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Tag: president obama

  • The Obama Administration Has an Awesome New Brain-Mapping Project in the Pipeline

    In the same way that the Human Genome Project has helped improve our understanding of human genetics, the White House is hoping that a new project could help us unlock the mysteries of the human brain.

    According to a report from the New York Times, the Obama administration is set to unveil a major scientific project inside next month’s budget proposal. Called the Brain Activity Map project, the proposed venture would seek to build a vast and comprehensive map of the human brain, to better understand its processess.

    Apparently, the project would fall under the guidance of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and could cost billions. Of course, there are no details yet about how the financing would be distributed.

    The plans, which may be announced in March, involve multiple federal agencies, private companies, and a host of neuroscientists.

    The project could kick off with the help of some high-profile tech companies. The NYT includes this little tidbit in the report:

    A meeting held on Jan. 17 at the California Institute of Technology was attended by the three government agencies, as well as neuroscientists, nanoscientists and representatives from Google, Microsoft and Qualcomm. According to a summary of the meeting, it was held to determine whether computing facilities existed to capture and analyze the vast amounts of data that would come from the project. The scientists and technologists concluded that they did.

    Of course, a project like this has implications for any number of fields including artificial intelligence, medicine (brain diseases), and more. It also has the ability to spur job growth in the scientific sector.

    Remember this part of President Obama’s State of the Union speech?

    “Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy…every dollar. Today our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer’s. They’re developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs, devising new materials to make batteries 10 times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation.”

    Maybe an early tip to the upcoming Brain Activity Map? Projects like this can take a while to get going after they’re announced and worked into the budget. Plus, it’s being referred to as a “decade-long” project. So let’s get on with it. Yeah, Science.

  • Anonymous Launches #opSOTU: Plans To Kill State Of The Union Address Live Stream

    President Obama will be meeting before a joint session of Congress tonight to deliver the annual State of the Union address. The address will be streamed live on the Internet to the millions of Americans who will be tuning in to hear the president talk about what the future holds. If a certain hacking collective has its way, however, nobody will be watching it.

    Anonymous announced this morning that it’s engaging in #opSOTU, or Battle Royale for the Internet. The operation will see Anonymous attempting to hijack and shutoff the State of the Union address live stream tonight. Here’s the full statement:

    Citizens of the Internet,

    Last year we faced our greatest threat from lawmakers. We faced down SOPA, PIPA, CISPA and ACTA.

    And we won!

    But that victory did not come easily. Nor did it come without a price.

    Aaron Swartz was one of the leading voices in the fight against these idiotic and destructive efforts to control the last free space on Earth.

    Aaron Swartz was persecuted. Now Aaron Swartz is dead.
    Tonight, the President of the United States will appear before a joint session of Congress to deliver the State of the Union Address and tomorrow he plans to sign an executive order for cyber-security as the House Intelligence committee reintroduces the defeated CISPA act which turns private companies into government informants.

    He will not be covering the NDAA, an act of outright tyrannical legislation allowing for indefinite detention of citizens completely outside due process and the rule of law. In fact, lawyers for the government have point-blank refused to state whether or not journalists who cover stories or groups the Government disfavors would be subject to this detention.

    He will not be covering the extra-judicial and unregulated justifications for targeted killings of citizens by military drones within the borders of America, or the fact that Orwellian newspeak had to be used to make words like “imminent” mean their opposite.

    He will not be covering Bradley Manning, 1000 days in detention with no trial for revealing military murders, told that his motive for leaking cannot be taken into consideration, that the Government does not have room for conscience.

    He will not be covering the secret interpretations of law that allow for warrant-less wiretapping and surveillance of any US citizen without probably cause of criminal acts, or the use of Catch-22 logic where no-one can complain about being snooped on because the state won’t tell you who they’re snooping on, and if you don’t know you’re being snooped on, you don’t have a right to complain.

    We reject the State of the Union. We reject the authority of the President to sign arbitrary orders and bring irresponsible and damaging controls to the Internet.

    The President of the United States of America, and the Joint Session of Congress will face an Army tonight.

    We will form a virtual blockade between Capitol Hill and the Internet. Armed with nothing more than Lulz, Nyancat and PEW-PEW-PEW! Lazers, we will face down the largest superpower on Earth.

    And we will win!

    There will be no State of the Union Address on the web tonight.

    For freedom, for Aaron Swartz, for the Internet, and of course, for the lulz.

    We Are Anonymous,
    We Are Legion,
    We Do Not forgive,
    We Do Not forget,
    Expect Us.

    It’s not clear if this is an extension of #OpLastResort, the op that saw the release of banker records and attacks on government Web sites in retaliation for Aaron Swartz’ suicide. It certainly sounds like it, but Anonymous is dragging other issues it’s heavily opposed to, like NDAA, into the mix this time as well.

