Electronic Privacy Information Center
Director of Electronic Privacy Information Center, a privacy advocacy organization based in Washington, DC, and and Adjunct Professor in Information Privacy Law at Georgetown University; member of the at-large advisory committee of ICANN, the international organization responsible for many basic operations of the internet and co-author Privacy, Information and Technology and Information Privacy Law
Will Big Data and Big Money Mean Big Trouble? The so-called "Year of Big Data" has produced uses and potential abuses of gathering more information than anyone ever imagined before. What is this a vast, new industry? What are the benefits and the dangers, especially to consumers who use the Internet?
Will Big Data and Big Money Mean Big Trouble? Big Data -- the accumulation of massive amounts of information just for its own sake -- is the revenge of the nerds, a booming generator of money and power. New kinds of faster, cheaper hardware and software are providing a level of data never imagined before, including facts about human behavior. If that means more efficient sales of products to people want them, does it also mean identify theft and credit card fraud? If consumers are worried, why do they pour their personal data into Facebook and Twitter? What are the broader applications of Big Data?
The Benefits and the Risks of Internet Freedom French President Nicolas Sarkozy says the Internet is so pervasive that governments must regulate it or face what he calls "anarchy." At his so-called eG8 summit , he got push-back from the leaders of Amazon, Facebook and Google, and from other heads of state as well. The pervasiveness of the Internet has empowered millions of people and made it a force for democracy, but it's also a threat to privacy, intellectual property rights, national security and social morality. If they're left alone, will private Internet companies use that power for their own interests? What benefits might be lost if governments decide to step in?
Cyber Security and Internet Freedom This has been the biggest year ever for cyber crime, from Stuxnet, the worm that was deployed to disrupt Iran's nuclear program, to China's attack on Google. Now defenders of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have launched "Denial of Service" attacks on Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Amazon. Institutions, including governments, are on the defensive and they're trying to beef up cyber security. But how does cyber crime happen? Is it all technology, or is the human element just as important? Will cyber security mean suppressing free speech?
Cyber Security, Stuxnet and Internet Freedom Stuxnet was first discovered a few months ago, and it's now regarded as a weapon of cyber sabotage -- with the capacity not just to corrupt computer software but to manipulate programs that control machines.
Cyber Security, Stuxnet and Internet Freedom Computer experts say Stuxnet is the first known case of cyber sabotage. Discovered just a few months ago, it's a virus that infects not just computer programs but also the machines they operate. It's so sophisticated that it's likely the work of a nation-state targeting Iran's nuclear program. But it's also spread to a number of other countries. Is Stuxnet a cyber-warfare weapon that went wrong? Who launched it? Nobody knows, but the Internet could be used to wreak havoc in the real world. What are the challenges for national security? Will it mean compromising the freedom and privacy now taken for granted in the virtual world?
The Administration's Broad New Wiretapping Powers After months of quiet negotiations, Democrats and the Bush White house reportedly were close to a deal on the controversy between electronic surveillance of terrorists and the privacy rights of innocent Americans. Then—just as Congress was about to adjourn—the White House made new demands. Despite Democratic majorities, both houses passed legislation Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls “unacceptable.”
Bush Administration's Broad New Wiretapping Powers President Bush may be a struggling lame duck, but Democrats can still be out-maneuvered if they think they'll be called soft on terrorism. As Congress was leaving town, both houses gave Mr. Bush the wire-tapping authority he wanted, despite opposition from the Democratic leadership. The Bush White House denies it's a "broad expansion" of the President's powers, while House Speaker Pelosi calls it " unacceptable ." Civil libertarians and other Senate Democrats, including Barack Obama, say the new majority buckled under intimidation and pressure, that they "might be branded as soft on terrorism." We look at the new law and the politics that got it passed.
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.