1. Monthly archive
  2. July 2016

July 2016

Secret Rules Make It Pretty Easy For The FBI To Spy On Journalists

Secret FBI rules allow agents to obtain journalists’ phone records with approval from two internal officials — far less oversight than under normal judicial procedures. The classified rules, dating from 2013, govern the FBI’s use of National Security Letters, which allow the bureau to obtain information about journalists’ calls without going to a judge or informing the news organization being targeted. They have previously been released only in heavily redacted form.

Media advocates said the documents show that the FBI imposes few constraints on itself when it bypasses the requirement to go to court and obtain subpoenas or search warrants before accessing journalists’ information. The rules stipulate that obtaining a journalist’s records with a National Security Letter (or NSL) requires the sign-off of the FBI’s general counsel and the executive assistant director of the bureau’s National Security Branch, in addition to the regular chain of approval. Generally speaking, there are a variety of FBI officials, including the agents in charge of field offices, who can sign off that an NSL is “relevant” to a national security investigation. There is an extra step under the rules if the NSL targets a journalist in order “to identify confidential news media sources.” In that case, the general counsel and the executive assistant director must first consult with the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. But if the NSL is trying to identify a leaker by targeting the records of the potential source, and not the journalist, the Justice Department doesn’t need to be involved.

Inside Alphabet’s money-spinning, terrorist-foiling, gigabit Wi-Fi kiosks

The free Wi-Fi kiosks that Alphabet’s urban innovation division Sidewalk Labs is selling — similar to those already on the streets of New York — will come with eyes, ears and a host of environmental, air and digital sensors to give the tech giant an unprecedented snapshot of urban life, according to documents obtained by Recode.

The documents, which formed part of Sidewalk Labs’ pitch to cities participating in the Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge, show that Alphabet — Google’s parent company — wants to monitor pedestrian, bike and car traffic, track passing wireless devices, listen to street noise and use the kiosks’ built-in video cameras to identify abandoned packages. Each kiosk will also generate an estimated $30,000 a year for the company from digital advertising. "The Kiosk sensor platform will help address complex issues where real-time ground truth is needed: Understanding and measuring traffic congestion, identifying dangerous situations like gas leaks, monitoring air quality, and identifying quality of life issues like idling trucks," says one promotional flyer.

Verizon quietly retires content filters

Verizon quietly shut down its content filters, killing a free service that enabled its wireless customers to control the kinds of content that could be accessed by users on their service accounts. The carrier closed the offering, saying users have plenty of alternative ways to manage content on their devices, although many come with a price tag.

Verizon pointed specifically to third-party parental control apps to allow parents to set restrictions and controls on downloads, apps or other content. Like other carriers, Verizon offers a variety of apps and services in a range of prices for parents. Users can block calls and messages from up to five different phone numbers free, for instance, while "FamilyBase" enables parents to monitor and control how their children are using devices on the account.

Digital in the Next Administration: The Path Forward

[Commentary] Hillary Clinton revealed her technology and innovation agenda. Among her positions is the continuation and expansion of the United States Digital Service, an office that I helped start during my term as Deputy CTO at the White House. This is a good moment for those who care about government working for the people. The Presidential candidate with the lead in the polls is also the candidate making a commitment to invest in the people and practices we need to make government technology serve the American public as it should.

If Clinton wins, what will she and her team face? Will she have her “healthcare.gov moment,” when policies and reforms that she’s put all her political capital behind face near-deadly implementation risk? Will she staff the West Wing with advisors who know how to work with the Mikey Dickersons, Haley Van Dycks, and Todd Parks of the world, or even better, will she seat people like Mikey and Haley there at the table for the most important discussions? How will she lead her cabinet on digital? Or will she choose people who can help lead each other? How will her team lead the President’s Management Council, made up of the Deputy Secretaries (the COOs of the agencies), the ones who struggle most with impact of outdated approaches to technology? If she wins, how could President Hillary Clinton change the culture of government to work better in a digital era?

[Jennifer Pahlka is Founder and Executive Director of Code for America]

House Speaker Paul Ryan goes to Silicon Valley

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) made a quiet swing through California, venturing to the country’s tech capital to preserve relationships with the industry, as Congressional Republicans face increasing pressures caused by Donald Trump’s rhetoric. He paid a visit to cloud-storage giant Dropbox, where he held a private question-and-answer session with company employees. The Speaker appeared at a high-dollar fundraiser at the San Francisco home of Russ Johnson, a former HP executive, and his wife, Colene. And the Speaker joined a private breakfast in Menlo Park (CA) hosted by Apple CEO Tim Cook. Zack Roday, a spokesman for Speaker Ryan, framed the trip in the context of the high-stakes fight for House supremacy. “It shouldn’t be a surprise Paul Ryan is raising funds to defend and strengthen the House Republican majority.”

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