Posts Tagged: House

House passes bill that would bar data brokers from selling Americans’ personal information to ‘adversary’ countries

The House of Representatives approved a measure targeting data brokers’ ability to sell Americans’ personal data to “adversary” countries, like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. The Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act passed with a unanimous 414 – 0 vote.

The bill, which was introduced alongside a measure that could force a ban or sale of TikTok, would prohibit data brokers from selling Americans’ “sensitive” data to people or entities in “adversary” countries. Much like a recent executive order from President Joe Biden targeting data brokers, the bill specifically covers geolocation, financial, health, and biometric data, as well as other private information like text logs and phone call history.

If passed — the bill will need Senate approval before landing on Biden’s desk — it would represent a significant check on the relatively unregulated data broker industry. US officials have previously warned that China and other geopolitical rivals of the United States have already acquired vast troves of Americans’ information from brokers and privacy advocates have long urged lawmakers to regulate the multibillion-dollar industry.

The bill is the second major piece of bipartisan legislation to come out of the House Energy and Commerce this month. The committee previously introduced the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” which would require TikTok to divest itself from parent company ByteDance or face a ban in the US. In a statement, Representatives Frank Pallone and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, said that the latest bill “builds” on their work to pass the measure targeting TikTok. “Today’s overwhelming vote sends a clear message that we will not allow our adversaries to undermine American national security and individual privacy by purchasing people’s personally identifiable sensitive information from data brokers,” they said.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/house-passes-bill-that-would-bar-data-brokers-from-selling-americans-personal-information-to-adversary-countries-004735748.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

House passes bill that could ban TikTok

A bill that could force a sale or outright ban on TikTok passed the House just days after it was first introduced. The House of Representatives approved the measure Wednesday, in a vote of 352 – 65, in a rare showing of bipartisan support. It now goes to the Senate.

If passed into law, the legislation would give parent company ByteDance a six-month window to sell TikTok or face a ban from US app stores and web hosting services. While the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” is far from the first effort to force a ban or sale of TikTok, it’s been able to draw more support far more quickly than previous bills.

The measure cleared its first procedural vote in the House last week, just two days after it was introduced. The bill will now move onto the Senate, where its future is less certain. Senator Rand Paul has said he would block the bill, while other lawmakers have also been hesitant to publicly back the bill.

TikTok has called the bill unconstitutional, saying it would “strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression” and hurt creators and businesses that rely on the service. Last week, the company sent a wave of push notifications to users, urging them to ask their representatives to oppose the bill. Congressional staffers reported that offices were overwhelmed with calls, many of which came from confused teenagers. Lawmakers later accused the company of trying to “interfere” with the legislative process.

Free speech and digital rights groups also oppose the bill, with many noting that comprehensive privacy laws would be more effective at protecting Americans’ user data rather than a measure that primarily targets one app. Former President Donald Trump, who once also tried to force ByteDance to sell TikTok, has also said he is against the bill, claiming it would strengthen Meta.

In a letter to lawmakers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Fight for the Future and the Center for Democracy and Technology argued that the bill would “set an alarming global precedent for excessive government control over social media platforms” and would likely “invite copycat measures by other countries … with significant consequences for free expression globally.”

If the bill were to muster enough votes to pass the Senate, President Joe Biden says he would sign the bill into law. His administration has previously pressured ByteDance to sell TikTok. Officials maintain the app poses a national security risk due to its ties to ByteDance, a Chinese company. TikTok has repeatedly refuted these claims.

If the law was passed, the company would likely mount a legal challenge like it did in Montana, which passed a statewide ban last year. A federal judge temporarily blocked the ban in November before it could go into effect.

Developing…

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/house-passes-bill-that-could-ban-tiktok-144805114.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Sweeping White House executive order takes aim at AI’s toughest challenges

The Biden Administration unveiled its ambitious next steps in addressing and regulating artificial intelligence development on Monday. Its expansive new executive order seeks to establish further protections for the public as well as improve best practices for federal agencies and their contractors.

"The President several months ago directed his team to pull every lever," a senior administration official told reporters on a recent press call. "That's what this order does, bringing the power of the federal government to bear in a wide range of areas to manage AI's risk and harness its benefits … It stands up for consumers and workers, promotes innovation and competition, advances American leadership around the world and like all executive orders, this one has the force of law."

