Congressional Research Service Reports - 1,008 Matching Results

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The Internet Tax Freedom Act: In Brief

Description: This report discusses the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA; P.L. 105-277) enacted in 1998, which implemented a three-year moratorium preventing state and local governments from taxing Internet access, or imposing multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce.
Date: April 13, 2016
Creator: Stupak, Jeffrey M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Friended but not Friends: Federal Ethics Authorities Address Role of Social Media in Politics

Description: This report discusses rules governing acceptance of gifts by government employees and how social media and the concept of being "friends" on a social media network effect the personal friendship clause of the gift ethics rules.
Date: April 12, 2016
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Municipal Broadband: Background and Policy Debate

Description: This report discusses the debate surrounding Municipal Broadband, which is controversial because it involves governmental entities entering a commercial telecommunications marketplace that had previously been the exclusive domain of private sector providers.
Date: April 6, 2016
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G. & Gilroy, Angele A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents

Description: This report provides links to cybersecurity-related committee hearings in the 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses. It also provides a list of executive orders and presidential directives pertaining to information and computer security.
Date: March 30, 2016
Creator: Tehan, Rita
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP): History and Overview

Description: This report provides an overview of the history of science and technology (S&T) advice to the President and discusses selected recurrent issues for Congress regarding OSTP's Director, OSTP management and operations, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).
Date: March 28, 2016
Creator: Shea, Dana A. & Sargent, John F., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Internet Governance and the Domain Name System: Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides a definition regarding Internet governance and how the Internet is currently governed, and discusses the role of United States government and future model of Internet governance.
Date: March 23, 2016
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Future of Internet Governance: Should the United States Relinquish Its Authority over ICANN?

Description: This report discusses legislation relevant to the future of Internet governance that has been introduced in the 113th and 114th Congresses which would prevent, delay, or impose conditions or additional scrutiny on the transition of NTIA's stewardship role and procedural authority over key Internet domain name functions to the global Internet multi-stakeholder community.
Date: March 22, 2016
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Encryption: Selected Legal Issues

Description: This report first provides background to the ongoing encryption debate, including a primer on encryption basics and an overview of Apple, Google, and Facebook's new encryption policies. Next, it provides an overview of the Fifth Amendment right to be free from self-incrimination.
Date: March 3, 2016
Creator: Thompson, Richard M., II & Jaikaran, Chris
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybersecurity: Overview Reports and Links to Government, News, and Related Resources

Description: This report directs the reader to authoritative sources that address many of the most prominent issues related to cybersecurity. Included in the reports are resources and studies from government agencies (federal, state, local, and international), think tanks, academic institutions, news organizations, and other sources.
Date: March 2, 2016
Creator: Tehan, Rita
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Court-Ordered Access to Smart Phones: In Brief

Description: This report specifically examines certain encryption issues that have been raised in the investigation of the December 2, 2015, terrorist attack in San Bernardino, CA. This report highlights certain issues that policymakers may examine as they follow the ongoing dispute between law enforcement and technology companies, and it focuses on questions related to the government's request.
Date: February 23, 2016
Creator: Finklea, Kristin; Thompson, Richard M., II & Jaikaran, Chris
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Encryption and Evolving Technology: Implications for U.S. Law Enforcement Investigations

Description: This report provides an overview of the perennial issue involving technology outpacing law enforcement and discusses how policy makers and law enforcement officials have dealt with this issue in the past. It also outlines the current debate surrounding smartphone data encryption and how this may impact U.S. law enforcement operations, as well as existing law enforcement capabilities, the debate over whether law enforcement is "going dark" because of rapid technological advances, and resulting i… more
Date: February 18, 2016
Creator: Finklea, Kristin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Background, Funding, and Activities

Description: This report discusses the federal government's role in the country's information technology (IT) research and development (R&D) activities. Support of IT R&D began because the government had an important interest in creating computers and software that would be capable of addressing the problems and issues the government needed to solve and study.
Date: February 16, 2016
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Renewed Crypto Wars?

Description: This report briefly examines renewed tensions between tech companies and the government regarding encryption "back doors" and how quickly-advancing technologies could impact law enforcement investigations.
Date: February 9, 2016
Creator: Finklea, Kristin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Is Broadband Deployment Reasonable and Timely?

Description: This report briefly discusses the state of broadband Internet in America as determined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in its latest Broadband Progress Report.
Date: February 6, 2016
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents

Description: This report provides links to cybersecurity-related committee hearings in the 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses. It also provides a list of executive orders and presidential directives pertaining to information and computer security.
Date: January 15, 2016
Creator: Tehan, Rita
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Cybersecurity Workforce: Background and Congressional Oversight Issues for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security

Description: This report examines congressional oversight of two strategies undertaken by Congress and the executive branch to strengthen the federal cybersecurity workforce: initiatives to define and identify the federal cybersecurity workforce, and hiring and pay flexibilities applicable to cybersecurity positions at the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Date: January 8, 2016
Creator: Francis, Kathryn A. & Ginsberg, Wendy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Big Data in U.S. Agriculture

Description: This report discusses big data within the context of agriculture. Many observers predict that the growth of big data will bring positive benefits through enhanced production, resource efficiency, and improved adaptation to climate change. While lauded for its potentially revolutionary applications, big data is not without issues. From a policy perspective, issues related to big data involve nearly every stage of its existence, including its collection (how it is captured), management (how it is… more
Date: January 6, 2016
Creator: Stubbs, Megan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Using Data to Improve Defense Acquisitions: Background, Analysis, and Questions for Congress

Description: This report examines (1) the extent to which the Department of Defense (DOD) effectively uses data to inform decisionmaking, (2) some of the critical elements needed for DOD to use data more effectively, (3) recent efforts to improve DOD's use of data, and (4) potential questions for Congress. This report focuses primarily (but not exclusively) on defense acquisitions as a case study.
Date: January 5, 2016
Creator: Schwartz, Moshe
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Data Security and Breach Notification Legislation: Selected Legal Issues

Description: This report describes the common elements of several data security and breach notification bills that have been introduced in the 114th Congress, which broadly would impose security and notification requirements on businesses regardless of industry sector. It also discusses state laws that may apply in the event of a data breach and addresses two legal issues that may arise in consideration of new legislation about data security and breach notification.
Date: December 28, 2015
Creator: Dolan, Alissa M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Internet Governance and the Domain Name System: Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides a definition regarding Internet governance and how the Internet is currently governed, and discusses the role of United States government and future model of Internet governance.
Date: November 20, 2015
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents

Description: This report provides links to cybersecurity-related committee hearings in the 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses. It also provides a list of executive orders and presidential directives pertaining to information and computer security.
Date: November 17, 2015
Creator: Tehan, Rita
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Internet Governance and the Domain Name System: Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides a definition regarding Internet governance and how the Internet is currently governed. The report discusses the role of United States government and future model of Internet governance.
Date: November 9, 2015
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The EU-U.S. Safe Harbor Agreement on Personal Data Privacy: In Brief

Description: This report discusses a recent judgement by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that invalidates the Safe Harbor Agreement between the United States and the 28-member European Union (EU). Safe Harbor is a 15-year-old accord, under which personal data could legally be transferred between EU member countries and the United States.
Date: October 29, 2015
Creator: Weiss, Martin A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-China Cyber Agreement

Description: During the state visit on September 24-25, 2015, President Xi Jinping of China and President Barack Obama reached a Cyber Agreement. This report briefly discusses that agreement.
Date: October 16, 2015
Creator: Rollins, John W.; Lawrence, Susan V.; Rennack, Dianne E. & Theohary, Catherine A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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