Online privacy
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FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel on Safe Connected Cars for Domestic Violence Survivors
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote to auto manufacturers as well as wireless service providers to seek their help in protecting domestic abuse survivors from the misuse of connected car tools by abusers.
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Guiding Texas' Digital Opportunity Investments
The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO), under the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, developed the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan to guide non-infrastructure-related digital opportunity investments. Another aim is to position the BDO to receive State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funds from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration (NTIA).
Google settles $5 billion lawsuit claiming ‘incognito’ mode was not private
Google has tentatively settled a $5 billion lawsuit accusing the tech giant of secretly tracking the internet activities of millions of users who believed its Chrome browser protected their privacy while in “incognito” mode, according to court documents. The class action lawsuit, scheduled for a February 2024 trial, was temporarily halted by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers after a preliminary settlement was reached between Google and the consumers’ lawyers. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2020, claimed that users in “incognito” mode were misled by Google’s Chrome browser, thinking
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Developing Digital Equity Solutions in Vermont
The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) asserts that connectivity has become integral to everyday activities from regular social interactions and access to media to participating in school or pursuing a career, responding to emergencies, improving farming efficiency and agricultural output, and combatting climate change. VCBB released its draft Digital Equity Plan to ensure all Vermonters can take advantage of the benefits of this connectivity.
Patron Privacy Protections in Public Libraries
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.
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FCC Adopts Updated Data Breach Notification Rules To Protect Consumers
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.
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Republican senators want to stop the FCC from updating data-breach notification rules
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.
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Alaska's Plan to Address Broadband Adversity
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.
Letter from Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to US Attorney General Merrick Garland
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.
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FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for December Open Meeting
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: