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Draft bill could penalize companies for using end-to-end encryption
Politicians may be looking for a roundabout way to thwart end-to-end encryption. Senator Lindsey Graham is drafting a bill, the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act, that would modify the Communications Decency Act's Section 230 to make companies liable in state criminal cases and civil lawsuits over child abuse and exploitation if they don't follow practices set by a national commission. Some of these would be relatively uncontroversial, such as offering parental controls and setting age limits with disclosures. However, the bill also includes requirements to "preserve, remove from view, and report" material as well as retain evidence, and there's a concern these could be used as pretexts for punishing the use of end-to-end encryption that would make some of this data inaccessible.
Bipartisan bill would scale back key section of the Patriot Act
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has introduced new legislation that would attempt to reform Section 215 of the Patriot Act definitively. Democratic and Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have co-sponsored Wyden's Safeguarding Americans' Private Records Act.
Proposed NYC law would require drone inspections for building complaints
Drones could soon be key to keeping New Yorkers safe from crumbling architecture. Members of the New York City Council have proposed legislation that would require drone inspections within 48 hours of a complaint or confirmed violation. A robotic vehicle (not the Mavic 2 Pro pictured) would use infrared and a pair of conventional cameras to both look for the telltale temperature changes of cracks and inspect roof conditions. The intended drones would cost $2,500 each, but the proposal would reduce costs by offloading the inspections to private companies that would charge building owners.
Democrats want to study FOSTA-SESTA's impact on sex workers online
If you're concerned that FOSTA-SESTA seems built more to kick sex workers offline than to fight sex trafficking, you're not alone. House representatives and senators have introduced the Safe Sex Workers Study Act, a bill that would analyze the impact of FOSTA-SESTA on the health and safety of sex workers and help Congress make "informed" decisions. The politicians are concerned that banning sites from the "promotion of prostitution" only served to hurt the consensual sex industry by shutting down resources where workers could screen customers, set limits and discuss issues with their peers. This not only increased the chances for violence and health issues, but may have thwarted the very purpose of FOSTA-SESTA by pushing sex traffickers further underground.
India's proposed data laws give the government more access to data
The latest version of India's Personal Data Protection bill could require companies to gain permission before using individuals' personal data, and citizens would be able to demand their data be erased, The New York Times reports. The rules would also place fewer restrictions on the government, which would be allowed to request anonymized and non-personal data from companies. The latest version of the bill circulated this week. According to Financial Times, it was introduced to India's parliament today.
Senate bill would block US companies from storing data in China
US Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) wants to make it illegal for US companies to store user data or encryption keys in China. He also wants to prevent Chinese companies from collecting any more info from American users than is necessary to provide their service. He proposed these measures as part of a new National Security and Personal Data Protection Act announced today.
House passes controversial copyright bill that could be abused by trolls
Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted in favor (410-6) of a controversial copyright bill known as the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019, or CASE Act. The bill is meant to give independent creators an affordable and accessible way to defend their intellectual property. But critics question whether it is constitutional and argue that it could be abused by trolls, potentially bankrupting the creators it's meant to benefit.
Senate bill aims to make user data 'portable' across social networks
Three senators think they have a way to address some of the antitrust concerns around social media companies. Today, Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Virginia), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) will introduce a bill that would force social media companies to make user data "portable," so that it can be easily transferred to competing (read: smaller) services.
Senator Wyden pushes his ‘Mind Your Own Business’ privacy act forward
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is advancing his data privacy bill. Today, he shared his "Mind Your Own Business Act" an official version of the draft legislation we saw last year. Like the draft, the official version would give the Federal Trade Commission more power, like the ability to fine tech companies for user privacy violations.
A House bill could cap the concentration of nicotine in e-cigs
As part of a growing effort to reduce teen vaping, US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois) has proposed legislation that could put a cap on the concentration of nicotine in e-cigarettes, CNN reports. The bill would limit nicotine content to no more than 20 milligrams per milliliter. According to Krishnamoorthi's office, the goal is to make e-cigs "significantly less addictive and appealing to youth."
