CharlesSchumer
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FCC waiver helps Jewish community centers ID bomb threats
Following a string of more nearly 70 anonymous bomb threats made to Jewish community centers in 27 states since the start of the year, the Federal Communications Commission issued an emergency order on Friday. The order, which takes effect immediately, waives the telecommunications restriction that prevents phone carriers from sharing the calling party number (CPN) with the call's recipient.
'Hamilton' creator Miranda joins the fight against ticket bots
Hate that ticket bots robbed you of a chance to see that big concert or musical? So does Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Hamilton author is teaming up with Senator Charles Schumer to promote a proposed federal bill, the Better Online Ticket Sales Act (BOTS Act, geddit?), that would fine bot users $16,000 for every ticket they sell. That's far harsher than in Schumer's own New York state, where a recently passed law tops out at a $1,000 total fine and no more than a year in prison. Miranda is coming aboard as proof that these bots can do real damage -- scalpers made roughly $15.5 million from Hamilton alone, and jacked prices from $189 to as much as $2,000. It'd also start a task force that would detect these bootleggers.
Daily Update for July 19, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
US Senator says DOJ should drop Apple ebook lawsuit
Senator Charles Schumer of New York (right) appealed to the U.S. Department of Justice yesterday in the Wall Street Journal to drop its lawsuit against Apple and a number of major publishers. The DOJ alleges that Apple and the publishers colluded to raise prices in the ebook market. Schumer states that "the suit will restore Amazon to the dominant position atop the e-books market it occupied for years before competition arrived in the form of Apple. If that happens, consumers will be forced to accept whatever prices Amazon sets." Schumer points out in his guest editorial that after Apple entered the market with iBooks, competition increased. Amazon's market share fell from 90 percent to 60 percent, and as a result the company had to "expand its catalog, invest in innovation, and reduce the prices of its Kindle reading devices" -- all things that are good for consumers. He notes that the average price for ebooks fell from US$9 to $7, while the DOJ looked at the fact that prices on a very few new releases have gone up. Whether Schumer's printed entreaty will make a difference to the Department of Justice is unknown, but it's interesting to see an influential member of the Senate come to the defense of Apple and the publishing industry in this case.
Senator Charles Schumer asks Apple to consider privacy with new Maps
Apple and Google are rushing to bring 3D aerial views to their respective mapping solutions. While many view this as a good thing, some people like Senator Charles Schumer of New York are concerned about privacy and security issues that arise when people are photographed from the sky without their consent. As reported by MacObserver, Schumer sent an open letter to both Google and Apple asking them to notify residents before a planned flyover by their jets. The senator is uneasy with aerial high-resolution photography that potentially could capture private moments of people in their backyards. He writes, People on Long Island or in Buffalo have a reasonable expectation of privacy when they decide to have a barbeque on their back deck and would prefer to retain the option of deciding whether they should be photographed on their property. They should not fear that your planes will be overhead taking detailed pictures of their private events. Besides notifying residents of a flyover, Schumer also asked the companies to blur images of people, allow people to opt-out from having their property shown online and to work with law enforcement and local governments to make sure sensitive infrastructure details are removed from the maps.
US senator Schumer calls for FTC investigation of Apple, Google
A Reuters report says US Senator Charles Schumer is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Apple and Google over its handling of photos. A recent New York Times report discussed a privacy breach that lets any iOS app with location permission to access a user's photo album. A follow-up report details how Android also lets an app with Internet permission to access the photo gallery on the handset. In both cases, the user is not aware these apps are tapping into their personal images. Schumer writes in his letter to the FTC, "These uses go well beyond what a reasonable user understands himself to be consenting to when he allows an app to access data on the phone for purposes of the app's functionality." He questions whether Google and Apple are enforcing their terms of service and declares that handset makers have an obligation to protect the private content on their user's phones. This isn't the first time Schumer has targeted Apple. In 2010, the US Senator sent an open letter to Steve Jobs asking him to address the iPhone 4 antenna issues and provide a free solution that'll fix the problem for customers.
Malls halt cellphone-tracking experiment after complaint from Senator Schumer
As you may have heard last week, two US malls (the Promenade Temecula in Southern California and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Virginia) decided to conduct a little experiment this holiday shopping season, in which they employed some cellphone-tracking technology in an effort to learn more about individuals' shopping patterns. That technology came from a company called Path Intelligence, which has previously outfitted UK malls with the system, and assures folks that it only detects cellphone signals, not phone numbers or other personal data. Those assurances apparently weren't enough for US Senator Chuck Schumer, however, who sent letters to both the FTC and the CEO of Path Intelligence, complaining that the tracking was "simply unreasonable," and that a "shopper should not have to choose between the ability to be in touch with friends and family in case of emergency and safeguarding her privacy." While it's unclear if it's in direct response to the Senator's letter, the company that owns both malls has reportedly shut down the tracking systems after only a day of use, although it isn't commenting publicly on the matter just yet. You can find Senator Schumer's full statement at the source link below.
Senator Schumer blasts OnStar for 'brazen' privacy violation, calls for FTC investigation
Last week, OnStar issued a privacy notice informing customers that it would continue to collect data on vehicles still connected to its servers, even for those who have already canceled their subscriptions. The move elicited a chorus of protests from Democratic privacy advocates in the Senate, including Chris Coons, Al Franken and, most recently, Charles Schumer, who wrote a letter to the FTC yesterday calling for an investigation into what he sees as a bold violation of consumer rights. "By tracking drivers even after they've canceled their service, OnStar is attempting one of the most brazen invasions of privacy in recent memory," the New York Senator said. "I urge OnStar to abandon this policy and for FTC to immediately launch a full investigation to determine whether the company's actions constitute an unfair trade practice." Find out more about OnStar's new policy, after the break.
Senator Chuck Schumer writes open letter to Steve Jobs, world is officially doomed
Look, we get it. There's a problem with the iPhone's antenna. But was the open letter to Jobs calling for a "clearly written explanation of the cause of the reception problem" and a "public commitment to remedy it free-of-charge" really necessary? What, you don't have better things to do? The full press release (and the Senator's letter) is after the break.
Senators to introduce legislation banning texting while driving
It's already been banned by a number of states and the District of Columbia, but a group of Democratic senators led by New York's Charles Schumer are now set to introduce legislation that would ban texting while driving throughout the United States. That, as you may be aware if you've been watching the news this past week, follows a study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which found that truck drivers that texted while driving were 23 times more likely to get into an accident than non-texters -- to say nothing of several calls for a ban from major safety groups over the years. While complete details on the proposed bill are still a bit light, it would apparently withhold 25% of the annual federal highway funding from states that did not comply with the ban, and would reportedly be modeled on the way the national drunken driving ban was introduced.[Via Phone Scoop]
