US Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) said Wednesday that he has introduced a bill in Congress aimed at guaranteeing unfettered access to the Internet and limiting the ability of Internet providers to restrict users' access. Markey said that the Internet Freedom Preservation Act would ensure so-called "net neutrality:" The open architecture nature of the Internet is [...]

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The Iranian Guardian Council , the upper parliamentary chamber composed of twelve members, on Wednesday reinstated more than 280 parliamentary candidates in preparation for next month's parliamentary elections. Last month, Iran's Interior Ministry banned over 2,000 moderates and reformists from running in the March parliamentary election. Among those banned were 190 of 200 candidates from [...]

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The US Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Wednesday on the state secrets privilege in preparation for debate on the State Secrets Protection Act , a bill introduced by committee leaders "to enact a safe, fair, and responsible state secrets privilege." The bill, introduced by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and co-sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy [...]

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A European Commission official on Wednesday sharply criticized as "unacceptable" American attempts to negotiate with newer EU member states, reportedly offering to allow visa-free travel in exchange for extra air passenger data. Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security Jonathan Faull said American negotiations with individual EU member states were disrespectful to the EU system. While [...]

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