The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Privacy, Technology, and the Law Subcommittee held a hearing titled “Algorithms and Amplification: How Social Media Platforms’ Design Choices Shape Our Discourse and Our Minds.” Twitter A hearing tries to get beyond the usual tech talking points to examine the role algorithms play online for good or ill. Cocktail Party Another … Continue reading A Senate Subcommittee Tackles Algorithms
First, my first Lawfare article has been posted on data brokering and national security. Second this piece has been cross posted at The Wavelength, my subscription newsletter. Subscribe today if you want to receive these posts in your inbox. Other Developments President Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union address and naturally touched … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Events (3 May 2021)
Other Developments The House passed an amended version of the “Cyber Diplomacy Act of 2021” (H.R.1251) that would establish a Bureau of International Cyberspace Policy and Cyberspace Policy Coordinating Committee inside the United States (U.S.) Department of State. The Secretary of State would also need to craft and issue an International Strategy for Cyberspace.House Foreign … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, Coming Events (29 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 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)
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)
Even though the staff memo is billed as addressing “Big Tech,” it might be better titled how to remake Section 230 Twitter House E&C Republicans signal areas of tech policy they may cooperate with Democrats on. Cocktail Party The minority on the primary committee of jurisdiction over the technology industry has decided to stake out … Continue reading Republican Staff Suggest Options On Regulating “Big Tech”
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 