By Cameron | Published: May 31, 2005
Previously, we reported that ACM created a committee to study issues related to statewide voter registration databases and that the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) recently released its draft guidance on this topic, seeking additional comments. ACM’s committee took the opportunity to provide expert comments to the EAC. The Help America Vote Act requires that all [...]
By David | Published: May 31, 2005
CONTENTS [1] Newsletter Highlights [2] Congress, Media, and Research Societies Bring National Attention to IT R&D Funding, USACM Weighs in [3] ACM Voter Registration Database Study Calls for More Details in EAC Guidance [4] USACM Provides Testimony to House Science Committee Hearing [5] Congress Begins Work to Fund Research Agencies [6] Congressmen Announce “Innovation Summit” [...]
By David | Published: May 24, 2005
With most eyes focused (understandably) on the Senate’s judicial filibuster fight, the House of Representatives yesterday passed two pieces of spyware legislation: H.R. 29 — Rep. Mary Bono’s (R-CA) Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act (SPY Act), which would, among other things, prohibit deceptive acts or practices intended to take unsolicited control of the [...]
By Cameron | Published: May 24, 2005
Update 5/24/05: The Senate cut a deal last night paving the way for several judge confirmations, so looks like a ceasefire is in effect. The Washington Post has a good report on it. Original Post 5/17/05: Today’s Washington Post reports that Republican and Democrat leaders have ended efforts to find a compromise over the confirmation [...]
By David | Published: May 18, 2005
Federal Trade Commissioner (FTC) Orson Swindle had some strong words recently for business leaders attending a meeting on cybercrime convened by the Business Software Alliance and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (as reported in National Journal’s Tech Daily [subscription req'd]): “Industry has been irresponsible, and someone’s got to pay,” [he said ...] Swindle [...]
By Cameron | Published: May 18, 2005
In a previous post (recommended reading for background to this post), we outlined House Homeland Security Chairman Cox’s (R-CA) efforts to add cybersecurity provisions to the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act. The leading idea was to give cybersecurity more political clout within the department by moving it higher up on the bureaucratic food chain. [...]
By Cameron | Published: May 16, 2005
News.com has a rather troubling article today about how ID theft and phishing are converging to create a new very active threat to electronic commerce. Here is the key excerpt: According to Cyota, the phishing e-mails arrive at bank customers’ in-boxes featuring accurate account information, including the customer’s name, e-mail address and full account number. [...]
By David | Published: May 13, 2005
The House Science Committee held a hearing yesterday on computer science research. USACM and CRA, along with a number of other organizations concerned about the future of computing research, issued joint testimony for the hearing: [F]ederal investment helps fuel the innovation that insures the U.S. remains the world leader in business, that we have the [...]
By David | Published: May 13, 2005
At a Capitol Hill press conference yesterday, a group of House members announced plans to hold a national “Innovation Summit” later this year. The event was led by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), along with his Congressional colleagues Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI), Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), and Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL). They were joined by former [...]
By Cameron | Published: May 11, 2005
In an excellent op-ed for News.com, ACM’s President Dave Patterson argues that the federal government is abandoning its previous vision of investing in long-term IT research that has driven many amazing innovations and multibillion industries (i.e. the Internet). Over the last 10 years, however, there’s been a major shift in funding priorities and policy at [...]
By Cameron | Published: May 10, 2005
Update 5/10/05:The Senate passed the supplemental appropriations conference report tonight by a vote of 100-0. Update 5/6/05: The House passed the supplemental appropriations conference report yesterday by a overwhelming margin 368-58-1. Original Post 5/5/05:The House and Senate have reached agreement on the Real ID Act. We posted the final agreement here. It is largely the [...]
By Cameron | Published: May 10, 2005
This Thursday (May 12) at 10:00 a.m. EDT the House Science Committee will review the current landscape of the federal government’s commitment to IT R&D funding and its implications for the future. The hearing is titled “The Future of Computer Science Research in the U.S.,” and the witnesses are: Dr. John H. Marburger III, Director, [...]
By David | Published: May 10, 2005
Infoworld has the following article on a recent legal setback for the entertainment industry: Court tosses out FCC’s Broadcast Flag In an opinion that is bound to stir fierce debate over television broadcast piracy protections, the U.S. Court of Appeals struck down the Federal Communications Commission’s “broadcast flag” regulation meant to set out anti-piracy guidelines [...]
By David | Published: May 9, 2005
Security expert Bruce Schneier has a sobering post on the Real ID Act today: REAL ID The United States is getting a national ID card. The REAL ID Act … establishes uniform standards for state driver’s licenses, effectively creating a national ID card. It’s a bad idea, and is going to make us all less [...]
By David | Published: May 6, 2005
Peter Harsha at the Computing Research Association (CRA) has a good report on a recent op-ed in Science by former CRA Board members and current PITAC members Ed Lazowska and David Patterson (who also happens to be President of ACM and a member of USACM’s Executive Committee). Quoting Peter, the article discusses “the impact of [...]
By Cameron | Published: May 6, 2005
We haven’t covered patent reform much in this blog, but it is an issue that Congress and the Administration are reviewing. As we previously reported, Congress is likely to look toward patent reform legislation while it waits for the Supreme Court to decide MGM v. Grokster. Yesterday’s Washington Post had an article that gives a [...]
By Cameron | Published: May 4, 2005
The Computing Research Association (CRA) has a good post about Representative Frank Wolf’s (R-VA) call on President Bush to triple the federal government’s investment in basic research. He sent the President a letter (which is also on CRA’s website) outlining his concern about the levels of federal investment in basic research and its impact on [...]
By David | Published: May 3, 2005
CONTENTS [1] April Proves to be a Busy Month for ACM Policy Activities [2] ACM Provides Testimony to EAC on Voter Databases [3] USACM Questions Real ID Act’s Security Standards [4] High-Performance Computing Legislation Passes House [5] EAC Technical Committee Adopts Voting System Standards; EAC Commissioner Resigns [6] Cyber Czar Legislation Takes First Step in [...]
By David | Published: May 3, 2005
From the front page of today’s NY Times, an article on the Real ID Act’s progress: WASHINGTON, May 2 – Congress is moving quickly toward setting strict rules on how states issue driver’s licenses, requiring them to verify whether each applicant for a new license or a renewal is in this country legally. A House [...]
By Cameron | Published: May 2, 2005
Update 5/2/05: Last week, the Homeland Security Committee folded the “cyber czar” legislation (see below), pretty much as is, into the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act of 2006. This massive bill reauthorizes and updates many different programs at the department. The Committee did add two items to the cybersecurity provisions. The first is a [...]
