A bill to renew three lapsed surveillance provisions was changed during debate, and it is unclear when the House would take up the bill. First things first, if you would like to receive my Technology Policy Update, email me. You can find some of these Updates from 2019 and 2020 here. The Senate sent … Continue reading Senate Amends FISA Reauthorization; Bill Goes Back To House
A new California ballot initiative is submitted for approval that would revise the CCPA and impose new requirements starting in 2023, if enacted. This new statute could not be amended to weaken it per ballot initiative law in California. The organization that forced action on the “California Consumer Protection Act” (CCPA) (AB 375) by getting … Continue reading CCPA 2.0 Backers Submit Ballot Initiative for November Election
A new EO will result in the systems and equipment from certain nations, most likely including China, being barred from the U.S. electric grid on account of the risk they pose to national security. Late last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) that would direct the Secretary of Energy and other … Continue reading Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System
Key Republican stakeholders on privacy legislation float a bill on COVID-19 relating to privacy that seems unlikely to garner the necessary Democratic buy-in to advance. Late last week, key Republicans on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation announced they would introduce the “COVID-19 Consumer Data Protection Act” that provide new privacy and data security … Continue reading Senate Commerce Republicans Vow To Introduce Privacy Bill To Govern COVID-19 Apps and Tech
The U.S.’s top court takes on a statute that could criminalize violating terms of service. Currently, there are two different views among federal appeals courts, meaning one’s criminal liability depends on where they are charged. The Supreme Court of the United States (Court) will consider a case on the scope of the “Computer Fraud … Continue reading Supreme Court to Hear CFAA Case
In a report that largely vindicates the Intelligence Community’s (IC) assessment of the 2016 election, a Senate committee continues with its investigation of Russian hacking with a heavily redacted fourth volume. The Republican-led committee rebuts the President’s assertions the IC was wrong and biased. The Senate Intelligence Committee has released the fourth of five … Continue reading Fourth Volume of Report in 2016 Russian Hacking Endorses IC’s Conclusions
Executive branch agencies veto a Chinese telecom operating in the U.S. because of “identified substantial and unacceptable national security and law enforcement risks associated with China Telecom’s operations, which render the FCC authorizations inconsistent with the public interest.” The “Team Telecom” agencies recommended that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “revoke and terminate China Telecom … Continue reading Team Telecom Returns Negative Recommendation On China Telecom
Through the issuance of a press release, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra answered the calls for delaying enforcement of the “California Consumer Privacy Act” (CCPA) (AB 375), by “reminding consumers of their data privacy rights amidst the COVID-19 public health emergency.” Last month, some industry stakeholders pressured Becerra to delay enforcement of the CCPA because … Continue reading Becerra Deflects Calls To Delay Implementation of CCPA
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Department of Defense (DOD) has failed to fully implement three separate initiatives to instill better cyber hygiene across the Pentagon and its component agencies. This report necessarily throws into question how well the DOD can ride herd on its component agencies and service branches to force the … Continue reading GAO Finds DOD Failed To Follow Through On Its Cyber Hygiene Initiatives
The European Commission (EC) met in Brussels last week and issued a recommendation outlining what it hopes will be a unified approach throughout the European Union (EU) on how smartphones and data are used to fight the spread of COVID-19. The EC laid out an ambitious timeline and explained “[t]he first priority for the Toolbox … Continue reading EC Calls For EU-Wide Approach on Big Data and COVID-19
Michael Kans 