News

• Advocates call for legal protections for copyright consumers

  The U.S. Congress should consider a "safe harbor" from legal action for consumers using works protected by copyright as it launches a long-term effort to revamp copyright law, some advocates said Thursday.

• NetChoice: California privacy bills are bad for Internet

  E-commerce trade group NetChoice takes aim at state legislation -- and at open access and privacy advocates -- in the newest list of bills it deems would be awful for the Internet.

• Court orders names to be withheld before release of Aaron Swartz records

  A U.S. federal court has modified a protective order to allow disclosure of the court records of Internet activist Aaron Swartz, but ruled that names and other personal identifying information of those involved in his arrest and prosecution should be redacted.

• Survey: US residents oppose Internet sales tax

  The U.S. Senate has, by a wide margin, supported a bill allowing an Internet sales tax, but the legislation appears to be a tougher sell to the public.

• US lawmakers introduce apps privacy bill

  New legislation introduced by a group of U.S. lawmakers would require mobile application developers to obtain consent from consumers before collecting their personal data and to secure the data they collect.

• California may outlaw 3-D printed guns

  Proposed legislation in California aims to ban guns made using 3-D printing, after an organization Defense Distributed fired a handgun made with the technology, and said it would distribute its drawings online.

• Senators want sanctions against countries supporting cyberattacks

  Two U.S. senators will push Congress or President Barack Obama's administration to pursue trade and immigration sanctions against China and other countries that allegedly support cyberattacks on U.S. government agencies and businesses, the lawmakers said Wednesday.

• Proposed U.S. law aims to counter cybertheft with import bans

  A bill proposed in the U.S. Senate aims to block imports of products containing U.S. technology stolen online, a move that appears primarily directed at China.

• US Senate approves Internet sales tax

  The U.S. Senate has voted to allow states to collect sales tax from online retailers, making it more difficult to buy tax-free products online.

• Veteran tech workers see themselves locked out of job market

  Many tech companies have called for the U.S. Congress to ease restrictions on high-skill immigration because they can't find qualified tech workers to fill open positions. Yet, many veteran IT tech workers say they can't find jobs.

• H-1B reform debate pits tech firms against veteran IT workers

  Many U.S. tech companies are pushing hard this year for an increase in the number of high-skill immigrants allowed into the country, but many veteran IT workers question their motives for wanting to increase the number of visas under the controversial H-1B program.

• Dutch bill seeks to give law enforcement hacking powers

  The Dutch government today presented a draft bill that aims to give law enforcement the power to hack into computer systems -- including those located in foreign countires -- to do research, gather and copy evidence or block access to certain data.

• Goverment mulls data breach notification law, but details are secret

  Australia's government is keeping a tight hold on proposed data breach notification legislation that could become law before a federal election in September.

• Senator introduces legislation targeting patent trolls

  A U.S. senator has introduced legislation allowing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to review and invalidate controversial patents challenged by technology startups in an effort to discourage so-called patent trolls.

• Senate delays vote on Internet sales tax until May

  The U.S. Senate has delayed a vote on an Internet sales tax until May, after a handful of senators blocked lawmakers from voting on the legislation this week.