Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (10 December)

Further Reading

• “Social media superspreaders: Why Instagram, not Facebook, will be the real battleground for COVID-19 vaccine misinformation” By Isobel Asher Hamilton — Business Insider. According to one group, COVID-19 anti-vaccination lies and misinformation are proliferating on Instagram despite its parent company’s, Facebook, efforts to find and remove such content. There has been dramatic growth in such content on Instagram, and Facebook seems to be applying COVID-19 standards more loosely on Instagram. In fact, some people kicked off of Facebook for violating that platform’s standards on COVID-19 are still on Instagram spreading the same lies, misinformation, and disinformation. For example, British anti-vaccination figure David Icke was removed from Facebook for making claims that COVID-19 was caused by or related to 5G, but he has a significant following on Instagram.
• “‘Grey area’: China’s trolling drives home reality of social media war” By Chris Zappone — The Sydney Morning Herald. The same concept that is fueling aggressive cyber activity at a level below outright war has spread to diplomacy. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been waging “gray” social media campaigns against a number of Western nations, including Australia, mainly be propagating lies and misinformation. The most recent example is the spreading a fake photo of an Australian soldier appearing to kill an Afghan child. This false material seems designed to distract from the real issues between the two nations arising from clashing policies on trade and human rights. The PRC’s activities do not appear to violate Australia’s foreign interference laws and seem to have left Canberra at a loss as to how to respond effectively.
• “Facebook to start policing anti-Black hate speech more aggressively than anti-White comments, documents show” By Elizabeth Dwoskin, Nitasha Tiku and Heather Kelly — The Washington Post. Facebook will apparently seek to revamp its algorithms to target the types of hate speech that have traditionally targeted women and minority groups. Up until now all attacks were treated equally so that something like “white people suck” would be treated the same way as anti-Semitic content. Facebook has resisted changes for years even though experts and civil rights groups made the case that people of color, women, and LGBTI people endure far more abuse online. There is probably no connection between Facebook’s more aggressive content moderation policies and the advent of a new administration in Washington more receptive to claims that social media platforms allow the abuse of these people.
• “How Joe Biden’s Digital Team Tamed the MAGA Internet” By Kevin Roose — The New York Times. Take this piece with a block of salt. The why they won articles are almost always rife with fallacies, including the rationale that if a candidate won, his or her strategy must have worked. It is not clear that the Biden Campaign’s online messaging strategy of being nice and emphasizing positive values actually beat the Trump Campaign’s “Death Star” so much as the President’s mishandling of the pandemic response and cratering of the economy did him in.
• “Coronavirus Apps Show Promise but Prove a Tough Sell” By Jennifer Valentino-DeVries — The New York Times. It appears the intersection of concerns about private and public sector surveillance from two very different groups has worked to keep down rates of adopting smartphone COVID tracking apps in the United States. There are people wary of private sector practices to hoover up as much data as possible, and others concerned about the government’s surveillance activities. Consequently, many are shunning Google and Apple’s COVID contact tracing apps to the surprise of government, industry, and academia. A pair of studies show resistance to downloading or using such apps even if there are very strong privacy safeguards. This result may well be a foreseeable outcome from U.S. policies that have allowed companies and the security services to collect and use vast quantities of personal information.
• “UAE target of cyber attacks after Israel deal, official says” — Reuters. A top cybersecurity official in the United Arab Emirates claimed his nation’s financial services industries were targeted for cyber attack and implied Iran and affiliated hackers were responsible.