    Will Anonymous be successful in their most daring and potentially visible operation yet? I highly doubt it, but it would certainly be something if Anonymous succeeded in hijacking the State of the Union address.

  • State of the Union: Obama’s Minimum Wage Bit Sees Biggest Twitter Spike

    Tuesday night’s State of the Union address contained 6,419 words and took just about an hour to deliver. 101 different lines in the speech were followed by applause, and President Obama mentioned defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney a total of twice throughout the address.

    Twitter has provided us with some more figures – total tweets and tweets per minute. And according to their calculations, 1.36 million tweets were registered from the start of President Obama’s SOTU to the conclusion of Senator Marco Rubio’s GOP response speech.

    And if you think that Twitter buzzed the most during the President’s impassioned section on gun violence, you would be wrong. The moment of the speech with the highest tweets per minute registered was when he was discussing the minimum wage and “ladders of opportunity.” That saw 24,000 TPM.

    The gun violence part came in second with 23,700 TPM (the “they deserve a vote” part).

    As far Rubio’s speech goes, Twitter says they they saw a spike when he had to reach a little bit out of his comfort zone to grab a bottle to take a sip of water.

    State of the Union tweets

    If you need something to compare the SOTU tweet total to, let’s look back at this month’s Super Bowl. Twitter said that they counted 24.1 total Super Bowl-related tweets – 5.5 million of which were simply about Beyonce.

  • Obama’s Cybersecurity Executive Order Is No CISPA, Contains Privacy Protections

    Near the end of President Obama’s State of the Union address, he addressed the need for cybersecurity reform. He also confirmed the long standing rumor that he would indeed be signing an executive order into law that helps increase information sharing between the government and private corporations. What’s surprising, however, is that it does address many of the privacy concerns that privacy proponents had with bills like CISPA and CSA.

    With that being said, let’s get into the nitty gritty of the executive order, shall we? First up are details on how information sharing between public government entities and private corporations will work:

    Sec. 4. Cybersecurity Information Sharing. (a) It is the policy of the United States Government to increase the volume, timeliness, and quality of cyber threat information shared with U.S. private sector entities so that these entities may better protect and defend themselves against cyber threats. Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security (the “Secretary”), and the Director of National Intelligence shall each issue instructions consistent with their authorities and with the requirements of section 12(c) of this order to ensure the timely production of unclassified reports of cyber threats to the U.S. homeland that identify a specific targeted entity. The instructions shall address the need to protect intelligence and law enforcement sources, methods, operations, and investigations.

    (b) The Secretary and the Attorney General, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, shall establish a process that rapidly disseminates the reports produced pursuant to section 4(a) of this order to the targeted entity. Such process shall also, consistent with the need to protect national security information, include the dissemination of classified reports to critical infrastructure entities authorized to receive them. The Secretary and the Attorney General, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, shall establish a system for tracking the production, dissemination, and disposition of these reports.

    (c) To assist the owners and operators of critical infrastructure in protecting their systems from unauthorized access, exploitation, or harm, the Secretary, consistent with 6 U.S.C. 143 and in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, shall, within 120 days of the date of this order, establish procedures to expand the Enhanced Cybersecurity Services program to all critical infrastructure sectors. This voluntary information sharing program will provide classified cyber threat and technical information from the Government to eligible critical infrastructure companies or commercial service providers that offer security services to critical infrastructure.

    (d) The Secretary, as the Executive Agent for the Classified National Security Information Program created under Executive Order 13549 of August 18, 2010 (Classified National Security Information Program for State, Local, Tribal, and Private Sector Entities), shall expedite the processing of security clearances to appropriate personnel employed by critical infrastructure owners and operators, prioritizing the critical infrastructure identified in section 9 of this order.

    (e) In order to maximize the utility of cyber threat information sharing with the private sector, the Secretary shall expand the use of programs that bring private sector subject-matter experts into Federal service on a temporary basis. These subject matter experts should provide advice regarding the content, structure, and types of information most useful to critical infrastructure owners and operators in reducing and mitigating cyber risks.

    In short, this part of the order makes it easier for government and companies to share information between themselves. This is what CISPA and CSA hoped to accomplish, and this executive order accomplishes pretty much the same thing.

    What could be worrisome about this part of the order is that it makes it too easy to share information, but that would only be a concern if extensive privacy protections were not put in place. That’s where the next part of the order comes in:

    Sec. 5. Privacy and Civil Liberties Protections. (a) Agencies shall coordinate their activities under this order with their senior agency officials for privacy and civil liberties and ensure that privacy and civil liberties protections are incorporated into such activities. Such protections shall be based upon the Fair Information Practice Principles and other privacy and civil liberties policies, principles, and frameworks as they apply to each agency’s activities.