These actions will be introduced over the next year with smaller safety and security changes happening in around 90 days and with more involved reporting and data transparency schemes requiring 9 to 12 months to fully deploy. The administration is also creating an “AI council,” chaired by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, who will meet with federal agency heads to ensure that the actions are being executed on schedule.

Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff, walks to Marine One behind President Joe Biden, Wednesday, July 6, 2022, in Washington. Biden is traveling to Cleveland to announce a new rule that will allow major new financial support for troubled pensions that cover some 2 million to 3 million workers. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Public Safety

"In response to the President's leadership on the subject, 15 major American technology companies have begun their voluntary commitments to ensure that AI technology is safe, secure and trustworthy before releasing it to the public," the senior administration official said. "That is not enough."

The EO directs the establishment of new standards for AI safety and security, including reporting requirements for developers whose foundation models might impact national or economic security. Those requirements will also apply in developing AI tools to autonomously implement security fixes on critical software infrastructure. 

By leveraging the Defense Production Act, this EO will "require that companies developing any foundation model that poses a serious risk to national security, national economic security, or national public health and safety must notify the federal government when training the model, and must share the results of all red-team safety tests," per a White House press release. That information must be shared prior to the model being made available to to the public, which could help reduce the rate at which companies unleash half-baked and potentially deadly machine learning products.

In addition to the sharing of red team test results, the EO also requires disclosure of the system’s training runs (essentially, its iterative development history). “What that does is that creates a space prior to the release… to verify that the system is safe and secure,” officials said.

Administration officials were quick to point out that this reporting requirement will not impact any AI models currently available on the market, nor will it impact independent or small- to medium-size AI companies moving forward, as the threshold for enforcement is quite high. It's geared specifically for the next generation of AI systems that the likes of Google, Meta and OpenAI are already working on with enforcement on models starting at 10^26 petaflops, a capacity currently beyond the limits of existing AI models. "This is not going to catch AI systems trained by graduate students, or even professors,” the administration official said.

What's more, the EO will encourage the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security to address AI threats "to critical infrastructure, as well as chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and cybersecurity risks," per the release. "Agencies that fund life-science projects will establish these standards as a condition of federal funding, creating powerful incentives to ensure appropriate screening and manage risks potentially made worse by AI." In short, any developers found in violation of the EO can likely expect a prompt and unpleasant visit from the DoE, FDA, EPA or other applicable regulatory agency, regardless of their AI model’s age or processing speed.

In an effort to proactively address the decrepit state of America's digital infrastructure, the order also seeks to establish a cybersecurity program, based loosely on the administration's existing AI Cyber Challenge, to develop AI tools that can autonomously root out and shore up security vulnerabilities in critical software infrastructure. It remains to be seen whether those systems will be able to address the concerns of misbehaving models that SEC head Gary Gensler recently raised.

AI Watermarking and Cryptographic Validation

We're already seeing the normalization of deepfake trickery and AI-empowered disinformation on the campaign trail. So, the White House is taking steps to ensure that the public can trust the text, audio and video content that it publishes on its official channels. The public must be able to easily validate whether the content they see is AI-generated or not, argued White House officials on the press call. 

AI generated image of penguins in a desert with Content Credentials information window open in upper right corner
Adobe

The Department of Commerce is in charge of the latter effort and is expected to work closely with existing industry advocacy groups like the C2PA and its sister organization, the CAI, to develop and implement a watermarking system for federal agencies. “We aim to support and facilitate and help standardize that work [by the C2PA],” administration officials said. “We see ourselves as plugging into that ecosystem.”

Officials further explained that the government is supporting the underlying technical standards and practices that will lead to digital watermarking’ wider adoption — similar to the work it did around developing the HTTPS ecosystem and in getting both developers and the public on-board with it. This will help federal officials achieve their other goal of ensuring that the government's official messaging can be relied upon.

Civil Rights and Consumer Protections

The first Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights that the White House released last October directed agencies to “combat algorithmic discrimination while enforcing existing authorities to protect people's rights and safety,” the administration official said. “But there's more to do.” 

