Joe Mullin writes: We don’t need government minders in our private conversations. That’s because private conversations, whether they happen offline or online, aren’t a public safety menace. They’re not an invitation to criminality, or terrorism, or a threat to children, no matter how many times those tired old lines get repeated. Unfortunately, federal law enforcement officials have not stopped…
Category: Govt
Supreme Court holds that monetary relief is unavailable under Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act
Brian Wolfman notes: The first paragraph of the Court’s unanimous opinion in AMG Capital Management v. FTC sums it up: Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes the Commission to obtain, “in proper cases,” a “permanent injunction” in federal court against “any person, partnership, or corporation” that it believes “is violating, or is about to…
Outcry over US Postal Service reportedly tracking social media posts
Coral Murphy Marcos reports: The US Postal Service has reportedly been monitoring social media posts, with a focus on people planning protests. The surveillance procedure, known as the Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP), tracks social media activity that it describes as “inflammatory” and shares that information to government agencies, according to a government bulletin from 16 March…
Feds investigating Pasco schools giving student data to sheriff
Kathleen McGrory and Natalie Weber report: The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into whether the Pasco school district broke federal law by sharing private student information with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. The Tampa Bay Times reported in November that the school district shared information on student grades, discipline and attendance with the Sheriff’s Office,…