• Event tomorrow: 100th Anniversary of Kingsbury Commitment: Join us Thursday, December 19 at our Capitol Hill HQ to hear Republican FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai speak on the 100th anniversary of the Kingsbury Commitment, AT&T’s negotiated settlement of antitrust charges brought by the Department of Justice that gave AT&T a legal monopoly in most of the U.S. in exchange for a commitment to provide universal service.
  • FTC: Technology & Reform Project: The Federal Trade Commission enforces the antitrust and consumer protection laws. On privacy, data security, the Internet of Things. It’s fast becoming the Federal Technology Commission. We think it’s a better regulator of broadband and telecom, too. And unlike the FCC, we think it can be fixed! So with the FTC now in its 100th year, TechFreedom & the International Center for Law & Economics have launched the “FTC: Technology & Reform Project.” Check out our first report laying out the big questions about the agency. Specific recommendations will follow in 2014!
  • Email Privacy (ECPA Reform) Campaign: While the FTC tries to impose European-style “privacy” rules on Internet innovation and advertising, we’re focused on the real problem: government. That starts by making sure the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) actually protects your email from law enforcement snooping, the way the Fourth Amendment would if activist courts hadn’t screwed up search and seizure doctrine in the 1960s and 70s.
    — We got over 107,000 signatures on a “We the People” petition to reform ECPA, requiring the White House to write an official response. We’re optimistic they’ll endorse bipartisan reforms. 
    — We played a leading role in the coalition, especially in organizing the Right, including publishing an op-ed in RedState.

  • National Security Agency: Of course, national security snooping has gotten more attention. We’ve been active here, too, suing to stop the NSA’s blanket surveillance program without any probable cause to believe targets are actually national security risks.
  • #23andUs Campaign: Last month, the FDA barred 23andMe from marketing its home genetics testing kits, which have helped over 500,000 customers learn more about their ancestry and risk factors. We’re fighting back against this overreach with the 23andUs campaign. See our op-eds in HuffPo & USAToday.
    — Our Change.org petition (8,500+ signatures)

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