    (b) The Chief Privacy Officer and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall assess the privacy and civil liberties risks of the functions and programs undertaken by DHS as called for in this order and shall recommend to the Secretary ways to minimize or mitigate such risks, in a publicly available report, to be released within 1 year of the date of this order. Senior agency privacy and civil liberties officials for other agencies engaged in activities under this order shall conduct assessments of their agency activities and provide those assessments to DHS for consideration and inclusion in the report. The report shall be reviewed on an annual basis and revised as necessary. The report may contain a classified annex if necessary. Assessments shall include evaluation of activities against the Fair Information Practice Principles and other applicable privacy and civil liberties policies, principles, and frameworks. Agencies shall consider the assessments and recommendations of the report in implementing privacy and civil liberties protections for agency activities.

    (c) In producing the report required under subsection (b) of this section, the Chief Privacy Officer and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of DHS shall consult with the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board and coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

    (d) Information submitted voluntarily in accordance with 6 U.S.C. 133 by private entities under this order shall be protected from disclosure to the fullest extent permitted by law.

    As you can see, the above text illustrates that the Obama administration has built some decent privacy protections into the executive order. It’s a major relief since some were concerned that the executive order would be just like CISPA, privacy violations and all.

    If you don’t want to take my word for it, the privacy protections in the executive order also got a pass from the ACLU. The organization’s Legislative Counsel Michelle Richardson had this to say about it:

    “The president’s executive order rightly focuses on cybersecurity solutions that don’t negatively impact civil liberties. For example, greasing the wheels of information sharing from the government to the private sector is a privacy-neutral way to distribute critical cyber information. More encouragingly, the adoption of Fair Information Practice Principles for internal information sharing demonstrates a commitment to tried-and-true privacy practices – like consent, transparency, minimization and use limitations. If new information sharing authorities are granted—especially the overbroad ones being pondered by the House – these principles will be more important than ever. We look forward to working with the administration to make sure that the devil isn’t in the details when privacy regulations are drafted.”

    Section seven of the order contains a number of strategies to be implemented by the government to address and counter any cyber attacks directed at critical infrastructure. The central point is the creation of a “cybersecurity framework” that will include “a set of standards, methodologies, procedures, and processes that align policy, business, and technological approaches to address cyber risks.” Keeping transparency as a central theme, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology will “engage in an open and public review and comment process” during the creation of said framework.

    Government agencies will be required to implement the above framework, but it’s entirely voluntary for private operators of critical infrastructure. That being said, the Obama administration will be doing its damnest to convince these private institutions to incorporate cybersecurity standards. One way the administration will be doing this is through the creation of an incentive program that will be pitched to the administration within 120 days. It will then be implemented by the President if it does not require the passage of new laws. If it does, Obama will take his case to Congress.

    Finally, the order calls upon the government to seek out infrastructure that’s at the greatest risk of cyberattacks. Once they’ve been identified, the government will work with these organizations to make sure that any risk of cyberattacks are mitigated. As such, these organizations have the chance to make their case, every two years, for whether the cybersecurity standards placed upon them are “regulatory burdens.”

    There’s sure to be a lot of talk about this cybersecurity executive order over the coming months. In his speech last night, President Obama indicated as much saying this order is meant to force Congress’ hand in passing extensive cybersecurity legislation. That being said, the order’s emphasis on privacy and civil rights protections makes me hopeful that the administration will smack down any attempts to revive CISPA this year.

  • Ted Nugent Tweets He’ll Attend State of the Union

    Ted Nugent, who is neither dead or in jail, will be one of the guests present at Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.

    He’s attending as the guest of Steve Stockman, a Republican U.S. Representative from Texas’ 36th congressional district.

    Ted Nugent, a noted gun enthusiast and cat scratch fever sufferer, has been vocal in his criticisms of President Obama. Last year, at an NRA convention, Nugent said that “if Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will be either be dead or in jail by this time next year.”

    He was shortly visited by the Secret Service, who later determined that there was nothing to worry about. “I’ve never threatened anybody’s life in my life,” said Nugent. “I don’t waste my breath threatening.”

    “I am excited to have a patriot like Ted Nugent joining me in the House Chamber to hear from President Obama,” said Stockman in a press release. “After the Address I’m sure Ted will have plenty to say.”

    He already has something to say on Twitter:

  • White House Will Issue Cybersecurity Executive Order On Wednesday [Rumor]

    It’s fairly common knowledge that the Obama administration has been crafting an executive order to address cybersecurity for quite some time now. The only thing we didn’t know was when such an order would be made public, but a new report is pegging the announcement for this week.

