1. Monthly archive
  2. May 2016

May 2016

The government wants your fingerprint to unlock your phone. Should that be allowed?

As the world watched the FBI spar with Apple this winter in an attempt to hack into a San Bernardino (CA) shooter's iPhone, federal officials were quietly waging a different encryption battle in a Los Angeles courtroom. There, authorities obtained a search warrant compelling the girlfriend of an alleged Armenian gang member to press her finger against an iPhone that had been seized from a Glendale home. The phone contained Apple's fingerprint identification system for unlocking, and prosecutors wanted access to the data inside it. It marked a rare time that prosecutors have demanded a person provide a fingerprint to open a computer, but experts expect such cases to become more common as cracking digital security becomes a larger part of law enforcement work. The Glendale case and others like it are forcing courts to address a basic question: How far can the government go to obtain biometric markers such as fingerprints and hair?

Democratic Reps Push FCC's Wheeler on Public File Access Pledge

A quartet of powerful Democratic Reps has asked Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler to act on a pledge they say he made to their caucus recently and make TV station public inspection files—and cable, satellite and radio files when the requirement kicks in for them—machine readable so they can be more easily searched and inspected. That came in a letter dated April 29 from House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ), House Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and two of the most prominent voices on the issue of public file and political ad disclosure transparency, Rep Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Rep John Yarmuth (D-KY).

They urged Chairman Wheeler to begin the process "in the near term" and that they agree with the chairman that the FCC "can and should" take action. The Reps, who have been pushing for more transparency on political ads and their funders in particular, said they were encouraged by Chairman Wheeler's "specific commitment" to make public files machine readable. TV stations have to upload those files to an FCC database, but do not have to make them machine readable.

Verizon, AT&T and others sign Wireless Network Resiliency agreement, will cooperate during emergencies

The nation's five largest mobile carriers are backing an initiative that would help them to share information and fix network outages during disasters and other emergencies. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular signed on to the Wireless Network Resiliency Cooperative Framework, which is aimed at providing reasonable arrangements for roaming, fostering mutual aid, enhancing government agencies' preparedness and restoration, and improving public awareness of service and restoration status during emergencies. The pact is the result of five months of discussions among CTIA, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, and Rep Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who late in 2015 introduced the Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act. The SANDy Act, which was approved recently by the Energy and Commerce Committee, was created to improve the resiliency of US communications networks during emergencies. The bill is a response to the breakdown of telecommunication networks during and after Hurricane Sandy, which slammed into the Northeast US in October 2012.

How the shows you watch determine which candidates’ ads you see

We took data for 51 of the shows with the most 2016 advertising and made a tool that lets you compare which shows you watch with the campaigns most likely to focus their ad spending on those programs. This isn't a terribly refined calculation; we make no promise that we can tell you your party registration or anything like that. What it will tell you is, given only these shows, which candidates would be most likely to run spots that you'd see.

FCC set-top box plan raises alarms among House Judiciary leaders

The top lawmakers the House Judiciary Committee are worried that a Federal Communications Commission proposal to open up the market for the set-top boxes that consumers use to watch television could lead to "an expansion" in the distribution of pirated content. In the letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) said they are concerned “that the proposal could lead to an expansion in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted works.” They cited some in the creative community who have raised alarms over the way they say the proposal would expose their work to piracy.

“If the FCC decides to continue to pursue this rulemaking, we urge it to ensure that the marketplace of legal copyrighted works is not harmed by such actions,” Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers wrote in the letter. “In addition the video marketplace has evolved significantly over the past ten years with new entrants and innovation. We will continue to remain watchful to ensure that any proposed FCC regulations are appropriate and promote, rather than inhibit, future innovation and competition in this important marketplace, and that any proposed regulations do not impose a disproportionate burden on smaller or rural providers.”

Sen Schumer wants probe into 'spying billboards'

Sen Charles Schumer (D-NY) is urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate a billboard company that helps advertisers target customers by using location and shopping information from people’s mobile phones. Sen Schumer expressed concern that these “spying billboards” by the company Clear Channel Outdoor could be violating Americans’ privacy.

“I am worried about the way this data will be collected for so many unsuspecting individuals,” Schumer said. The company uses data gleaned from users’ mobile phones to track their travel patterns and behavior throughout the day. For example, the data could show if a person went to the drugstore, shopped online or visited a bank. The company says the data it uses is anonymous and aggregated. The data can be used to help advertisers decide where their billboards will be most effective. Schumer asked the FTC to make sure the company’s policies do not violate the law. He also asked if the FTC should require that people be allowed to opt out of the sale of their data. “Without clear policies that provide consumers full disclosure of the data that is collected, and an opportunity to opt-out when necessary, consumers lose the opportunity to make an informed choice about their privacy,” Schumer said.

Sprint Announces Wireless Lifeline Services Partnership with i-wireless

Sprint announced it has entered into an agreement with i-wireless, LLC to strengthen its position as a leader in the wireless Lifeline services industry. The partnership will merge Sprint’s Assurance Wireless and i-wireless’ Access Wireless into one entity. The entity will operate under the name i-wireless and will be led by i-wireless Founder and CEO Paul McAleese. Sprint will own 70 percent of the business, with i-wireless owning the remaining 30 percent.

The partnership will leverage the expertise of two industry leaders, and will combine Sprint’s strong position as a network provider with i-wireless’ national distribution strength. i-wireless has a unique competitive advantage in its ability to accurately and efficiently qualify new customers for Lifeline services through a relationship with its strategic investor, The Kroger Co. Kroger is one of the nation’s largest grocery chains. i-wireless will continue to operate on the Sprint network, which delivers consistent reliability, capacity and speed that customers can count on.

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