1. Monthly archive
  2. May 2018

May 2018

What the life and death of Cambridge Analytica tells us about politics — and ourselves

Politics and data are now inextricably linked. Cambridge Analytica was part of a world increasingly fueled by vast troves of personal data that billions of Internet users emit every day. Politicians now have the tools to target us each individually — based on data suggesting our race, religion, income, shopping habits, sexual orientation, medical concerns, personality traits, current location, past locations, pet preference or Zodiac sign if they'd like.

FCC Shifts $9 Billion Phone Aid Fund Out of Bank of America

The Federal Communications Commission began moving almost $9 billion collected to subsidize phone and broadband service from a Bank of America account to what auditors call safer ground at the US Treasury. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has begun shifting the Universal Service Fund money on advice from government auditors, who said keeping the money outside government coffers was risky, according to Mark Wigfield, an FCC spokesman. Auditors recommended moving the money “to better protect and manage this nearly $9 billion fund,” Wigfield said.

Black lawmakers are impatient with tech’s lack of diversity and are threatening regulation to force the issue

Leading black lawmakers are growing impatient with tech’s largely unfulfilled promises to improve employee diversity. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) made the strongest case for regulation during a panel discussion with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the last day of their trip to Silicon Valley. She said she was “floored” to find out that many tech companies had only 1 percent to 2 percent black employees.

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