baby, Hedgehog Hosting, would grow to be the best technology services provider around. Since that time, while she has continued to make Hedgehog successful, she has gotten married, had four, yes four, beautiful healthy children. (Three of them all came at once.) She has built a wonderful home for her family in Loudon County where this small army resides with Tucker still holding down the fort. We think fondly of Madeline and remember her with smiles as she just passed this year. Her family is a testament to the hard work and love that Amanda shows in all aspects of her life and we are very happy here at Hedgehog to be part of that extended family.
Chris Miceli is still growing his family in Falls Church, VA where he has added one more little Hedgehog baby to the mix. Along with his three kids and his wife, Chris has made Falls Church a permanent part of his life. Rather than move into a larger space to accomodate his growing family, a mild remodel later, and they had the space they needed to watch the kids grow. His oldest will be starting high school next year and so starts a new chapter in their lives as the teenage years come to their household. Chris still has the meticulous nature that keeps Hedgehog from getting to complacent in our daily workings. His strength still lies in the details and you can see that in his work and the wonderful family he supports.
Everyone still knows and remembers Jeff Chanesman. How could you not. Not many people look like Jeff and he is very easy to remember because he has a heart of gold and is a friend to all. If you have been fortunate to meet Jeff, you know he will still do anything for you, no matter what. His family has that same attitude and his son will make his mark on the world with that same affinity for life that dad has. Jeff and his family have set roots in Oakton,, VA where his house is an exact replica of his calm and serene nature. Settled on a creek in the woods, he spends his time caring for his home, the structure, and his home, the family. He loves to work in his yard and may you be blessed to have the playground his son has. :) Still collecting, trading, selling, drawing and loving PEZ, the whole family partakes of this past time that is core to the Jeff we all know and love. A nice get-a-way vacation for Jeff and his family usually involves a PEZ convention somewhere in the US. The compasion that Jeff has is paramount to the way we run Hedgehog and it shows through boldly on a daily basis.
Richard Feller has planted himself in Fairfax, VA right down the street from our offices and that is where he intends to stay. It is a great base for his wife and sons who all still call the DC/VA/MD area their home. MD you say, with his oldest at the US Naval Academy he has one of the nest already. He still loves his rugby and you will usually find him volunteering time in DC coaching. That time in DC now finds him doing some exciting things on Capitol Hill not just for Hedgehog, but on behalf of an industry that all of us here at Hedgehog love. Richard is always out and about. Meeting people and mingling, it is usually said that more people know who Richard than vice versa. If that is the case, say hello and introduce yourself as he loves making relationships, many of which are growing stronger as business continues.
Finally, we want to thank our clients, many who have stood with Hedgehog from the early days. A number of great organizations took a leap of faith with a small hosting company that started in the wake of Sept 11 and a declining economy. Today, 12 years later, we are still providing service to many of those companies and we want to thank all of those great people for making Hedgehog successful. For those companies that are newer clients to Hedgehogm we can oly say this. Give us another 12 years and we look forward to writing about those next chapters.
So in 2001, Amanda Bean was holding down the fort in Annandale, VA with her two yellow labs, Madeline and Tucker. At this stage in her life, Amanda put everything she had into making sure that her newest baby, Hedgehog Hosting, would grow to be the best technology services provider around. Since that time, while she has continued to make Hedgehog successful, she has gotten married, had four, yes four, beautiful healthy children. (Three of them all came at once.) She has built a wonderful home for her family in Loudon County where this small army resides with Tucker still holding down the fort. We think fondly of Madeline and remember her with smiles as she just passed this year. Her family is a testament to the hard work and love that Amanda shows in all aspects of her life and we are very happy here at Hedgehog to be part of that extended family.
Chris Miceli is still growing his family in Falls Church, VA where he has added one more little Hedgehog baby to the mix. Along with his three kids and his wife, Chris has made Falls Church a permanent part of his life. Rather than move into a larger space to accomodate his growing family, a mild remodel later, and they had the space they needed to watch the kids grow. His oldest will be starting high school next year and so starts a new chapter in their lives as the teenage years come to their household. Chris still has the meticulous nature that keeps Hedgehog from getting to complacent in our daily workings. His strength still lies in the details and you can see that in his work and the wonderful family he supports.
