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US bill would train law enforcement to fight online harassment
People weren't just talking about how to deal with online harassment at SXSW -- they were also taking steps to put anti-harassment laws on the books. Representative Katherine Clark has unveiled a federal bill, the Cybercrime Enforcement Training Assistance Act, that would provide $20 million per year to law enforcement (including dispatchers, police and prosecutors) to equip it for tackling harassment and other internet crimes. An extra $4 million would go toward a national set of resources that would teach cops how to investigate these crimes and deal with their repercussions for women, the LGBT community and other groups.
House looks into claims the NSA spied on Congress
You're not the only one concerned that the National Security Agency might be spying on Congress... Congress is, too. The House Intelligence Committee says it's investigating claims that the NSA monitored communications between members of Congress and Israeli leadership as they discussed the Iran nuclear agreement. The Committee not only wants a point-by-point verification of the Wall Street Journal's original report, but to find out whether or not the NSA was following the rules.
Congress will give NASA nearly $20 billion next year
In a surprise move, the Republican-controlled Congress has promised to give NASA roughly $19.3 billion dollars next year as part of its 2016 omnibus spending bill. That's nearly a billion dollars beyond the $18.5 billion that the Obama administration had requested and $1.23 billion more than the agency received last year.
Emailing your members of Congress just got much easier
It's supposed to be easier to email Congresspeople than it is to pick up the phone, but that's not always how it works in practice. Just ask anyone who has navigated convoluted web forms just to voice opposition to a bill, for starters. You won't have to put up with those technical hurdles after today, though. The Electronic Frontier Foundation's new Democracy.io site helps you email House and Senate representatives without having to dig around their sites. You can even email all of your politicians at once, if there's a concern that stretches across both legislative branches. There's no guarantees that officials will listen when you fire off your messages, but you'll at least get to say that you exercised your civic responsibility. [Image credit: TTarasiuk, Flickr]
House approves NSA reform
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the USA Freedom Act on Wednesday in a sweeping 338-88 vote, moving forward legislation that would curtail the NSA's bulk collection of data. The bill now moves to the Senate, which must approve it or find a compromise by June 1 -- this is when the provision of the Patriot Act that allows the NSA to collect metadata expires. The Senate is expected to vote by May 22. The White House supports the USA Freedom Act, though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) opposes it and wishes to extend Section 215 of the Patriot Act, allowing the NSA to continue collecting bulk data. Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and other major tech companies have been campaigning in support of the USA Freedom Act as part of the Reform Government Surveillance coalition since late 2014. Early in May, a federal court ruled that the NSA's collection of metadata was illegal. Read all about Section 215 here. [Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]
Congress won't pass a law letting the FBI access your encrypted data
Just because FBI director James Comey believes his agency has a right to see your phone's encrypted data doesn't mean he'll get his way. Members of Congress from both major parties, including House Representatives Darrell Issa and Zoe Lofgren as well as Senator Ron Wyden, are saying that there's "zero chance" they'll pass a bill requiring that device encryption includes backdoor access for federal investigators. They argue that law enforcement has blown whatever chance it had at public support -- accountability problems at multiple agencies (especially the NSA) have led many to distrust the government's data requests. As it stands, the FBI is battling some fierce legal headwinds. The House recently passed a bill banning the NSA from using backdoor searches, and it's doubtful that these politicians will heed Comey's calls for more access.
US House of Representatives faces Wikipedia ban thanks to trollish edits
We already know that the United States Congress (or the countless people it employs) can't seem to stop editing Wikipedia articles, but do they need to be such jerks about it? Case in point: Wiki tinkerers using an IP address connected to the US House of Representatives have been blocked from making edits to articles for the third time this summer. The first two bans were relatively short, but this time the block will stick for a month because a congressional staffer (or staffers) associated with the IP address made a handful of offensive edits that denigrated transgender people. And the straw that seemed to break the admin's back? A particularly distasteful change to the page devoted to Orange Is The New Black.
The United States Congress edits Wikipedia constantly
Members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate -- or, more likely, their interns and aides -- spend an awful lot of time editing Wikipedia entries. Not just entries about themselves, either: the list ranges from autobiographical changes to this crucial edit involving President Barack Obama shaking hands with a minotaur. We'll spare you the obvious, "so that's what the United States Congress spends its time on!" joke (or was that it?), and jump right to the credit. A new Twitter account named "congressedits," set up by self-described "web developer/armchair activist" Ed Summers, scans for Wikipedia edits across a variety of IP addresses associated with Congress. Summers got the idea from a similar robot in the United Kingdom. Other versions have since sprouted in Canada and Sweden.
House passes amendment to cut NSA's 'backdoor search' funding
Following a push from several Representatives, the House has pushed through an amendment -- tagged on to the Fiscal Year 2015 Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 4870) -- to stop at least some of the surveillance programs at the National Security Agency. Mark Rumold, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said "the House of Representatives took an important first step in reining in the NSA." On Monday, Representative Justin Amash said the bill was a chance to stop the security agency's "unconstitutional spying on Americans." The backdoor searches that the amendment would stop includes emails, browsing and chat history, which can currently be parsed and searched without a warrant. The amendment would curb this in two ways: it would cut off funding for the search of government databases for information on US citizens while also prohibiting both the NSA and CIA from requiring "backdoors" in online services and products. It's not a done deal just yet: now that it's passed the House, it needs to go through the Senate before it can become a reality.
