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Democrats urge federal agencies to ditch Clearview AI's facial recognition tech
Multiple departments are said to be using the controversial tech for 'domestic law enforcement' reasons.
Democrats call on the FCC to expand internet access for students
In an open letter, US Democrats have called on the FCC to expand internet access to students for online learning.
House Democrats’ climate plan calls for 100 percent EV sales by 2035
House Democrats want to eliminate the US economy’s greenhouse gas emissions, in part by pushing for 100 percent electric passenger vehicles.
Iowa Democrats say sloppy app code delayed caucus results
We're still waiting for a full explanation about what, exactly, went wrong during Iowa's caucus Monday night, but the state's Democratic party claims a "coding issue" in a new app is the biggest reason for the delayed results. The app, which the WSJ reports was developed by the Washington, DC-based company Shadow, managed to accurately record caucus data submitted by precincts across the state. But the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) claims a programming error made the app only report partial data. The organization managed to locate and fix the error, but now it's in working on confirming the caucus results via paper records. (Update: The IDP says it plans to announce results by 5PM ET today, the Washington Post reports.)
Iowa Caucus results delayed, link to mobile app problems is unclear (updated)
Technology is already creating hiccups for the 2020 election mere hours into the caucuses. Democratic county chairs in Iowa told Bloomberg that precinct chairs were having problems downloading or signing into the mobile app used to tabulate and share results from the roughly 1,700 sites. They could still provide results through a phone line, but the problems threatened to delay reporting on results for hours.
Apple News partners on a presidential debate for the first time in February
Apple isn't just offering in-depth election news -- for 2020, it'll have a degree of participation in the process. Apple News will partner on its first political debate on February 7th, when it cooperates with ABC and WMUR-TV for the eighth Democratic debate in Manchester, New Hampshire. Apple hasn't outlined just what it will do as part of its co-hosting duties (we've asked it for details), but it's safe to presume that the debate will receive priority coverage in the News app.
Pew: Twitter users are younger and more Democratic than most Americans
A recent report from the Pew Research Center says Twitter users are younger, more highly educated, have higher incomes and are more likely to identify as Democrats compared to the general public. They're also more likely to support immigration and see evidence of racial- and gender-based inequality in society. This might be surprising given how loud opposing views can appear on the platform.
House of Representatives passes bill to restore net neutrality
The House of Representatives has passed a bill which would restore net neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission repealed in 2017. Representatives approved the bill by 232-190 (with a sole Republican voting in favor), but the legislation still seems doomed.
Democrats move closer to passing the 'Save the Internet' Act
Democrats have just made significant progress in restoring net neutrality rules in the US. The "Save the Internet Act" unveiled last month has now been approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which means it can now be considered by the full House of Representatives.
Elizabeth Warren pledges to break up Facebook, Google and Amazon
Today, Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren published a post on Medium in which she detailed why she wants to break up large Internet companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Google. In her post, she accuses these companies of using their vast resources to shape the playing field and buy up potential competition.
Democrats introduce bill to restore net neutrality
Democrats have revealed a bill that aims to restore net neutrality rules. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were among the senators and congresspeople who announced the Save the Internet Act Wednesday. It's being introduced in both the House and the Senate and aims to codify the previous protections in law. Schumer called it a "real bipartisan effort," and hearings on the legislation are set to begin next week.
House committee sets first climate change hearing in eight years
The National Resources Committee has set a date for the first House of Representatives hearing on climate change in eight years after Democrats regained control of the legislature. It takes place Wednesday at 10 AM ET, and it will address how climate change affects "American communities, natural resources and economic well-being."
House Democrats to investigate Trump actions against Amazon, AT&T
Now that Democrats are poised to control of the House of Representatives, they're planning investigations into the Trump administration's actions against technology companies. Inbound House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff told Axios in an interview that Democrats would investigate whether President Trump misused his power in attempts to punish Amazon and block AT&T's merger with Time Warner.
Democrats don't want candidates to use ZTE and Huawei phones
Huawei might have taken Apple's place as the second largest smartphone seller in the world, but that doesn't mean everyone's a fan now. According to CNN, the Democratic National Committee has warned candidates running in November against using devices from Huawei and fellow Chinese manufacturer ZTE. DNC chief security officer Bob Lord apparently wrote a warning for members that says: "It's very important that party and campaign workers not use ZTE or Huawei devices, even if the price is low or free."
House Democrats release over 3,500 Russian Facebook ads
Today, Democrats in the House of Representatives released over 3,500 Facebook ads that were purchased by Russia in order to influence the 2016 presidential election. In a Twitter thread, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said that the ads were aimed at pushing "divisive online content and videos." He goes on to say, "Russia sought to divide us by our race, by our country of origin, by our religion, and by our political party."
Democrats to release 3,000 Russia-bought Facebook ads
You're about to get more than a small sample of the Russia-connected Facebook ads purchased during the 2016 presidential election. Wall Street Journal sources have learned that Democrats from the House Intelligence Committee are planning to release 3,000 of the Russia-bought ads as soon as this week. The trove will show both the ad images, who they targeted, how much they cost and how many people saw those ads. There's a chance the release could be delayed over a debate with Facebook over the level of user info (such as likes and shares) that should be redacted, according to the tipsters.
DNC launches a marketplace for digital election tools
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) wants to reposition the Democrats as politics' most pioneering party. Today, it announces I Will Run, a marketplace for software, services and training designed to make Democratic campaigns more engaging and effective in a world that's come to rely on the internet for everything, including politics.
DNC sues Russia, Trump campaign and WikiLeaks over 2016 hack
While Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 election continues, the Democratic National Committee has decided to take action of its own. According to the Washington Post, the DNC this morning filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit accusing (among others) the Russian government, WikiLeaks and key officials inside Donald Trump's presidential campaign of computer fraud, racketeering, data theft and more, all in hopes of swaying the outcome of a presidential election.
Democrats aim to subpoena Apple, Twitter over private chats
The House of Representatives' investigation into Russia's election interference may have ended, but Democrats are still discussing what they'd like to do if and when they regain a House majority -- and it could have significant repercussions for the tech industry. Their recently published memo in the aftermath of the investigation calls on the House Intelligence Committee to subpoena Apple, Twitter and WhatsApp for info regarding encrypted chat apps and private messages. The Democrats want to know which apps key actors in the 2016 US election used, and what they said.
DNC hires former Yahoo security chief in wake of 2016 hacks
The Democratic National Committee's (DNC) new chief security officer position has been filled, Wired reports. Bob Lord, who was previously Yahoo's chief information security officer prior to its acquisition by Verizon, will take over the position and will be working with both the national offices as well as smaller state offices. "I'll be working to protect my new colleagues at the DNC from the attackers who would prefer to keep us distracted from our mission of getting Democrats across the nation elected," Lord said in a statement. "And my job doesn't stop at the front door of the building -- my team and I will work with state parties to update their information security strategies and deployments to change the economics for the attackers."
