Senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley have introduced legislation that would ban federal law enforcement agencies from using facial recognition.
California Drones Bill Vetoed, Police Not Required to Obtain Warrants for Unmanned Surveillance
California Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have instituted regulations on drone use by public agencies – including the police. Among other things, the bill would have forced police, in most cases, to obtain a warrant to…
Orca Shows: Bill Stemming from ‘Blackfish’ Documentary is Deferred
The show will go on–for now. Following the fallout from the Blackfish documentary, an assemblyman in California proposed legislation that would end orca shows in the state–namely at SeaWorld San Diego. To the dismay of many animal rights activists, the…
Arizona’s Anti-Gay Bill Gets Pushback From Apple, Other High-Profile Companies
Apple has joined a host of high-profile businesses in urging Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto a controversial piece of legislation that would allow businesses to discriminate against the LGBT community on religious grounds. The bill, Senate Bill 1062, amends…
Food Allergy Legislation: The Senate Votes Next Week
With the number of people who have food allergies on the rise, there is a lot of concern about how allergic reactions are handled in schools. Since food allergy reactions can be fatal, the Food Allergy and Research Education (FARE)…
Rep. Bob Goodlatte Wants To Reign In The NSA
Whenever House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte isn’t thinking about implementing a nationwide online sales tax, he’s busy thinking about the NSA. That’s only a good thing, however, as he’s one of the lawmakers that wants to subject the agency to…
Experts Say Congress Is Unprepared For A Cyberattack
President Obama introduced an executive order last week that intended to help protect the nation’s infrastructure from cyber attacks. It’s similar to CISPA in that it increases information sharing between government and private corporations, but thankfully lacks the privacy infringing…
Should The Government Regulate ISP Bandwidth Caps?
Some of the major ISPs in the U.S. implement bandwidth caps in the name of controlling network congestion, but most caps are just a backhanded way of making more money. One senator is targeting the practice to bring better Internet…
Startup Act 2.0: Is Immigration Reform Vital in Moving Innovation Forward?
With the economy weighing heavy on everyone’s mind this election season, legislators are hoping it will help them pass a new initiative. The bill is called Startup Act 2.0 and is designed to spark new businesses and jobs. What does…
What Will the JOBS Act Do for Startups & the Tech Industry?
Last week, President Obama signed into law the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, more commonly known as the JOBS Act. The White House administration is hoping that small businesses and startups will drive recovery and create new jobs.
Stock Act: Obama Signs To Bar Insider Trading
“It’s the notion that the powerful shouldn’t get to create one set of rules for themselves and another set of rules for everybody else,” Obama said on Wednesday. He was referencing a bill introduced this week into legislation that will…
What Will the FTC’s Privacy Framework Do?
When the Federal Trade Commission released its final report on privacy last week, it made several recommendations for the future of privacy. Thus far, it has received both praise and criticism for the framework it laid out.
Is Cyber Warfare Imminent, Or Is the Hype Overblown?
Is cybersecurity one of your top concerns? Whatever your opinion might be, the government has taken a particularly strong interest in it lately, as security breaches appear to be on the rise. In recent years, the U.S. has seen corporations…
Google’s Driverless Cars Inspire New California Legislation
Last summer, Nevada legalized autonomous cars, clearing the way for Google’s driverless cars program. Earlier this month, news came out that the state is developing some regulations for such cars, including new licensing procedures. California Senator Alex Padilla announced new…