U.S. Congressmen may now use Skype and ooVoo to talk to journalists and anybody else. A Congressional committee that oversees technology on Capitol Hill has overturned a 2006 regulation (that I told you about a year ago) that blocked members from using Skype and other similar programs. Security administrators worried that such peer-to-peer programs are a risk, but now they are convinced that Skype is different from other file sharing programs and doesn’t pose much of a threat.
Members of Congress can hold virtual Town Hall meetings, press conferences and appear at local gatherings via computer without having to leave their office. Before now, they would have to leave their office and use a non-government system, rent video conferencing gear or rely on wireless and mobile technology to video conference. Skype says in its online announcement that it hopes to clear the way quickly for U.S. Senators and other government agencies to use the service:
“Each of the Congressional offices will have access to their own Skype Manager account, so one central person in each office can administer the Skype accounts. In addition, Members of Congress and their staff can personally configure important privacy settings to provide the highest level of security available on Skype, and as always, the Skype software allows people to accept or block a contact, and it never ‘answers’ a call unless instructed to do so by the user. In other words, Skype video calls are initiated only when users at all ends of the call make the affirmative choice to enable video calling.”
This is just part of the wave of new connections that House Members are making. The website TheNextWeb reports that soon House members will be allowed to use tablets and smart phones on the House floor, but only for official business.
Comments