Author Archive

Laura Ryan

Laura Ryan
Laura is a staff correspondent for National Journal covering technology. She is grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and attended Wellesley College, where she received a B.A. in American Studies.
Digital Government

Meet FTC's Chief Geek

Ashkan Soltani is the new chief technologist at the Federal Trade Commission—the tech industry's biggest privacy watchdog.

Digital Government

What the GOP Takeover of the Senate Means for Tech

if Republicans want to win a presidential election, they'll have to show they can develop real technology policies.

Emerging Tech

Tech Companies Spend Big on Midterm Elections

Google's campaign spending has grown fortyfold in the past eight years.

Modernization

New Encryption Measures from Google and Apple Could Endanger Children, Eric Holder Says

Attorney general criticizes tech companies for locking the back door to user data.

Digital Government

FTC Investigates 'Discrimination by Algorithm'

The Federal Trade Commission puts the pernicious side of big data under the microscope.

Digital Government

The Real Reason You Can’t Text 911

Major cell phone companies are equipped to let callers text emergency call centers, but most states aren’t.

Digital Government

Teachers Give Failing Grade to Obama's Push for Tech in Schools

The FCC should expand the size of its school Internet program, teachers say.

Emerging Tech

Why Terrorists Love Twitter

A Q&A with a leading scholar on terrorism and media.

Digital Government

FTC Lifts the Veil on Companies That Sell Your Data

Congress should rein in the consumer data-broker industry, report urges.

Digital Government

The FCC Chief Just Told the Cable Execs to 'Put Away Their Party Hats'

The chairman warned the industry it faces tough regulation should it abuse its newfound internet leeway.

Digital Government

How the U.S. Is Vulnerable to Terrorism in Space

The possibility of a dangerous space incident is on the rise, says a new report.

Emerging Tech

The Federal Government Is Charging Jerk.com With Deceiving Customers

FTC says the social-networking site secretly took information from Facebook to create user profiles.

Emerging Tech

The World Wide Web Turns 25

A retrospective as the Web hits the quarter-century mark.

Modernization

Facebook Cracks Down on Gun Sales

The social-media giant is stepping in to prevent illegal firearm transactions from being facilitated on its websites.

Emerging Tech

Twitter Can Handle State of the Union Traffic Surges

The president's speech won't drive as many tweets as a 1980s anime rerun did, anyway.

Modernization

What You Need to Know About the New Internet Rules

Carriers can charge websites for faster service or even block some data from entering all together.

Digital Government

New FCC Chairman: Regulating the Internet Is a 'Non-Starter'

Spectrum auctions will be the top line item on the regulator's agenda in 2014, Tom Wheeler says.