Congress

Online

US Congress Crawling Out Of The Woodwork To Oppose SOPA

5:30PM January 20, 2012 | Andrew Tarantola

See? Congress does listen to the will of the people on occasion — especially when that will is wielded as a blunt instrument. As this infographic from ProPublica illustrates, yesterday’s blackout protests not only culled the official SOPA supporters by 15 congressmen, it actually added 70 opponents. More »


Software

Sorry Young Drinkers—US Senator Puts The Kibosh On Fake ID App

5:40PM December 13, 2011 | Andrew Tarantola

Driver’s licence was an app that allowed users to create personalised — fake — driver’s licenses from any state in the Union. Note the passive tense. Apple’s pulled the two-year-old app after U.S. Senator Bob Casey made its removal a matter of national security. More »


Online

Congress Has Only Said LOL Once

9:20AM December 13, 2011 | Sam Biddle

On March 28, 2007, Texas’ Republican rep K. Conaway said LOL. It’s the one and only time. Thanks to the Sunlight Foundation’s new Capitol Words tool, you can search everything Congress has said since ’96. Let’s have fun. More »


News

Does Google Deserve An Antitrust Arse-Kicking?

3:00AM September 22, 2011 | Sam Biddle

Today, Google’s going to be grilled, chopped and fried before US Congress, which is digging into the search giant over accusations of anticompetitive mischief. There are two possibilities here: Google’s breaking the law, or it’s a victim of its own success. More »


News

These Two Politicians Barely Know What Computers Are

6:00AM September 14, 2011 | Sam Biddle

The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction has a pretty big problem: they have to find a way to keep the US from financially imploding. They also appear to have just received their first computers over the weekend. More »


News

Congress Probes FCC Commissioner Baker’s Jump To Comcast

10:00AM May 21, 2011 | Davey Alba

The drama over FCC Commissioner Baker’s jump to Comcast continues to unfold. Congress has now begun a probe in order to “gain a better understanding of the rules that govern Commissioner Baker’s departure” – and the response deadline is May 21. Good on ya, Congress, it’s about time to get some answers. [Ars Technica]


News

Watch Congress Grill Apple And Google On Location Tracking

12:48AM May 11, 2011 | Sam Biddle

Representatives from Apple and Google got some explainin’ to do, appearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law. If you want to watch it live, the Sunlight Foundation’s got a great annotated stream. Democracy! [Sunlight Foundation]


Mobile

Congress, FCC Also Wanna Know Why iPhones Track Your Location

8:58AM April 21, 2011 | Kyle Wagner

There was a minor media frenzy over Apple secretly tracking your iPhone 4 today, so naturally the government wants in on the action. The FCC and representatives from both houses of Congress have said they’ll look into the matter. More »


Geek Out

Did You Know It Costs More Than A Penny To Make A Penny?

1:00PM January 16, 2011 | Casey Chan

I just found out that it costs more than a penny to manufacture a penny. Specifically, it costs 1.62 cents to produce that 1 cent copper coin. And that’s been the case for a while now! What the hell? More »


Gadgets

Congress Will Allow The Use Of Electronic Devices In The House

8:00AM December 26, 2010 | Casey Chan

Republicans plan to lift the ban on the use of electronic gadgets like the iPad, iPhone and BlackBerry on the House floor. Now our lawmakers can check their Facebook and update their Twitter during those filibustering times. More »