The Hill

Democratic state attorneys general sue to preserve net neutrality rules

Twenty-two Democratic state attorneys general launched a lawsuit aimed at preserving network neutrality on Feb 20, the same day the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published its rule striking the regulations in the Federal Register. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who is leading the suit along with other state attorneys generals, had previously filed a lawsuit, but they are refiling their case now that the order is eligible for legal challenge, following its official publication.

Conservatives say they've lost thousands of followers on Twitter

Conservative Twitter users are speaking out about a loss in followers after Twitter reportedly suspended thousands of accounts. Twitter has yet to announce the purge, but there is speculation that the action was part of the social media giant's effort to get rid of suspected Russian bots. Conservatives say they have been targeted in the purge. Some users are also claiming they were locked out of their accounts. By the morning of Feb 21, the hashtag "#TwitterLockOut" was trending on Twitter.

Congressional Democratic leadership Want to Boost FBI Budget to Fight Russia's Election Interference

Congressional Democratic leadership wants to boost the FBI's budget in March's government funding bill to help fight Russian interference in the 2018 midterm elections. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), as well as top Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) urging them to support the increase. They are asking for a $300 million increase in the FBI's budget to help target and counteract the influence of Russian and o

Lawmakers worry about rise of fake video technology

Lawmakers are concerned that advances in video manipulation technology could set off a new era of fake news. Now legislators say they want to start working on fixes to the problem before it’s too late. 

General Counsel for the Internet Association to Join White House as Adviser to President Trump

An executive at a top technology trade association will be joining the White House as a tech adviser to President Donald Trump. Abigail Slater, the general counsel for the Internet Association (IA), which represents tech giants like Google and Facebook, will replace Grace Koh as a special assistant to the president with the National Economic Council. 

House Commerce Committee Democratic Reps press FCC for answers on net neutrality comments

On Feb 13, all 24 Democratic Reps on the House Commerce Committee sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commissioners over how it reviewed the docket of 24 million public comments submitted in response to the agency’s repeal of its network neutrality rules.

The nation’s top spies said Russia will attempt to undermine the 2018 midterm elections

The nation’s top intelligence chiefs testified Feb 13 that they fully expect Russia to seek to disrupt the 2018 midterm elections. Appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats said that Russia will continue using propaganda, false personas and social media to undermine the upcoming elections.

Salon.com wants to fight ad-blockers by using your PC to mine cryptocurrency

Claiming that ad-blockers have cut "deeply" into its revenue, the media company Salon is asking some readers to bolster its bottom line — by helping the site generate cryptocurrency.

GOP senators question 'unusual' message Susan Rice sent herself on Inauguration Day

Two top Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are questioning former national security adviser Susan Rice about an "unusual" message she sent to herself on Jan 20, 2017 — President Donald Trump's Inauguration Day. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) questioned Rice about why she sent a note detailing a conversation she observed on Jan. 5 between then-FBI Director James Comey and then-President Barack Obama.

White House: Media puts national security at risk by publishing classified info

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders accused reporters of putting national security at risk by publishing classified information. Revelations that former staff secretary Rob Porter received an interim security clearance despite an FBI investigation that turned up allegations of past spousal abuse has led to questions about who at the White House is handling sensitive information.

President Trump proposes eliminating federal funding for PBS, NPR

President Donald Trump's newly proposed budget includes a proposal to end federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), part of a package that includes $300 billion in new spending overall. CPB provides federal funding for PBS and National Public Radio stations. "The Budget proposes to eliminate Federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) over a two year period," according to the proposal.

Unilever, one of the world’s largest advertisers, threatens to pull its ads from Facebook and Google over toxic content

Unilever, one of the world's largest advertisers, is threatening to pull its ads from social sites such as Facebook and YouTube if the tech companies don't do more to minimize divisive content on their platforms.  Unilever’s Chief Marketing Officer Keith Weed will call on Silicon Valley Feb 12 to better police what he describes as a toxic online environment where propaganda, hate speech and disturbing content that exploits children thrives.

Consumers should decide their privacy standards without feds getting involved

[Commentary] Individuals certainly need to be aware of how any company, or other entity, is using the information collected. Individuals have the responsibility to read the relevant portions of privacy policies and licenses. But data is not evil. Government regulation is not the answer, or even an answer. Technology companies should not be subject to regulations for using data consumers voluntarily hand over in exchange for services or products those very consumers value so long as that usage is consistent with their disclosed terms.