TechSpot: “Why it matters: No matter how many hacks we see that are perpetrated via unchanged, weak default passwords on devices, manufacturers continue to use the likes of “password” and “admin” for login credentials. That’s no longer going to be the case in the UK, which has become the first country in the world to ban makers from using easily guessable default credentials on connected devices. An update to the UK’s Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act (PSTI) states that every device with online connectivity must either ship with a randomized password or generate a password upon initialization. According to the requirements, pre-installed passwords cannot be incremental (password1, password2) and cannot be related in an obvious way to public information such as MAC addresses or Wi-Fi SSIDs…”
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Category Archives: Legislation
Wyden, Markey Reveal Automakers Provide Detailed Location Information to Law Enforcement Without a Warrant
Washington, D.C. – “Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., requested the Federal Trade Commission investigate major automakers for breaking a pledge to protect their customers’ location data, in a letter to Chair Lina Khan sent today. The automakers had deceptively pledged that they would insist on warrants or other court orders before… Continue Reading
Whistleblower Laws That Protect Lawbreakers
American Prospect: “The late whistleblower John Barnett described Boeing as a psychological torture chamber for anyone who cared about safety. A 2000 law makes fighting back nearly impossible.” Continue Reading
Americans’ Views of Technology Companies
“Most think social media companies have too much influence in politics and censor political viewpoints they object to – both sentiments are growing among Democrats. Most Americans are wary of social media’s role in politics and its overall impact on the country, and these concerns are ticking up among Democrats, according to a new Pew… Continue Reading
The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars
Vox – Dangerous, polluting SUVs and pickups took over America. Lawmakers are partly to blame. Cars, you might have noticed, have grown enormous. Low-slung station wagons are all but extinct on American roads, and even sedans have become an endangered species. (Ford, producer of the iconic Model T a century ago, no longer sells any… Continue Reading
Is TikTok getting banned?
TechCrunch – Not yet, but you should explore alternatives: “As a TikTok ban gets closer to becoming a reality in the United States, it might be time to start thinking about other platforms to adopt early in case you need to fill the void left by the popular app at some point in the future.… Continue Reading
UK online safety regulator research to guide our online safety work
“Today we’re publishing our online safety research agenda, which sets out the areas of research that will help to inform and underpin our long-term work as the UK’s online safety regulator. As an evidence-based regulator, we use research and data to guide our activity across our various workstreams. This is no different for our online… Continue Reading
Red states threaten librarians with prison as blue states work to protect them
Washington Post [read free]: “…library-friendly measures are being outpaced by bills in mostly red states that aim to restrict which books libraries can offer and threaten librarians with prison or thousands in fines for handing out “obscene” or “harmful” titles. At least 27 states are considering 100 such bills this year, three of which have… Continue Reading
Report – Legal treatment of embryos created through IVF
In Custodia Legis: “In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedure that involves the “joining of a woman’s egg and a man’s sperm in a laboratory dish.” The MedicinePlus website explains that “[i]n vitro means outside the body. Fertilization means the sperm has attached to and entered the egg.” The procedure can… Continue Reading
Police Shootings of Residents Across the United States, 2015–20: A Comparison of States
Rockefeller Institute: “Broader public, media, and scholarly interest in police shootings of residents in the United States has been a constant since 2014. This interest followed a number of high-profile deadly force incidents, including those leading to the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, and Tamir Rice in Cleveland, OH. In the decade since,… Continue Reading
New bill would try to make tools like Zoom and Teams work together securely
The Verge: “A new proposal from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) would require videoconferencing and messaging tools used by the federal government to be able to communicate with each other, even if made by different companies. It would also enforce high security standards for government collaboration tools, including end-to-end encryption. The Secure and Interoperable Government Collaboration… Continue Reading
US state-by-state AI legislation snapshot
“BCLP actively tracks the proposed, failed and enacted AI regulatory bills from across the United States to help our clients stay informed in this rapidly-changing regulatory landscape. The interactive map is current as of February 12, 2024, and will be updated quarterly to include legislation that if passed would directly impact a businesses’ development or… Continue Reading
