Left/Right Groups Praise Computer Crimes Amendment
On September 15, the Senate Judiciary Committee adopted an amendment to Chairman Patrick Leahy’s data breach bill that would fix much of the troubling overbreadth in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The amendment, which was sponsored by Senators Franken, Grassley and Lee, passed with bipartisan support, including that of Senator Leahy. If enacted into law, it would ensure that mere violation of a terms of service agreement with a website or online service provider could not be grounds for a federal felony prosecution under the CFAA. CDT and a broad ideological coalition recently wrote Senators Leahy and Grassley to explain our concerns with the existing law, and today that same coalition wrote both senators again to thank them for their responsiveness to our concerns.
[T]he amendment would remove the possibility that the statute could be interpreted to allow felony prosecutions of ‘access in violation of a contractual obligation or agreement, such as an acceptable use policy or terms of service agreement, with an Internet service provider, Internet website, or non-government employer, if such violation constitutes the sole basis for determining that access to a protected computer is unauthorized.’
CDT-led Coalition Calls for Transparency for White House AI Framework
CDT and Americans for Responsible Innovation led a broad, bipartisan coalition of over two dozen civil society groups in calling on the White House to release its Framework for review of frontier AI models.
CDT Amicus Brief Calls on Fourth Circuit to Rein In Geofence Warrants
Earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled in Chatrie v United States that the Fourth Amendment protected all cell phone location information, which CDT lauded as a landmark decision, but sent the case back down to the Fourth Circuit to assess the propriety of the geofence warrant at issue.
CDT and Partners Post Floor Alert Opposing CA SB 1013 Automated License Plate Readers Bill
The best way to ensure that Automated License Plate Readers are not abused is to limit the retention of stored data and to keep loopholes to lawful process closed. CA SB 1013 is a step in the wrong direction, and we urge the California legislature to reject this approach.
British Public Oppose Secret Surveillance Powers and Want Strong Protections for Encrypted Communications
CDT released nationally representative polling data revealing that a the British public are broadly concerned about the security, privacy, and free speech consequences of allowing law enforcement to access encrypted communications.
