On Tuesday, the House lifted a ban on intra-office video-conferencing. House members and staff will now be able to use Skype and ooVoo to hold conferences with each other and their constituents. It’s a move that House Republicans have been pushing for a while, but faced opposition from House Democrats due to possible security hazards and violations.
The use of video-conferencing technology will no doubt save money on travel for conferences and meetings and will provide constituents with more accessibility to their representatives. Cost-effectiveness in a tough economy means happy taxpayers. More accessibility means happy constituents. It’s a great move by the House — and I hate to dirty the moment — but what I really want to know is this: Will use of this technology lead to a huge upswing in political sex scandals?
Probably not, but I can only hope there will be. Political sex scandals are great. They’re usually out of left field and — If only for a few whirlwind days — they draw the attention of unsuspecting folks who typically wouldn’t pay attention to happenings in the political sphere. And while their attention will soon be lost, it’s always fun to hear people en masse rip into politicians for willfully exposing their genitals via internet (particularly when said politician’s name is Weiner!).
The actual reason behind allowing Skype and ooVoo in the House has nothing to do with technological sexual relationships. The goal is to allow House representatives to communicate with each other and their constituents when they are out of state or when Congress isn’t in session. It’s also a convenient and cost-effective way to bring change to the House, and it helps them look more modern and tech-savvy.
House Administration Committee Chairman Dan Lungren released a joint statement with Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), which said, “During a time when Congress must do more with less, we believe that these low-cost, real-time communication tools will be an effective way to inform and solicit feedback from constituents.”
Additionally, to appease House Democrats and avoid possible security breaches by outsiders looking to leak private and/or political information, Skype worked closely with House staff including the Chief Administrative Officer in order to ensure the program was as secure as possible.
“We thank the CAO for ensuring that Members and staff can utilize these services while maintaining the necessary level of IT security within the House network, and look forward to identifying additional technological solutions to communication and transparency roadblocks,” said Lungren and Chaffetz.
So, the House network is safe enough for congressmen and women to use Skype and ooVoo without fear of personal and political information being hacked. But, will this deter them from abusing this technology? Who knows? My guess is the majority of our congressional leaders aren’t sending their nudes around. But, let’s say they do. Will these special security measures deter hackers from hacking? Maybe, but maybe not. And in the case that hackers around the world are successful in finding evidence of political tomfoolery, will we see an upswing in political sex scandals? Yes! Video-conferencing technology in the House will allow for efficient time-management and economic savings. Let’s hope it’s just as exciting for who ever else loves political sex scandals as much as I do.
Alexis Reza is a senior journalism major and assistant opinions editor for the Summer 49er.
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