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The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has teamed up with the Brennan Center and other civil liberties, free speech, and New York organizations in a unified effort to call on Congress to safeguard the rights of protesters in the United States. The coalition is urging lawmakers to oppose any reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that does not address critical issues such as backdoor search and data broker loopholes.In a joint letter, the organizations emphasized the misuse of Section 702 for surveillance purposes,...

Captain Valerie Littlejohn of the Oklahoma City Police Department has expressed that her agency could more effectively combat drug cartels if field testing for fentanyl was not a prerequisite to charge suspects with fentanyl-related crimes. She made this statement during an interview with the Federal Newswire on March 25.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the allocation of $27 million in financial and technical assistance to 40 partner teams comprising states, local governments, and Tribes. The funding is provided through the Energy Future Grants (EFG) Program, which aims to support multijurisdictional partnership efforts to foster clean energy programs that enhance affordability, access, and opportunities.

Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) released the Ensuring Necessary Financial Oversight and Reporting of Cryptocurrency Ecosystems (ENFORCE) Act as a proposed solution to the U.S. Treasury’s inquiry into stronger legislation to address digital asset anti-money laundering and more secure treatment of digital assets.

Sacramento, Calif. – The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) will be presenting their stance on California's tech bills in a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. CCIA State Policy Director Khara Boender will be testifying on behalf of CCIA regarding three bills, advocating for certain amendments while opposing one.CCIA supports AB 2839 and AB 2355, with Boender emphasizing the importance of addressing potential risks associated with generative artificial intelligence. Regarding these bills, Boender stated, "While we recognize the urgent need to implement...

Leo Schwartz, author of the Fortune Crypto Proof of State newsletter, has expressed concern over the "non-response from the U.S. government" regarding the detention of U.S. citizen and Binance employee, Tigran Gambaryan, in Nigeria. Schwartz made these remarks in his April 4 newsletter.

In response to proposed amendments that would expand Section 702 of the base text on government surveillance, Chris Baumohl, a law fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), expressed strong concerns. Baumohl highlighted the potential implications of these amendments, stating, “As if the base text wasn’t bad enough, these amendments would all significantly expand Section 702. In particular, the weaponization of a post-9/11 warrantless surveillance authority to search for immigrants traveling to the U.S.—with no suspicion of wrongdoing whatsoever—is deeply...

The Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee (EEMAC) is set to convene on April 10, 2024, at the University of Missouri – Kansas City in Kansas City, Mo. The meeting, sponsored by CFTC Commissioner Summer K. Mersinger, will run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (CDT) and is open to the public both in person and virtually, space permitting.Commissioner Mersinger highlighted the focus of the upcoming meeting, stating, “The last few EEMAC meetings focused on the metal and mineral markets and the crucial role of those commodities in the transition to renewable energy. I...

A new piece of legislation, the Reasonable Intelligence Surveillance Authorization Act (RISAA), has sparked debate among Republicans regarding the FBI's ability to conduct surveillance without a warrant. The bill, which is positioned as a compromise between two existing bills, has raised concerns about its actual implications.According to sources, RISAA is perceived as a compromise between the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act and the FISA Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2023. However, there are doubts about the true nature of this compromise, with...

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) has expressed concerns following the European Parliament's plenary vote on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Procedural Regulation. ITI's Policy Manager for Europe, Laura Wiesenfeld, highlighted the potential consequences of the vote on GDPR enforcement mechanisms, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach.Wiesenfeld stated, "Unfortunately, today’s vote threatens the viability of the GDPR’s essential One-Stop-Shop mechanism, reduces confidentiality protections, restricts rights of investigated parties, and...

Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook has announced the sentencing of Luis Enrique Padilla, also known as Louis Padilla, the former Chief of Police of the Sunset Police Department.

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations recently conducted a hearing focusing on the repercussions of the Biden administration's border policies, which have facilitated the infiltration of violent cartels into rural tribal communities well beyond the Southern border of the United States.Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) expressed deep concerns about the situation, stating, “Joe Biden’s open border policies have had detrimental effects on Indian country, with drugs and cartels infiltrating these communities at an alarming rate.” Gosar highlighted the...

