Our weekly take on some of the biggest stories in startup and tech policy.
CalECPA Letter to Governor Brown Urgently Needs Your Signature. On Wednesday, the California Assembly passed the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA) with broad, bipartisan support. The bill (which we covered in last week’s digest) would update digital privacy laws by requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing an individual’s electronic communications. The bill now heads to Governor Jerry Brown for signature, but opponents are campaigning aggressively for a veto. We’re sending a letter to Governor Brown urging him to sign the bill and modernize an absurdly outdated privacy law. If you are a startup and would like to lend your voice to this fight, please fill out this form by noon on Monday, September 14.
Upcoming Tech Events. Catch our webinar on September 23, “How can startups work with government to promote innovation and new technologies?” Co-sponsored with Gide Public Affairs and ConnecTech, the webinar will look at how to incorporate a government relations strategy and leverage government resources to grow your startup, and how we can all advocate to protect the startup community. Click here to RSVP.
Intelligence Reauthorization Bill Still Held Up Over Terrorist Reporting Provision. As Congress returns to session, a bill to reauthorize funding for intelligence agencies continues to be held up in the U.S. Senate over a provision that would require social media and internet companies to police the speech of their users and report apparent “terrorist activity.” Opponents argue that the bill’s vague legislative language will result in a compliance nightmare for the wide range of companies that will be subject to the bill’s requirements. Senator Ron Wyden (R-OR) has vowed to block the bill until these concerns are addressed. We will be monitoring closely, as the currently ill-defined requirements could be overly burdensome and difficult to navigate for many startups.
An Immigrant Entrepreneur’s Story. "Our immigration system hinders entrepreneurship, innovation and productivity," writes tech entrepreneur, Amit Paka, and we couldn't agree more. Paka shares his story of patiently navigating the irrationally complex immigration system to at long last obtain residency status and become a U.S. citizen. And in that time he also founded two companies, despite significant obstacles. This broken system impedes opportunities for entrepreneurs - the men and women creating new technologies and jobs in this country every day - yet it remains to be seen whether real solutions are in sight.
Patent Reform. Lot’s of news on patents this week. House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte expressed confidence that patent reform legislation would get a vote in the weeks ahead. The NY Times wrote in an editorial that “patent law should not be used to prevent consumers from reselling, altering or fixing technology products.” And the patent research platform Patexia launched a new initiative using crowdsourcing to help companies share some of the burdens associated with patent litigation. In case you missed it, check out our recent post on the status of patent reform efforts in Congress.
A Safety Net for the On-Demand Economy. As lawmakers continue to grapple with the gig economy’s dramatic transformation of the American workforce, recommendations are emerging around which policies will best serve the growing class of on-demand workers. On Wednesday, the National Employment Law Project published a report calling on lawmakers to classify on-demand workers as employees and extend a number of protections and benefits to them. Freelancers Union founder Sara Horowitz proposed additional solutions in a New York Times op-ed published Wednesday, arguing for the creation of a “new system of portable benefits” to better provide a safety net for workers in the freelance economy. These are important conversations for the startup community to take part in as the debate continues around how to best support this new class of workers.
Diversity in Tech. African Americans face serious challenges in entering the tech field, even if they live just miles from Silicon Valley. Profiling several new organizations including the Hidden Genius Project, based in Oakland, the New York Times highlights how the tech community’s debates about its lack of diversity have spurred initiatives to educate, train and support underrepresented minorities to enter into and succeed in the industry. African Americans have become an especially important focus: they currently make up only 7 percent of the tech workforce and receive only 1 percent of VC funding. See more on Engine’s work to diversify tech here.
Tech Leaders in Politico 50. The Politico 50 is out, recognizing some of the people transforming American politics this year. The list includes a number of tech leaders, including Engine board member Marvin Ammori, along with Susan Crawford, Tim Wu, Michelle Lee and Chris Soghoian. Congrats to everyone who made the list!
