Short Takes – 3-10-23

The privacy loophole in your doorbell. Politico.com article. Pull quote: “As networked home surveillance cameras become more popular, Larkin’s case, which has not previously been reported, illustrates a growing collision between the law and people’s own expectation of privacy for the devices they own — a loophole that concerns privacy advocates and Democratic lawmakers, but which the legal system hasn’t fully grappled with.”

Battle over US debt, fiscal 2024 spending begins. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The big question after President Biden unveiled his new budget on Thursday is not what’s in the blueprint, or how he described his investment wish list or his values, or the fact that it won’t become law, but what happens next.”

Pentagon unveils cyber workforce strategy to tackle labor shortage. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The Department of Defense on Thursday released its cyber workforce strategy aimed at increasing and improving its labor force by recruiting, training and retaining the best talent.”

House Republicans announce major energy package as top priority bill. TheHill.com article. “The legislation [H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act] is not expected to ultimately become law, given its highly partisan nature. But, it gives an indication as to what Republicans are pointing to as their top policy priorities.”

The world’s atmospheric rivers now have an intensity ranking like hurricanes. NewsWise.com article. Pull quote: “The scale helps communities know whether an atmospheric river will bring benefit or cause chaos: The storms can deliver much-needed rain or snow, but if they’re too intense, they can cause flooding, landslides and power outages, as California and Pakistan experienced. The most severe atmospheric rivers can cause hundreds of millions of dollars of damage in days in the western U.S.; damage in other regions has yet to be comprehensively assessed.”