Other Developments

• President-elect Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to serve as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). If confirmed by the Senate, California Governor Gavin Newsom would name Becerra’s successor who would need to continue enforcement of the “California Consumer Privacy Act” (CCPA) (AB 375) while also working towards the transition to the “California Privacy Rights Act” (Proposition 24) approved by California voters last month. The new statute establishes the California Privacy Protection Agency that will assume the Attorney General’s responsibilities regarding the enforcement of California’s privacy laws. However, Becerra’s successor may play a pivotal role in the transition between the two regulators and the creation of the new regulations needed to implement Proposition 24.
• The Senate approved the nomination of Nathan Simington to be a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by a 49-46 vote. Once FCC Chair Ajit Pai steps down, the agency will be left with two Democratic and two Republican Commissioners, pending the Biden Administration’s nominee to fill Pai’s spot. If the Senate stays Republican, it is possible the calculation could be made that a deadlocked FCC is better than a Democratic agency that could revive net neutrality rules among other Democratic and progressive policies. Consequently, Simington’s confirmation may be the first step in a FCC unable to develop substantive policy.
• Another federal court has broadened the injunction against the Trump Administration’s ban on TikTok to encompass the entirety of the Department of Commerce’s September order meant to stop the usage of the application in the United States (U.S.) It is unclear as to whether the Trump Administration will appeal, and if it should, whether a court would decide the case before the Biden Administration begins in mid-January. The United States Court for the District of Columbia found that TikTok “established that  the government likely exceeded IEEPA’s express limitations as part of an agency action that was arbitrary and capricious” and would likely suffer irreparable harm, making an injunction an appropriate remedy.
• The United States’ National Security Agency (NSA) “released a Cybersecurity Advisory on Russian state-sponsored actors exploiting CVE-2020-4006, a command-injection vulnerability in VMware Workspace One Access, Access Connector, Identity Manager, and Identity Manager Connector” and provided “mitigation and detection guidance.”
• The United States (U.S.) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a joint alert, warning that U.S. think tanks are being targeted by “persistent continued cyber intrusions by advanced persistent threat (APT) actors.” The agencies stated “[t]his malicious activity is often, but not exclusively, directed at individuals and organizations that focus on international affairs or national security policy.” CISA and the FBI stated its “guidance may assist U.S. think tanks in developing network defense procedures to prevent or rapidly detect these attacks.” The agencies added:
  • APT actors have relied on multiple avenues for initial access. These have included low-effort capabilities such as spearphishing emails and third-party message services directed at both corporate and personal accounts, as well as exploiting vulnerable web-facing devices and remote connection capabilities. Increased telework during the COVID-19 pandemic has expanded workforce reliance on remote connectivity, affording malicious actors more opportunities to exploit those connections and to blend in with increased traffic. Attackers may leverage virtual private networks (VPNs) and other remote work tools to gain initial access or persistence on a victim’s network. When successful, these low-effort, high-reward approaches allow threat actors to steal sensitive information, acquire user credentials, and gain persistent access to victim networks.
  • Given the importance that think tanks can have in shaping U.S. policy, CISA and FBI urge individuals and organizations in the international affairs and national security sectors to immediately adopt a heightened state of awareness and implement the critical steps listed in the Mitigations section of this Advisory.
• A group of Democratic United States Senators have written the CEO of Alphabet and Google about its advertising policies and how its platforms may have been used to spread misinformation and contribute to voter suppression. Thus far, most of the scrutiny about the 2020 election and content moderation policy has fallen on Facebook and Twitter even though Google-owned YouTube has been flagged as containing the same amount of misinformation. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mark Warner (D-VA) led the effort and expressed “serious concerns regarding recent reports that Google is profiting from the sale of ads spreading election-related disinformation” to Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Klobuchar, Warner, and their colleagues asserted:
  • Google is also helping organizations spreading election-related disinformation to raise revenue by placing ads on their websites. While Google has some policies in place to prevent the spread of election misinformation, they are not properly enforced and are inadequate. We urge you to immediately strengthen and improve enforcement of your policies on election-related disinformation and voter suppression, reject all ads spreading election-related disinformation, and stop providing advertising services on sites that spread election-related disinformation.
  • …a recent study by the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) found that Google services ads on 145 out of 200 websites GDI examined that publish disinformation. 
  • Similarly, a recent report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that Google has been placing ads on websites publishing disinformation designed to undermine elections. In examining just six websites publishing election-related disinformation, CCDH estimates that they receive 40 million visits a month, generating revenue for these sites of up to $3.4 million annually from displaying Google ads. In addition, Google receives $1.6 million from the advertisers’ payments annually.  These sites published stories ahead of the 2020 general election that contained disinformation alleging that voting by mail was not secure, that mail-in voting was being introduced to “steal the election,” and that election officials were “discarding mail ballots.” 
• A bipartisan group of United States Senators on one committee are urging Congressional leadership to include funding to help telecommunications companies remove and replace Huawei and ZTE equipment and to aid the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in drafting accurate maps of broadband service in the United States (U.S.). Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) and a number of his colleagues wrote the leadership of both the Senate and House and argued:
  • we urge you to provide full funding for Public Law 116-124, the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, and Public Law 116-130, the Broadband DATA Act.   
