These privacy concerns have gained prominence amid fears among Democrats that government officials in states where abortion is illegal could use data to pursue cases.
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jerrold Nadler (DN.Y.) plans to launch a hearing on “digital safety nets” and government access to data by pointing out that women are “particularly at risk” of government data surveillance, according to prepared remarks shared with The Technology 202.
Nadler will warn that state law enforcement will be able to “use available data to learn who searches online for the words ‘miscarriage’ or ‘abortion'” and “purchase geolocation data to monitor which phones are traveling out of the state to go to a medical provider.”
But the session can also offer insight into the political minefield companies will have to navigate as they assess requests for reproductive health data and other sensitive information.
representing Jim Jordan of Ohio, the top Republican on the panel, has been a vocal critic of federal oversight and at times an ally of Democrats seeking to bring about legislative reform. Jordan is also an avowed enemy of abortion, as are other Republicans on the committee.
They can challenge Democratic lawmakers’ calls for companies to limit their data collection afterdeer, or with companies’ attempts to resist government demands for data. A spokesperson for Jordan declined to comment on his plans for the hearing.
A separate hearing by a House committee currently negotiating a landmark data privacy bill is set to address the collection of sensitive data by tech companies.
A note prepared for the hearing by majority staff of the House Energy and Commerce panel highlighted President Bidenof the executive order calling on federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, to take greater steps to protect reproductive health data. The issue has been front and center for many Democratic leaders.
The session could also offer a window into the extent to which lawmakers are taking data privacy concerns into account afterdeer in their broader negotiations over a federal privacy bill. A senior Democrat has expressed concern that his proposal will still leave women too vulnerable to privacy risks.
house tenant Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Separately said the caucus is considering legislation that “[p]protects women’s most intimate and personal data stored in reproductive health apps.
“Many fear that this information will be used against women by a sinister prosecutor in a state that criminalizes abortion,” Pelosi wrote in a recent letter to House Democrats.
While Democrats have called on tech companies to limit their data collection and agencies to monitor any post-deerthere is also growing pressure from tech groups for the federal government to audit its own privacy practices.
The House of Progress, a center-left trade group that receives funding from tech companies, recently urged the Justice Department to reconsider its stance on digital privacy. The group wrote in a letter first reported by The Technology 202 that federal prosecutors have “repeatedly presented arguments that undermine Fourth Amendment data protections.”
The group argued that these same tactics could be used to “target organizations and reproductive health clinics that can counsel women about the availability of abortion services in other states or create a net to identify women likely to seek out-of-state reproductive services”.
The missive highlights the growing scrutiny from all sides of the public and private collection of sensitive data and how it could be used in a post-deer countryside.
Apple accused of antitrust violations in Apple Pay lawsuit
The class action accuses Apple of “using its market power in the mobile device industry to fend off competition from other payment card issuers and charge them fees to boost its bottom line,” Bloomberg said. Malathi Nayak reports.
“Apple prohibits competitors from accessing the near-field communication interface working with the tech giant’s devices and” charges payment card issuers a fee that no other mobile wallet dares to impose “,” the Iowa-based Affinity Credit Union said in a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in California, Bloomberg reported.
It’s the latest sign of growing antitrust scrutiny for Apple, which is under scrutiny from regulators in Europe and the United States.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg.
Uber and DOJ settle case alleging company overcharged people with disabilities
Uber has agreed to pay “several million dollars in compensation” to more than 65,000 users with disabilities who were charged wait times while using the service, according to an announcement Monday from the Department of Justice, Wall Street Journal. Preetika Rana reports.
“Wait time charges generally apply two minutes after a standard Uber arrives at a pickup location and are charged until the car begins its journey. Uber has previously said that average wait time charges charged to passengers were less than 60 cents,” according to the report.
“This agreement sends a strong message that Uber and other ride-sharing companies will be held accountable if their services discriminate against people with disabilities,” said Kristen ClarkeDeputy Attorney General at the Ministry of Justice.
Uber said on Monday it was happy to have reached the agreement.
DHS advisory board says there’s no need for a misinformation board
Department of Homeland Security advisers urged the agency on Monday to scrap the disinformation governance council the Biden administration created this year only to see it implode amid confusion and partisan wrangling over its role. “said my colleague. Maria Sacchetti reports.
The board caught the eye of Republicans who framed it as an Orwellian attempt to censor speech.
Michael Chertoff, co-chair of the council subcommittee that drafted the recommendation and former DHS secretary, did not explain the panel’s reasoning before the expanded council votes to approve the recommendation on Monday. He said the subcommittee was working on a full report on disinformation due Aug. 3.
pictures of Elon Musk vacationing in Greece ahead of his team’s lawsuit against Twitter surfaced online on Monday. The internet had thoughts. ryan mac from the New York Times:
Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Matt Levin:
oh sure *he* is going on vacation
— Matt Levine (@matt_levine) July 18, 2022
Thank you, I saw the photos of the yacht, you can stop now.
— Mark Bergen (@mhbergen) July 18, 2022
Uber agrees to pay penalties after overcharging people with disabilities (Wall Street Journal)
The definition of high-speed Internet may change. Here’s why. (Chris Velazco)
STEM immigration measure stalled as competition hopes dwindle (Bloomberg government)
Chip designers welcome U.S. bill despite big benefits for Intel (Reuters)
In the first hearing, Twitter will demand a speedy trial against Elon Musk (Elizabeth Dwoskin)
Amazon sues Facebook group admins over fake reviews (TechCrunch)
Meta’s purchase of Giphy is the subject of a new investigation in the UK (protocol)
How Elon Musk became a new kind of celebrity (Ashley Fetters Maloy and Nitasha Tiku)
In ‘The Metaverse,’ a top evangelist dodges predictions (Shannon Liao)
- The House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on government access to personal data today at 10 a.m.
- House Energy and Commerce Committee holds markup on data privacy legislation Wednesday at 9:45 a.m.
- The Senate Commerce Committee holds a hearing to consider President Biden’s nomination of Arati Prabhakar to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Wednesday at 10 a.m.
- FCC Commissioner Brendan Carra Republican, discusses broadband subsidies at an American Enterprise Institute event Thursday at 10 a.m.
This‘That’s all for today — thank you so much for joining us! Be sure to tell others to subscribe to The Technology 202 here. Get in touch with advice, comments or greetings on Twitter Where E-mail.
