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EARN IT Act amendments transfer the fight over Section 230 to the states
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed an amended version of the EARN IT Act, which will head to the Senate floor for debate.
Senate bill aims to boost accountability for Section 230 without gutting it
A bipartisan Senate bill would make Section 230 online moderation more accountable and transparent without being subject to political whims.
Republican Senate bill seeks an end to 'warrant-proof' encryption
It's the latest attempt to force tech companies to add a backdoor to encrypted services.
Senators push FCC to take action on Trump's social media order
Four senators have asked the FCC to act on Trump's order limiting social media protections, but they might not get the answer they want.
Senate bill offers more incentives for private spaceflight
The Senate's proposed American Space Commerce Act would give private spaceflight companies more incentives, including tax breaks.
Senator Ted Cruz asks DOJ to investigate Twitter over Iran sanctions
Senator Ted Cruz is asking the Justice Department to investigate Twitter for allegedly violating Iran sanctions by refusing to ban a leader.
Senators ask FTC to investigate Instacart over 'tip baiting'
A group of US senators has called on the FTC to investigate Instacart and other grocery delivery services for allowing 'tip baiting' that stiffs couriers.
Bipartisan Senate bill aims to invest $100 billion in technology R&D
The Endless Frontiers Act would invest $100 billion in AI, high-performance computing, robotics, automation and more.
Senate bill would set privacy requirements for COVID-19 tracking
A group of senators want to enshrine privacy protections in COVID-19 contact tracing apps through legislation, but there are concerns it won't do enough.
Senate panel wants stricter oversight of Chinese telecoms
An upcoming Senate panel report will argue that the US needs a tougher stance on Chinese telecoms to protect national security.
Senators ask Alphabet how it will protect COVID-19 screening site data
Alphabet's COVID-19 screening site might serve as a relief to those eager to determine if they need to get tested, but it's also raising some privacy concerns in Congress. Five Democratic senators have sent letters to Vice President Mike Pence and Alphabet chief Sundar Pichai asking if they've studied the potential for privacy and security holes in Verily's Baseline triage system. The politicians wanted to know if users will be asked to "forfeit" their data to participate, and if Google will be barred from either using the data for its own purposes or selling it to third parties.
Washington state approves stronger facial recognition regulations
Washington officials have approved a set of stronger facial recognition regulations for the state. Members of the state's House of Representatives and the Senate have reached a final compromise on the rules designed to regulate the use of facial recognition. Since Washington often leads the way in tech-related laws -- it was the first state to pass its own net neutrality law -- this sounds like an auspicious development for privacy advocates across the nation.
Senate approves $1 billion budget to help rural carriers replace Huawei gear
The US Senate has unanimously approved a bill that would give rural carriers access to a $1 billion fund meant to help them remove and replace Huawei gear. According to The Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch, the Senate has voted to send the bill to the President a couple of months after the House approved its own version. If Trump signs it -- and a previous Politico report said top administration figures expressed their support for it -- then 40 rural carriers currently using equipment from Chinese tech giants like Huawei and ZTE will have access to the fund.
Senate: Obama Admin. wasn't prepared to handle Russian interference
Today, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released a report (PDF) detailing the Obama administration's response to Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. The report says the Obama administration was not well-prepared to handle the unprecedented election interference and that the administration suffered from "paralysis of analysis."
Senator calls on Tesla to make Autopilot safety changes
Tesla's Autopilot driving assist technology has come under fire over safety concerns, and now a US politician wants changes to put drivers' minds at ease. Senator Ed Markey has issued recommendations for Autopilot changes after Tesla both answered questions about the semi-autonomous system and met with him. For one, Markey agrees with those who want Tesla to change Autopilot's name -- he believes the company should "rebrand and remarket" the tech to make clear that it's not a full self-driving system and "cannot replace" human drivers.
Former Google exec says he was pushed out for defending human rights
Google's former global head of international relations claims he was pushed out of the company for trying to protect free expression and privacy in China. In a letter shared today, Ross LaJeunesse says that, after 11 years of working to protect human rights in China, he was told there was no longer a job for him as a result of "reorganization." He says the company has strayed from its "don't be evil" motto, and rather than take a lesser role, he's leaving to run for a Senate seat in Maine.
Congress worries sale of .org could harm non-profits
Control over the .org internet domain is close to changing hands, and American politicians aren't happy. Senators Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden have joined Rep. Anna Eshoo in sending a letter demanding answers over the Internet Society's sale of .org and the Public Interest Registry (which manages the domain) to a private equity firm, Ethos Capital. The congresspeople want everyone involved to both outline how transparent they'll be as well as assurances that they'll keep the domain accessible, neutral and safe for non-profits.
Congress approves the TRACED Act to fight robocalls
Today, Senate approved the TRACED Act, or Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement Act. The legislation could give the government new powers to prosecute robocallers, The Washington Post says. It would also require carriers that authenticate and block spam callers to share those services with customers for free.
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.
Twitter is bringing back candidate labels for the 2020 US elections
Ahead of the US elections next year, Twitter says it's bringing back election labels, a feature the company introduced during the 2018 midterms to help increase the visibility of political tweets.

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