    Speaking to The Hill, sources close to the White House said that senior officials will announce Obama’s long in development cybersecurity mandate on Wednesday. The order will reportedly establish a voluntary program where “companies operating critical infrastructure would elect to meet cybersecurity best practices and standards crafted, in part, by the government.”

    The order will be announced at an event that is due to take place that U.S. Department of Commerce. In attendance will be a who’s who of major cybersecurity proponents, including White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel, Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Jane Lute, and National Security Director Gen. Keith Alexander. You can expect some, or all, of them to talk about the grave threat our nation faces from cyberattacks from China and the like, and how this executive order will better protect our aging infrastructure from cyberattacks.

    Of course, members of Congress aren’t going to like it. They’re going to push for their own extensive cybersecurity legislation to replace whatever Obama’s administration cooks up. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers was already planning to reintroduce CISPA this week, but the executive order may force his hand in pushing the reviled legislation through the House even faster than before. Doing so would once again block all meaningful discussion on the privacy concerns present in the bill in favor of just pushing something through.

    Of course, the Senate will probably not like it either, and may very well introduce its own cybersecurity legislation as well. It may choose to vote on CISPA, if it passes the house, but the Senate may very well choose to go its own way once again by crafting its own legislation. If it does, we may very well end up with a situation just like last year where neither legislative branch can come up with anything, thus justifying the executive order.

    The Hill’s report doesn’t have any concrete details on what the executive order will entail, but we should probably prepare for the worst. Despite talking up a good game as a proponent on online privacy, President Obama has recently signed worrisome, and privacy infringing, legislation like the FISA extension into law.

    We’ll keep our ear to the ground to let you know when, and if, a cybersecurity executive order is announced, and what it entails.

    [Image: dcJohn/flickr]

  • Sally Jewell Chosen For Secretary of the Interior

    U.S. President Barack Obama today announced his pick for a new Secretary of the Interior. Sally Jewell, the CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), will be nominated by the president to head up the U.S. Department of the interior. If confirmed, Jewell will replace former U.S. senator Ken Salazar, who currently holds the position.

    “…even as Sally has spent the majority of her career outside of Washington – where, I might add, the majority of our interior is located – she is an expert on the energy and climate issues that are going to shape our future,” said Obama. “She is committed to building our nation-to-nation relationship with Indian Country. She knows the link between conservation and good jobs. She knows that there’s no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress; that in fact, those two things need to go hand in hand. She has shown that a company with more than $1 billion in sales can do the right thing for our planet.

    The Department of the Interior manages and conserves federal resources, including 500 million acres of public land and national parks. It also oversees the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which operates programs for Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.

    “I have a great job at REI today, but there’s no role that compares than the call to serve my country as Secretary of the Department of Interior,” said Jewell. “I’m humbled and I’m energized by this opportunity, and I look forward to getting to know members of the Senate as they consider my nomination in the coming weeks.”

    Jewell has been CEO of REI since 2005. Since that time, the consumer cooperative has nearly doubled its sales from $1 billion to almost $2 billion and added 71 stores across the U.S.

    (Image courtesy REI)

  • Florida Man Convicted Over Facebook Threats to Kill Obama, “Watch the Life Disappear from His Eyes”

    You can say a lot of things and stand behind First Amendment protections. Saying that you’re going to kill the President on Facebook is not one of those things, according to a Florida jury.

    A Florida man has been convicted of making death threats against President Obama and is now awaiting sentencing scheduled for April.

    According to the court, Christopher Castillo posted the threats to his Facebook page in November, just days before Obama was reelected for a second term. The posts reportedly said that he if reelected, he would hunt down and kill the President. Castillo also added that he would “watch the life disappear from his eyes.”

    According to the Secret Service, they visited Castillo shortly after learning of the threat from a citizen. He reportedly admitted to posting the Facebook statuses.

    “(Castillo) was given every opportunity to back down and say it was a joke and he never (backed down),” said Assistant U.S. attorney Shawn Napier. “It wasn’t sarcasm. It was a threat to kill the president.”

    Castillo’s attorney argued that the man who notified the Secret Service of the posts was a noted internet troll who had provoked the comments from Castillo, and that Castillo simply said some things he didn’t mean. He also argued that the comments should be protected as “political discussion” under the First Amendment.

    A jury disagreed.

    As this case and many others prove, things you say on Facebook hold just as much weight as things you would scream out front of the White House. Don’t threaten to kill the President, and especially don’t do it on a public forum like Twitter or Facebook.

    [Orlando Sentinel via NY Daily News]

  • Obama Is Not Being Asked to Resign Over Beyonce’s Lip-Sync, Put Away Your Twitchy Tweeting Thumbs You Gullible Lot

    Come on, guys. Think about something before you go all stage five freakout on Twitter. I know that’s too much to ask, but I’m still going to ask it.