  • Closing the digital divide and winning the race to 5G are critical to America’s economic prosperity and global leadership in technology. However, our ability to connect all Americans and provide access to next-generation technology will depend in large part on the security of our communications infrastructure. The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act (“rip and replace”) created a program to help small, rural telecommunications operators remove equipment posing a security threat to domestic networks and replace it with equipment from trusted providers. This is a national security imperative. Fully funding this program is essential to protecting the integrity of our communications infrastructure and the future viability of our digital economy at large.
  • In addition to safeguarding the security of the nation’s communications systems, developing accurate broadband maps is also critically important. The United States faces a persistent digital divide, and closing this divide requires accurate maps that show where broadband is available and where it is not. Current maps overstate broadband availability, which prevents many underserved communities, particularly in rural areas, from receiving the funds needed to build or expand broadband networks to millions of unconnected Americans. Fully funding the Broadband DATA Act will ensure more accurate broadband maps and better stewardship over the millions of dollars the federal government awards each year to support broadband deployment. Without these maps, the government risks overbuilding existing networks, duplicating funding already provided, and leaving communities unserved.  
• The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an assessment of 5G policy options that “discusses (1) how the performance goals and expected uses are to be realized in U.S. 5Gwireless networks; (2) the challenges that could affect the performance or usage of 5G wireless networks in the U.S.; and (3) policy options to address these challenges.” The report had been requested by the chairs and ranking members of the House Armed Services, Senate Armed Services, Senate Intelligence, and House Intelligence Committees along with other Members. The GAO stated “[w]hile 5G is expected to deliver significantly improved network performance and greater capabilities, challenges may hinder the performance or usage of 5G technologies in the U.S. We grouped the challenges into the following four categories:
  • availability and efficient use of spectrum
  • security of 5G networks
  • concerns over data privacy
  • concerns over possible health effects
  • The GAO presented the following policy options along with opportunities and considerations for each:
    • Spectrum-Sharing Technologies Opportunities:
      • Could allow for more efficient use of the limited spectrum available for 5G and future generations of wireless networks.
      • It may be possible to leverage existing5G testbeds for testing the spectrum sharing technologies developed through applied research.
    • Spectrum-Sharing Technologies Considerations:
      • Research and development is costly, must be coordinated and administered, and its potential benefits are uncertain. Identifying a funding source, setting up the funding mechanism, or determining which existing funding streams to reallocate will require detailed analysis.
    • Coordinated Cybersecurity Monitoring Opportunities:
      • A coordinated monitoring program would help ensure the entire wireless ecosystem stays knowledgeable about evolving threats, in close to real time; identify cybersecurity risks; and allow stakeholders to act rapidly in response to emerging threats or actual network attacks.
    • Coordinated Cybersecurity Monitoring Considerations:
      • Carriers may not be comfortable reporting incidents or vulnerabilities, and determinations would need to be made about what information is disclosed and how the information will be used and reported.
    • Cybersecurity Requirements Opportunities
      • Taking these steps could produce a more secure network. Without a baseline set of security requirements the implementation of network security practices is likely to be piecemeal and inconsistent.
      • Using existing protocols or best practices may decrease the time and cost of developing and implementing requirements.
    • Cybersecurity Requirements Considerations
      • Adopting network security requirements would be challenging, in part because defining and implementing the requirements would have to be done on an application-specific basis rather than as a one-size-fits-all approach.
      • Designing a system to certify network components would be costly and would require a centralized entity, be it industry-led or government-led.
    • Privacy Practices Considerations
      • Development and adoption of uniform privacy practices would benefit from existing privacy practices that have been implemented by states, other countries, or that have been developed by federal agencies or other organizations.
    • Privacy Practices Opportunities
      • Privacy practices come with costs, and policymakers would need to balance the need for privacy with the direct and indirect costs of implementing privacy requirements. Imposing requirements can be burdensome, especially for smaller entities.
    • High-band Research Opportunities
      • Could result in improved statistical modeling of antenna characteristics and more accurately representing propagation characteristics.
      • Could result in improved understanding of any possible health effects from long-term radio frequency exposure to high-band emissions.
    • High-band Research Considerations
      • Research and development is costly and must be coordinated and administered, and its potential benefits are uncertain. Policymakers will need to identify a funding source or determine which existing funding streams to reallocate.

Coming Events

• The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold an executive session at which the “Online Content Policy Modernization Act” (S.4632), a bill to narrow the liability shield in 47 USC 230, may be marked up on 10 December.
• On 10 December, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold an open meeting and has released a tentative agenda:
  • Securing the Communications Supply Chain. The Commission will consider a Report and Order that would require Eligible Telecommunications Carriers to remove equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of its people, would establish the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, and would establish the procedures and criteria for publishing a list of covered communications equipment and services that must be removed. (WC Docket No. 18-89)
  • National Security Matter. The Commission will consider a national security matter.
  • National Security Matter. The Commission will consider a national security matter.
  • Allowing Earlier Equipment Marketing and Importation Opportunities. The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would propose updates to its marketing and importation rules to permit, prior to equipment authorization, conditional sales of radiofrequency devices to consumers under certain circumstances and importation of a limited number of radiofrequency devices for certain pre-sale activities. (ET Docket No. 20-382)
  • Promoting Broadcast Internet Innovation Through ATSC 3.0. The Commission will consider a Report and Order that would modify and clarify existing rules to promote the deployment of Broadcast Internet services as part of the transition to ATSC 3.0. (MB Docket No. 20-145)

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