Wired Politics News

Any paid political ads posted online would be subject to federal campaign law if the FEC gets its way. The proposed regulations extend campaign finance and spending limits to the web.

Responding to questions from Congress, the Justice Department says confidential calls between doctors and patients or attorneys and clients are not off limits to NSA warrentless surveillance -- and such material can be used in court. It's all legal says DOJ.

New York's attorney general sues Gratis Internet, the company behind FreeiPods.com, accusing the firm of "the biggest deliberate breach of internet privacy ever."

It's no surprise that airport screeners let knives, guns and bomb components slip through -- humans just aren't well suited for the job. That's why better technology is needed at the metal detectors. Commentary by Bruce Schneier.

Environmentalist Lester R. Brown offers his revised prescription for combating global warming. The first challenge: unmasking ecological costs that for the most part go uncounted in the marketplace. Second in a two-part series. By Mark Anderson.

Environmentalist Lester R. Brown offers his revised prescription for combating global warming. The first challenge: unmasking ecological costs that for the most part go uncounted in the marketplace. By Mark Anderson.

A federal appeals court rules that an airline passenger can't just turn around and go home when the TSA asks about that meth pipe-shaped lump in his pocket. By Ryan Singel.

A federal judge refuses the U.S. Justice Department's demand that Google give it access to users' searches. He orders the company to provide 50,000 web addresses indexed by its search engine but it won't have to reveal what people have looked for in their searches.

Apple's stranglehold on international online music sales is in jeopardy if a new French copyright bill, working its way through the legislature, is adopted as written.

The million-dollar Datran settlement announced by New York's attorney general exposes a rat's nest of dubious privacy promises -- and indirectly scores a body blow on the Truste seal of approval. By Ryan Singel.

As scientific skepticism over global warming all but evaporates, three experts take the temperature of this man-made catastrophe. Leading off is biologist Tim Flannery, who argues computer models are badly blowing predictions of the pace of change. First in a three-part series. By Mark Anderson.

Google may have caved in to the Chinese, but it continues resisting efforts by the Bush administration to open its search database to the Justice Department. The battle, which began with a subpoena last summer, resumes in a San Jose courtroom.

The entertainment industry claims it has file-sharing sites on the run. But Sweden-based torrent tracker The Pirate Bay says it isn't going anywhere. And there's a national movement behind the site. By Ann Harrison.

The U.S. government puts a lot of stock in the theory that computers programmed to sift through mountains of private consumer data can spot terrorists hidden in our midst. Too bad it can't work. Commentary by Bruce Schneier.

In a close vote, the House extends the USA Patriot Act just before it would expire. Though a filibuster forces Bush to accept some new restrictions on terrorism probes, Republicans declare a legislative victory.

If you like your web search results with a side of political bias, Kosmix may be the search engine for you. The newcomer organizes results according to their likelihood of espousing a conservative, liberal or libertarian point of view. By Seán Captain.

Claims of marketing snow and revisionist history accompany green cars on their way to mainstream success. By John Gartner.

Only eight of 5,000 delegates to China's National People's Congress are approved to post comments on government-sponsored web logs. China is trying to boost public interest in the parliament by using the medium popular with young people.

The riveting documentary film, Our Brand Is Crisis, chronicles the adventures of the American political advisors who stage-managed Bolivia's 2002 election. What's the effect on democracy, asks the film, when ad execs hawk politicians the same way Nike sells sneakers? By Jason Silverman.

Caller-ID spoofing services let users appear to be dialing from any phone number they choose. Now federal investigators are trying to get the real names of anonymous callers. By Kevin Poulsen.