First, subscribe to my newsletter, The Wavelength, if you want all the content on my blog delivered to your inbox four times a week. More than a year after Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorities expired, there are no clear plans for Congress to reauthorize these provisions Twitter The received wisdom in Washington was a … Continue reading FISA Reauthorization Still Pending
Other Developments The Facebook Oversight Board has “upheld” Facebook’s decision to shutter former President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram account. The Board stated Facebook needs to decide within six months on a penalty appropriate to Trump’s violations instead of the indefinite suspension it levied after the attack on the United States Capitol on 6 January … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Event (10 May 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)
Technology programs would see significant increases in funding under the Biden Administration’s first budget plan. As has become customary, the Biden Administration has released a summary of its first budget request instead of a full budget. The $1.5 trillion dollar plan would radically remake the federal government by providing more to the domestic side of … Continue reading First Biden Budget Request
The IC updates Congress on worldwide threats, and the Biden Administration responds to Russian hacks and election interference. On the second day the leaders of the United States (U.S.) Intelligence Community (IC) were testifying before Congress on the global threat landscape, the Biden Administration ratchets up the sanctions on the Russian Federation for the SolarWinds … Continue reading A Grim Picture and To Russia With Love
Other Developments The White House has finally named its nominees to be the first National Cyber Director and the next Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director. In a statement, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced that President Joe Biden’s intention “to nominate Chris Inglis as National Cyber Director and Jen Easterly as the Director … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Events (13 April 2021)
Technology programs would see significant increases in funding under the Biden Administration’s first budget plan. As has become customary, the Biden Administration has released a summary of its first budget request instead of a full budget. The $1.5 trillion dollar plan would radically remake the federal government by providing more to the domestic side of … Continue reading First Biden Budget Request
Other Developments The Biden Administration announced it had triggered the response framework laid out in Presidential Policy Directive 41 (PPD-41) in response to the Microsoft Exchange hack that includes private sector stakeholders for the first time. In a statement, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated that “the National Security Council (NSC) established a Unified … Continue reading Other Developments, Further Reading, and Coming Events (24 March 2021)
Congress starts chewing over the hack of agencies and companies, hinting at policy prescriptions. The first public hearing on the massive hack associated with SolarWinds and most likely perpetrated by the Russian intelligence services occurred this week. The Senate Intelligence Committee heard from private sector witnesses, including from SolarWinds, in what will be the first … Continue reading Senate Intelligence Views SolarWinds From The Private Sector Perspective
Further Reading “India cuts internet around New Delhi as protesting farmers clash with police” By Esha Mitra and Julia Hollingsworth — CNN; “Twitter Temporarily Blocked Accounts Critical Of The Indian Government” By Pranav Dixit — BuzzFeed News. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government again shut down the internet as a way of managing unrest or discontent … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (16 February 2021)
Michael Kans 