Ruling on dirty words, and more

Ruling on dirty words

Broadcasters who air profanity on live programs may be punished even if the vulgarities are brief and unscripted, the Supreme Court ruled. The 5–4 ruling came in a case pitting the FCC against Fox Broadcasting, which argued that such “fleeting obscenities” had no sexual implications. But Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in the majority opinion that “even when used as an expletive, the F-word’s power to insult and offend derives from its sexual meaning.”

Cyber warfare

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Government policies on cyber warfare are poorly thought-out and lack adequate oversight, the National Research Council said in a report. The nation’s computer networks have been repeatedly hacked by foreign intruders, the council said, but the U.S. does not have well-formed policies to defend against such breaches or to mount its own attacks.