Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (5 November)

Further Reading “Confusion and conflict stir online as Trump claims victory, questions states’ efforts to count ballots” By Craig Timberg, Tony Romm, Isaac Stanley-Becker and Drew Harwell — Washington Post. When the post-mortem on the 2020 Election is written, it is likely to be the case that foreign disinformation was not the primary threat. Rather, … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (5 November) →

FTC Asks Congress For Fix Ahead of SCOTUS Decision

The Federal Trade Commission urges Congress to undo three court decisions that have weakened its enforcement powers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wrote the House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over the agency, asking for language restoring the power to seek and obtain restitution for victims of those who have violated Section 5 of the … Continue reading FTC Asks Congress For Fix Ahead of SCOTUS Decision →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (28 October)

Further Reading “Administration officials alarmed by White House push to fast track lucrative 5G spectrum contract, sources say” By Jake Tapper — CNN. A company with Karl Rove as its lobbyist may be poised to win a no-bid contract with the Department of Defense (DOD) for the commercial use of its highly sought-after mid-band spectrum … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (28 October) →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (27 October)

Further Reading “The Police Can Probably Break Into Your Phone” By Jack Nicas — The New York Times. So, about “Going Dark.” Turns out nations and law enforcement officials have either oversold the barrier that default end-to-end encryption on phones creates or did not understand the access that police were already getting to many encrypted … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (27 October) →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (26 October)

Further Reading “Google is giving data to police based on search keywords, court docs show” By Alfred Ng — c|net. Google is responding to keyword warrants where prosecutors ask the company to provide IP addresses for all people who made a certain search within a geographical area during a certain time. In the case discussed … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (26 October) →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (22 October)

Further Reading “A deepfake porn Telegram bot is being used to abuse thousands of women” By Matt Burgess — WIRED UK. A bot set loose on Telegram can take pictures of women and, apparently teens, too, and “takes off” their clothing, rendering a naked image of females who never took naked pictures. This seems to … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (22 October) →

Supreme Court Justice Weighs In On Section 230; FCC To Move Ahead on Rulemaking

A conservative Justice on the Supreme Court opines on Section 230, and then the FCC announces it will proceed with rulemaking to clarify Section 230. There continues to be intense and growing scrutiny of social media platforms that benefit from the liability shield in 47 U.S.C. 230 (Section 230), particularly from Republicans who seem intent … Continue reading Supreme Court Justice Weighs In On Section 230; FCC To Move Ahead on Rulemaking →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (15 October)

Further Reading “Amazon to escape UK digital services tax that will hit smaller traders” By Mark Sweney — The Guardian. According to media reports, the United Kingdom’s (UK) new digital services tax will not be levied on goods Amazon sells directly to consumers. Rather, the new tax HM Revenue and Customs will be on the … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (15 October) →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (14 October)

Further Reading “The Man Who Speaks Softly—and Commands a Big Cyber Army” By Garrett Graff — WIRED. A profile of General Paul Nakasone, the leader of both the United States’ National Security Agency (NSA) and Cyber Command, who has operated mostly in the background during the tumultuous Trump Administration. He has likely set the template … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (14 October) →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (13 October)

Further Reading “False Rumors Often Start at the Top” By Shira Ovide — The New York Times. This piece traces how misinformation can arise from poorly phrased or ambiguous statements and utterances from authorities or famous people. Throw in a very liberal dose of people misinterpreting, and it’s a miracle there’s any clear communication online.“With … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (13 October) →