Given the serious cyber threats our country faces, the surveillance benefits realized by law enforcement through the use of IMSI catchers can no longer justify ignoring the cyber security weaknesses in our communications networks that enable their operation. Indeed, policymakers should take a dim view of any aspects of national surveillance policy and practice that rely upon perpetual network vulnerabilities.

We Must Secure America’s Cell Networks—From Criminals and Cops | Opinion | WIRED

For people who were reassured that section 215’s language would protect law abiding Americans from getting sucked into counterterrorism investigations, this is another tchotchke for your Curio Cabinet of Naïveté. But the FISC, to its credit, declassified this opinion and now Congress and the public have a chance to understand what “law” is actually being applied.

FISC OKs Section 215 Investigations of Americans, Despite First Amendment | Just Security

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R.E.M. - Uberlin [Official Lyrics] - YouTube

The positive side of the bill has several important elements we can sum up with the words “institutionalization” and “legitimization.”

Whether thats positive or not certainly depends on your perspective.

Lawfare › Yeah, But Is It a Good Bill? Thoughts on the Leahy FISA Reform Proposal

The bill, negotiated during two months with extensive input from the intelligence community, and civil society, is a true compromise and a crucial step in the right direction.

Lawfare › Who Is Saying What About the Leahy Surveillance Bill

Twenty years ago, William Barker's Schwa artwork revealed a world of alien abductions, stick figure insanity, conspiratorial crazy, and a hyper-branded surveillance state. It's now more relevant than ever.

Alien Autopsy: William Barker on Schwa, two decades later - Boing Boing

Watch Deputy Director Richard Ledgett at Aspen Security Forum on Security Challenges in an Ever Evolving Cyber Realm

Richard Ledgett seems professional and thoughtful in his perspectives. The observations about transparency that start around 43:10 reflect what I think is the right balance.

Security Challenges in an Ever-Evolving Cyber Realm - YouTube

Not only did Microsoft bungle the facts and the tech underlying its seizure of No-IP.com’s core business, its case against the provider was based on a downright dangerous legal theory. Microsoft argued that, as a provider of free network services, No-IP.com was negligent. Indeed, Microsoft claims that No-IP.com had a legal obligation to:

Require all users to provide their real name, address, and telephone number.
Put that information in a public database.
Use a “web reputation” service to identify bad actors.
And encrypt its customers’ usernames and passwords.

Every one of those points is rubbish, and none is a legal duty of service providers.

What Were They Thinking? Microsoft Seizes, Returns Majority of No-IP.com’s Business | Electronic Frontier Foundation

In 2007, Congress passed a law, which was twice extended, exempting a homeowner from being taxed on debt that was forgiven as part of a short sale or a loan modification. Otherwise, canceled debt is treated as taxable income by the IRS.

Without the act and assuming a 28 percent tax bracket, every $10,000 in forgiven debt would make a homeowner liable for an additional $2,800 in taxes. The "extra" income could also push someone into a higher tax bracket.

But the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act expired Dec. 31, and legislative efforts to extend the tax break and make it retroactive to Jan. 1 have faltered, stuck in committee.

Congress doesn't care about underwater home owners.

Some homeowners miss out on housing recovery - Chicago Tribune

The latest Pew Research Center political typology, which sorts voters into cohesive groups based on their attitudes and values, provides a field guide for this constantly changing landscape.

The Political Typology: Beyond Red vs. Blue | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press