In a widely shared essay, free software advocate Richard Stallman argued that the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington could trigger a far more damaging 'secondary' harm: sweeping new government surveillance of phone calls, email and physical movement. He distinguished basic weapons screening at airports, which he considers a minor inconvenience, from mass data collection, which he says threatens core civil liberties regardless of whether it actually improves security.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-17
A major legislative priority backed by the cryptocurrency industry failed to secure the 60 votes needed to advance to a full Senate floor debate. The setback comes despite heavy lobbying and campaign spending by crypto interests aimed at shaping favorable regulation in Congress.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-16
Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Michael Cloud are introducing the No FLOCK Act, which would withhold 10 percent of federal highway funding from states that don't restrict automated license-plate readers like Flock to five approved uses, including finding stolen vehicles or missing persons. The bill follows growing backlash over police misuse of the cameras but does not ban the systems outright or block sharing plate data with agencies such as immigration enforcement.
wired.com
· 2026-09-15
In a 2011 talk at the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin, author and activist Cory Doctorow argued that future policy fights over copyright, security, and control would really be fights about restricting general-purpose computers themselves. He framed the debate as moving beyond copyright disputes into a broader struggle over who controls what computers are allowed to do.
en.wikisource.org
· 2026-09-13
Senators Bernie Sanders and Greg Cezar unveiled the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would criminalize efforts to build artificial superintelligence, with violators facing up to 20 years in prison—comparable to penalties for illegal nuclear weapons development. The bill also calls for a new cabinet-level federal agency to enforce the ban domestically and push for international agreements restricting superintelligence development worldwide.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-13
A Politico investigation found more than a dozen lawmakers and congressional aides admitting Congress is unprepared to craft meaningful AI legislation, with Rep. Sam Liccardo saying some colleagues 'can't even spell AI.' The report comes amid renewed urgency after an Anthropic researcher publicly warned AI firms are 'gambling with our lives' by building models that could pose existential risks.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-12
A growing number of members of Congress from both parties are introducing new legislative proposals aimed at regulating powerful AI systems, after years of relatively little action on the issue. The push reflects rising concern in Washington about the potential catastrophic risks posed by advanced AI development.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-11
The House of Representatives has trimmed its September calendar down to only four voting days, sharply reducing the window for lawmakers to act on pending legislation. Among the bills losing time is the CLARITY Act, considered the crypto industry's top remaining legislative priority in Congress.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-05
At IFA 2026 in Berlin, Lenovo showed off two concept devices: Project Swan, a 14-inch laptop whose screen horizontally extends to 17 inches, and Project AeroBlade, a laptop design featuring a ventless cooling system aimed at cutting fan noise without sacrificing performance. Alongside these prototypes, Lenovo also previewed upcoming retail products including a new OLED monitor, high-end desktop PCs and additional consumer laptops set to launch within the next year.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-03
Kalshi, an online prediction market, announced it has permanently banned former Republican Congressman George Santos after determining he likely used insider knowledge to profit from a bet against his own attendance at the State of the Union address. The company said this marks the first permanent ban it has ever issued.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-08-31
The ATF confirmed a cyberattack on a standalone system separate from its main network, formally classifying it as a 'major incident' that requires notifying Congress within a week. An ATF spokesperson said the affected system held sensitive data, including targets of ATF investigations. The Qilin ransomware gang has claimed responsibility on its leak site, though it has not published proof such as stolen data samples.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-08-27
OpenStreetMap US has designated OldInsuranceMaps.net (OIM), a platform digitizing and georeferencing historic Sanborn Insurance Maps, as one of its Charter Projects. Started by Adam Cox at Louisiana State University in 2022, OIM now hosts over 1,200 Sanborn maps sourced largely from the Library of Congress, supported by a volunteer community of georeferencers.
openstreetmap.us
· 2026-08-26
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