Commissioner Caroline D. Pham is set to take part in the upcoming HSBC Global Investment Summit where she will be speaking on a panel focusing on "The New World of Digital Assets." The event is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. in Hong Kong (GMT+8) or 2:30 a.m. in the USA (EDT).The summit will be held at the Grand Ballroom Level LL, Conrad Hong Kong, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong. Those interested in attending can find additional information on the HSBC Global Investment Summit.

WASHINGTON – Next month’s inbound cargo volume at the nation’s major container ports is expected to top 2 million units for the first time since last fall as imports grow despite new supply chain challenges, according to the Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.“U.S. imports are continuing to increase despite another disruption impacting U.S. ports,” stated Jonathan Gold, NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy. Gold emphasized the need for flexibility and resiliency in supply chains, stating,...

CFTC Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson has announced the Market Risk Advisory Committee (MRAC) will convene a public meeting on Tuesday, April 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (EDT) at the CFTC's Washington, D.C. headquarters.Commissioner Johnson expressed, "At each meeting over the last two years, the MRAC has advanced a series of recommendations and reports on several of the most critical issues facing our markets. Consistent with the MRAC’s mission, the diverse stakeholders on the MRAC Subcommittees have considered critical issues, highlighted systemic risk concerns, and...

The Register: US legislators propose American Privacy Rights Act – and it looks quite goodApr 9 2024Americans may soon live under a federal privacy law – a mere two decades after the US Federal Trade Commission urged Congress to regulate online data collection.On Monday, US representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and US senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced the American Privacy Rights Act [PDF], which aims to provide a comprehensive set of rules governing how citizens’ data is used."Today, there are 15 state privacy laws – 14 of which, according to Maryland...

Caitriona Fitzgerald, the deputy director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, has expressed concerns regarding the new federal data privacy bill. In a statement, Fitzgerald highlighted the issue of preemption of state-level regulation, emphasizing the need for a robust law.“From our perspective—in an ideal world—it would not preempt state laws, it would allow states to pass stronger laws,” Fitzgerald stated. She further emphasized the importance of ensuring that if the bill preempts state laws, it must be stronger than existing regulations.“We recognize that...

Native Hawaiian organizations (NHOs) have been invited to apply for funding through the Heritage Opportunities in Hawaii program. The Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, a division of the US Department of the Interior (DOI), has announced $1 million in funding for this initiative.

Wally Adeyemo, the Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury, has stated that his department will persist in its efforts "to target the violent drug cartels that profit from deadly fentanyl sales in our country." This announcement was made in a press release issued by the US Department of the Treasury on March 22.

In a recent article by Bloomberg Law, the importance of privacy protection in product quality has been highlighted by John Davisson, the director of litigation at the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center. Davisson emphasized that privacy is a fundamental aspect of product quality that has often been overlooked due to the limited privacy-protective options available to users.According to Davisson, "Privacy protection is a 'core dimension' of product quality." He pointed out that meaningful privacy protection stems from well-enforced regulations and a competitive...

WASHINGTON—Following the release of the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA), the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, issued a statement criticizing the bill. Senior Policy Manager Ashley Johnson expressed concerns about the current state of the APRA, stating, "in its current state, it is not the compromise America needs."Johnson further highlighted that while the bill attempts to strike a compromise on key issues, it falls short in some aspects. She pointed out that the bill includes a private...

Privacy advocacy groups have long sought the inclusion of data minimization in state privacy statutes. However, states considering and passing legislation in recent years showed reluctance or little appetite to go through with minimization.Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, expressed the significance of recent developments in state privacy laws, stating, "It’s a real game-changer for consumers because it takes the onus off them to protect their privacy and instead requires companies to look at their data collection...

A new report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) suggests that Congress should mandate a mileage-based user fee system for heavy trucks as a sensible way to transition from gas taxes to road maintenance funding. Authored by ITIF President Robert D. Atkinson, the report calls on Congress to implement this system in the upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization.Atkinson emphasizes the importance of adapting to the shift from internal combustion to electric vehicles, stating, “The technology for a system of mileage-based user fees is...

The National Park Service is seeking electronic comments on the significance of properties nominated before March 30, 2024, for listing or related actions in the National Register of Historic Places. Comments should be submitted electronically by April 23, 2024.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is implementing measures to bolster the security of the country's textile industry. A new initiative will enable two DHS agencies to collaborate more effectively on their mission to protect America's textile sector, which provides over 500,000 jobs.