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Ajit Pai Gives Carriers Free Pass on Privacy Violations During FCC Shutdown (arstechnica.com)
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai refused to brief a Congressional committee Monday about mobile carriers' ability to share their subscribers' location data with third parties. From a report: House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) asked Pai for an "emergency briefing" to explain why the FCC "has yet to end wireless carriers' unauthorized disclosure of consumers' real-time location data," and for an update on "what actions the FCC has taken to address this issue to date." Pai's FCC could take action, despite the 2017 repeal of the commission's broadband privacy rules. Phone carriers are legally required to protect "Customer Proprietary Network Information [CPNI]," and the FCC's definition of CPNI includes location data.
[...] Pai did not agree with Pallone, it turns out. "Today, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai refused to brief Energy and Commerce Committee staff on the real-time tracking of cell phone location[s]," Pallone said in a statement yesterday. "In a phone conversation today, his staff asserted that these egregious actions are not a threat to the safety of human life or property that the FCC will address during the Trump shutdown."
[...] Pai did not agree with Pallone, it turns out. "Today, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai refused to brief Energy and Commerce Committee staff on the real-time tracking of cell phone location[s]," Pallone said in a statement yesterday. "In a phone conversation today, his staff asserted that these egregious actions are not a threat to the safety of human life or property that the FCC will address during the Trump shutdown."
What the carriers are doing is horrible, no doubt. They should be stopped from selling location data to anyone, full stop.
But it's also not wrong to say - this is not threat to life. It's something that should be addressed when the government is re-opened.
If you are really really keen on this moving forward, add to the support to fund the wall already authorized by previous government bills, and move on.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The entire Trump Presidency is encapsulated in this : Moron shuts down the government on a tantrum-whim, consequently his "regulators" use that excuse to not do their jobs, as he obviously picked them not to.
Get a rope.
It was a nice run but it's time to admit the experiment our founders put in motion all those years ago has failed. Undone by ignorance, complacency, and unfettered capitalism.
It was nice while it lasted. It's all over but the shouting now.
It has happened already.
he sides with the corporation over consumers almost every single time (he did some stuff for rural communities that you can chalk up to his party needing that voting block).
We all know this by now. The question I keep asking is, is this going to change how anybody votes in 2020? So far I haven't got a single answer of "yes". As such, I would expect him to continue this behavior since it seems to be working out just fine for him.
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Cheap Mexican labor is fucking carrying our economy you stupid shill.
Day one, they passed a set of micro-budgets. 7 of them. So the Senate could start turning on some parts of the federal government while still letting a shutdown affect one department (for face saving). The Senate never voted on them.
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I'm not saying it's not impossible, but for that kind of accusation you need to provide some proof - I have not read of anything like that happening.
The location data is not as easy to got, nor as accurate as you and many other seem to think - and here they are saying most people would be asked via text if it was OK to hand out location data.
Again, I still don't think carriers should even be allowed to sell this data. Wouldn't that then make the perfect case to pass an actual LAW banning it - you know, the thing Congress DOES? Why should the FCC even be involved if the problem is truly serious?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
People who kill other people tend to be more impulsive than they are intelligent. The number of people who are aware that they can access this data, intelligent enough to be able to gather and put it to use, but also willing to kill someone is incredibly small.
It's not that this can't happen, it's just a lot less likely. If we're interested in preventing spousal murders (or just violence in general) there are plenty of other things that we should be far more worried about. The sad thing is that something like this would get sensationalized and focus and effort that could be better spent elsewhere for better overall outcomes will instead be pointlessly squandered.
NORAD has their Santa Tracker. Maybe there should be an official Pai Tracker that would empower the citizens to express their measured and careful opinions on the issues to Pai personally.
*smirk* No there won't. No one has seen any "consequences", and no one ever will.
What are these consequences? Are they imaginary consequences? Are they the consequences of what happens to your mind from inhaling the smoke that you constantly seem to be blowing out your ass?
Geez. Find a new unhealthy obsession and move on already. Your nazi-faggot-too-many-caps-consequences posts are ready for the nursing home.
You are a liar.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/h...
Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
Wait 5 years, then check out this series: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...
Do you have a source for this? I have not heard of such a thing.
My UID is prime and so is this number: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0.
The house did pass a bill. It was never taken up for a vote with the senate. As far as the emergency nature of this, it does seem like this has immediate life threatening implications as the Streisand effect of this capability will likely lead to an ex boyfriend/girlfriend/whomever finding where someone is hiding and assaulting them.
Note, though, that budget bills originate in the House, and Pelosi has not allowed a vote on a FY2019 budget. This is Pelosi's shutdown, not Trumps. He blusters, he threatens, whatever. Pelosi has the first move and she's stonewalling.
Incorrect, Anonymous Coward.
The House has passed numerous budgets. The Speaker of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, refuses to take any of them to the floor of the senate.
McConnell has the next move and he's stonewalling.
Of course that's how it works. 80% of the US government isn't shut down. The military, HHS, VA, Education Department, etc. are all full funded. So is the USPS, Social Security and Medicare (although that's because of alternate funding.)