House passes bill that legalizes phone unlocking, with a frustrating caveat
Still unsure where unlocking your mobile device falls under the eyes of the law? Legislation just passed through the US House of Representatives that might clear things up, but there's a catch. The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition act would allow users to unlock devices for use on a new carrier after their subsidized contract expires -- but a late change to the bill tacked on an exclusion for "bulk unlocking." This last minute change spoils the legislation for companies that purchase, unlock and resell devices to consumers, and casts a shadow over a bill that could have helped free your mobile from the convoluted mire of US copyright law. Proponents of the change argue that it won't prevent the bulk sale of locked or previous unlocked phones - and it passed with a strong majority - but the change was significant enough to dissuade several previously supportive representatives from voting for the bill. "There needs to be a market in unlocked phones," Democratic Representative Jared Polis said, describing the late change as a "poison pill" for consumer advocates. Hopefully, the bill will see more positive tweaks on the floor of the Senate.
Google testifies before House of Representatives, calls for updated email privacy laws
Google's legal director of law enforcement and information security, Richard Salgado, is set to testify before the US House of Representatives this morning about the need for new email privacy legislation. In his written testimony, Salgado notes that the 1986 ECPA (Electronic Communications Privacy Act) doesn't reflect the internet circa 2013, noting how cloud computing has increased the amount of user information shared and stored online. Salgado's prepared statement calls for updates to ECPA that allow for greater privacy measures, while also ensuring that government agencies can obtain access to documents when necessary. He points to the ECPA's policy on government requests to view users' email -- only a subpoena is required for email 180 days or older, but viewing newer communication requires a search warrant -- as an example of the law's "inconsistent, confusing and uncertain standards." Google wants to alter the ECPA to require search warrants to access any user data stored online, regardless of their age. Salgado's testimony also touches on Mountain View's own efforts to improve transparency when it comes to user privacy, including publishing reports about government requests. Read the statement in full via the source link below.
Apple does not plan to appear before Australian price inquiry
Apple is in hot water in Australia for refusing to appear in front of a House of Representatives inquiry into retail pricing, says stuff.co.nz. A report by the House of Representatives standing committee on infrastructure and communications claims Apple (and other tech companies like Microsoft) charge significantly more for products in Australia than they do for the same products in the US. The committee wants to know why this pricing disparity exists and has asked Apple for an explanation. The Cupertino company handed over a confidential submission, but the confidentiality clause prevented the committee from using this information in its report. Apple has also refused to appear at the committee's hearings. "Apple has made the utterly wrong call, bringing down the shutters and refusing to engage with this inquiry,'' said Labor MP and committee member Ed Husic. "They're making it difficult for the committee to do its work and it's a massive double standard." This double standard is a reference to Apple's attendance at past US Congressional hearings. Apple's refusal to attend has prompted the members to discuss whether it can legally force the company to attend the hearings. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
SOPA: Who's in and who's out?
By now we're sure you're aware that SOPA is more than just a tomato-based noodle soup. The Stop Online Piracy Act's been stirring controversy with its intentions, and it'll most likely continue in this path until we hear a final decision. Go Daddy wasn't shy -- before retracting -- about its support for the bill, and things have changed drastically since we first heard some of the "top dogs" express their feelings. But who else is behind it, who's got your back, and who's had a change of heart? The answers await you after the break.
SOPA hearing delayed until the new year as petition signatures top 25k
Hearings in the US House of Representatives to finish markup on the Stop Online Piracy Act (or SOPA) were slated to resume tomorrow, but it looks like things will remain at a standstill until next year. The holiday break has now pushed the committee hearing back to a yet-to-be-rescheduled date, with nothing more specific than "early next year" being promised at the moment. That news comes as a Whitehouse.gov petition asking President Obama to veto the bill and any future ones like it passed its goal of 25,000 signatures, well ahead of the January 17th deadline (as of this writing, the count stands around 29,000).
