Politics

The US Supreme Court on Monday announced that it will consider a case involving a thorny free speech issue in the digital age: at what point does a statement made on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter cross the threshold from protected free speech under the First Amendment to a criminally actionable threat? The Continue Reading →

Getting directions on the road from Google Maps and other smartphone apps is a popular alternative to the expensive navigation aids included in some cars. The apps are also a gray area when it comes to laws banning the use of cellphones or texting while driving. The Transportation Department wants to enter the argument. The Continue Reading →

The Eleventh Circuit created a circuit split on Wednesday on whether the Fourth Amendment protects historical cell-site information. Last year, the Fifth Circuit held that it doesn’t; today the Eleventh Circuit held that it does. The Eleventh Circuit’s opinion is premised on the idea that some facts are inherently private. If the government learns those Continue Reading →

A Federal appellate court recently upheld the constitutional right to record police traffic stops, which allowed a lawsuit against several New Hampshire police officers to proceed. The court case stemmed from an event on the evening of March 24, 2010. Former Weare, NH police sergeant Joseph Kelley pulled over a motorist, and Carla Gericke attempted to Continue Reading →

When Americans voted to renew President Barack Obama’s lease on the White House in November 2012, more than 9 million citizens took to Facebook to click the “I’m a Voter” button, showing their online friends that they had cast a ballot. The social media site plans to offer versions of the feature around the world Continue Reading →

The U.S. Federal Election Committee said on Thursday that the virtual currency, bitcoin, could be used for donations to political action committees under certain conditions. In a unanimous vote, the FEC, which enforces U.S. campaign finance laws, said a political committee could accept donations in bitcoins up to an individual limit of $100 for each Continue Reading →

Did you catch the selfie that the Red Sox’s David Ortiz took with President Barack Obama? That was a great instance of cultural zeitgeist, wasn’t it? However, Samsung also has a deal with Ortiz that let it use the shot (taken with a Galaxy Note 3) in a Twitter ad — and the White House Continue Reading →

A previous outspoken critic of Bitcoin says he’s starting to come around on the virtual currency, one month to the day after he called on regulators to ban it. In an interview with the Washington Post, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) said recent moves by the Internal Revenue Service, private Bitcoin entrepreneurs and other government Continue Reading →

After cutting off Twitter access within its borders, Turkey is now blocking its citizens from visiting YouTube. The latest act of internet censorship comes only one day after a Turkish court ordered the government to lift its Twitter ban and temporarily restore access to the service. Turkey is accused of blocking internet sites to stifle Continue Reading →

President Barack Obama has officially announced his plan to reform the National Security Agency’s collection of phone records. Under his new proposal, the agency would no longer keep a database holding a large percentage of all American call records. Instead, phone companies like AT&T and Verizon would keep them for the same length of time Continue Reading →