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  April 18, 2013, 4:22 pm

CISPA changes fail to win over privacy advocates

By Jennifer Martinez

Changes made to a cybersecurity bill that passed the House on Thursday failed to win over privacy advocates who argued it would infringe on people's rights.

Privacy and civil liberty advocates argue that the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, would allow companies to share cyber threat data with the government and other businesses without taking steps to remove personally identifiable information first. 

Several of these groups — including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Democracy and Technology and the Electronic Frontier Foundation — shot off statements expressing their concerns with CISPA on Thursday after the bill easily passed the lower chamber on a 288-127 vote.

"CISPA is an extreme proposal that allows companies that hold our very sensitive information to share it with any company or government entity they choose, even directly with military agencies like the [National Security Administration], without first stripping out personally identifiable information," Michelle Richardson, a legislative counsel at the ACLU, said in a statement. 

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  April 18, 2013, 3:26 pm

Online sales tax bill set for vote in the Senate

By Brendan Sasso and Bernie Becker

“Harry Reid is hell-bent on bringing it to the floor," Sen. Orrin Hatch said.

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Archived under: Technology, Domestic Taxes
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  April 18, 2013, 2:13 pm

Grassley signals support for email privacy bill

By Brendan Sasso

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said on Thursday that he expects the Senate Judiciary Committee will approve legislation that would require police to obtain a warrant to search emails and other private online content.

"I would anticipate this year that there wouldn't be any problem getting [the bill] out at whatever meeting you want to bring it up," Grassley, the top Republican on the committee, told Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) at a meeting. 

Leahy, the author of the legislation, said he will bring the email privacy bill to a vote at the committee's next meeting.

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  April 18, 2013, 1:00 pm

House approves cybersecurity overhaul in bipartisan vote

By Pete Kasperowicz and Jennifer Martinez

The House bill will set up a framework for companies and the government to share information on cyber threats.

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  April 18, 2013, 9:00 am

News bites: Twitter launches music app

By Jennifer Martinez

Twitter launched a music app on Thursday that integrates music from iTunes, Rdio and Spotify, ABC News reports. Read more...

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  April 17, 2013, 7:19 pm

OVERNIGHT TECH: Privacy concerns remain as CISPA heads to vote

By Jennifer Martinez and Brendan Sasso

THE LEDE: A key amendment that could satisfy one of privacy advocates' top concerns with a House cybersecurity bill is still under discussion.

So far, the text of the amendment filed on Wednesday does not address privacy groups' concerns with the Cyber Intelligence and Protection Act, or CISPA.

A earlier version of the amendment, circulated on Tuesday, included language that would have ensured the Homeland Security Department is the first recipient of cyber threat data from companies. This would have addressed privacy advocates' concern that CISPA would allow companies to share cyber threat data directly with the National Security Agency.

However, the version of the amendment put forward for House consideration and posted on the Rules Committee's website on Wednesday did not include that fix. Members are expected to vote on whether to adopt the amendment into the final version of the bill on Thursday. 

"The amendment that we saw, and that we understand went to the floor, didn't modify that provision," said Kurt Opsahl, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 

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  April 17, 2013, 5:29 pm

Sen. Rockefeller to push for Do Not Track at hearing

By Brendan Sasso

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) announced that he will hold a hearing next Wednesday afternoon to push for a feature that would allow users to opt out of online tracking.

“I strongly believe that consumers should be able to manage whether online companies collect their personal information,” Rockefeller said in a statement.

At a White House event in early 2012, a coalition of Internet companies said they would work together to voluntarily implement a Do Not Track option for users.

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  April 17, 2013, 5:07 pm

House Intel leaders: Cybersecurity bill will not allow cyber snooping

By Pete Kasperowicz

Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Intelligence Committee offered assurances on Wednesday that legislation allowing companies to share information on cyber threats with the government would not allow the government to collect data on private customers.

Consumer privacy remains a major concern related to H.R. 624, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA.

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  April 17, 2013, 5:06 pm

FTC considers privacy threats from everyday devices

By Brendan Sasso

The Federal Trade Commission is exploring the privacy risks posed by everyday devices, like cars and refrigerators, that are connected to the Internet.

The commission on Wednesday asked for public comment on the topic and said it would hold a workshop on Nov. 21. 

"The devices can provide important benefits to consumers: they can handle tasks on a consumer’s behalf, improve efficiency, and enable consumers to control elements of their home or work environment from a distance," the commission wrote. "At the same time, the data collection and sharing that smart devices and greater connectivity enable pose privacy and security risks."

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  April 17, 2013, 3:17 pm

FTC files first cellphone ‘cramming’ case

By Julian Hattem

The government is initiating its first legal action to stop unauthorized and unwanted cellphone charges.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Wednesday charged that Wise Media LLC, a Georgia-based company, signed up and billed consumers for text messages containing horoscopes, love tips and flirting advice that they had never requested, in a scam known as "cramming."

The company then forced customers to opt out of its subscription services, though it hid its contact information and in many cases charged customers even if they tried to unsubscribe, according to the complaint.

Because the company used confusing or abbreviated labels for its charges, many customers paid the $9.99 monthly fee regardless of their disapproval of the service, the FTC claims.

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