My first Lawfare article has been posted this morning. Here are the first few paragraphs, but read the rest at Lawfare: In the worlds of data protection and privacy, too often there is a decoupling of national security issues and what might be termed non-national security issues despite the clear interplay between the two realms. … Continue reading Data Brokers and National Security
Other Developments The United Kingdom’s (UK) Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden indicated that the British government would intervene to possibly stop the acquisition of a British semiconductor manufacturer. NVIDIA Corporation had proposed to buy ARM Limited (ARM) from SoftBank in $40 billion deal. Dowden wrote the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) “to inform them of his … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Events (28 April 2021)
In separate but potentially related developments, a few key governments are again arguing that end-to-end default encryption is foiling law enforcement efforts, especially regarding child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Twitter FVEY and EU see a future where there will be encryption law enforcement can access as needed. Tech thinks differently. Cocktail Party Some of the … Continue reading Five Eyes and EU Renew Emphasis on Encryption
Other Developments The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) lauded its partial victory in Australian federal court against Google that found the company “misled consumers about personal location data collected through Android mobile devices between January 2017 and December 2018.” The ACCC conceded the court “dismissed the ACCC’s allegations about certain statements Google made about … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Events (27 April 2021)
Other Developments The White House and the Department of Energy (DOE) announced “a 100-day plan to improve the cybersecurity of our nation’s electric infrastructure” “a pilot of the Administration’s broader cybersecurity initiative planned for multiple critical infrastructure sectors.” The Administration asserted:This is a coordinated effort between DOE, the electricity industry, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Events (26 April 2021)
First, subscribe to The Wavelength, my new subscription newsletter. Get all the material you have been enjoying on my blog delivered to your inbox. The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held its first hearing of this Congress with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). All four sitting commissioners testified and faced a range of diverse … Continue reading The FTC Faces Questions on “Big Tech,” Section 230, Antitrust, Privacy and Data Security
Other Developments In response to new vulnerabilities turned up by FireEye, the United States (U.S.) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued Emergency Directive (ED) 21-03 “requiring federal civilian departments and agencies running Pulse Connect Secure products to assess and mitigate any anomalous activity or active exploitation detected on their networks.” Media accounts describe persistent … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Events (22 April 2021)
Other Developments At the conclusion of their meeting in which they renewed the United States-Japan alliance, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide announced a number of joint initiatives to counter the growing influence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), some of which pertained to technology. In a statement, the governments explained how … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Events (21 April 2021)
Other Developments A bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives wrote the President asking for funding to stimulate semiconductor production in the United States (U.S.) per provisions in the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (P.L. 116-283). In a press release issued by one of the signatories, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), the Members stated:We write … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Events (20 April 2021)
Other Developments Google prevailed against Oracle in their borderline epic legal battle over whether Google’s use of 11,500 lines of Oracle’s Java code represented infringement of a copyright or fair use. Oracle had won in a federal appeals court, which left Google facing $8 billion in liability. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Events (19 April 2021)
Michael Kans 