Cyber Security
Lawmakers, Experts Discuss Cyber Weaknesses At Defense
     More research is needed on how to protect the Defense Department's communications systems from cyber terrorism, the department's top information security official said. "One gap that needs to be filled immediately is the need to do more research in this area," Robert Lentz, director of information assurance at Defense, told a House subcommittee. Lentz added that the defense community has held an "aggressive series of working groups" on cyber security in the past year. But the General Accounting Office (GAO) highlighted persistent weaknesses across the federal government. "Our most recent analyses ... continued to highlight significant information security weaknesses that place a broad array of federal operations and assets at risk of fraud, misuse and disruption," said Robert Dacey, director of the GAO information technology team.

Security
Questions Swirl Around Terrorist Threat Integration Center
     House lawmakers posed elementary questions about the statutory nature and accountability of the new joint counter-terrorism intelligence analysis known as the Terrorist Threat Integration Center. "At this very moment, terrorists could be plotting another terrorist attack on America," said Homeland Security Committee ranking Democrat Jim Turner of Texas. "But who is in charge of making sure that any information the government might have about the plot doesn't fall through the cracks? No one knows with certainty." He added that the "robust intelligence function" Congress intended for the Homeland Security Department does not exist.

Privacy
Vote On 'Sneak And Peek' Searches Seen Just As Start
     Privacy advocates said that the House's adoption of language to bar funding for the Justice Department to enforce one provision of a landmark anti-terrorism law signals the beginning of their efforts to overturn parts of the law. The House this week voted 309-118 to bar law enforcement officials from conducting "sneak and peek" searches of private property -- searches where law enforcement officials do not announce their presence and present warrants. "This is just a remarkable repudiation of a significant section of the [anti-terrorism] act," said Tim Edgar, legislative counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union. "We had targeted that as one of the more egregious sections that had little, if any connection to terrorism. These [searches] are for ordinary, garden-variety criminal prosecutions."

Antitrust
House Votes To Uphold Part Of Media-Ownership Rules
     The House voted to reverse part of a recent FCC decision on media ownership. The language, attached to the fiscal 2004 spending bill for the Commerce, Justice and State departments, would block the FCC's move to increase, from 35 percent to 45 percent, the amount of the national broadcasting audience that any one company could reach. The Bush administration has vowed to veto the bill if it forces the FCC to revert to current media-ownership caps. House Republican leaders also opposed the language, but the House passed the legislation overwhelmingly. In other legislative action this week, the House passed a bill that would let citizens purchase prescription drugs from abroad via the Internet or other means. And the House Science Committee approved a measure that would authorize money to create a program for digital and wireless opportunities at minority-focused colleges.

Trade
House Passes Bills On Chile, Singapore Trade Deals
     The House passed two separate bills that would implement trade deals with Singapore and Chile. The vote on the Singapore bill, H.R. 2739, was 272-155, and the vote on the Chile measure, H.R. 2738, was 270-156. The Information Technology Industry Council applauded passage of the bills and restated that members' votes will be scored in the group's tech voting guide for the 108th Congress. Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, unsuccessfully urged his colleagues to oppose the Singapore agreement because of a provision that would limit compulsory licensing of patented technologies. Brown argued that it could limit the ability of Congress to make innovations available for the public good at affordable prices, thereby overturning at least two U.S. laws.

Security
FBI Director Mueller Promotes Progress At Agency
     The FBI is using new anti-terrorism powers in a responsible manner, is boosting its intelligence capabilities and is progressing toward upgrading what agency officials have acknowledged as weak information technology capabilities, Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mueller trumpeted the bureau's progress on all fronts in its quest to become a "more flexible and agile" agency. He particularly highlighted the bureau's progress in upgrading its antiquated computer systems and its ability to make use of the 2001 law known as the USA PATRIOT Act, which he said has greatly aided the fight against terrorism. Meanwhile, the Progressive Policy Institute, a think tank of moderate Democrats, issued a report card that gave the Bush administration a "D" on average for its homeland security efforts.

Crime
Gone 'Phishing': New Form Of ID Theft Prompts Warning
     Officials from the FBI and FTC joined with the Internet service provider EarthLink and the National Consumers' League to warn against a new form of identity theft. The officials announced the FTC's first prosecution against an individual who allegedly used America Online's corporate logo in unsolicited e-mail to con consumers out of their credit-card numbers and other forms of sensitive personal data. Criminal charges were not brought against the individual because he is a minor, FTC Commissioner Mozelle Thompson said. "This is our first case, and [we] want to send a little bit of a message," he said of the practice known as "phishing." At an event in San Francisco, meanwhile, FTC official Eileen Harrington acknowledged that the problem of unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam, is likely to persist but said that should not deter efforts to curb its reach.

Business
Lawmakers Push For More Accountability In WorldCom Case
     Amid allegations that bankruptcy law will allow MCI, formerly known as WorldCom, to get away "scot free" with perpetrating fraud, the Senate Judiciary Committee called a hearing to examine whether the law works and what lessons can be learned from the situation. "I believe we need to have a full understanding of the WorldCom case to help us determine whether our bankruptcy laws are functioning fairly and effectively," committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said. The Utah Republican also queried whether "our policies are sufficient to enable the telecom industry to enjoy robust competition under fair terms that benefit consumers." On the other side of Capitol Hill, House officials late last week signed a $17 million contract with MCI to supply high-speed Internet services between Washington and House lawmakers' district offices.