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The House Commerce Committee unanimously approved legislation to support Internet freedom. Republican committee leaders agreed to change the language of the bill after Democrats expressed concern that it could undermine existing polices, including the Federal Communications Commission's network neutrality regulations.
To address the Democrats' concerns, Republicans struck the phrase making it formal U.S. policy to "promote a global Internet free from government control." Democrats worried that a person or company could have used the language to sue to overturn regulations or laws. In addition to the network neutrality rules, Democrats warned the language threatened efforts to combat online copyright infringement, child pornography and cyberattacks. The bill approved by the committee states only that it is U.S. policy "to preserve and advance the successful multistakeholder model that governs the Internet.” Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), the top Democrats on the committee and communications subcommittee, respectively, applauded the Republicans for revising the legislation.
House Commerce Committee approves Internet freedom bill Committee Unanimously Approves Legislation to Advance Internet Freedom (House Commerce Committee) Waxman Urges Dems to Support Global Internet Freedom Bill (Broadcasting&Cable)
While opposition to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) has not been on the same level as last year’s grassroots groundswell against the anti-piracy bill Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), opponents of the bill got a boost when the Obama administration said the President would veto the bill in its current form.
CISPA is designed to make it easier for private companies to share cyberthreat information with the government, and is expected to go for a vote on the House floor this week. But opponents of the measure say the bill would let the government access users’ personal information without a warrant and overrides the existing privacy policies in place at Web firms. Social media users also are mobilizing following comments from bill co-sponsor Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) at a House Rules Committee hearing that characterized the main critics of the bill as “people on the Internet [...] you know, a 14-year-old tweeter in the basement.” He went on to say that once the bill is explained properly that most people agree with its provisions. Thousands of Twitter users have been sending messages to Rogers on the social network with their ages (and, in some cases, the position of their workplaces in relation to the ground) as a way to demonstrate that there are more opponents to the bill than he may think. Rogers’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reaction. The congressman’s official Twitter account has sent a message linking to a list of “19 Privacy Improvements” that have been made to the bill since fall 2011.
CISPA critics bolstered by Obama veto threat
One of privacy advocates' top concerns with a cybersecurity bill could be addressed in an amendment that is circulating among stakeholders. The proposed amendment to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) would ensure that the Homeland Security Department (DHS), a civilian agency, would be the first recipient of cyber threat data from companies.
The amendment would mark a significant concession by the sponsors of CISPA, House Intelligence Committee leaders Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD). The two lawmakers are said to be working on the amendment with House Homeland Security Committee leaders Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS). The amendment was filed just before the House Rules Committee met on April 16 to determine which amendments to CISPA would be voted for on the floor. A copy of the amendment — which does not include any lawmakers' names — has been circulating among stakeholders and on the Hill. The amendment is designed so that companies would only be able to receive the liability protection from future lawsuits granted under the bill if they share malicious source code and other online threats with DHS first. DHS would be able to pass on that threat data to relevant agencies. Companies would still be able to share cyber threat data with the National Security Agency and other departments under existing information-sharing efforts.
CISPA amendment could address top privacy concern House makes concession to privacy advocates on cybersecurity bill (The Hill)
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) said that most opponents to his controversial cybersecurity bill are teenagers in their basements.
The bipartisan Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) aims to defend U.S. industries and corporate networks from cyberattacks by foreign governments, terrorist groups and other criminals. CISPA backers in the House of Representatives laid out their rationale during a hearing Tuesday afternoon when Rogers, the chief sponsor, invoked his 14-year-old nephew to describe the bill's opponents. "The very companies that you say are uncomfortable with this support this bill," Rep Rogers said. "The Silicon Valley CEOs support this bill. The people who are in the business of prosperity on the Internet think this is the right approach." "People on the Internet -- if you're, you know, a 14-year-old tweeter in your basement … I took my nephew, I had to work with him a lot on this bill because he didn't understand the mechanics of it," he continued. "I hear that a lot. Once you understand the threat and you understand the mechanics of how it works and you understand that people are not monitoring your content of your emails, most people go, 'got it.'"
Mike Rogers: CISPA Cybersecurity Bill Opponents Are Teens In Their Basements
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is setting up online sales tax legislation for a possible vote on the Senate floor after the chamber completes work on gun legislation. On April 16, Sen Reid began the process of moving an online sales tax bill to the Senate floor on an expedited basis, without going through the committee process. A Senate Democratic aide said the move makes the bill a candidate for a vote after gun legislation, although he cautioned that debate over gun control could drag out and delay an online sales tax vote until May. Another Senate aide said that no final decisions have been made.
Sen Reid Seeks to Expedite Online Sales Tax Bill Reid signals he'll bring sales tax bill to Senate floor (The Hill)
Sens Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have introduced alternative gun control legislation that would call for yet another set of studies on the impact of violent media--specifically video games--on real-world violence.