    Despite what you may have read, a “rising chorus” of Republicans in Congress led by Rand Paul are not suggesting that President Obama should resign because Beyonce reportedly lip-synced the national anthem (people are still debating it) at this week’s inauguration.

    Yes, that headline is real and was published by a popular magazine. Yes, I understand that it may not seem that far-fetched, considering Congress these days. But the article was published in The New Yorker and was written by Twitter personality, satirist, and frequent New Yorker contributor Andy Borowitz (of the Borowitz Report).

    So, it’s just a joke.

    “By lip-synching the national anthem, Beyoncé has cast a dark cloud over the President’s second term,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky). “The only way President Obama can remove that cloud is by resigning from office at once.”

    While many in the media have blamed Beyoncé for the lip-synching controversy, Mr. Paul said, “We must remember that this happened on President Obama’s watch.”

    Funny, but just a piece of satire, people.

    These people clearly need that told to them:

    Want more? Just check here. Some people get it, but a disturbing amount don’t get it at all.

    I just hope that some of these tweets are a satirical response to the satire. Oy.

  • Beyonce Gets Biggest Inauguration Spike on Facebook

    Yesterday, President Obama officially began his second term in office. Inauguration day 2013 features the public reading of the Oath of Office, a parade, some dancing at some inaugural balls, and Michelle Obama’s bangs.

    It also featured Beyonce, simply owning the National Anthem.

    If you want proof that Beyonce was the true star of the day (sorry, Michelle), simply look at the Facebook data. According to the U.S. Politics Facebook team, mentions of “Beyonce” spiked an astounding 42,450% around 12:30 pm ET.

    The next biggest spike was for “Kelly Clarkson,” who saw a 4,900% increase in mentions. The third top-term of the day was “Inauguration,” fittingly, with a 4,600% spike.

    Other terms that saw a spike at some point during the day were President Obama, Michelle, MLK, Parade, Debate, History, and America. As of 1 pm ET, as the inauguration ceremony was closing, the top term on Facebook was “Our President.” As of 6 pm yesterday, the top three terms were “change,” “truth,” and “color.”

    Ok, back to Beyonce. You can check out her performance below. About 1:20, you can see her rip out her earpiece. SHE’S GONE ROGUE, EVERYBODY! SHE’S SINGIN BLIND! Yeah, well, she still killed it. UPDATE: Don’t tell me this. Apparently, Beyonce may have lip-synced the National Anthem.

  • Obama’s Inauguration Streaming Live on YouTube, WhiteHouse.gov

    Obama’s Inauguration Streaming Live on YouTube, WhiteHouse.gov

    If you’re unable to be in our nation’s capital today to watch the historic inauguration ceremony for the now two-term President Barack Obama, or find yourself away from the television – have no fear. You can still watch the President’s (mainly symbolic) reading of the Oath of Office starting at 11:00 am ET. It will be live-streaming on the White House’s dedicated inauguration page.

    It will also be streaming on the White House’s official YouTube page.

    You can also follow the Inaugural Parade, set to kick off around 2:35 pm ET.

    Today’s Oath is just the public reading, and is mostly for show. The President has already taken the official Oath – that happened yesterday at the White House. They’ve posted the video on their official YouTube channel:

    You can also watch Vice President Joe Biden take his official Oath:

  • That NRA Ad About President Obama’s Kids Gets a Funny or Die Response

    As you may have already know, the NRA has released an ad that attacks President Obama because his kids have armed Secret Service to protect them.

    “Are the President’s kids more important than yours,” asks the ad. “Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school?”

    Here’s that ad:

    And here’s the response from Funny or Die, who argues that the security needs of the President’s family and the average family are different and comparisons are irrelevant.

  • The 2013 Presidential Inauguration Gets an Official App Complete with a Live-stream

    The 2013 Presidential Inauguration Gets an Official App Complete with a Live-stream

    On Monday, January 21st, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will be sworn in and will begin their second term in office. The 2013 Presidential inauguration will be the 57th in history.

    If you’re interested in following the day’s events, nothing can beat actually being there. But if life circumstance are preventing you from making the trip to our nation’s capital, a smartphone app with a livestream is better than nothing.

    The Inaugural Committee has just released the official Inaugural 2013 app, the first-ever app dedicated entirely to a Presidential inauguration. It’s available for download today for both iOS and Android.

    For those who wish to track the day’s events as they unfold from afar, the app will feature a livestream of the swearing-in.

    The app also features schedules of the events and a social stream which will take in relevant posts from various social networks. There’s also a tool to “find out how you can continue the first family’s tradition of service by volunteering in your community,” in honor of a National Day of Service scheduled for this Saturday.

    If you’re attending the inauguration, the app can be of some worth to you as well. One word: maps.

