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FCC Seeks To Improve Accuracy Of E911
The FCC Thursday sought to tighten its requirements for measuring the accuracy of emergency calls made via wireless phones, National Journal's Technology Daily reports. So-called enhanced 911, or E911, is supposed to provide a mobile caller's geographic location to dispatchers at public safety answering points, or PSAPs, and the agency has established accuracy thresholds. But the FCC does not currently specify how to gauge compliance, prompting complaints from public safety officials that carriers use lax methods to certify they meet the requirements. At a public meeting the commissioners voted 5-0 to seek comment on a proposal to measure compliance at the PSAP level. The item considers whether the FCC should defer enforcement to give wireless carriers time to prepare for the changes. The proposed rules would also apply to Internet phone customers outfitted with mobile handsets.
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Privacy
ChoicePoint Agrees To Settlement With 43 States
ChoicePoint has agreed to implement more privacy safeguards as part of a settlement with 43 states and the District of Columbia over how it has handled people's personal information, AP reports. The consumer data provider has been accused of failing to adequately secure consumers' personal information. ChoicePoint said it will adopt written certification for access to consumer reports -- in some cases to make onsite visits to ensure the legitimacy of companies -- and conduct periodic audits. ChoicePoint collects data on individuals, including Social Security numbers, real estate holdings and current and former addresses. The company admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement.
Campaigns
Clinton Outlines Tech Plan To Silicon Valley Leaders
New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke to influential Silicon Valley players on Thursday about her plan to maintain the county's position as a global leader in technology by increasing the number of visas for highly skilled workers. AP reports that the Democratic presidential hopeful said she is trying to increase the number of H-1B visas and plans to provide more financial support for science, technology, engineering and math programs geared toward women and minorities. "If you think you have a skills shortage now, project it out a decade and we're going to be in real trouble," Clinton said to more than 200 executives at a summit hosted by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Executives in attendance said she hit the right tone with Valley power brokers. Adobe Systems Inc. CEO Bruce Chizen said, "We are clearly on common ground."
E-Government
Detailed Plans For Baghdad Embassy Leaked Online
Computer-generated projections of the new U.S. Embassy being built in Baghdad were found to be posted online Thursday in a breach of security, AP reports. Detailed plans for the sensitive project were posted on the Web site of the architectural firm contracted to design the facility, but were immediately removed after the State Department contacted the company. A department spokesman said this kind of information in the public domain detracts from its effort to ensure the safety and security of those overseas. A spokesman for the embassy in Baghdad would not comment on the accuracy of the plans for the 104-acre, heavily fortified compound.
E-Government
Border Agent Ignored Computer Warning About TB Patient
A U.S. border inspector disregarded computer warnings that advised him to stop the Atlanta lawyer infected with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis at the border, Los Angeles Times and AP report. Officials said Thursday that the border agent thought the man seemed healthy and took the warning to be merely "discretionary." The patient, 31-year-old Andrew Speaker, entered the United States on May 24 after ignoring orders from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to remain in Italy. During the routine border inspection, Speaker's passport set off an urgent warning.
Crime
IRS Warns Computer Users Of Scam E-Mails
The IRS said Thursday that e-mails claiming to be from IRS Criminal Investigation are not from the agency, AP reports. The IRS said it does not send out unsolicited e-mails or ask for detailed personal and financial information. The e-mails claim that the recipient is under a criminal probe for submitting a false tax return to the California Franchise Board. When computer users open an attachment to the e-mail it allows unauthorized users to gain remote access to the computer. The agency has advised receipients to forward the e-mails to phishing@irs.gov.
Privacy
New Hampshire Legislation Would Reject REAL ID
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch is expected to soon sign into law legislation that would oppose the implementation of a federal identification system, Computerworld reports. "I continue to have many concerns about REAL ID, including the cost, the impact on the privacy of our citizens and the burden it will place on state government employees," Lynch said. The measure was passed unanimously in the state Senate in April and by a 268 to 8 vote in the state House last month. About a dozen other states have passed similar legislation in opposition to the so-called REAL ID Act, with which states must comply by May 2008 -- or December 2009, if the Homeland Security Department approves of the later date.
Courts
MySpace Settles Suit Against TheGlobe.com
The social networking site MySpace.com on Thursday settled a lawsuit against TheGlobe.com for more than 400,000 spam advertising messages sent to MySpace users, AP reports. MySpace, which is owned by News Corp, would not release the terms of the settlement. Meanwhile, a 27-year-old man described as one of the world's most prolific spammers was arrested Wednesday. U.S. authorities said the arrest of Robert Alan Soloway would result in computer users across the Web experiencing a decrease in the amount of junk e-mail messages they receive. The Washington Post also reports on the arrest of Soloway.
Courts
Dating Site Sued For Alleged Discrimination Of Gays
The popular online dating service eHarmony was targeted in a lawsuit filed on Thursday for allegedly refusing to serve gays, lesbians and bisexuals, Reuters reports. The class action discrimination suit was filed on behalf of gays and lesbians by Linda Carlson, who said she received a notice from eHarmony about its anti-gay policy after she tried to use the service. Evangelical Christian Neil Clark Warren in 2000 founded the site, which now has more than 12 million registered users. It had early ties with the religious conservative group Focus on the Family and has long been asked by gays and lesbians to include men-seeking-men and women-seeking-women options.
