Obama watch
Will Congress make Obama’s Privacy Bill of Rights law?
February 23, 2012
Getting a divided Congress to pass any hard-edged privacy legislation is the next big hurdle President Obama faces in getting his Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights made the law of the land.
“We urge the Administration to ensure that it carries out this process in a fair and transparent manner, and that consumer voices are heard and acted on,” Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection at Consumer Federation …More
Obama calls for a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights
February 23, 2012
By Byron Acohido, USA TODAY, 23FEB2012, P1B
The White House on Wednesday unveiled a strongly worded “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights’’ as the linchpin for a drive to get Congress to pass new laws protecting consumers privacy as they surf the Internet.
The announcement came as Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and attorneys general from 35 other states sent a letter to Google complaining about a new …More
DHS has slightly reduced role in Langevin’s cybersecurity bill
June 15, 2011
Langevin
A spokesman for Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., has just contacted LastWatchdog to point out that Langevin’s cybersecurity bill, which is the major comprehensive one in the House, is not exactly the same as the White House proposal.
The major difference is that Langevin’s bill calls for a National Office for Cyberspace with the Office of the President to oversee the security of agency information systems and …More
Disclosure of IMF, Google hacks support cybersecurity legislation
June 15, 2011
By Byron Acohido, USA TODAY, 15June2011, P1B
The recent rash of disclosures about cyberspying — aimed at undermining the United States — comes as the White House is making its third attempt to push through a historic federal cybersecurity law.
The timing is no coincidence, some cybersecurity analysts say. After two previous bills went nowhere, the White House needs to garner public support for a new law …More
Coalition launches global online safety campaign: Stop. Think. Connect.
October 4, 2010
By Byron Acohido, USA TODAY, Oct. 4, 2010, page 3B
SEATTLE — Stop. Think. Connect.
That’s what a high-powered coalition of federal agencies, tech companies, retailers and non-profit groups want you to do every time you use the Internet.
Today, the group launched a milestone public awareness campaign. The goal: to engrain “stop-think-connect” as deeply into culture as the seatbelt reminder “click-it-or-ticket” and Smokey Bear’s quote, “Only you can prevent …More
President Obama launches tech contest for 5th-graders
September 17, 2010
Advanced Micro Devices and Microsoft were among the co-sponsors who showed up at the White House Thursday, 17 Sept. 2010, to applaud President Obama as he launched the National STEM Video Game Challenge.
Students grades 5 through 8 can compete for a cash prizes, as well tech gear from AMD and Microsoft. Another competition is geared for college-age contestants; a top cash prize of $25,000 awaits the creator …More
Kill switch quandry: should president have power to turn off Internet
July 26, 2010
Last year Senators Jay Rockefeller and Olympia Snowe stirred up a bi-partisan ruckus by proposing to give the U.S. president the authority to shut down all or portions of the Internet in the event of an emergency. The so-called Internet “kill switch” may — or may not — be part of the currently proposed Lieberman-Collins Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, depending on who you talk to. In this guest LastWatchdog guest blog post, Patricia Titus, …More
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