    “Use the maps to find your way to events like President Obama’s ceremonial swearing-in on the National Mall and the inaugural parade,” says the appmaker.

    Upon loading the app, interested people can also sign up for SMS updates from the Inaugural Committee.

  • The Future Of Sharing Your Netflix History On Facebook Is Now In Obama’s Hands

    Some of the best news this week was when the VPPA was approved by the House. The 1988 bill desperately needed to be updated so that Netflix socialites could share their viewing history on social networks. Now the bill has proven itself to be a fast worker as it’s now on its way to Obama’s desk.

    Bloomberg reports that the VPPA has passed the Senate on Thursday thus clearing the way for the bill to be signed into law by President Obama. It would be the end to a fight that was started earlier this year after Netflix had to pay a pretty hefty settlement for being in violation of the decades old law. It would appear that Netflix’ increased spending on lobbyists will not go to waste.

    So it looks like the reformed VPPA is going to be passed. What does this mean for the consumer that regularly uses Facebook and Netflix? If the bill gets signed into law, you’ll be able to share your viewing history on social media like Facebook, Twitter and other services. It won’t just be Netflix either. Services like Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video will obviously want a piece of the sharing pie. They get free advertising and you get to tell your friends how obsessed you are with watching reruns of Power Rangers.

    It sounds great, but should you be concerned about your privacy? Probably not. The version of the bill that made its way to President Obama’s desk has two important consumer protection clauses. The first clause requires any “video rental service” (i.e. Netflix) to display a “clear and conspicuous” option to stop sharing their viewing data at any and all times. The second clause requires the aforementioned consent to expire after 24 months unless the consumer chooses to opt in again.

    It’s very likely that President Obama will sign the updated VPPA into law before Christmas. Netflix probably has a Facebook share option just waiting to go live upon the bill being signed into law. It’s the best Christmas gift the video streaming service could ever ask for.

  • President Obama Speaks on Connecticut Shooting [VIDEO]

    President Obama has just wrapped up his statements on the terrible tragedy that took place in Newtown, Connecticut this afternoon. A mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school has left upwards of 30 people dead, a majority of them children.

    The President fought back tears as he expressed his sadness at the loss of life that occurred today.

    “Our hearts are broken today for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these children and the families of the adults we lost. As a country, we have been through this too many times. This evening Michelle and I will do whah every parent in America will do – hug our children a little tighter and tell them that we love them. There are families in Connecticut that cannot do that tonight and they need all of us tonight. May god bless the memory of the victims and in the words of scripture heal the broken hearted and bind up their wounds,” said the President as he closed his remarks.

    Watch his entire statement below:

  • Does Free Speech Matter When The Internet Itself Is In Danger Of Breaking?

    The ITU conference has one more day to go before it winds down on December 14. Until then, a proposal that would lead to governmental regulation of the Internet could be put forward despite some countries taking similar proposals off the table. The House and Senate have already publicly opposed any such outcome, and now the Obama administration is adding its voice to the chorus.

    In a post on the White House blog, the Obama administration stated clearly that it does not support any new rules that pertain to regulating the Internet. Instead, it says that the conference should only be about “updating a public telecommunications treaty to reflect today’s market-based realities.”

    Do you agree with the White House? Should the Internet be kept out of the ITU negotiations? Let us know in the comments.

    The administration then goes into what it hopes to get out of the conference, including an expansion of mobile device accessibility in developing countries:

    From the start, the U.S. position has been clear: the WCIT should be about updating a public telecommunications treaty to reflect today’s market-based realities — not a new venue to create regulations on the Internet, private networks, or the data flowing across them.

    Today, over 85 percent of the world has access to mobile phones because of modern, competitive marketplaces. And while much is left to be done connecting more to this digital future, the solution is not counterproductive regulation at the national or international level. By supporting principles that expand telecommunications infrastructure to underserved and developing populations, the WCIT can play a valuable role in ensuring technological innovation continues for the benefit of all.

    But we should not confuse telecommunications infrastructure with the information that traverses it. The global consensus for a free and open Internet is overwhelming. Millions in the United States and around the world have already added their voices to this conversation, and their position is clear: they do not want the WCIT to govern the Internet or legitimize more state control over online content. Our Administration could not agree more – and will not support a treaty that sets that kind of precedent.

    That position unites our Administration, industry, civil society, both parties and houses of Congress, and stakeholders around the world. Communications technologies and the Internet are essential to economic growth and global prosperity. The world deserves a WCIT outcome that delivers more connectivity without undue regulations. The United States will remain a fierce advocate for those principles at the Conference, and beyond.

    The US government’s efforts to keep the Internet out of ITU negotiations may be in vain though. Early Thursday morning, a majority of nations cast a non-binding vote in favor of more Internet control. The vote was intended to get a “feel for the room,” but the results were clear – a majority of nations don’t exactly agree with the US when it comes to Internet sovereignty.