Courts
Broadcom Accuses Qualcomm Of Concealing Documents
As part of an ongoing legal battle, Broadcom has accused Qualcomm of concealing 35,000 documents, The Wall Street Journal reports. Broadcom claims that the evidence would have proven Qualcomm was lying during a a San Diego trial held in January. The case, which was originally filed by Qualcomm in 2005, accused Broadcom of violating patents related to video transmission. "The failure to find these documents was inadvertent and not done in bad faith," Qualcomm spokeswoman Christine Trimble said in an e-mail. In a separate case, a federal jury ruled Tuesday that Qualcomm illegally used Broadcom patents related to third-generation technology.
Business
SEC Goes After Mercury, Brocade For Options Backdating
The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a lawsuit against Mercury Interactive and four of its former executives, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post report. The SEC accused the company of violations related to a long-running options-backdating scheme. Mercury, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in November, will pay a $28 million penalty to settle the SEC's charges without admitting or denying them. Brocade Communications Systems has also agreed to settle SEC backdating charges and pay $7 million.
Education
Police Confiscate Students' Electronic Contraband
At the entrance of Middle School 54 on New York's Upper West Side, the police department carried out a random sweep for prohibited items and confiscated 404 cell phones, 69 iPods, 23 other electronic devices, two knives and one imitation gun, The New York Times reports. "People were crying," said Samantha Haber, 14, an eighth grader. Parents have been opposed to the collection of cell phones for safety reasons. The city's Education Department first banned "communication devices" nearly 20 years ago, when the electronic device of choice was the beeper, not the cellphone.
Privacy
Google's New Map Service Raises Privacy Concern
Some are concerned by a new feature in Google's map service called Street View that enables street-level views of buildings, The New York Times reports. Many point to the privacy implications of Street View and several sites have been asking users to submit interesting images captured by the Google service. Google said in a statement that it takes privacy seriously. "Street View only features imagery taken on public property," the company said. "This imagery is no different from what any person can readily capture or see walking down the street." Google added that it had consulted with public service organizations and considered their feedback.
E-Government
NASA Joins Second Life To Talk Space Exploration
NASA officials said this week that its island in the virtual world Second Life could be a key to the future of space exporation in the real universe, Federal Computer Week reports. The island is a space used by a collaborative initiative of NASA employees, business leaders, software programmers and others outside of the space community to work together. "This is not your father's space program," said Pete Worden, director of the NASA Ames Research Center. "The new technology of virtual life and cyberspace means we can all participate in the vision for space exploration." Leaders of the initiative plan to build a facility in San Francisco where members of industry and others can work with NASA.
Business
Dell To Lay Off 8,000 Workers Amid Accounting Woes
Computer maker Dell announced on Thursday that it plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce over the next 12 months due to accounting problems, USA Today, AP and BBC report. The firm reported quarterly earnings that surpasses expections, which could be a possible sign of improvement for the struggling giant that has been suffering from rising costs and a decrease in sales. It recently announced plans to sell its products at the retailer Walmart. The Securities and Exchange Commission has been investigating Dell's accounting practices since 2005.
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State Watch
Illinois Lawmakers Unhappy With Money Spent For Law
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich spent nearly $1 million defending a state law blocking sales of violent videogames to minors that was declared unconstitutional in federal court.
Quad Cities Online reported this week that some state House lawmakers were furious when they discovered how much the Democratic governor spent defending the law. They were particularly upset that funds were taken from the state's economic development and public health departments and its welfare agency to pay for the case.
"We had a strong suspicion that the governor was using funds appropriated by the General Assembly as his own personal piggy bank," said state Rep. Jack Franks, a Democrat.
Retailers also took a swipe at the Blagojevich administration when they learned just how much money was spent in court.
"This is precisely what we told them would happen," said David Vite of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association.
In related news this week, AP reported state lawmakers in New York have passed several bills targeting sales of violent videogames. State Sen. Andrew Lanza, the sponsor of a measure similar to the one rejected in Illinois, said the approach is worth another shot.
"I believe we ought to try, rather than just walk away from the issue," he said. "We lose nothing by trying."
Other headlines from the states this week included:
-- Kansas Will Use Web To Detail Spending (The Wichita Eagle)
-- Pa. Measure Targets ID Theft Threat (The Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
-- Florida Crime Lab Finds New Errors (The Orlando Sentinel)
-- Internet Hunting Ban Sought In Iowa (The Sioux City Journal)
-- Ill. Police Ads Raise Ethical Questions (The Chicago Tribune)
-- S.C. Top Cop Finds Predators Online (The Greenville News)
-- Kansas Emergencies Reveal Cell Phone Deficiencies (AP)
-- New York Eases Ticket Scalping Rules (The New York Sun)
-- File-Sharing Cases Tossed In North Dakota (The Forum)
-- Alabama Redesigns State Web Site (The Montgomery Advertiser)
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Check Out Technology Daily's Features
Every day, the staff of National Journal's Technology Daily provides readers with a special feature of timely interest. In today's State Roundup, Staff Writer Michael Martinez looks at the most important tech policy news from state legislatures and governors' mansions across America.
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