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☆ Congress may be going after the wrong social network
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Chew, meanwhile, clapped back, “American social companies don’t have a good track record with data privacy and user security. But if lawmakers were serious about protecting the digital data of millions of American social media users, targeting TikTok alone is a limited way to achieve this goal. Separately, US intelligence authorities have said that Russian operatives were able to exploit US-based social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter as part of an election meddling campaign in the lead-up to the 2016 US presidential vote. Sherman said he thinks some lawmakers are raising important national security concerns regarding TikTok. Ultimately, Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, called the bill a “missed opportunity” for Congress to take real action regarding their concerns about US user data.

☆ Searches for VPNs spike in Texas after Pornhub pulls out of the state
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“The apparent spike in VPN searches in Texas shows that these types of age verification laws aren’t just unconstitutional, they’re also silly and ineffective,” Greer said. “Similar search spikes have been reported after other states passed age verification laws, which EFF opposes,” said Hudson Hongo, a spokesperson for the group. It also highlights the running debate in statehouses nationwide about how and whether governments can require websites to perform age verification. It requires adult websites to implement “reasonable age verification” methods to ensure that pornography is not being distributed to minors. The 5th Circuit court’s latest decision formally lifts the injunction against the Texas law.

Persons: Pornhub, “, VPNs, ”, Evan Greer, they’re, ” Greer, Hudson Hongo, ” Pornhub, David Alan Ezra, Ezra, Ken Paxton Organizations: CNN, Texas, Pornhub’s, Google, Texans, Frontier Foundation, EFF, Court, Western, Western District of, Circuit, “ Locations: Texas, China, Russia, Turkey, Montana , Utah, Virginia, statehouses, Western District, Western District of Texas

☆ Congress hasn’t been able to make social media safer. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

This has been true since the early 2010s, when tech companies began realizing the benefits of influencing policymakers on issues including net neutrality and privacy. This week, Microsoft announced its support for the Kids Online Safety Act, a leading social media bill. Even when lawmakers can agree on what the problem is, they often disagree on how to solve it, creating a smorgasbord of half a dozen or more social media bills floating around Congress. That would be a huge down payment on a future social media law, said Balkam. But even that proposal is still subject to many of the same dynamics that make social media regulation hard.

Persons: Washington CNN —, ”, Danny Weiss, Ben Thompson, Adam Kovacevich, “ That’s, hasn’t, Republican stonewalling, Weiss, Kovacevich, ” Kovacevich, I’m, ” Weiss, Chuck Schumer, Mike Johnson, Schumer, Nancy Pelosi’s, “, Johnson didn’t, Evan Greer Organizations: Washington CNN, Big Tech, Tech, Sense, Microsoft, Kids, LinkedIn, of, Republican, CNN Locations: Washington, United States

☆ Amazon’s Ring to shutter video-sharing program popular with police
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Authorities seeking Ring surveillance videos must now submit a formal legal request to the company, rather than soliciting footage directly from users through the app, Ring said in a blog post Wednesday. Hundreds of law enforcement agencies have struck up partnerships with Ring, according to a tracker maintained by the consumer advocacy group Fight for the Future. But, he warned, it would not necessarily stop police from continuing to persuade Ring users to voluntarily give up their rights. Police are able to contact Ring users off the app. And Ring users can still decide if they want to voluntarily send video, sounds or images from their Ring devices to law enforcement.

Persons: ”, Evan Greer, Matthew Guariglia, Guariglia, didn’t, Ring, Massachusetts Democratic Sen, Ed Markey, “, enforcement’s Organizations: CNN, “, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Police, Fraternal, of Police, EFF, Massachusetts Democratic Locations: Massachusetts

☆ Amazon will soon let you pay for groceries with your palm at any Whole Foods—but tech experts urge caution
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon One is a type of biometric-based form of payment which uses your unique physical features, such as your face or palm print, to authorize payments. This means customers who sign up for the Amazon One program won't need their wallets or phones to pay for groceries. To its credit, Amazon says its palm scanners use liveness-detection technology and are able to tell the difference between a live palm and a fake one. Consumers should also be aware that the database where their biometric data is stored could potentially be hacked. It's important to understand that your biometric information is some of the most sensitive data you create, says Greer.

