Online privacy

Public libraries are an invaluable institution in the United States, and the digital revolution has posed many challenges for them. With the American Library Association’s updated “Library Bill of Rights” and public library services increasingly moving online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the protection of patron privacy in public libraries is an important and timely topic of study.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to modify it’s 16-year-old data breach notification rules to ensure that providers of telecommunications, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and telecommunications relay services (TRS) adequately safeguard sensitive customer information.  The action would hold phone companies accountable for protecting sensitive customer information, while enabling customers to protect themselves in the event that their data is compromised.

It has come to our attention that the Federal Communications Commission intends to vote on a Report and Order that would violate Congress’ Resolution of Disapproval vitiating the FCC’s 2016 Broadband Privacy Order. Since the FCC has no authority to ignore Congress’ exercise of the Congressional Review Act (CRA), we urge you to withdraw the draft Report and Order to avoid resurrecting substantially similar parts of the 2016 Broadband Privacy Order that Congress nullified. The FCC’s proposed rules in the Report and Order are clearly “substantially similar” to the nullified 2016 rules.

laska’s residents know what adversity looks like when it comes to accessing high-speed internet. The scale of unserved and underserved communities across Alaska is an obstacle to community and economic development, particularly for Tribal and rural communities. With federal resources and strong collaboration with Tribal partners, the nonprofit sector serving Alaska’s most vulnerable communities, and cities and boroughs, the State of Alaska is working toward changing this landscape.

I urge the Department of Justice (DOJ) to permit Apple and Google to inform their customers and the general public about demands for smartphone app notification records. In the spring of 2022, my office received a tip that government agencies in foreign countries were demanding smartphone “push” notification records from Google and Apple. My staff have been investigating this tip for the past year, which included contacting Apple and Google.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 13, 2023:

Here’s what to expect at the Federal Communications Commission's December open meeting.

• We’re going after junk fees that harm consumers and hamper competition.
• We’re cracking down on illegal robotexts.
• We’re making smartphones more accessible to consumers with hearing loss.
• We’re removing barriers to broadband deployment.
• We’re improving health care in rural communities.
• We’re protecting consumer data.
• We’re protecting local TV programming.
• We will also consider an item from our Enforcement Bureau.

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) reintroduced three bills to strengthen data privacy protections and safeguard Americans’ personal information. The U.S. currently has no comprehensive data privacy laws and with the rise of AI and other technologies, consumers are vulnerable to fraud, security breaches, and predatory behavior online. 

The Federal Communications Commission took action to help domestic violence survivors access safe and affordable communications. These rules, which build on an inquiry the FCC initiated in 2022, follow the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted earlier in 2023 and will implement key provisions in the Safe Connections Act of 2022 to support survivors of domestic abuse and other related crimes. This action will help survivors by requiring mobile providers to separate phone lines linked to family plans where the abuser is on the account; protect the privacy of survivors by requiring providers t

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced the U.S. Data on U.S. Soil Act (H.R.6410) to protect the data security of Americans from being collected and exploited by our foreign adversaries. Specifically,  the U.S. Data on U.S. Soil would protect the data security of the American people by: