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Washington is full of speculation about Tuesday’s election and what Congress may or may not consider in the lame duck session. With lawmakers set to return from the campaign trail soon, it is time to remind Congress of some unfinished business they could quickly act on that will go a long way in helping tech companies here in the U.S. and in the global marketplace. FISA Reform. In the Senate, we are [...]
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Earlier this week, ITI submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in connection with the agency’s workshop last month that explored the impact of big data on consumers, including low income and underserved consumers. I attended the workshop, and based on the discussion at the event, there’s no doubt that there is widespread recognition that big data can yield tremendous benefits to consumers [...]
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A little more than six months after the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (Framework) version 1.0, the agency issued a request for information (RFI) to get feedback from stakeholders’ on their experiences with the Framework and their recommendations on next steps. NIST is seeking input, and sharing responses, [...]
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The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) recently responded to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) request for public comments on “Big Data and Consumer Privacy in the Internet Economy.” In the request, NTIA, an agency within the Department of Commerce, posed a series of questions to stakeholders relating to big data and privacy to solicit input on challenges [...]
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A majority of House members now support a bill that would update the woefully antiquated Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), which specifies standards for law enforcement access to electronic communications. With 218 representatives backing H.R. 1852, the bipartisan “Email Privacy Act,” the House of Representatives should seize the opportunity to pass legislation that takes a meaningful step [...]
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Today marks the one-year anniversary of the first-published revelations in The Guardian about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance activities. A year can feel like a lifetime in Washington, and there can be no doubt that much has rapidly changed in the public debate about how Congress views the balance between the collection of information and the need to protect civil liberties. Last [...]
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This evening, ITI sent a letter to the House of Representatives commending the House on the progress that has been made on the USA Freedom Act to date and identifying the areas where more work needs to be done as the bill moves to the Senate. Consideration of the USA Freedom Act in the House of Representatives is an important step in the necessary surveillance reforms to restore trust in the U.S. [...]
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The 79-page Big Data Report delivered to President Obama last week covered much ground. The report, prepared by an administration working group led by John Podesta, was part of a 90-day big data review that the president announced in January. Now that the 90-day review has culminated with this report, it is incumbent upon all of us to prioritize how best to translate tangible and manageable portions [...]
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São Paulo - Brazil’s NETmundial global multistakeholder Internet governance conference has just wrapped up with consensus among participants on the non-binding NETmundial Multistakeholder Statement of São Paulo which includes Internet governance principles and a roadmap on the future of Internet governance. This was no easy feat. First of all, parabens to the Brazilian government and Brazil’s Internet [...]
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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week took an important step on cybersecurity by issuing their Antitrust Policy Statement on Sharing of Cybersecurity Information. In their statement, the two agencies clarified they “do not believe U.S. antitrust law is -- or should be -- a roadblock to legitimate cybersecurity information sharing.” ITI welcomes the statement [...]