The new EO will require guidance be extended to “landlords, federal benefits programs and federal contractors” to prevent AI systems from exacerbating discrimination within their spheres of influence. It will also direct the Department of Justice to develop best practices for investigating and prosecuting civil rights violations related to AI, as well as, per the announcement, “the use of AI in sentencing, parole and probation, pretrial release and detention, risk assessments, surveillance, crime forecasting and predictive policing, and forensic analysis."

Additionally, the EO calls for prioritizing federal support to accelerate development of privacy-preserving techniques that would enable future LLMs to be trained on large datasets without the current risk of leaking personal details that those datasets might contain. These solutions could include “cryptographic tools that preserve individuals’ privacy,” per the White House release, developed with assistance from the Research Coordination Network and National Science Foundation. The executive order also reiterates its calls for bipartisan legislation from Congress addressing the broader privacy issues that AI systems present for consumers.

In terms of healthcare, the EO states that the Department of Health and Human Services will establish a safety program that tracks and remedies unsafe, AI-based medical practices. Educators will also see support from the federal government in using AI-based educational tools like personalized chatbot tutoring.

Worker Protections

The Biden administration concedes that while the AI revolution is a decided boon for business, its capabilities make it a threat to worker security through job displacement and intrusive workplace surveillance. The EO seeks to address these issues with “the development of principles and employer best practices that mitigate the harms and maximize the benefit of AI for workers,” an administration official said. “We encourage federal agencies to adopt these guidelines in the administration of their programs.”

Trabajadores en huelga en una protesta fuera de Paramount Pictures Studio el miércoles 13 de septiembre de 2023 en Los Angeles. Los estudios de Hollywood abandonaron las negociaciones con el sindicato de actores en huelga. (Foto Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

The EO will also direct the Department of Labor and the Council of Economic Advisors to both study how AI might impact the labor market and how the federal government might better support workers “facing labor disruption” moving forward. Administration officials also pointed to the potential benefits that AI might bring to the federal bureaucracy including cutting costs, and increasing cybersecurity efficacy. “There's a lot of opportunity here, but we have to to ensure the responsible government development and deployment of AI,” an administration official said.

To that end, the administration is launching on Monday a new federal jobs portal, AI.gov, which will offer information and guidance on available fellowship programs for folks looking for work with the federal government. “We're trying to get more AI talent across the board,” an administration official said. “Programs like the US Digital Service, the Presidential Innovation Fellowship and USA jobs — doing as much as we can to get talent in the door.” The White House is also looking to expand existing immigration rules to streamline visa criteria, interviews and reviews for folks trying to move to and work in the US in these advanced industries.

The White House reportedly did not preview the industry on this particular swath of radical policy changes, though administration officials did note that they had already been collaborating extensively with AI companies on many of these issues. The Senate held its second AI Insight Forum event last week on Capitol Hill, while Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to speak at the UK Summit on AI Safety, hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 12: Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) talk to reporters following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon meeting at the U.S. Capitol on September 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. Schumer was asked about Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy's announcement of a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

At a Washington Post event on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) was already arguing that the executive order did not go far enough and could not be considered an effective replacement for congressional action, which to date, has been slow in coming. 

“There’s probably a limit to what you can do by executive order,” Schumer told WaPo, “They [the Biden Administration] are concerned, and they’re doing a lot regulatorily, but everyone admits the only real answer is legislative.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sweeping-white-house-ai-executive-order-takes-aim-at-the-technologys-toughest-challenges-090008655.html?src=rss

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

House lawmakers ask for investigation into Apple store labor practices

Apple is facing additional scrutiny over its alleged crackdown against pro-union retail workers. House Representatives Emanuel Cleaver and Sylvia Garcia have sent a letter to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) asking for an investigation into alleged labor abuses at Houston and Kansas City, Missouri stores. The politicians are concerned about claims Apple fired five Kansas City staff in retaliation for unionization efforts, and disciplined multiple Houston employees for attempting to organize.

In March, the Communications Works of America union (CWA) filed charges with the NLRB over the purported retaliation. The CWA believes Apple used thin pretexts to fire and intimidate employees, such as slightly late arrivals and even typos in timesheets. Some of the workers were reportedly forced to sign a release of claims against the company if they wanted a severance package. These practices are illegal, Cleaver and Garcia say.

