Regulation

Amid an economic crisis, Congress found some time this week to address online threats to children.

The Protect Our Children Act, introduced by Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., made it through the Senate on Thursday. Separate bills authored by Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton were folded into the legislation, which authorizes more than $320 million for the Justice Department over the next five years for, among other things, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The bill would affect how Internet companies report online child pornography to authorities, and it approves funds for law enforcement to focus on online child … Read more

Gaming industry and Internet commerce groups are balking at the state of Kentucky's attempts to seize 141 Internet domain names for online gambling sites.

Lawyers will descend upon a Frankfort courtroom on Friday for the next phase of the Kentucky takeover, which began with a lawsuit from the state's Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, seeking to force the gambling sites to block access to Kentucky users, or relinquish control of their domains. A district judge on September 18 ordered (PDF) the domain names be transferred to the state after Friday's hearing. Representatives for the sites will have … Read more

Neither Congress nor the Bush administration is moving quickly to adopt international electronic-waste standards, but some technology companies are.

Both Sony and LG Electronics have partnerships with Waste Management Recycle America, the largest residential recycler in the U.S., letting consumers drop off for free their old Sony, LG, Zenith, and GoldStar products at designated recycling centers. Now consumers making use of the service can be assured their e-waste is being handled according to the guidelines in the Basel Convention, an international treaty that sets standards for transboundary hazardous waste disposal.

WM Recycle America announced Wednesday it is committing to … Read more

An e-commerce advocacy group is fuming over the retail industry's portrayal of online vendors as addicts and criminals and is demanding an apology.

NetChoice.org on Wednesday called for an apology from the National Retail Federation and Joseph LaRocca, NRF's vice president for loss prevention, after LaRocca told Congress on Monday that thieves who steal from retail stores are often driven to crime by the "addictive qualities" of online commerce.

LaRocca's comments came from the prepared testimony he gave during a hearing Monday of the House Judiciary's subcommittee on crime, terrorism, and homeland security. … Read more

WASHINGTON--The FBI's chief information officer announced his resignation Wednesday, nearly five years after inheriting an information technology program fraught with disaster and dramatically turning it around.

"In 2004, everyone was asking when the FBI would join the 21st century," said CIO Zalmai Azmi. "Today I can tell you that we are in the 21st century and continue to move forward."

When Azmi joined the FBI as the acting CIO, the bureau was scheduled to roll out Virtual Case File, a software program meant to replace its archaic, paper-based criminal tracking system. Instead, the system was … Read more

After a week of dealing with critics arguing that some agency other than the U.S. Department of Homeland Security should handle the nation's cybersecurity efforts, Homeland Security has come to its own defense.

DHS Undersecretary Robert Jamison said in a new blog post that "we must stay the course" and cybersecurity responsibility should not be reshuffled.

At multiple hearings last week, members of a cybersecurity commission told Congress that the DHS is incapable of handling cybersecurity, and the responsibility should be moved to the White House. In addition, the commission specifically criticized the lack of leadership … Read more

Online pharmacies will face stricter regulations under new legislation Congress is considering.

The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act would ban the sale or distribution of prescription drugs over the Internet without a valid prescription. In order for a prescription to be valid, it must be issued by a practitioner who has examined the patient in person at least once.

The legislation provides an exemption, though, for "telemedicine practitioners"--that is, practitioners (not pharmacists) communicating remotely with the patient or the health care professional treating the patient.

Under the proposed law, online pharmacies would have to comply … Read more

Political pressure is mounting to eliminate the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's lead role over cybersecurity, a move that that would effectively admit the agency's failure to adequately perform its assigned duties.

But that invites the obvious question: Who should take over? One option would be, as we heard earlier this week, the White House itself. Another choice would be the more shadowy world of intelligence agencies such as the CIA or National Security Agency, which already is responsible for protecting government computers through its "information assurance" arm.

All week, members of a cybersecurity commission … Read more

WASHINGTON--Electronic waste is still being exported to other nations, a move that has negative environmental consequences and may run afoul of federal law, government auditors told Congress on Wednesday.

Environmental Protection Agency regulations over e-waste exports are very limited, according to a new report (PDF) from the Government Accountability Office, and the existing regulations are not well-enforced.

E-waste is "a low priority for EPA," John Stephenson, director of natural resources and environment for the GAO, told politicians on Wednesday at a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs' subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment.

The EPA'… Read more