SOPA hearings underway, tech policy wonks can stream it live
Like any good tech geek you're probably at least interested in, if not a little concerned by SOPA -- the Stop Online Piracy Act. Well, today is its day in front of the House Judiciary committee. While this is hardly the last stop on the road towards becoming a law for the bill it is one that will be crucial in deciding its fate. Will it be toothless and unenforceable? Simply die in committee? Or will this become a powerful new tool in the battle against piracy? If you're the really wonky type hit up the source link to watch a live stream of the debate.[Thanks, Tyler]
LightSquared faces Congressional hearing over proposed 4G network, submits revised plan
The LightSquared Express rolled in to Washington yesterday, where the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology held a hearing on the company's proposed 4G LTE network and its potential impact on GPS systems. According to some, the ramifications could be disastrous. David Applegate, associate director of natural hazards at the US Geological Survey, told legislators that interference with GPS mechanisms would make it more difficult for authorities to predict floods, landslides and volcanic eruptions, with a representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration adding that LightSquared's ground-based mobile network would pose challenges to weather forecasters, as well. The Department of Transportation also chimed in, telling the committee that the network would likely have an effect on systems used to prevent train collisions and, like other administration witnesses, called for further testing. LightSquared Executive Vice President Jeffrey Carlisle, meanwhile, defended his company's proposal, pointing to an amended version submitted to the FCC on Wednesday. In the revised document, LightSquared offered to reduce the network's power levels further, while providing a stable signal for GPS augmentation services to use at higher frequencies. "This is not a zero-sum game," Carlisle said, adding that only 500,000 to 750,000 high-end GPS services would be affected by LightSquared's low-frequency alternative (which, the company claims, will cost an additional $100 million to implement). Any interference issues, he continued, stem from pre-existing receiver problems that the GPS industry should've addressed by now. Most of the lawmakers sitting on the panel acknowledged the need to establish broader wireless coverage, but stressed the importance of doing so without jeopardizing critical transit and emergency response systems, with some calling for additional testing. Carlisle countered that previous tests have provided sufficient feedback, but ultimate approval lies in the hands of the FCC, which has not yet offered a timetable for its decision. Hit up the source link to read LightSquared's revised proposal, in its entirety.
US Senate passes patent system reform bill, Obama expected to sign into law
Think it's time to change our patent system? So does Congress. Yesterday, the Senate approved the America Invents Act by an 89-8 vote that could bring about the most drastic changes to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in five decades. Under the bill, which the House approved back in June, patents would be awarded not to the first person to invent a technology, but to the first one to actually file with the USPTO, bringing US policy in line with protocol adopted in most other countries. It also calls for a streamlined application process and would allow the USPTO to charge set fees for all apps. The revenue generated from these fees would go directly to a capped reserve fund, allowing the office to retain the lion's share of the money, rather than funneling much of it to Congress, as had become the norm. Supporters say this extra revenue will give the USPTO more power to chip away at its backlog of some 700,000 patent applications, while a new third-party challenge system will help eliminate patents that should've never received approval in the first place. Opponents, meanwhile, criticized the bill for not eliminating fee diversion altogether (an amendment that would've placed more severe restrictions was ultimately killed, for fear that it would jeopardize the bill's passage), with Washington Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell questioning the legislation's impact on small businesses, calling it "a big corporation patent giveaway that tramples on the rights of small inventors." But Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat who sponsored the bill, argued that yesterday's approval marks a major and historic inflection point in US patent policy: The creativity that drives our economic engine has made America the global leader in invention and innovation. The America Invents Act will ensure that inventors large and small maintain the competitive edge that has put America at the pinnacle of global innovation. This is historic legislation. It is good policy. The America Invents Act will now make its way to President Obama's desk, where it's expected to receive his signature. For more background on the legislation, check out the links below.
Skype gets Congressional approval, will help Representatives stay in touch with the common people
Look, Capitol Hill is a nice place to be, okay? There are interns eager to please, lobbyists keen to buy you dinner, why would you ever want to leave? Unfortunately for US Congressmen and women, the schleps who elected them insist on getting face time with their supposed representatives, which means a regular schedule of commuting getting in the way of some critically important foot massages and aromatherapy treatments. Never fear, though, Skype has come to the rescue. Microsoft's latest acquisition has scored a stamp of approval from the House of Representatives, permitting Congresspersons to use it to interact with constituents, attend virtual town hall meetings, and collaborate with other members of the House. All fun-making of lawmakers aside, this strikes us as a step in the right direction and Skype promises that it's done its homework on keeping communications secure. Let's hope so.
House of Representatives votes to block FCC's net neutrality rules
Well, it looks like Republicans in the House of Representatives weren't about to let this one slip past a possible government shutdown -- they just passed a measure that seeks to block the FCC's net neutrality rules by a largely party line vote of 240 to 179. That follows a House subcommittee vote last month but, as then, the bill still faces an uphill battle in the Senate and with the President, who's expected to veto any such legislation if it somehow got to his desk. Not surprisingly, the rhetoric from both sides is only increasing following this latest development, with Democrat Rep. Henry Waxman saying the Republican bill would "end the internet as we know it," while Republican Rep. Fred Upton argues that "the internet is not broken and this bill will assure that the FCC does not break it."
House subcommittee votes to block FCC's net neutrality rules
They may face an uphill battle given the numbers in the Senate (not to mention a Democratic President), but it doesn't look like the House Republicans will be softening their opposition to the FCC's new net neutrality rules anytime soon. Following a full vote on an amendment to a spending bill in the House of Representatives last month (which just died in the Senate yesterday), the House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology has now passed a new measure that, if it ultimately adopted, would completely overturn the FCC's new rules. The measure now heads to the Energy and Commerce Committee but, as before, it's unlikely that anything will change in the Senate even it ultimately passes in the full House -- that certainly won't stop opponents of the rules from trying, though.