The "Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act," which the legislators were pitching as an alternative to a Democrat-backed bill currently before the Senate, would direct the National Institute of Justice and the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on the "sources and causes of mass shootings including psychological factors, the impact of violent video games, and other factors," as well as the availability of mental health resources, exposure to bullying, parental awareness and other environmental factors.
Republican Gun Bill Includes Media Violence Research
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg generated international attention last week for his entry into Washington politics. In launching a new political group, he positioned himself as a leading advocate to help aspiring entrepreneurs and other ambitious immigrants achieve the American dream. Yet behind the scenes on Capitol Hill, Facebook lobbyists were engaged in another form of politics: pressing to insert a few new words helpful to Facebook’s business interests into a sprawling legislative proposal. The deft maneuvering came during the drafting of the new bipartisan Senate immigration proposal being released this week. It underscores the rising clout of a young company that is following the road paved by such technology forebears as Microsoft and Google, moving from indifference toward Washington to persistent, sophisticated engagement. The payoff on the immigration provision could be substantial, allowing Facebook and other technology companies to avoid a requirement that they make a “good-faith” effort to recruit Americans for jobs before hiring from overseas. Facebook could also sidestep proposed rules that would force it to pay much higher wages to many foreign workers.
Facebook flexes political muscle with provision in immigration bill
In her first speech before the advertising industry, newly minted Federal Trade Commission Chairman Edith Ramirez called once again for a universal solution for Do Not Track.
While Chairman Ramirez didn't say the Digital Advertising Alliance's self-regulatory program was not enough, it was implied in her remarks. "Consumers await a functioning Do Not Track system, which is long overdue," Chairman Ramirez said. "We advocated for a persistent Do Not Track mechanism that allows consumers to stop control of data across all sites, and not just for targeting ads." The chairman urged the advertising industry to work with the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) to develop a DNT standard that is browser-based, championing Microsoft's Do Not Track browser and Mozilla’s plan to block third-party cookies. Ramirez's position on Do Not Track stunned the attendees at the American Advertising Federation’s annual advertising day on Capitol Hill, who thought they had responded to the FTC’s call two years ago to develop a program that allows consumers to opt-out of targeted ads.
FTC Chair Stuns Advertisers FTC calls on online ad industry to agree on do-not-track standard (Los Angeles Times)
The staff of the Federal Trade Commission is interested in the consumer privacy and security issues posed by the growing connectivity of consumer devices, such as cars, appliances, and medical devices, and invites comments on these issues in advance of a public workshop to be held on November 21, 2013 in Washington (DC).
FTC staff seeks input on the privacy and security implications of the following:
- What are the significant developments in services and products that make use of this connectivity (including prevalence and predictions)?
- What are the various technologies that enable this connectivity (e.g., RFID, barcodes, wired and wireless connections)?
- What types of companies make up the smart ecosystem?
- What are the current and future uses of smart technology?
- How can consumers benefit from the technology?
- What are the unique privacy and security concerns associated with smart technology and its data? For example, how can companies implement security patching for smart devices? What steps can be taken to prevent smart devices from becoming targets of or vectors for malware or adware?
- How should privacy risks be weighed against potential societal benefits, such as the ability to generate better data to improve health-care decisionmaking or to promote energy efficiency? Can and should de-identified data from smart devices be used for these purposes, and if so, under what circumstances?
FTC Seeks Input on Privacy and Security Implications of the Internet of Things
The Federal Trade Commission has taken legal action to shut down an operation that allegedly took in millions of dollars from placing charges on consumers’ mobile phone bills, many of which were “crammed” or unauthorized charges.
The complaint against Wise Media, LLC, Brian M. Buckley and Winston J. Deloney is the first FTC case against mobile cramming and part of the FTC’s focus on consumer protection issues that may arise from the explosive growth of mobile technology. The FTC’s complaint asks the court to immediately freeze the defendants’ assets and order them to stop their deceptive and unfair practices. The agency is also seeking a permanent injunction that would force the defendants to give up their ill-gotten gains so they can be used to provide refunds to victims of the scam. The defendants allegedly billed consumers for so-called “premium services” that sent text messages with horoscopes, flirting, love tips and other information. The Commission’s complaint alleges that consumers across the country were signed up for these services seemingly at random, and that the operation placed repeating charges of $9.99 per month on mobile phone bills, without consumer knowledge or permission. According to the complaint, in many instances, Wise Media sent text messages to consumers that suggested they were subscribed to the service, which many consumers dismissed as spam and ignored. Even if consumers responded via text indicating that they did not want the services, they were charged on their mobile phone bills on an ongoing basis.
FTC Files Its First Case Against Mobile Phone "Cramming"