Skip to main content

Tech Brief: Facebook to Make Changes to ‘Trending News’ Section

June 2, 2016

Today’s Washington Brief

  • The House failed to pass a bill that would require cell phone carriers to provide police with call location data for individuals who dial 911 or are believed to be in an emergency situation. The measure did not meet the two-thirds threshold needed for passage under suspension of the rules after privacy advocates launched a last-minute push against the bill, saying it could create a warrant loophole for law enforcement. (Reuters)
  • The Romanian hacker known as Guccifer, who was charged with breaching the computer accounts of the Bush family, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and others, is expected to plead guilty to federal charges on Wednesday. (The Associated Press)
  • The algorithm used in a Florida county to assess the likelihood that a criminal defendant will commit a crime incorrectly predicted future crimes for black defendants at almost twice the rate of their white counterparts, according to an analysis of over 7,000 risk scores. A pending sentencing reform bill would require federal prisons to use the same risk assessment tool. (ProPublica)