    Do you think the US has a chance of maintaining its position at the ITU conference? Does the recent “non-vote” raise red flags? Let us know in the comments.

    That being said, the US does have a powerful ally in the EU. On November 30, the European Parliament issued a resolution that similarly argued against letting the UN have control of the Internet. Here’s some of the more prominent arguments in the resolution:

    Believes that the ITU, or any other single, centralised international institution, is not the appropriate body to assert regulatory authority over either internet governance or internet traffic flows;

    Stresses that some of the ITR reform proposals would negatively impact the internet, its architecture, operations, content and security, business relations and governance, as well as the free flow of information online;

    Believes that, as a consequence of some of the proposals presented, the ITU itself could become the ruling power over aspects of the internet, which could end the present bottom-up, multi-stakeholder model; expresses concern that, if adopted, these proposals may seriously affect the development of, and access to, online services for end users, as well as the digital economy as a whole; believes that internet governance and related regulatory issues should continue to be defined at a comprehensive and multi-stakeholder level;

    Calls on the Member States to prevent any changes to the International Telecommunication Regulations which would be harmful to the openness of the internet, net neutrality, the end-to-end principle, universal service obligations, and the participatory governance entrusted to multiple actors such as governments, supranational institutions, non-governmental organisations, large and small businesses, the technological community and internet users and consumers at large;

    Getting back to the US, It’s nice that the legislative and executive branch of our government can agree on something for once, but the White House’s opposition to any new ITU treaties is somewhat hypocritical. Take for instance the White House’s support of ACTA, an international treaty that would have rewritten the rules of what constitutes fair use on the Internet and regulated the Web to unhealthy degrees. The current administration is also heavily in favor of TPP, another multi-national treaty that would cause similar damage to the Internet.

    That being said, those fights are more about the expanding the definition of copyright instead of free speech on the Internet. The two are clearly separate in the eyes of the US. Even copyright stalwarts like the MPAA agree that free speech on the Internet is important. The issue at hand then, however, is not so much free speech, but altering the Internet in such a way that it “breaks.” Whether it be the UN or legislation from lawmakers, the threat to how the very core of the Internet works is very real. Preserving free speech is definitely a priority, but it won’t matter if a bureaucratic body that doesn’t understand how the Internet works gets control of it.

    Is it hypocritical for the US to support infrastructural changes to the Internet while opposing the ITU? Or is the ITU more of a threat than other proposed legislation and treaties? Let us know in the comments.

  • The White House Is Now on Pinterest

    The White House Is Now on Pinterest

    If you’ve been following politics and social media for the past few years, it shouldn’t surprise you that Obama’s White House is making another move into another form of social media. This time, it’s Pinterest that’s welcoming the official residence of the First Family.

    Today, the White House has announced that they are officially on Pinterest. In just a few hours (and with only 1 pin), the page has already amassed over 7,100 followers.

    The White House says that they will use Pinterest for everything from “inspiring quotes and images” to “infographics that help explain key issues to details about the life inside the White House.” They’ll start pinning on December 17th.

    “From the very beginning, President Obama and the First Lady have taken steps to make this the most open White House in history. ‘It’s the “People’s House,’ said First Lady Michelle Obama, ‘It’s a place that is steeped in history, but it’s also a place where everyone should feel welcome. And that’s why my husband and I have made it our mission to open up the house to as many people as we can.’

    That’s why the White House is open for virtual tours 24/7 through the Google Art Project and why you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and other places around the web. And, it’s why we’re now thrilled to add Pinterest to the list,” says White House Director of Online Engagement Kori Schulman.

    Both the President and Michelle Obama already have Pinterest account, the former having joined back in March of this year and the latter just a few months later. Both of those pages created campaign-related pinboards but have not made a pin in about 4 weeks. It seems that the new White House Pinterest account will become the official account for the Obama family.

    In order to celebrate their foray into the world of Pinterest, the White House is holding a contest to let some people visit the residence for a special “Holiday Social.” All you have to do is follow the White House on Pinterest and apply here.

  • Here’s President Obama Tweeting from the White House [VIDEO]

    Earlier this week, President Obama took to Twitter so answer a few questions about the so-called “Fiscal Cliff” that has Republicans and Democrats throwing barbs in Washington.

    And today, the White House posted a behind the scenes look the Q&A session on their YouTube page. If you think that the President wasn’t really tweeting out his answers, well, here’s some video proof. Although I’m pretty sure that any attempt to make it seem like Obama wasn’t answering specific, carefully selected questions is misleading at best. Just like the reddit AMA, Obama and his team know that when taking questions from the internet, you have to be careful and answer the ones that lets you get your message across.

    Either way, it”s fun to see the leader of the free world talking hashtags.

