An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: A military arm of the intelligence community buys commercially available databases containing location data from smartphone apps and searches it for Americans’ past movements without a warrant, according to an unclassified memo obtained by The New York Times. Defense Intelligence Agency analysts have searched for the movements of Americans within…
Tag: constitution
Biden Sworn In as 46th President
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, taking office at a moment of profound economic, health and political crises with a promise to seek unity after a tumultuous four years that tore at the fabric of American society. New York Times: With his hand on a five-inch-thick Bible that has been…
New Chinese Browser Offers a Glimpse Beyond the Great Firewall — With Caveats
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: China now has a tool that lets users access YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, and other internet services that have otherwise long been banned in the country. Called Tuber, the mobile browser recently debuted on China’s third-party Android stores, with an iOS launch in the pipeline. The landing page of the app features…
Japan’s Longest-Serving PM, Shinzo Abe, Resigns For Health Reasons
Late last night, it was rumored that Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, would step down due to his struggle with ulcerative colitis. Abe confirmed the reports this morning, telling reporters that it was “gut wrenching” to leave many of his goals unfinished. He also apologized for stepping down during the pandemic. The Associated Press reports: Abe has had ulcerative colitis…
Judge Urged To Release Documents About Google’s Cellphone Tracking
Eight weeks ago Arizona’s attorney general sued Google for allegedly deceiving users about when location data would be collected from their phones, tracking them without their clear consent. . Now an Arizona congressman and more than two dozen researchers from institutions including Yale, MIT, and Cornell are urging a judge to publicly release the documents collected during that investigation: The documents…
Supreme Court Upholds Cellphone Robocall Ban
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Associated Press: The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a 1991 law that bars robocalls to cellphones. The case, argued by telephone in May because of the coronavirus pandemic, only arose after Congress in 2015 created an exception in the law that allowed the automated calls for collection of government debt. Political consultants and…
Does Success in Life Depend on Understanding Both Technology and Constitutional Law?
Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: In 2019’s The Two Codes Your Kids Need to Know, the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman reported that of all the skills and knowledge the College Board tested young people for, it determined that mastering “two codes” — computer science and the U.S. Constitution — were the most correlated to success in college and in life….
The US Constitution: Facts about the country’s founding document
Written over 200 years ago, the Constitution is a legal document of Articles and Amendments that form the foundation of the federal government, state authority and citizen rights. Source: https://www.livescience.com/US-Constitution.html
ACLU Sues LA Over Controversial Scooter Tracking System
The American Civil Liberties Union sued Los Angeles Monday over the city’s requirement that electric scooter rental companies provide anonymized real-time location data. The Verge reports: The lawsuit centers on the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s use of a digital tool called the Mobility Data Specification program (MDS), which the agency created as a way to track and regulate electric scooters…
UK Willing To Admit Nearly 3 Million From Hong Kong If China Adopts Security Law
schwit1 shares news that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would be willing to allow more than 2.8 million people from Hong Kong to live and work in the country if China implements a controversial proposed national security law on the former British colony. The law could take effect as soon as this month, and would expand mainland China’s control…