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Sam Sacks - page 7

Sam Sacks has 859 articles published.

Federal Court: No Constitutional Right to Data Security

Victims of the massive data breach at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) have no legal recourse, according to a DC federal court ruling this week. The decision cuts down a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of some of the 21 million Americans who had their names, addresses, and social security numbers exposed in a cyber intrusion against OPM in 2015, allegedly by Chinese hackers Those affected were primarily current, former, and prospective government employees. Interest groups and labor organizations, on their behalf, are seeking… Keep Reading

Day After Trump’s Threats to “Totally Destroy North Korea,” UN Members Sign Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty

A signing session at the United Nations inched the world closer to a first-of-its-kind nuclear weapons ban. Besieging the effort, however, is the nuclear-armed world. As General Assembly proceedings continued in New York on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened more than fifty nations to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Absent from the ceremony were nations already in possession of nukes: the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, Israel, Pakistan, India, and North Korea. Nuclear-armed countries also declined to participate in… Keep Reading

Turkish Weapons Deal Falls Apart in Aftermath of Erdogan Bodyguard Beatdown

A shipment of guns and ammunition from the US to Turkish security forces was formally cancelled, after Congressional review. The abrupt end of the weapons deal resulted from the fallout after a May incident in which bodyguards of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan severely beat a group of peaceful protesters in Washington, DC outside the Turkish embassy. Erdogan’s security force was the intended recipient of the $1.2 million arms cache from New Hampshire gunmaker Sig Sauer. According to the Associated Press, the company itself requested cancellation of… Keep Reading

Investigators’ Knives Out for Equifax After Massive Data Breach

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) became the first economic regulator to formally announce an investigation into Equifax’s handling of a cyber intrusion that left more than 100 million Americans vulnerable to identify theft. An FTC spokesman confirmed the probe one day after dozens of lawmakers urged the agency and other government bodies to look into the behavior of the credit reporting company before and after the breach was discovered. “The FTC typically does not comment on open investigations,” said Peter Kaplan on Thursday. “However in… Keep Reading

Sanders Introduces Single Payer Bill—Dems Lurch Left in Support

The most popular politician in America is introducing legislation on Wednesday to create a single payer health care system—a previously radioactive proposal that is now drawing the support of leading Democratic politicians. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is proposing a Medicare-for-all schematic that, if implemented, would transition the entire country away from private and employer-based insurance to a universal system that mirrors Medicare. Under Sanders’ proposal, Americans would no longer pay insurance premiums. Health care would be provided, in most cases, without charge, and financed by… Keep Reading

Spy Leaders Seek Permanent Extension of Controversial FISA Surveillance Authority

The nation’s intelligence chiefs sent a letter to Congress this week calling for a “speedy enactment” of legislation to reauthorize broad foreign spying powers that often impact American citizens, too. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats asked congressional leaders on Monday for a clean extension of the spying provision. Most notably, the top officials requested that the reauthorization be permanent. At the end of the year, Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act sunsets. The law, intended to target individuals… Keep Reading

Government Watchdog Questions Value of Post-9/11 Travel Security Measures

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lacks data to demonstrate the effectiveness of several airport security measures adopted following the September 11, 2001 attacks. A report released Monday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the agency “does not have a complete understanding” of just how effective the billions of dollars spent on new security programs are in detecting and disrupting air travel threats. Although agency officials cited the lack of a major terrorist attack aboard a US airliner as proof of worth of these countermeasures, the GAO… Keep Reading

DEA Sex and Abuse Scandal Exposes Flaws in Accountability Structure, Watchdog Finds

An agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was busted for giving his mistress access to an evidence room and investigatory wiretaps, but the agency’s highest rungs of leadership intervened on his behalf and allowed him to temporarily keep his job and security clearance. The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigated the wrongdoing to determine if then-DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart inappropriately mediated to protect the agent, and if she then lied to Congress about her role in security clearance reviews. The watchdog didn’t… Keep Reading

Driverless Cars Legislation Passes with Few Concerns for Mass Labor Displacement

A bill that would open US roadways to hundreds of thousands of automated vehicles over the next half decade passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Almost entirely absent from consideration were the hundreds of thousands of human drivers who stand to be replaced by the burgeoning robotic fleet. Lawmakers unanimously approved of the Self Drive Act, which exempts driverless car manufacturers from certain safety regulations–like requirements forcing vehicles to have steering wheels and pedals. The bill also permits car makers to deploy 25,000 driverless… Keep Reading

EPA Neglect of Houston During Harvey Came After Pruitt Exerted Direct Control Over Major Superfund Sites

At least 13 environmental cleanup sites in Houston were damaged by Hurricane Harvey, creating the potential for a release of toxic waste into floodwaters, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has yet to dispatch teams to fully survey the damage. In a statement over the weekend, the EPA said that 11 of the 13 flooded locations—known as Superfund sites—were “inaccessible for response teams.” The agency instead was relying on aerial imaging to survey the damage. The Associated Press, however, reported that its journalists have been… Keep Reading

Government Greenlights Amazon’s Expansion Into Grocery Industry

A proposed $13.7 billion takeover of Whole Foods Market, by the world’s largest online retailer, was approved by federal trust-busters on Wednesday. With regulatory hurdles now cleared, Amazon said it intends to finalize the deal sometime later this year, giving the tech giant an opportunity to bolster its grocery delivery services. Consumer advocates worry that Amazon could leverage its robust supply chain and soon-to-be acquisition of more than 465 Whole Foods stores to dominate the burgeoning home grocery delivery industry. The development would strengthen its… Keep Reading

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