  • Bo Obama Is Perplexed by Bo Obama Christmas Decoration [VIDEO]

    If people could set aside thier political affiliations for two seconds (hard, but more possible now than a month ago), they might just be able to reach a consensus on one thing:

    The first dog is cute as hell.

    The White House just uploaded this dose of Friday cute to their YouTube page. In the video, Bo scampers around the White House, scoping the badass Christmas decor. Make sure you watch until he discovers his own likeness, in decorative form. I probably don’t have to make sure you watch until the end, because oh my god he’s fluffy.

    DAWWWWWW below:

  • Obama Pardons Cobbler the Turkey After Facebook Vote

    For the first time ever, the White House enlisted Facebook to help President Obama make one of the most important decisions he could ever make as Commander in Chief and leader of the free world: Which turkey he should officially pardon for the 2012 Thanksgiving celebration.

    The White House asked Facebook users to vote between two 40+-pound birds named Cobbler and Gobbler. They cast their votes by liking and sharing separate posts feature each turkey.

    Facebook has spoken, and they chose Cobbler as this years official Thanksgiving turkey. Cobbler received a little under 200 more “likes” and about 40 more shares over the last couple of days.

    (image)

    The White House4 hours ago

    Today at 2 p.m. ET, President Obama pardons Cobbler, your 2012 National Thanksgiving Turkey, live from the Rose Garden. Meet Cobbler: http://on.fb.me/Wiaw11 Watch the ceremony live on Facebook with the White House Live app and at http://wh.gov/live

    Powered by socialditto(image)  1,000+ likes ·  474 comments

    As you would expect, PETA wasn’t pleased and asked President Obama to forgo the tradition of pardoning a turkey.

    “The White House turkey “pardon” is a sorely outdated event. It makes light of the mass slaughter of some 46 million gentle, intelligent birds and portrays the United States’ president as being in some sort of business partnership with the turkey-killing industry. Turkeys do not need to be “pardoned”—they are not guilty of anything other than being born into a world of prejudice. They are innocents who should be respected for who they are: good mothers, smart birds, and interesting animals,” wrote PETA President Ingrid Newkirk in a letter to Obama.

    Despite this protest, the pardoning went on as scheduled. You can watch it below:

    If you’re worried about what happened to Gobbler, the White House wants to assuage your fears:

    “It’s all gravy — no turkeys will be harmed during the selection of the National Thanksgiving Turkey. After the pardoning, both turkeys travel to George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens to reside in a custom-made enclosure at Mount Vernon’s nationally recognized livestock facility.”

    Sure, it’s living out its days on a farm somewhere. Like we haven’t heard that before…

  • The White House Enlists Facebook to Choose the 2012 National Thanksgiving Turkey

    Pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey – it’s as American as football, overeating, and familial bickering. Though some stories attribute the first Turkey pardon to President Lincoln, George H.W. Bush was the first to give one an “official” presidential pardon.

    This year, Americans get to vote on which turkey will get the presidential pardon and be declared the 2012 National Thanksgiving Turkey. And they get to choose via Facebook.

    The White House’s Facebook page has posted two pictures of two different turkeys, one named Cobbler and the other named Gobbler. Whichever turkey receives the most “likes” and “shares” will be declared the winner.

    (image)

    The White House3 hours ago

    Want Cobbler to be the 2012 National Thanksgiving Turkey? “Like” and “share” this post to vote for Cobbler: http://wh.gov/turkey

    Powered by socialditto(image)  1,000+ likes ·  364 comments

    (image)

    The White House3 hours ago

    Want Gobbler to be the 2012 National Thanksgiving Turkey? “Like” and “share” this post to vote for Gobbler: http://wh.gov/turkey

    Powered by socialditto(image)  1,000+ likes ·  115 comments

    “Born on the same day on a farm in Rockingham Country, Virginia, Cobbler and Gobbler may look alike, but they’re no birds of a feather. Cobbler craves cranberries, is known for his strut, and enjoys the musical stylings of Carly Simon. Gobbler, a patient but proud bird, loves to nibble on corn and enjoys any music with a fiddle.”

    What happens to Cobbler if Gobbler is chosen or Gobbler if Cobbler is chosen?

    “It’s all gravy — no turkeys will be harmed during the selection of the National Thanksgiving Turkey. After the pardoning, both turkeys travel to George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens to reside in a custom-made enclosure at Mount Vernon’s nationally recognized livestock facility. Additionally, if for any reason one turkey is unable to perform the duties of the National Thanksgiving Turkey, his alternate will take his place during the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation,” says the White House blog.

    We can only assume that despite what the White House says, the Turkey that doesn’t win the Facebook vote will be stuffed and served to Joe Biden.

    Or receive this fate: