ZDNetGovWeek: CISPA back on the table, Sir Tim wants a new Bill of Rights, and Zuck scolds Barack
ZDNet's worldwide team provides global 24/7 technology news and analysis. In addition to my own coverage analysis here in the ZDNet Government column and on ZDNet's DIY-IT, every week I'll bring you a selection of the best government-related articles posted by our intrepid reporters and analysts. Here are some of the most interesting from the last week.
Top stories this week
Congress nudged by NSA nominee to revive CISPA as intelligence reforms take shape
The NSA chief-in-waiting's testimony to Congress may be enough to inspire lawmakers to revive old cybersecurity legislation, which would indemnify Silicon Valley technology giants from sharing their users' data with the government.
NSA denies infecting millions of PCs with malware, says reports it spoofed websites are wrong
The US National Security Agency (NSA) has denied claims that it conducts indiscriminate hacking and says it doesn’t impersonate US social media or websites.
Zuckerberg says US government threat to internet
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg says he has called US President Barack Obama to complain that the US government is undermining confidence in the internet with vast, secret surveillance programs.
NSA: Our zero days put you at risk, but we do what we like with them
NSA chief nominee US Navy Vice Admiral Michael S Rogers details some of the procedures it follows for disclosing or withholding its trove of zero day flaws.
Tim Berners-Lee calls for an online bill of rights
The British founder of the world wide web has called for an "Internet Users Bill of Rights".
Other government coverage around ZDNet
What a croc: NT Police data retention proposal 'overreach'
Retaining a record of every website a customer visits and all other metadata is incompatible with the new Privacy Act, according to iiNet.
Productivity Commission slams NBN planning
The Productivity Commission has slammed the former government's planning of the National Broadband Network project for failing to conduct a cost-benefit analysis.
HP in New Zealand: It’s as if EDS never happened
HP's sales are now back at the level they were before EDS was acquired in 2008.
'Free world' govts worst online spies: Reporters without Borders
The spying agencies in the service of the governments across the western world have borne the brunt of this year's Enemies of the Internet report from Reporters Without Borders.
NBN Co plans retaliation for TPG fibre project
NBN Co executive chairman Dr Ziggy Switkowski has said TPG can expect NBN Co to ramp up plans to compete in fibre to the basement if the company goes ahead with plans to roll out its own network.
Bitcoin: Laying the foundation for a real-world Skynet?
It's not about bitcoin as a currency. It's about bitcoin as a technology, a highly-distributed, leaderless, jurisdictionless, identityless, nearly anonymous decentralized architecture for managing ownership.
Northern Territory Police wants ISPs to keep users' internet history
The Northern Territory Police want internet service providers to retain customers' web-browsing history for two years as part of a broader data retention regime
Audit Office selects Unisys, BlackBerry for workforce device management
The Australian National Audit Office has tapped Unisys and BlackBerry to provide workforce and mobility management services.
Vic govt injects AU$2.5 million to fix Vic Police warrant system
The death of an 11-year-old boy has sparked the Victorian government to invest AU$2.5 million to speed up the Victoria Police warrant system.
Bitcoin confidence game is a Ponzi scheme for the 21st century
It's captured the imaginations of enthusiasts all too ready to exchange it for real-world goods, but recent and repeated hacks of Bitcoin's underlying elements suggest the virtual currency is no more real than the Ponzi schemes of yesteryear – and it's only a matter of time until the faithful get burnt.
NSA leaks fueled needed debate: Snowden
Edward Snowden has told the SXSW conference that "every society in the world has benefited" from the debate on surveillance.
NSW government to outsource ServiceFirst to private sector
The NSW government is inviting shared services providers to register their interest to support ServiceFirst in the hope that a move to the private sector will be more cost effective.
Government pressured to drop social media censorship plans
The Australian government is facing pressure from tech giants Facebook, Google, and Microsoft, as well as telecommunications companies and libertarian groups to drop plans for a cybersafety tsar with the power to remove 'harmful' content from social media.
Brazil tries to grasp online cross-border taxation
As Google reacts to minister's tax evasion remarks, the discussion about online tax laws moves up the agenda
Google faces $5B antitrust fine in India — but this time it can't settle
The Indian antitrust watchdog is investigating similar claims of dominant market position abuse, just weeks after the European Union settled with the search giant.
Widely distributed future: Ludlam's unfinished business
The Australian parliament's unlikely cyberpunk fights for his future.
Companies brace for Brazil local data storage requirements
What started as a debate around privacy is now becoming a money matter.