Legislation is needed to ensure domain name registries and registrars are cooperating with federal agencies combating illegal online activity, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told us last week before introducing a bipartisan bill with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. Their Domain Reform for Unlawful Drug Sellers (DRUGS) Act (S.3399) would give the FDA the authority to “suspend websites run by criminal networks that traffic” illegal drugs.
Karl Herchenroeder
Karl Herchenroeder, Associate Editor, is a technology policy journalist for publications including Communications Daily. Born in Rockville, Maryland, he joined the Warren Communications News staff in 2018. He began his journalism career in 2012 at the Aspen Times in Aspen, Colorado, where he covered city government. After that, he covered the nuclear industry for ExchangeMonitor in Washington. You can follow Herchenroeder on Twitter: @karlherk
Google and Apple are using their app store monopolies to favor themselves, resulting in lower quality for consumers, Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Democrats and Republicans agreed during a hearing Wednesday.
DOJ is weighing the enforcement potential around AI-related discriminatory practices, Assistant Attorney General-Civil Rights Kristen Clarke said Tuesday. The Civil Rights Division is bolstering AI enforcement, education, outreach and interagency coordination, Clarke told an NTIA listening session. AI has potential to perpetuate historical discrimination against marginalized communities through the use of web browsing activity, social media and app usage, she said: Consumer data is fed into “specialized algorithms” used to make critical decisions impacting everyday lives, including employment, banking, law enforcement, housing, credit and more. She called the intersection of AI and civil rights a “rapidly evolving policy and legislative landscape.”
Legislators plan to attach cyber incident reporting language to a legislative vehicle in the near future, Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., told us last week after bipartisan language was dropped from the National Defense Authorization Act (see 2112070067). The office for Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., denied Democrats’ claims that Republican “dysfunction” led to a bipartisan agreement falling apart last-minute.
FCC nominee Gigi Sohn said her connection to Locast won’t affect her views on broadcast issues, in her written responses to the Senate Commerce Committee. She promised to operate in an independent and fair manner on all issues if confirmed.
House Commerce Committee Democrats sent draft privacy bill language to Republicans last week in hopes the two sides can reach agreement in the near future, said Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J. Updates were made on the bipartisan staff discussion draft, which the two sides have been negotiating since last Congress, he said. Democrats are “confident” the two sides can work together and reach agreement, said Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., who hosted Thursday’s hearing on Big Tech issues.
The tech industry should create a regulatory body to set best practices for protecting children, and Communications Decency Act Section 230 immunity should be earned through adhering to those protections, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri told the Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee at a Wednesday hearing. That regulatory body should gather input from civil society and regulators about universal protections, including age verification, age-appropriate design and parental controls, Mosseri said. TikTok Public Policy Head Michael Beckerman backed standardized age verification in November (see 2111090076).
Amazon artificially inflates consumer prices by charging third-party sellers exorbitant and unavoidable fees, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine (D) said Tuesday during a Senate hearing.
The House Science Committee has been ready to go to conference on science and tech legislation since passing its bills in June, but members are waiting for Democratic leadership to take action on the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S-1260), House Science Committee ranking member Frank Lucas, R-Okla., told us last week.
The Senate Commerce Committee will vote Dec. 1 on advancing confirmation of FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Democratic FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya, as expected (see 2111170071), the panel said Tuesday. FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson backed Bedoya's nomination in a statement Tuesday, saying that if confirmed, he would “bring a wealth of privacy expertise to the commission."