There's no "pass a budget" item. It's a "fund X bill". Sometimes X is the whole governments. Sometimes, it's a special allotment to establish a specific bridge or project.
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The House has passed numerous budgets. The Speaker of the Senate, Mitch McConnell,
There is no "Speaker of the Senate". There is a President of the Senate, who is the Vice President of the US, Mike Pence. There is a majority leader, who is Mitch McConnell.
an entire post as "Troll"?
People who kill other people tend to be more impulsive than they are intelligent. The number of people who are aware that they can access this data, intelligent enough to be able to gather and put it to use, but also willing to kill someone is incredibly small.
Stalker apps to spy on significant others have been installed on MILLIONS of devices. The universe of deranged control freaks and jealous spouses are well aware of what's available to them.
It's normal people who lack this knowledge and think you need to have a functioning brain to use tools like this that are the problem.
It's not that this can't happen, it's just a lot less likely. If we're interested in preventing spousal murders (or just violence in general) there are plenty of other things that we should be far more worried about.
What else should the FCC be far more worried about in this area? Spectrum policy? Decency standards?
The sad thing is that something like this would get sensationalized and focus and effort that could be better spent elsewhere for better overall outcomes will instead be pointlessly squandered.
FFS what effort? How much does it cost to levy fines against companies for breaking existing regulations? Fuck just hire me... I'll do it for free if I get to keep the proceeds.
Perhaps Trump actually wants to shut down the U.S. Federal government. The wall is simply an excuse. If the government is shut down, perhaps the Muller probe will run out of funds.
Instead of playing his game, it is time for democrats and republicans from both the house and senate to strongly consider the 25th amendment.
Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
Your taxes have only gone down temporarily if you're poor. They'll go up to close the budget gap created by corporate tax cuts. It's disturbing how corrupt so many Americans are. They can easily be bought. The Soviets were right when they said Americans would sell you the rope to hang them with.
The house did pass a bill. It was never taken up for a vote with the senate. As far as the emergency nature of this, it does seem like this has immediate life threatening implications as the Streisand effect of this capability will likely lead to an ex boyfriend/girlfriend/whomever finding where someone is hiding and assaulting them.
Everyone time someone says that the meta data the government collects isn’t that important or, in this case, that allowing anyone to get real time location info on anyone else in the nation isn’t that important, I wish they would give me carte blanche to prove to them that it is not the case. Ajit had to hire a bunch of security guards because nobody likes him (outside of corporate board rooms). I would love to show him how dangerous this info is. But of course, doing something like that is illegal and I would get prosecuted for it without it actually fixing anything. I wish he’d just put his money where his mouth is and let someone prove him wrong.
There's lots of methodical, well thought out murders out there. The folks who planned 9/11 seemed pretty well prepared. And probability won't matter if somebody's dead.
The point is Pai is delaying action on this hoping it'll blow over and the ISPs can keep right on doing it. Again, he's sided with them on absolutely everything. Even the rural expansions are something they want since they're financed by fees paid by city subscribers and are basically free money for the ISPs & telcos.
Odds are Pai will eventually be forced to act, but it'll be somebody from Congress who makes him, not anything he did of his own accord. And I know it's not popular to say this, but it'll probably be a Democrat (unless Rand Paul gets involved).
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Refusing to respond means they can send the Capitol police to arrest him, and drag him to the hearing.
Just do it.
If he refuses to speak,, lock him up until he does.
It's within the power of Congress.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Whore lets John get his way while the cops are in the donut shop.
Where's the news?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Well, Pai should have said "I can't respond to your enquiries because I am not being paid." Or did he somehow get classified as an essential worker who's allowed to go politicking?
That's essentially what he said. By law, the unfunded agencies, including the FCC, can only have staff do things for which waiting until next week would be "a threat to the safety of human life or property". Preparing a report for this Congresscritter is "not a threat to the safety of human life or property", he said, and therefore he can't legally have staff doing that when Congress hasn't authorized paying any staff.
Are you trying to claim that a funding bill requires a supermajority in the Senate? That would be news to - well, just about everyone.
No, it would be the facts.
The whole reason the original House bill could not be passed was that it required 60 votes.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
No. That just sets a new standard that if the President refuses to sign a CR then eventually they will get their way.
Note that I did not say "pass the wall" from the standpoint of saying if that is good or bad.
I said that from the standpoint of tactics only - Trump is not going to back down, and is actually helped the longer the shutdown goes on.
So the only way to move forward is to fund the wall to some degree (Trump would be willing to bargain downward somewhat).
How does the sound of the government being shut down for an entire year sound? Because I can easily see that being the case. This with the full support of almost all Trump's base that sees a lot of benefit of the government cracking up and many employees leaving government as the shutdown wears on... that would truly be some fundamental change that many Trump voters were after, done the hard way.
It's not like I don't have some connection to this and these are all just abstract thoughts, my wife works in the federal government and would probably be affected. So believe me when I say, I am just reporting what I think will happen, not what I would prefer happen.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley