Washington Post

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) accused the Central Intelligence Agency of an "unauthorized search" of her committee's computers -- while the committee was performing oversight over the Central Intelligence Agency itself. In doing the search, she says the CIA potentially violated the separation of powers as enshrined by the constitution, along with federal laws and an executive order.

Along with the 6,000-page study on “enhanced interrogation” conducted by the Obama Administration, there was also an internal CIA review, often called the "Panetta Review" because it was started during Leon Panetta's tenure as head of the agency that some officials say agrees with the committee's findings. The exact details of what happened the discrepancy between these two reports are still murky, but according to Sen Feinstein the CIA searched computers and networks used by committee staffers preparing their review of CIA detention and interrogation programs.

According to Sen Feinstein, staffers had access to a draft of the review that they found during their investigation using a search tool provided by the CIA. In a Jan 15 meeting, Sen Feinstein says CIA Director John Brennan informed her and Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) "that without prior notification or approval, CIA personnel had conducted a search ... of the committee computers at the off-site facility." That search allegedly included not just an audit of the CIA documents available to the staff, but also their own internal work products and communications.

[March 11]

Microsoft is trying to persuade politicians to take out targeted ads on Xbox Live, Skype, MSN and other company platforms as midterm elections begin heating up around the country.

To plug the idea, Microsoft officials handed out promotional materials at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. It's the latest move by tech companies to seize a piece of the lucrative political ad market. The ads, which would appear on the Xbox Live dashboard and other Microsoft products, combine Microsoft user IDs and other public data to build a profile of Xbox users. Campaigns can then blast ads to selected demographic categories, or to specific congressional districts. And if the campaign brings its own list of voter e-mail addresses, Microsoft can match the additional data with individual customer accounts for even more accurate voter targeting.

[March 10]

[Commentary] Remember the Great CBS Blackout of 2013? The Federal Communications Commission signaled that it wants to end TV stations' ability to jointly negotiate content fees with cable companies, a tactic that the FCC says has helped drive up the rates that Comcast, Time Warner Cable and other providers must pay broadcasters in exchange for their programming.

Known as "retransmission consent," the arrangement has been an incredibly lucrative one for TV stations. Broadcasters stand to lose some of their leverage as a result of the proposed ban on joint bargaining, said Brent Skorup, a policy analyst at George Mason University's Mercatus Center.

"Blackouts will never totally disappear, but retrans payments make them more frequent," he said. Taking the sting out of retransmission fees -- by forcing TV stations to negotiate individually with cable companies -- could help ward off the worst disputes between networks and cable companies. And that could mean fewer events like the CBS blackout.

[March 7]

The Republican National Committee recently issued a major rebuke of the National Security Agency, condemning the spy agency's collection of bulk telephone records from American citizens. The party's resolution roundly criticized the program as "an intrusion on basic human rights" and set conservatives on a path to draw civil libertarians into the fold. But surprisingly, at the largest conservative confab of the year, the issue of NSA surveillance is nowhere to be found.

The agenda for this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) doesn't once mention President Barack Obama's signals intelligence program. Nor are there any booths on the convention floor blasting the secret FISA court, attempts to break into tech companies' server links or the sharing of NSA data with domestic law enforcement agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration.

[March 7]

[Commentary] Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are just a few of my favorite things. These Web sites and apps help me keep in touch with my friends and family, find out what interesting events are going on and see and share photographs within my social circle.

There couldn’t possibly be anything wrong with that, can there? For a long time, I believed the answer to be no.

However, the more time I spent online -- to socialize, not study -- the less sleep I received, and the worse I felt. I was moody and tired, and focusing on classroom lectures and interactions became increasingly difficult, particularly after spending hours online on my computer or on my iPhone. I began to wonder whether or not there could be a relationship between the hours I spent using recreational screen time and the negative effects it had the next day at school. To answer my question, I dove into neuroscience research.

[Rahman, 17, is a finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search 2014]

[March 7]

[Commentary] Comcast is extending its $10-a-month broadband program for low-income Americans.

The discounted service, known as Internet Essentials, was set to expire three years after Comcast's merger with NBC-Universal in 2011. But now the cable company says it's making the program available to eligible people "indefinitely." The Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger must still be approved by the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission, and analysts say Comcast's latest moves are part of a charm offensive designed to win over skeptical regulators.

Comcast's motives aside, giving poorer Americans the same access to broadband that wealthier people enjoy has been a longtime goal of the Obama Administration. Internet Essentials makes a dent by connecting some 300,000 households to broadband -- the equivalent of 1.2 million individuals, according to Comcast.

Other cable providers have since followed suit, working with the FCC in a program called Connect to Compete that also aims to provide a similar discount. Making sure everyone, rich or poor, gets adequate access to the Web is something businesses should be doing of their own volition -- which brings us back to Comcast. Industry watchers say Comcast's compliance with the FCC's previous requirements, along with the changes that would result from a merger with Time Warner Cable, might encourage regulators to ask for more concessions this time around. Thing is, it probably shouldn't take a merger to produce them.

[Commentary] Google's choice to enter new broadband markets depends on a few factors.

One is the state of the existing infrastructure. Another factor involves getting the necessary permits and other paperwork to build fiber where it doesn't yet exist. Laying fiber below ground, or stringing it on poles above it, requires Google to negotiate deals with cities and utilities for rights of way.

These agreements can come at a cost, though as we'll see, Google has in some cases managed to skirt these issues.

The third factor is the real kicker, and it's how badly a mayor might want Google Fiber for his town. To help assess a city's commitment, Google provides it with a checklist of things it has to complete in order to qualify for Fiber. Any smart mayor who wants the service is going to do everything he can to appease the search giant in hopes of attracting it to town -- and then some.

While smaller cities may find it necessary to attract investment by wooing influential companies, denser metropolitan aren't likely to prostrate themselves in quite the same way. They probably couldn't, even if they wanted to; there are so many moving parts to a New York or a Chicago that giving Google free rein would be an extremely complex endeavor.

[Commentary] One thing is certain about Comcast’s proposed merger with Time Warner Cable: It doesn’t pass the smell test.

Comcast claims that the combination of the number one and number two cable companies will somehow enhance rather than diminish competition and lead to greater consumer satisfaction. Don’t worry, Godzilla will play nice on the playground. Comcast is just digesting its previous mega-merger, the takeover of NBC Universal that should have been blocked by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That leaves Comcast controlling an empire that includes NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Telemundo and other networks. Here the merger doesn’t just impact the marketplace of cable; it threatens the marketplace of ideas.

The protection of free speech under our Constitution depends on citizens having access to many ideas, many sources, many ways of getting ideas and information. Letting mega-corporations consolidate control of key parts of the media infrastructure is a direct threat to that access. So blocking the merger, which should be a no-brainer, will require an aroused public opposition