Everyone still knows and remembers Jeff Chanesman. How could you not. Not many people look like Jeff and he is very easy to remember because he has a heart of gold and is a friend to all. If you have been fortunate to meet Jeff, you know he will still do anything for you, no matter what. His family has that same attitude and his son will make his mark on the world with that same affinity for life that dad has. Jeff and his family have set roots in Oakton,, VA where his house is an exact replica of his calm and serene nature. Settled on a creek in the woods, he spends his time caring for his home, the structure, and his home, the family. He loves to work in his yard and may you be blessed to have the playground his son has. :) Still collecting, trading, selling, drawing and loving PEZ, the whole family partakes of this past time that is core to the Jeff we all know and love. A nice get-a-way vacation for Jeff and his family usually involves a PEZ convention somewhere in the US. The compasion that Jeff has is paramount to the way we run Hedgehog and it shows through boldly on a daily basis.
Richard Feller has planted himself in Fairfax, VA right down the street from our offices and that is where he intends to stay. It is a great base for his wife and sons who all still call the DC/VA/MD area their home. MD you say, with his oldest at the US Naval Academy he has one of the nest already. He still loves his rugby and you will usually find him volunteering time in DC coaching. That time in DC now finds him doing some exciting things on Capitol Hill not just for Hedgehog, but on behalf of an industry that all of us here at Hedgehog love. Richard is always out and about. Meeting people and mingling, it is usually said that more people know who Richard than vice versa. If that is the case, say hello and introduce yourself as he loves making relationships, many of which are growing stronger as business continues.
Finally, we want to thank our clients, many who have stood with Hedgehog from the early days. A number of great organizations took a leap of faith with a small hosting company that started in the wake of Sept 11 and a declining economy. Today, 12 years later, we are still providing service to many of those companies and we want to thank all of those great people for making Hedgehog successful. For those companies that are newer clients to Hedgehogm we can oly say this. Give us another 12 years and we look forward to writing about those next chapters.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Updates from the Hedgie on the Hill
First and foremost, it has been happily rumored that the Senate will not even take up a vote on CISPA, which passed in the House earlier this month. Diligence is still needed to make sure that any legislation being brought forth in either the House or the Senate preservers the rights of Internet users.
To that end, we are very pleased of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s unanimous decision to advance the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013, S. 607: Hedgehog Hosting was one of over 100 companies that signed a letter addressed to Senate Judiciary lawmakers urging the committee to adopt the Leahy-Lee amendment ensuring that law enforcement officials “can obtain electronic communications in all appropriate cases while protecting Americans’ constitutional rights.”
These two great steps forward will help us to protect our client's interests with regards to their online data privacy while still doing all we can to help law enforcement if the need should arise.
To that end, we are very pleased of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s unanimous decision to advance the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013, S. 607: Hedgehog Hosting was one of over 100 companies that signed a letter addressed to Senate Judiciary lawmakers urging the committee to adopt the Leahy-Lee amendment ensuring that law enforcement officials “can obtain electronic communications in all appropriate cases while protecting Americans’ constitutional rights.”
These two great steps forward will help us to protect our client's interests with regards to their online data privacy while still doing all we can to help law enforcement if the need should arise.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Take action to help defeat CISPA in the Senate.
The House of Representatives passed the controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) today. As we move on to the Senate, (where it previously failed in February of 2012) we must be diligent in reminding our lawmakers to be mindful of the numerous privacy concerns raised by the bill in its current form. While the goal of CISPA is to increase security online and make it easier to identify potential cyber threats, any reform must be made in an open manner and in a manner that preserves the civil liberties of everyone.
Last week, the House Intelligence Committee passed CISPA in a closed door hearing. It is imparative that any discussions on privacy and accessibility be transparent and include all stakeholders involved in the process to build consensus. Hedgehog Hosting and other i2Coalition members will continue to push for this transparency.
While there is anticipation that the White House will veto CISPA if it passes the Senate, we must all continue to speak out against this legislation in its current form. As has been shown in past efforts with SOPA and PIPA, contacting your members of Congress to show your opposition will have an impact.
Compared to past years, pro-CISPA forces have spent upwards of 140 times more in lobbying that their opponents. If you share our privacy concerns and want to help, please contact your Representative today and ask him/her to vote no on CISPA!
-----
How do I contact my elected officials? There is an app for that! - "Contact Congress" by Airship Software on your apple device or visit http://www.congress.org/news/communicating-with-congress/
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
CES on the Hill was a showcase of great startup talent and our elected officials took notice!
What I found after attending the CES on the Hill event this week is that the startup community is still booming and their range of products and services are still so very exciting.
I am also pleased that the Consumer Electronics Association, of which Hedgehog is a proud member, is actively engaging our elected officials on the Hill to provide startups with new legislation that will help foster the growth of these vital new companies.
With their continued support of the Startup Act, now in version 3.0, companies like ours have joined the efforts and are providing support for this bipartisan bill that will jumpstart our economy through the creation and growth of new businesses, especially in the much needed STEM field.
