Government Tech News: Blog Licenses and US Internet Wiretapping

Saudi Arabia, A License is Now Required to Blog

According to Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information spokesman Abdul Rahman Al-Hazza a new law for electronic media. Saudi Arabian citizens will now need to get a license in order to bloga. An upcoming and very probable crackdown on news and media outlets is also a possible move by the Saudi Government. [TechCrunch] [Fast Company]


Congress Looking to Have a New Internet Wiretapping Legislation

Federal law enforcement and national security agencies have recently made the statement that "their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is 'going dark' as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone." (New York Times) This would mean that with a warrant, law enforcement officials would be able to monitor encrypted networks, like Blackberry email and BBMs, social networking sites like Facebook, and video conferencing software like Skype and Google Chat. [New York Times]