government

With security breaches seemingly popping up in the news every other week, by now most of us should (hopefully) know the basics of keeping our data safe online. Today, however, the FBI is trying to draw attention to a potential security risk that is often overlooked: internet connected toys. To hear the FBI lay out its case, it sounds like the organization has a lot of concerns about the data these internet connected toys can collect.

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Amazon certainly made a lot of waves when it announced a $13.7 billion bid to add Whole Foods to its portfolio last month. Some of those waves were worrying, though, as a number of other retailers and grocery chains saw their stock price plummet after the announcement. That reality of Amazon's influence, along with some other concerning factors, are causing some US lawmakers to urge a closer look at this transaction.

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There's a good number of reasons why a company should support Net Neutrality, and a couple why an individual like yourself should, too. Over the past several years, I've come to realize that the Internet is not an essential element in day-to-day life, and because of this, it should not be treated like the other basic utilities like electricity or water. Only those who have the most money should be able to afford the best brand webpages on the Internet - just like health care! ***

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The issue of electronic device searches at the border is a hot one, and though US Border Patrol can (and at times will) search your phone, it isn't allowed to search your cloud data accessible through the handset. The Customs and Border Patrol recently acknowledged that it does not have the authority to search cloud-only data found on phones, and that it doesn't search this data as a result. This includes your social media data.

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Uber announced today that they'd be taking a step up in the world by buying up a bunch of Russia's Google - Yandex. If you'll take a look at Yandex on the web, it'll become clear rather quickly what they're in a position to do. They've got all the bases covered - or nearly all the bases covered - for a Russia-based do-everything company of which Uber now owns a significant portion.

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The most important news today - the most important topic for the Internet, on the Internet, is about Net Neutrality. Today the biggest and most influential websites on the internet are pushing the FCC together to stop the FCC from giving in to pressure to end Net Neutrality and destroy the open web. If Net Neutrality is killed, readers like YOU will experience web speed throttling, widespread website censorship, and the inevitable rise of micro-fees for access to individual services.

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Remember when Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised that he could have a backup power solution in place for South Australia in 100 days? The promise came after South Australia experienced severe storms that caused a blackout, leaving 1.7 million residents without power. Musk and his company will now get the chance to make good on that promise, as Tesla has been given the go ahead to proceed with its energy storage system.

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A new bill proposal seeks to make the act of doxxing someone -- that is, finding and then publishing their personal information on the Internet -- a federal offense. Called the Online Safety Modernization Act, the bipartisan proposal seeks to stop individuals from using the Internet as a personal weapon, whether that involves releasing their enemy's address to online mobs, 'swatting' by calling it fake threats to law enforcement, or something else.

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The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to announce new 'enhanced' security measures that will lift in-cabin laptop bans currently in place against passengers in flights originating from certain cities. According to sources, the laptop ban will be dropped for airlines that adopt and follow the new security measures, though airlines that reject them may still be subject to the in-cabin ban. The ban itself is said to be the result of new intel indicating terrorists may try to weaponize large batteries found in laptops and tablets.

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While the US still tries to sort out how Russian cyberattacks played an influence on the recent presidential election, the British Parliament is currently experiencing its own attack from hackers this weekend. News reports say the country's lawmakers have been left unable to use or access their email as a result of a "sustained and determined" cyberattack from unknown individuals.

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In the always-tumultuous world of content that is the internet, today Google has pledged with YouTube to tackle "terror content." This means that Google and YouTube are, as they said today, "working with government, law enforcement and civil society groups to tackle the problem of violent extremism online." This is in addition to the already-massive effort the company(s) make to root out and stop content from being shared on their networks that violate their use policies.

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The US government has approved social media background checks applied to individuals applying for a visa, it has been announced. The controversial move will require visa applicants to provide a list of their social media handles from the past half-decade, as well as 'biographical information' from the past 15 years. The decision to approve this new vetting method was made by the Office of Management and Budget.

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