Persons: you'll, that's, Hafiz Malik, Malik, Evan Greer, Cynthia Rudin, Rudin, Greer, That's, Warren Buffett Organizations: Foods, University of Michigan, Corporations, CNBC, Duke University Locations: U.S

☆ A TikTok ban in Montana points to how a US ban would play out: messy and hard to enforce
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Montana is the first US state to ban TikTok, as US lawmakers discuss a federal ban. US lawmakers have been talking about a possible TikTok ban over its ties to China. Montana's law suggests a federal ban would be hard to enforce — and might not solve anything. Last week, Montana became the first US state to ban TikTok — and the rule's implementation could show just how hard it would be to enact a federal ban. Montana's TikTok ban is hard to enforce from a tech standpointWhile the ACLU and other civil rights groups are questioning the legality of Montana's TikTok ban, even if it did stand up to a court challenge, it's hard to actually enforce.

Persons: TikTok, it's, Montana's, that's, Evan Greer, Aaron Mendes, Banning TikTok, Mendes, Donald Trump's, Karen Gullo Organizations: ACLU, TikTok, Apple, Washington Post, Facebook, Electronic Frontier Foundation Locations: Montana, China, British, TikTok

☆ Why Montana’s TikTok ban may not work
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The TikTok ban immediately prompted one lawsuit from TikTok users who allege it violates their First Amendment rights, with more legal challenges expected. How can a state ban TikTok? Montana’s new law, SB419, makes it illegal for TikTok and app marketplaces to offer the TikTok service within state lines. How can Montana enforce a TikTok ban? But internet providers are not named as a type of entity subject to the TikTok ban.

☆ Lawmakers update Kids Online Safety Act to address potential harms, but fail to appease some activists, industry groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Late last year, dozens of civil society groups warned Congress against passing the bill, warning it could further endanger young internet users in different ways. Blumenthal's office said it did not believe the duty of care would have applied to those sorts of groups, but opted to clarify it regardless. Moreover, parental guidance in minors' online lives is critical, but KOSA would mandate surveillance tools without regard to minors' home situations or safety. The bill also faced criticism from several groups that receive funding from the tech industry. "Protecting young people online is a broadly shared goal.

☆ The debate over banning TikTok has been poisoned by anti-Asian rhetoric
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The TikTok CEO's testimony to Congress in March highlighted the anti-Asian rhetoric around the app. And second: The discourse around those issues, particularly talk of banning the app entirely in the US, has been poisoned by a surge in anti-Asian rhetoric, making it difficult to have a national conversation around TikTok in good faith. But what set the hearing with TikTok's CEO apart was the tone and personal nature of the questions, Asian American and Pacific Islander advocacy groups said. That paints a target on the back of Asian Americans, Chinese nationals living in the US, and, by extension, all other Asian populations, advocacy experts said. The rhetoric has consequences for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the US economyAll this has implications for the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US and the global Asian diaspora.

☆ Opinion: Banning TikTok isn’t just a bad idea. It’s a dangerous one
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Evan Greer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The US government is racing ahead with proposals aimed at banning TikTok, the viral video platform used by more than 150 million Americans. Banning TikTok won’t make us safer from China’s surveillance operations. But banning TikTok isn’t just foolish and dangerous, it’s also unconstitutional. You do that by passing a strong national data privacy law that bans companies from collecting more data about us than they need to provide us with the service we’ve requested. Join us on Twitter and FacebookIt’s a national embarrassment that we have no basic data privacy law in the United States.

☆ The TikTok hearing was an ugly political theater
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Despite lacking evidence for their belief that TikTok is a spying tool for the Chinese Communist Party, US lawmakers from both parties on Thursday carried out an ugly political theater to advance that narrative. But — and I cannot stress this enough — the national security concerns are purely hypothetical. And against that tense (not to mention deeply xenophobic) backdrop, everyone in Washington is bolstering their “tough in China” credentials. “We see this handwringing about TikTok as a big distraction from the conversation that we really need to be having,” Greer said. “It’s a national embarrassment that we have no basic data privacy law in the United States.”Enjoying Nightcap?

