What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
Some of the most insidious security breaches by any adversary into US infrastructure, organizations and networks go undetected. It is the mission of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) to lead a whole-of-nation counterintelligence and security effort – all of US Government, and the US private sector – to protect against penetrations of our government, information networks, and academia, by foreign and other adversaries.
What if a single policy could impact American democracy, culture, and competitiveness? What if that policy might either empower citizens and consumers, or burden them? And what if the decision on that policy sparked a frenzy of legislative proposals, judicial challenges, and citizen outrage, all across the country?
To date, more than 50% of Americans have cut landline phone service, and roughly half of U.S. adults now own tablet computers. Time spent with online video exceeds 1.25 hours per day, on average, for U.S. adults, and seven-in-ten Americans are social media users.
The broadband ecosystem has rapidly evolved over the last two decades. Consumer technologies have advanced, online activities have expanded, connectivity has improved, and the power of internet giants has grown. Privacy rights and preserving an Open Internet are on consumers’ minds.
The Supreme Court will hear a case dealing with whether states can require out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax when their residents make a purchase online. The Court previously held in North Dakota v. Quill Corp. that retailers must have a physical presence in the state in order to be required to collect state sales tax. Now many states argue that in the age of Internet shopping, they are missing out on billions of dollars in lost sales tax revenue.
GW Law's Global Internet Freedom Project and the GW Law Alumni Association host a Q&A and panel on the law of Net Neutrality. With recent changes to the law the panel will discuss implications and what the recent repeal means moving forward.
The event will open with a Q&A between Frank Montero, JD ‘86 and FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn (appointed in 2009, former acting Chairwoman of the FCC). Following the Q&A is a panel discussing the impact of Net Neutrality.
Panelists
The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica (CA) controversy has it all – big tech, privacy, the Trump campaign, and the never-ending attempt to relitigate the 2016 election. It even managed to push Stormy Daniels off the front page.
The question now is what, if anything, policymakers should do in response and what the outcome will be. With Facebook pledging reforms, users demanding more transparency and lawmakers considering legislative fixes, the fallout from this issue could reshape how consumers’ data is used and shared – with lasting effects on our online lives.
Why Europe, not Congress, will rein in big tech
Technology companies are readying themselves for sweeping new privacy rules that go into effect in May 2018 across the European Union. They could face billion-dollar fines if they fail to give European users far more control over their personal information. Whether the US Congress follows the European model, as some lawmakers floated, or whether big tech companies determine it’s too cumbersome to treat the 500 million people of the EU differently from the rest of the world, Europe is likely to keep setting the global pace for aggressive regulation.
Facebook Takes the Punches While Rest of Silicon Valley Ducks
As Facebook has taken it on the chin over the way it has handled the personal information of its users, the leaders of other tech companies have demonstrated that even in publicity-hungry Silicon Valley, it is entirely possible for billionaire executives and their sprawling empires to keep a low profile.