The House members also pointed to the NLRB's January finding that Apple was violating labor rights with rules barring leaks and discussions of employment conditions. The representatives are worried about a "recurring pattern," according to the letter. In December, the board said Apple also broke the law by holding anti-union meetings in Atlanta.

We've asked Apple for comment. The company has previously argued that it can better care for retail staff without unions. At the same time, it has addressed concerns by raising pay, improving benefits and easing its scheduling rules.

The letter doesn't obligate the NLRB to respond, and there's no certainty that an investigation will lead to official action. Even so, it's notable that Apple's stance on retail labor has drawn Congress' attention. It won't be surprising if there's more interest from the federal government, whether or not the NLRB responds to the letter.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/house-lawmakers-ask-for-investigation-into-apple-store-labor-practices-195248699.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

House approves $100 billion in broadband funding for rural areas

The US House of Representatives approved the Moving Forward Act this week, a $ 1.5 trillion infrastructure bill that puts $ 100 billion toward bringing high-speed broadband to underserved areas. The ambitious bill also allocates funds toward transporta…
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US House votes to extend FISA surveillance

The US House of Representatives has voted to approve legislation that extends the validity of three federal surveillance tools slated to expire this weekend. To elaborate, those tools are provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act or FIS…
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US House panel will discuss self-driving cars next week

On February 11th, a House panel will hold a hearing that could help shape the future of self-driving vehicles in the US. The Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee under the Energy and Commerce Committee will hear from trade groups representin…
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Airbnb officially bans all ‘open-invite’ house parties

Airbnb has confirmed that it will ban all "open-invite" house parties, the company said in a blog post. It also will provide a "clear and actionable enforcement framework" for other issues including excessive noise, unauthorized guests, unauthorized…
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Take a look inside our YouTube House

It’s morning here at the YouTube House in New York City, and we’re getting ready for a packed day inside our first-ever experiential house.

It’s a pop-up, and since we know most of you are tuning in from far away, we wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes tour of our temporary digs. In the video below, you’ll see how YouTube isn’t just a place for watching random videos, but a community where people congregate for music, fitness, food, culture, and so much more.

See if you can spot some guest appearances from The Fitness Marshall and Laura in the Kitchen, too!

— The YouTube Team


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House chair asks tech CEOs to speak about New Zealand shooting response

Internet companies say they've been scrambling to remove video of the mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, but US politicians are concerned they haven't been doing enough. The Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Bennie Thomp…
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House Democrats will introduce bill to reinstate net neutrality rules

Now that the Democrats have the majority in the US House of Representatives, net neutrality is back on the table. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has revealed that Democrats will introduce a bill to restore Obama-era net neutrality rules on March 6th. T…
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House Democrats to investigate Trump actions against Amazon, AT&T

Now that Democrats are poised to control of the House of Representatives, they're planning investigations into the Trump administration's actions against technology companies. Inbound House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff told Axios in a…
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House passes contentious anti-online sex trafficking bill

Sex-trafficking victims, prosecutors and state attorneys will be able to sue websites that host ads and content linked to the sex trade under the bill the House has just approved. The bill called "Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Traffick…
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White House also blames Russia for NotPetya attacks

The White House has officially joined the UK government in blaming Russia for last year's NotPetya attacks. Shortly after the UK publicly accused Kremlin of unleashing the wiper worm on various organizations around the globe, particularly in Ukraine,…
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NSA surveillance expansion bill moves to House for a vote

Intelligence officials might not get the permanent surveillance powers they're looking for, but they could get some key concessions all the same. The House Intelligence Committee has passed the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017 in a partis…
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Get the best seat in the house and watch Coachella live exclusively on YouTube

When you think of Coachella you think of amazing music artists, thrilling performances and nonstop fun in the middle of the desert. This year’s fest will be bigger than ever and even if you can’t make it to Coachella in person, you don’t have to miss out on a moment of the action.

For the seventh year in a row, YouTube brings you the exclusive Coachella livestream presented by T-Mobile. This year, with select acts also available in Live 360. Music fans from around the world can tune-in to Coachella’s YouTube channel from April 14-16, on any screen (desktop, mobile and living room).


