EPIC urged the Federal Communications Commission this week to explicitly prohibit data from telecommunications relay services (TRS)—services made available for individuals with hearing or speech disabilities—from being used to train AI data sets without express, affirmative consent from the consumer following a clear and comprehensive disclosure of the risks involved. There have been numerous, well-publicized instances of AI models being trained on non-public data and that data being leaked to future users. As EPIC explained, it would be a violation of TRS participants’ confidentiality and frustrate data minimization efforts to permit providers to train AI using TRS data without a robust consent-based safeguard. EPIC also supported two FCC proposals to clarify the scope of TRS confidentiality rules to ensure greater privacy for TRS participants. EPIC routinely advocates before the Commission for rules that protect consumers from exploitative data practices, including supporting protections for TRS users.
Homesteading in Texas: What You Need to Know
Fertile soil, long growing seasons, mild climate, and an abundance of natural resources are just a few reasons Texas makes a perfect spot for homesteads.
From the East Texas Piney Woods to the desert landscape of El Paso, Texas is rich with abundant agriculture, hunting, and fishing opportunities.
Texas also offers very lenient homesteading, homeschooling, and cottage laws that give you some of the best opportunities to achieve the self-reliant dream.
Is Homesteading Legal in Texas
Not only is homesteading legal in Texas, it’s constitutional. According to the Texas State Constitution, any person can establish a homestead that is exempt from seizure in the event of foreclosure or economic hardship.
Regardless of whether you live on a farm or in the middle of the city, you’re entitled to a homestead exemption. Not only does this secure your land for generations to come, but it also comes with a bit of a break on your property taxes.
Texas Homesteading Laws
To declare a homestead, your property must be privately owned (not a corporation or partnership) and your primary residence. It also cannot include moveable assets like a boat or mobile home. If you choose to live in a mobile home, you must convert it to real property before including it in your homestead.
Texas homestead laws are some of the strongest laws in the nation, providing substantially more protection than most other states. Whereas most states impose a dollar value on their homesteads, Texas does no such thing. Instead, it limits the size of the homestead to 10 urban acres or 200 rural acres.
Is Going Off-Grid Legal in Texas
There are no state laws that prevent you from living off-grid, but certain locations do have zoning laws and deed restrictions that may prevent it. It may be a challenge to live off-grid on land that is zoned as residential or commercial, for example. However, if it’s zoned as farmland or recreational land, regulations are much more lenient.
There are plenty of unincorporated communities throughout the state that have few, if any, zoning laws at all. Zoning laws vary across the state, but, as a general rule, the more populated the area, the stricter the zoning laws.
In many areas, it is legal to disconnect from utilities, but it’s ultimately up to the building codes of the governing city or county authorities. However, stand-alone solar systems usually require a permit.
Still, it is both legal and encouraged to use alternative energy in Texas, and the state offers many incentives for doing so. With Texas Tax Code Section 11.27, you can deduct the cost of installing solar- or wind-powered devices from your property taxes.
Some areas even have programs that will install solar panels on your home at no cost, allowing you to become an independent energy provider.
Buying Land to Homestead in Texas
Until recently, land in Texas was relatively affordable. However, with the recent…
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EPIC Joins Call for FTC to Investigate YouTube’s Tracking and Targeting of Children
EPIC has joined a letter by Fairplay and the Center for Digital Democracy calling on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate new research indicating that YouTube and Google are tracking and targeting ads at viewers of “made for kids” videos—an apparent violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and Google’s 2019 settlement with the FTC. The research comes from a report by Adalytics, an advertising performance optimization platform.
“We urge the Commission to determine the extent and purpose of these apparent data collection practices, and to determine whether YouTube and Google are using the data of children under 13 to target them with advertising,” the letter reads. “All violations of COPPA and the FTC Act should be addressed to the full extent of the Commission’s authority, up to and including financial penalties, algorithmic disgorgement, and a ban on monetizing the personal data of minors.”
“Google committed in 2019 that it would stop serving personalized ads on ‘made for kids’ YouTube videos, but Adalytics research shows that this harmful practice is still happening,” EPIC Deputy Director Caitriona Fitzgerald said. “Big Tech has shown time and time again that it cannot be trusted to protect Americans’ privacy.”
EPIC has long advocated for the FTC to take enforcement action against companies that violate the privacy and misuse the personal data of adults and children. In 2010, EPIC filed the complaint about Google Buzz that led to the FTC’s first consent decree with the company.
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