☆ A TikTok ban or forced sale could lead to major collateral damage for US tech companies like Apple and Chinese apps like Shein
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

"A big Chinese balloon in the sky and millions of Chinese TikTok balloons on our phones. But US tech companies that rely on data collection for advertising sales or other business practices have fought to curb such regulations. Still, efforts by members of Congress to pass federal legislation around data privacy, such as the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, have faced an uphill battle. Apple's 2021 user privacy changes stunted ad revenue at Facebook and Snapchat-maker Snap, for example. But blocking companies from gathering private information from users could also be a more effective path to protecting Americans while maintaining an avenue for Chinese companies to participate in the global economy.

☆ The war against TikTok won't solve the 'national embarrassment' of how poorly the US protects your data
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"A big Chinese balloon in the sky and millions of Chinese TikTok balloons on our phones. TikTok has hurt its own cause when it comes to its reputation around data privacy. For example, the company misrepresented how US user data was managed and then its parent company monitored the locations of reporters who exposed its practices. Still, efforts by members of Congress to pass federal legislation around data privacy, such as the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, have faced an uphill battle. Apple's 2021 user privacy changes stunted ad revenue at Facebook and Snapchat-maker Snap, for example.

☆ Lawmakers show rare bipartisan unity in pursuing protections for kids online
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee found rare alignment at a recent hearing about how Congress can help protect kids from online harms. They're speaking out in support of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which would require sites likely to be accessed by kids 16 or younger to maintain certain privacy and safety protections by default. "We must and we will double down on the Kids Online Safety Act," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said at the hearing. Though lawmakers have shared similar goals in other discussions around regulating tech, when it comes to protecting kids online, they're more united in the types of action they want to see take place. However, a bill that recently passed the state's House of Representatives removed that provision, instead allowing for consumers to sue social media companies that knowingly cause harm.

☆ How the Supreme Court could soon change free speech on the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

Musk's actions since closing the deal last year have illuminated how he sees the balance internet platforms must strike in protecting free expression versus user safety. The Supreme Court has yet to decide if or when to hear the cases, though many expect it will take them up at some point. The Age-Appropriate Design Code requires internet platforms that are likely to be accessed by kids to mitigate risks to those users. Google said such a change would also make the internet less safe and less hospitable to free expression. The Supreme Court of the United States building are seen in Washington D.C., United States on December 28, 2022.

☆ Meta avoids showdown over news content in US after journalism bargaining bill shelved
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a key architect of the news media bill, has argued that the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) is necessary to help small, local journalism outlets survive in the face of Google and Facebook’s advertising dominance. The News Media Alliance, a supporter of the JCPA, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Among those that signed the letter were the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, The Wikimedia Foundation and Public Knowledge. The tech industry launched its own offensive to keep the JCPA out of the defense bill, with groups including NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association announcing ad campaigns targeting the measure. Meta, meanwhile, turned to a familiar playbook in threatening to remove from the platform.

☆ How Silicon Valley could be impacted by a Republican-controlled House
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Democrats have hammered away at online platforms’ handling of hate speech and white nationalism, while promoting legislation that could drastically affect the business models of big tech companies. The return of heated tech CEO hearingsIn general, tech companies may face more political noise with a Republican House but potentially less policy risk. With Republicans likely to take control of the House, tech companies could face more hearings, but not necessarily more legislation. Privacy legislationMultiple Congress-watchers told CNN that support for federal privacy legislation is still bipartisan and the area remains one of a handful where lawmakers could make progress in the next Congress. It was approved by a key House committee this year and policy analysts say it could see more opportunities to advance next year.

But unbeknownst to this good Samaritan, he was being watched by an Amazon Ring doorbell camera on the front porch, reported The Washington Post. Surveillance proponents will claim this act of violence had nothing to do with Ring and other networked doorbell cameras. Surveillance proponents will claim this act of violence had nothing to do with Ring and other networked doorbell cameras. But we have to face reality: Blanketing our neighborhoods in surveillance devices that promote a culture of suspicion makes all of us less safe. It even went so far as to launch an actual TV show, “Ring Nation,” on Amazon-owned MGM, featuring viral video from Ring cameras and other surveillance devices.

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