Feb 11, 2020
Bio
John Godfrey (@SamsungDC) is Senior Vice President of Public Policy for Samsung Electronics America. Based in Washington, D.C., he leads Samsung’s public policy team in engagement with government and industry, focusing on communications policy, digital television, wireless spectrum, health care, environment, broadband, cybersecurity, privacy and other areas. An active participant in the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), Godfrey is a member and past chair of the CTA Foundation’s Board of Trustees and CTA’s Video Division Board, among other groups. He is also a past chairman of the Board of Directors of the Advanced Television Systems Committee, the standards developing organization for digital television broadcasting. Prior to joining Samsung in 2006, Godfrey was with Pioneer North America, Sony Electronics, the Information Technology Industry Council, the National Research Council, and SRI International. Godfrey has a Master's degree in Telecommunications from George Washington University, a Master's degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford University, and a Bachelor's degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife, artist Ellen Hill, have two sons and live in Rockville, Maryland.
Resources
5G is Here (Samsung, 2020)
News Roundup
DOJ Charges Chinese Military Officials for Equifax Hack
The Department of Justice indicted 4 Chinese People’s Liberation Army officials on Monday, charging them with 9 counts for the 2017 Equifax hack that led to the theft and sale of some 145 million Americans’ data. US Attorney General William Barr noted that this represents nearly half of the American population. The indictment includes charges for stealing trade secrets.
Ancestry.com refuses warrant for member data
DNA platform Ancestry.com refused to honor valid arrest warrants in 8 out of 9 cases last year, according to the company’s 2019 transparency report. Competitor 23andMe has also promised to keep its DNA database private. Ancestry.com’s DNA database is estimated to contain the DNA information of some 16 million people.
Federal Court approves T-Mobiler/Sprint merger
The US District Court of the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan, approved the $26.5 billion T-Mobile/Sprint merger last week, over the objection of 15 Attorneys General, including California AG Xavier Becerra and NY AG Letitia James. Presiding Judge Victor Romero wrote that the merger is not likely to lessen competition. The merged company is required to divest resources to satellite provider Dish ensure Dish becomes a viable competitor.
Amazon removes books written by Nazis
Finally, Amazon has removed 2 books written by authors David Duke, who is a former KKK Grand Wizard, and George Lincoln Rockwell, the founder of the American Nazi party. Some booksellers say that Amazon’s policies are opaque and have vocalized opposition to the removal of these titles.