suitablegirl - Slashdot User

Submission + - Congress Wants FCC To Auction TV White Spaces (rollcall.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Wednesday July 31, 2013 @03:56PM

GovTechGuy writes: Things don't look good for Google, Microsoft and other companies hoping to experiment with super WiFi and other technologies in unused TV channels or "White spaces". Both House Republicans and Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller are prodding the FCC to sell as much spectrum as possible at next year's incentive auction, which may not leave much for those hoping to advance the next generation of WiFi technology.

Submission + - DOJ: We don't need a warrant to track you (rollcall.com) 1

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Wednesday July 17, 2013 @03:09PM

GovTechGuy writes: The Department of Justice maintains it does not need a warrant to track an individual using location data captured from their cellphone. That has prompted Maine and Montana to pass laws banning warrantless cellphone tracking; unfortunately, Congress doesn't appear close to doing the same.

Submission + - Congress Wants Federal Government to Sell 1755-1780 MHz spectrum band (rollcall.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Thursday May 09, 2013 @11:17AM

GovTechGuy writes: WIth next year's reverse auction of TV spectrum not expected to sate the wireless industry's growing demand for mobile broadband, lawmakers are turning up the heat on the Obama administration to auction the 1755-1780 MHz band, which is considered especially desirable for mobile phone use. However, the Pentagon and other federal agencies are already using those airwaves for everything from flying drones and surveillance to satellites and air combat training. They say it would take ten years and $18 billion just to vacate the band so it can be sold.

Submission + - House panel passes Internet Freedom legislation (rollcall.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Wednesday April 17, 2013 @04:50PM

GovTechGuy writes: The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed legislation on Wednesday once again affirming the current management structure of the Web. In doing so, the lawmakers made one thing clear: the only government that should have its hands on the underpinnings of the Internet is the U.S.

Submission + - Zof Lofgren Wants To Slow Down Domain Seizures By ICE & DOJ (rollcall.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Monday December 17, 2012 @11:59PM

GovTechGuy writes: Rep. Zoe Lofgren sat down with Roll Call to discuss her proposal to slow down the seizure of domain names accused of piracy by the federal government. Lofgren turned to Reddit for help formulating the bill, and also discussed whether her colleagues in Congress know enough about technology to make informed decisions on tech policy.

Submission + - Newspaper report on newton killing: "he apparently had no Facebook page" (lexpress.fr)

Submitted by manu0601 on Monday December 17, 2012 @11:10PM

manu0601 writes: French newspaper l'Express reports on Newton killings (Original, in french):

Unlike most of his generation, he apparently had no Facebook page. "It was a strange child socially,"

Here we are, not being on Facebook makes you an asocial and a potential killer

Submission + - Facebook's Real Name Policy Breaks German Law (itworld.com)

Submitted by

itwbennett

on Monday December 17, 2012 @10:58PM

itwbennett writes: "The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ULD) for the German state of Schleswig-Holstein issed a decree that would force Facebook to abandon its real name policy, saying the right to use nicknames online is required by the German Telemedia Act. For its part, Facebook plans to 'fight [the orders] vigorously.'"

Submission + - Rep. Issa says backlash has killed SOPA

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Friday November 18, 2011 @11:41PM

GovTechGuy writes: House Oversight Chairman and former CEA chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) told Hillicon Valley on Friday that the massive online backlash to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has stopped the bill dead in the tracks. Issa said the Judiciary Committee's attempts to ram the bill through have been halted after the Internet erupted in opposition to the legislation this week.

Submission + - Bill would require a warrant for digital tracking (thehill.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Tuesday October 18, 2011 @02:38PM

GovTechGuy writes: Sens. Mark Kirk and Ron Wyden used the 25th anniversary of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act to stump for a bill that would require police to obtain a warrant before using an individual's cell phone, laptop or other digital device to track their location. Under current law the government can access that data without a judge's approval, or even access a user's email account without first getting a warrant.

Submission + - Flash exploit lets websites activate your webcam (geek.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18, 2011 @10:18AM

An anonymous reader writes: A new Adobe Flash exploit has been discovered that allows any website you visit to activate your webcam and microphone giving whoever owns the website the opportunty to watch and record you sat at your machine. The exploit involves the use of a hidden iFrame and the Flash Player Settings Manager. With just four clicks of the mouse the camera can be activated silently and the user has no idea. The example given is a simple game that pops-up the webcam output once you've done the appropriate number of clicks.

Adobe has been told about the problem several weeks ago, but has yet to respond. So the exploit has been made public to try and speed things along.

Submission + - Verizon challenges FCC's net neutrality rules (thehill.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Friday September 30, 2011 @04:38PM

GovTechGuy writes: Verizon filed an appea on Friday asking a federal court to strike down the FCC's net neutrality rules, which are scheduled to take effect on November 20. A federal judge tossed the FCC's previous attempt at enforcing net neutrality against Comcast last May and more legal challenges are expected in the coming days.

Submission + - Senators slam firm for online background check (thehill.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Monday September 19, 2011 @01:41PM

GovTechGuy writes: Social Intelligence Corp's online employment screening service, which preserves users' social media profiles and other data for use by potential employers, infringes on consumers' privacy and could be a violation of the law according to Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Al Franken. The Senators wrote to Social Intelligence Corp on Monday demanding answers to a host of questions about the service and how it collects data.

Submission + - FCC to test opening white spaces up to public (thehill.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Wednesday September 14, 2011 @03:31PM

GovTechGuy writes: The FCC will begin a test on Monday that will give the public access to "white spaces," the unused spectrum between TV and radio stations. The Commission is in the process of opening up the airwaves for public use; the last release of unlicensed airwaves eventually spawned a number of innovations such as WiFi, cordless phones and baby monitors. Officials hope this move will lead to better WiFi technology that can cover up to 50 miles.

Submission + - Feds say cyber threat to banks is growing (thehill.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Wednesday September 14, 2011 @03:14PM

GovTechGuy writes: Federal officials told lawmakers that attacks against the U.S. financial industry are growing increasingly sophisticated and damaging, increasing the need for new security laws that will enable firms and the government to share information on attacks.

Submission + - Congress puts the brakes on AT&T/T-Mobile merg (thehill.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy on Friday July 22, 2011 @11:19AM

GovTechGuy writes: Once thought to be a foregone conclusion, AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition ran into a stumbling block this week as the first real resistance emerged on the Hill in the form of Senate antitrust subpanel chairman Herb Kohl, who came out vehemently against the deal. Kohl's resistance has given heart to the opposition, also buoyed by a letter from a trio of prominent House Democrats who termed the deal a troubling step back towards the Ma Bell phone monopoly disbanded in the 1980s.

Slashdot Top Deals