The Internet Patrol default featured image
Continue Reading

The AutoPen Explained – It Has a Long History, Obama is Just the Most Recent High Profile Person to Use One

If you heard that President Obama signed the bill extending the Patriot Act using an autopen while he was sitting in France and the bill for the extension of the Patriot Act was in Washington, D.C., you may be wondering “Just what is an autopen?” An auto pen is, quite literally, an auto pen – an automated pen (versus an automatic pen) that automatically replicates, in a remote location, the signature or other writing of the person who is holding it. Other versions can store the user’s signature, and so replicate it on demand (sort of a compromise between using a rubber stamp, and the person personally signing it); it was of the use of one of these signature-storing machine which President Obama authorized, as he was stuck in Europe at the G8 Summit, and the bill was set to expire last night.