Congress plans to investigate how social media giants are fighting hate
House lawmakers plan to unveil legislation to study the ways social media can be weaponized, The Washington Post reports. They want to better understand social media-fueled violence and to determine if tech giants are doing enough to effectively protect users from harmful content. Congress isn't just looking at what tech giants say they'll do to fight online hate and extremism. Lawmakers want to know if those efforts are effective or not.
Senator wants to ban 'addictive' social network features in new bill
Never mind relying on your phone's wellbeing tools to curb your social network addictions -- if one congressman has his way, the law itself would step in. Senator Josh Hawley has introduced a bill, the Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology Act (yes, that's SMART Act), that would ban features deemed to be exploitative. It would primarily forbid infinite scrolling, autoplaying media and achievements that don't "substantially" reward users with more content. There would have to be "natural stopping points" that encourage users to take a break, for hat matter.
Bipartisan highway bill proposes $1 billion for EV charging corridors
Today, a bipartisan group of senators are introducing the largest highway legislation in history. The America's Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019 proposes investing $287 billion over five years in federal transportation projects. While it includes standard measures like funding for highways and bridges, at least a few billion dollars are slated for reducing carbon emissions and installing EV chargers along highway corridors.
A new bill could ban facial recognition in federally-funded housing
Now that facial recognition is more common, so are the laws aiming to limit its scope. San Francisco, Oakland, Calif. and Somerville, Mass. have all passed laws prohibiting city use of facial recognition. Now, a group of Congresswomen hope to pass the first federal legislation to limit the technology. According to CNET, the No Biometric Barriers to Housing Act is expected to be introduced this week.
New York City bill could make selling phone location data illegal
New York City could become the first city in the country to ban the sale of geolocation data to third parties. A bill introduced today would make it illegal for cellphone and mobile app companies to sell location data collected in the city. It would impose hefty fines -- up to $10,000 per day, per user for multiple violations -- and it would give users the right to sue companies that share their data without explicit permission.
Congress tries to limit Trump's ability to ease Huawei restrictions
President Trump's desire to lift some restrictions on Huawei won't go unchallenged. A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill, the Defending America's 5G Future Act, that would effectively set the original blacklisting in stone. It would "codify" the executive order forbidding sales of telecom equipment to customers posing national security risks, bar the removal of Huawei from the Commerce Department Entity List without an act of Congress. It would also block waivers that any administration might offer to US companies doing business with Huawei.
San Francisco is officially the first US city to ban e-cigarette sales
San Francisco's expected ban on e-cigarettes is about to become a practical reality. The city has voted in favor of a measure banning sales and and deliveries of e-cigarette products, making it the first urban center to approve just such a measure. Mayor London Breed has 10 days to review the law, but that may be a formality when she has already expressed support for the legislation. It should take effect seven months after signing, and won't lift until the FDA has finished reviewing the health effects.
Senate bill would make companies put a price on personal data
Many will tell you that internet giants see your data as their most valuable resource, but politicians now want to put a number on that value. Senators Mark Warner and Josh Hawley are introducing the Designing Accounting Safeguards to Help Broaden Oversight and Regulations on Data Act (conveniently DASHBOARD Act for short), a bill that requires companies with 100 million or more monthly users to not only disclose the type of data they collect, but to put a monetary value on that data every 90 days. If Facebook and Google think you're worth $5 per month, they would have to say as much. The Securities and Exchange Commission would have to develop methods for calculating that value.
New York Senate passes ban on Elon Musk's Not-A-Flamethrower
If you live in New York state and bought one of The Boring Company's Not-A-Flamethrowers, you probably want to get rid of it shortly. The state's Senate recently passed a bill that bans the possession of a flamethrower for recreational purposes, and legislators very explicitly singled out Elon Musk's gadget as an example. The measure bars specifically bars any device that projects burning fuel at least three feet away, which appears to include Boring's hardware.
Bipartisan House bill aims to curb illegal robocalls
The US Senate has shown bipartisan support for a bill to crack down on robocalls, and now it's the House's turn. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone and Ranking Member Greg Walden have introduced a bipartisan Stopping Bad Robocalls Act that would similarly toughen requirements for carriers while more explicitly punishing spam callers. There are some key differences between the two, however.