While there is much debate on the Hill about the best way to grow our economy, I think we can all agree that making it easier for companies such as the ones that were represented at CES on the Hill to grow and flourish will surely help. I am sure the next great company lies somewhere in this mix of budding young startups.
With their continued support of the Startup Act, now in version 3.0, companies like ours have joined the efforts and are providing support for this bipartisan bill that will jumpstart our economy through the creation and growth of new businesses, especially in the much needed STEM field.
While there is much debate on the Hill about the best way to grow our economy, I think we can all agree that making it easier for companies such as the ones that were represented at CES on the Hill to grow and flourish will surely help. I am sure the next great company lies somewhere in this mix of budding young startups.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Why I am so happy that Hedgehog Hosting and other infrastructure companies exist
Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of travelling with some business colleagues to a meeting in Pittsburgh, PA. Now, most of the time business trips are not considered "pleasurable," but in this case we had just finished up two and half great days of meetings and I was fortunate to be travelling not only with business associates, but with people I consider some of my very good friends. On top of that, we all represent the web hosting community and this made the drive back to Washington DC a lot more productive from a work standpoint. AND it was the ultimate four hour "geek-out" session on so many different tech subjects. I am sure all of you would have wanted to be a fly on the wall... Or maybe on the windshield at some points in the drive. :)
So about halfway into the drive our stomachs started to rumble. With Breezewood, PA rapidly approaching I came to realization that if we trudged on and ate at any of the few dinner-esque types of establishments there, the second half of the car ride may not be as enjoyable as the first half. That being said, we decided we would rather stop in Bedford, PA to have a bite. Now as convincing (and as numerous) as the billboards were leading up to Bedford, Ed's Steakhouse was not my first choice for the afternoon. After about two minutes of back and forth, and being that I was the driver, I had to lay down the law and request that my riding companions stop watching the latest YouTube sensation and use their Internet connected devices (cell phones to the layperson) to find us a decent place to eat lunch.
As the options started to come up, we found an interesting review on TripAdvisor for a restaurant called Horn O Plenty. After a little chuckle about the name (it was all guys in the car) we were slowly getting sold on trying this restaurant. There were nothing but amazing reviews showing up! DONE. This was our stop and after about 2 miles off the beaten path, we arrived. And not a moment too soon... I was about to eat my shoe I was so hungry after hearing all these rave reviews.
Now I could go into all the reasons why this is one of my new favorite restaurants in the USA, but then this blog post would be three times as long and I'd risk losing even more readers than I already have. Let me just say that this restaurant lived up to every review and every expectation that we had, even before we had the first bite of food.
After one of the best meals I had ever eaten, we spent a considerable amount of time talking to Mandi Horn, the owner of the restaurant AND the farmer/grower of most everything we just ate. It was one of the most pleasant dining experiences I have ever had. The staff was "icing on the cake" to the great food we had just eaten. I really felt like I was at someone's home for lunch rather than eating out. And we had just met! Needless to say, the entire second half of the ride home was spent talking about the fantastic experience we had just had.
Now you are probably asking, "What does this all have to do with my love for Hedgehog and the importance of other infrastructure companies?" Without us, this entire process could not have happened. Now let me be clear that we do not host the websites for TripAdvisor or Horn O Plenty, but someone very similar to Hedgehog Hosting does. Infrastructure companies, like ours, are the facilitators of the applications that allowed us to find this "hidden gem." How great is it that we have all this technology that can lead us somewhere that we had no idea existed?
Let us take this a step further to something a bit more important than our lunch that December day. Non-profit groups like Amnesty International need people to find them even though they may be off the beaten path a bit. They need to garner support for their efforts protecting human rights around the world. Many infrastructure companies, and Hedgehog Hosting specifically, allow Amnesty to spread their message all over the world. These messages are not of the usual "Special of the Day," variety, but rather an appeal to save a person's life, or protect the rights of a group that is being persecuted. Our infrastructure companies make these messages available to everyone at any time. That, to me, makes every day worth going to work for.
In the end, I am so very excited that what we do makes a difference. Now, maybe it makes a difference for a small, local farmer who decided to open a restaurant a few miles from her farm in Bedford, PA or maybe, just maybe, it makes a difference to a whole group of people fighting for basic human freedoms. Either way, we will be here to help them and will be grateful for that opportunity!
--
Finally, if you are ever in Bedford, PA you would be remiss if you did not visit Horn O Plenty (http://www.myhornoplenty.com) and have what I consider to be one of the best dining experiences ever! Please tell Mandi her computer friends from Washington DC are still reading her recommended cookbooks and looking forward to our next visit to Bedford!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)