Catch performances from global superstars and the hottest rising talent in the world, including headliners Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Radiohead, as well as Bon Iver, Future, Gucci Mane, Lorde, New Order, ScHoolboy Q, The xx, Two Door Cinema Club and more.

You can choose from three always-on channels as well as a Live 360 Mode that will appear for select performances. Don’t miss any of the shows you’re most excited for by creating a personalized calendar that lets you track all your favorite performances. The livestream channels will automatically change to your favorite artists based on your selection. And if you turn on notifications for artists you subscribe to, you’ll get a note when they go live.

For the first time ever you’ll even get a sneak peek inside the famous underground dance music Yuma tent.

If you miss one of the big performances, we still have you covered with a video-on-demand hub that will showcase highlights and footage from performers throughout the weekend.

Stay tuned to find out more information about Coachella performances and be sure to subscribe to Coachella’s YouTube channel so you’re part of the action!

Ali Rivera, Head of Artist Partnerships, YouTube recently watched Kendrick Lamar ‘Humble’” & Brian Anderson, Global Music Sponsorships, recently watched “Juan Atkins, Derrick May + Kevin Saunderson in Conversation.”


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Friend or foe? This AI security system recognizes faces of people who visit your house

Flare is part camera, part AI, part IoT accessory, created by BuddyGuard. The company bills its product as “the first home security system powered by true artificial intelligence.”

The post Friend or foe? This AI security system recognizes faces of people who visit your house appeared first on Digital Trends.

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Zencrate is a smart den for your pooch, and may be nicer than your house

For the millions of anxious dogs that are scared of loud noises, there’s Zencrate. This smart crate/den has Wi-Fi, fans, music, a camera, vibration dampening, sound insulation, and memory foam to sooth your furry friend.

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What’s on your HDTV: ‘Voltron,’ ‘Mirror’s Edge’ and ‘House of Lies’

As the NBA and NHL finals are already close two wrapping up, it's time for the summer TV season to kick off. House of Lies will be gone for good after this week, while The Americans season finale means there's only two years left. On streaming, Netfl…
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Try before you buy (a house) with Realstir

Meet Realstir, a startup described as a “social real estate marketplace empowering consumers and real estate professionals through local knowledge and easy real-time communication.” The company allows you to try before you buy your house.

The post Try before you buy (a house) with Realstir appeared first on Digital Trends.

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Google hires a former White House employee to help with policy issues

google search

You are a large company with a few issues, but need congress to pass a few bills, lean in your favour, or just grease a few palms. How do you do it? Easy, you hire someone who has worked at the White House before and knows all the ins-and-outs of the trade.

That is exactly what Google has done by hiring former White House deputy national security adviser, Caroline Atkinson. She will now be working for Google to lead its public policy efforts. This means she will be handling some very large and tough legal issues Google has been having such as antitrust allegationsEurope’s right to be forgotten laws, general censorship, and more.

Atkinson is a pretty great hire on paper. Other than the White House she has also worked as a journalist and an official at the International Monetary Fund. She shouldn’t have too much trouble handling Google’s issues.

Source: New York Times

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Google takes its amazing Jump VR camera to a very festive White House

Google has taken its amazing Jump VR 360-degree camera rig into the White House, to give us a glimpse of the Christmas decorations adorning the many rooms. Using YouTube and the Google Cardboard viewer, you can see the results.

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I chatted up Buddy, the phone-powered house robot that wants to be R2-D2

Do you like the idea of having R2-D2 scooting around your house, looking after things? If so, you’ll love Buddy, a companion robot that’s available to pre-order right now. Here’s what it’s like to meet him.

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Chaplain services make virtual house calls, offer spiritual guidance via Skype

With the rise of telemedicine and other remote medical services, it was only a matter of time before someone decided that counseling would need to go digital. Now, patients can seek spiritual guidance by way of Skype,

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Cooling down the house: A new smart glass could block both heat and light

University of Texas at Austin professor Delia Milliron and her team are working on a material that can block 90 percent of near-infrared rays and 80 percent of the sun’s visible light, which should help keep homes cooler.

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Projection mapping on the Sydney Opera House is the coolest thing you’ll see all day

Every year, the Sydney Opera House invites artists to bring along their projectors and beam animations onto the building’s iconic sails. This year’s display was entirely hand-drawn, and the results were stunning.

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