Landmark decisions of the supreme court

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox . Following the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, advocates for privacy and reproductive health have expressed fears that data from period-tracking apps could be used to find people who’ve had abortions. They have a point. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the federal patient privacy law known as HIPAA, does not apply to most apps that track menstrual cycles, just as it doesn’t apply to many health care apps and at-home test kits. In 2015, ProPublica reported how HIPAA, passed in 1996, has not kept up with changes in technology and does not cover at-home paternity tests, fitness trackers, or health apps. The story featured a woman who purchased an at-home paternity test at a local pharmacy and went online to get the results. A part of the lab’s website address caught her attention as … [Read more...] about Federal patient privacy law doesn’t cover most period-tracking apps

A number of course-altering US Supreme Court decisions last month—including the reversal of a constitutional right to abortion and the overturning of a century-old limit on certain firearms permits—have activists and average Americans around the country anticipating the fallout for rights and privacy as abortion “trigger laws,” expanded access to concealed carry permits, and other regulations are expected to take effect in some states. And as people seeking abortions scramble to protect their digital privacy and researchers plumb the relationship between abortion speech and tech regulations , encryption proponents have a clear message: Access to end-to-end encrypted services in the US is more important than ever. Studies, including those commissioned by tech giants like Meta, have repeatedly and definitively shown that access to encrypted communications is a human rights issue in the digital age. End-to-end encryption makes your messages, phone calls, and video chats … [Read more...] about End-to-end encryption’s central role in modern self-defense

The Federal Communications Commission is planning to collect a $51.1 million fine from a phone company accused of using “widespread enrollment fraud” to collect improper payments from a program designed to help poor people. Since 2014, Total Call Mobile (TCM) has requested and received $9.7 million in payments by signing up tens of thousands of duplicate or ineligible consumers “despite repeated and explicit warnings from its own employees, in some cases compliance specialists, that company sales agents were engaged in widespread enrollment fraud,” the FCC said in an announcement yesterday . Further Reading FCC says TracFone and other cell companies defrauded US program for the poor The alleged fraud targeted the Lifeline program, which provides discounted phone service to people with low incomes. Lifeline, part of the Universal Service Fund, is paid for by US residents through surcharges on phone bills. The FCC said its investigation into Total Call found that … [Read more...] about FCC: Carrier pocketed $10M in bogus cell phone subsidies

The Federal Communications Commission yesterday accused five wireless service providers of obtaining duplicate payments from a federal fund for low-income consumers. The FCC wants the companies to repay the extra money and, in addition, to pay $14.4 million in fines. The wireless providers allegedly violated rules of the Lifeline program, which has helped people afford basic telephone service since 1985. It was expanded to cover pre-paid cell phone service in 2005 under former President George W. Bush. "The violations involve thousands of consumers who had more than one Lifeline subscription from the same provider, resulting in duplicative support requests and payments," the FCC said. "In each case, the carrier knew or should have known, based on its own internal data, that the consumers were ineligible under Lifeline program rules. ... To protect the integrity of the Lifeline program, the Commission’s rules prohibit, among other things, Lifeline service providers from requesting … [Read more...] about FCC says TracFone and other cell companies defrauded US program for the poor

At midnight ET on Tuesday morning, the American federal government shut down operations as a result of the Congressional budget impasse. Currently there's no immediate end in sight, so a mish-mash of government agencies are open and closed. National parks and museums are off, but mail is still being delivered to American households. On Saturday, Ars took a quick look at which US government agency websites would be going dark during the shutdown. Those included the Federal Trade Commission, the Library of Congress, and the National Park Service sites. They all planned to go dark and have done so. The federal court system is remaining open , as it has a financial reserve that should last around two weeks. Similarly, the United States Patent and Trademark Office could stay open for approximately four weeks. However, we have now conducted a more thorough examination of 50-plus different .gov websites. In the chart below, we have highlighted whether they are up or down, and … [Read more...] about Shutdown of US government websites appears bafflingly arbitrary

Major news outlets are disclosing a development that, if true, could influence the course of broadband economics for the foreseeable future. The New York Times reports that Google and Verizon are close to a deal that "could allow Verizon to speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content's creators are willing to pay for the privilege." Furthermore, Google "would agree not to challenge Verizon's ability to manage its broadband Internet network as it pleased." The Wall Street Journal' s dispatch suggests that an agreement may be forthcoming that both companies "hope could be used as a model for legislation aimed at preventing telephone or cable companies from delaying or blocking Internet traffic." From these fragments, it's not hard to speculate on the key elements of a possible deal. Google will accept the priority access concept; Verizon will promise not to block or delay traffic, or at least pledge to adhere to broad principles along those … [Read more...] about A separate peace: Google, Verizon making net neutrality deal?

GCHQ's director, Robert Hannigan, used a speech he gave yesterday at MIT to try to cosy up to the tech industry in order to promote what he called "a constructive dialogue." That's a dramatic reversal of his position less than 18 months ago, when he wrote in the Financial Times that Internet companies were "command-and-control networks of choice for terrorists and criminals," and "in denial" about it. On Monday, Hannigan admitted that his comments in the FT had caused "a bigger stir than I expected, and were widely seen as an attack on the tech industry." Now, he said, "we recognise that we need a new relationship between the tech sector, academia, civil society and Government agencies. We should be bridging the divide, sharing ideas and building a constructive dialogue in a less highly-charged atmosphere." Encryption is the key area where Hannigan believes that dialogue is needed, and he devoted most of his speech to the topic. "The idea that we do not favour strong … [Read more...] about GCHQ uses MIT speech to get chummy with tech industry over crypto backdoors

Air fryers have made a whole lot of noise in the kitchen appliance space over these past few years. If you've become a little air fry-curious, there are some questions you might want to have answered before you invest in yet another small kitchen appliance. If starting from scratch, you'll want to know exactly what an air fryer does and how it's used. Does an air fryer actually fry? And are air fryers healthier than normal ovens? Also, what can you make in an air fryer, and which type of air fryer oven is best for your cooking habits? Most importantly, is an air fryer worth buying with so many other kitchen appliances available, or are these trendy countertop cookers just a bunch of hot air? Whether or not an air fryer is right for you is ultimately a decision you'll have to make. But as someone with the chance to try much of the latest kitchen gadgetry, I can say that the air fryer is one of my personal favorite small appliance additions. It's one I fire up at least a few times … [Read more...] about A Guide to Air Fryers: Everything to Know Before You Buy

Announcing his resignation in a speech from Downing Street on Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson attempted to blame his removal from office on the “Westminster Herd Instinct” rather than his own failings as a leader. Despite desperate attempts to cling onto power, Mr Johnson was forced to resign after a record 59 government aids and cabinet ministers resigned following the sexual impropriety scandal involving the PM’s former deputy chief whip Christopher Pincher, whom Johnson had promoted to the role despite previously being informed of sex pest allegations made against the then-Tory MP. Yet in defiant fashion, Mr Johnson cast blame to the political system in London. “As we have seen at Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves. And my friends, in politics, no one is even remotely indispensable,” Johnson declared. “I know that there will be many people who are relieved, and perhaps quite a few will be disappointed. And I want you to know … [Read more...] about ‘Them’s The Breaks’ – Boris Blames ‘Westminster Herd Instinct’ for Ouster