Overnight Tech: Debate over social media and terrorism heats up

LEDE: A debate over how closely tech companies should work with government to halt extremism is heating up after a shooting in California claimed the lives of 14 people.

Sources confirmed to The Hill that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) could reintroduce a measure that would require social media companies to report terrorist activity to the government. She tried to get the provision passed earlier this year but removed it when it was met with criticism from tech groups and other lawmakers.

Her efforts come in the aftermath of last week’s attack in San Bernardino, Calif., where one of the alleged shooters is said to have posted supportive comments about the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). And it is one element of the debate over the relationship between the government’s counterterrorism efforts and the tech sector.

{mosads}Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, also said Monday he would create a commission to examine the challenges posed by encryption technology. But he said he wouldn’t strong arm tech companies.

Law enforcement agencies say they are worried that criminals could use encrypted tools to communicate outside of the reach of the law. Tech companies and advocates say they are vital to protecting users personal data — and that there is no way to create a way for American law enforcement to access data without exposing it to hackers.

WH ALSO TURNING FOCUS TO TECH: President Obama called on tech companies to make it harder for groups like ISIS to recruit and plot attacks on social media during an address on Sunday night. “I will urge high-tech and law enforcement leaders to make it harder for terrorists to use technology to escape from justice,” he said. More here.

FCC SHARING AUCTION KNOWLEDGE: The Federal Communications Commission will hold a workshop tomorrow for potential participants in the reverse (broadcaster) auction portion of next year’s spectrum sale. They’ll cover details related to the application process. It’s part of a larger effort by the commission to bring broadcasters and carriers to the table for the auction — which includes workshops, webinars and private meetings all aimed at guaranteeing a lucrative sale.

POOR MUCH LESS CONNECTED: A new Brookings report reveals that while about 75 percent of U.S. households have an Internet connection, only about 46 percent of homes with an income of $20,000 per year have a connection. That number rises to 67 percent in homes with an income between $20,000 and $50,000.

DIGITAL ADVERTISING NIPPING AT TV HEELS: Digital is expected to become the biggest advertising medium by the end of 2017, overtaking TV, according to analyst predictions quoted in the New York Times. The report also found that mobile advertising could make up a majority of Internet ads by 2018. The predictions represent the overall ad industry, but political advertising has been slower to embrace digital.

UBER CEO UP FOR TIME PERSON OF THE YEAR: Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick made the short list for Time’s person of the year alongside seven other contenders. The ride-hailing service has ballooned in the past several years and is valued at more than $64 billion. Time said Kalanick is on the list because he “drove his car-hailing company to a nearly $70 billion valuation, but also drew criticism about the downside of the sharing economy.”

JEBBUSH.COM DIRECTS TO TRUMP: The Daily Caller pointed out that JebBush.com now directs visitors to Donald Trump’s homepage. The owner of the web page is disguised by a privacy service and the registration was updated in October. Bush’s official campaign website is Jeb2016.com. The former Florida governor was not able to snag the JebBush.com domain name, which was originally sold back in 1997.

TWITTER TRADEMARKS THE SUBTWEET: Twitter wants to trademark the subtweet — or the term, at least. The company filed the application in October, to cover a tweet that contains a hidden criticism of another person or organization. They previously applied for a trademark on “Tweetstorm.”

AT&T EXPANDS GIGABIT SERVICE: AT&T is bringing its one gigabit per second Internet speed to 38 additional cities, the company said on Monday. As Re/code notes, AT&T is no longer rolling out the service solely in response to the launch of Google Fiber in a given market.

ON TAP:

At 10 a.m., the FCC hosts a workshop for potential participants in the reverse portion of the spectrum incentive auction.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat could soon introduce legislation that would require social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to alert federal officials about online terrorist activity.

Eric Schmidt, a top executive with Google’s parent company, floated an idea for a kind of “spell-checker” to combat hate and harassment online.

The head of the House Homeland Security Committee is pushing a new initiative to deal with the proliferation of encrypted devices that critics say allow terrorists to communicate without detection.

Uber says an increasing number of its drivers are working for the car-sharing service while holding other jobs.

President Obama’s tweet after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide earlier this year was one of the most retweeted messages of 2015.

Please send tips and comments to David McCabe, dmccabe@digital-staging.thehill.com and Mario Trujillo, mtrujillo@digital-staging.thehill.com

Follow us on Twitter: @HilliconValley, @dmccabe, @_mariotrujillo