The focus was on how the U.S. and EU can reach agreement on an arrangement that will not be struck down by the EU’s highest court. Last week, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on the now invalidated European Union (EU)-United States (U.S.) Privacy Shield, a mechanism that allowed companies to … Continue reading Privacy Shield Hearing
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 … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (10 December)
Further Reading “Secret Amazon Reports Expose the Company’s Surveillance of Labor and Environmental Groups” By Lauren Kaori Gurley — Vice’s Motherboard. Yet another article by Vice drawing back the curtain on Amazon’s labor practices, especially its apparently fervent desire to stop unionizing. This piece shines light on the company’s Global Security Operations Center that tracks … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (9 December)
The UK seeks to remake its telecommunications sector, especially its security and supply chain risk aspects. The government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson has released its telecommunications legislation that would delineate the United Kingdom’s (UK) approach to managing “high risk” companies such as Huawei. The Telecommunications (Security) Bill would reform how the UK regulates the … Continue reading Johnson’s Government Unveils Telecoms Bill
There are AI, 5G, and supply chain provisions in the national security policy bill the Armed Services Committee have agreed upon. So, it appears I failed to include all the technology goodies to be found in the final FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). And so, I will cover the provisions I missed yesterday … Continue reading Final NDAA Agreement, Part II
Further Reading “How Misinformation ‘Superspreaders’ Seed False Election Theories” By Sheera Frenkel — The New York Times. A significant percentage of lies, misinformation, and disinformation about the legitimacy of the election have been disseminated by a small number of right-wing figures, which are then repeated, reposted, and retweeted. The Times relies on research of how … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (4 December)
TikTok sues to block the CFIUS order that it divest and the Trump Administration files an appeal of an injunction. Even though the Trump Administration’s efforts to implement its ban of TikTok have gone nowhere as numerous courts have enjoined the enforcement of the orders, TikTok filed suit against the related order that the company … Continue reading Further Action On TikTok Divestment and Ban But No Changes
Further Reading “How the U.S. Military Buys Location Data from Ordinary Apps” By Joseph Cox — Vice’s Motherboard. This article confirms the entirely foreseeable: the Department of Defense and its contractors are obtaining and using personal information from smartphones all over the world. Given this practice is common in United States’ (U.S.) law enforcement agencies, … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (17 November)
Further Reading “Trump’s refusal to begin the transition could damage cybersecurity” By Joseph Marks — The Washington Post. Former executive branch officials, some of whom served at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are warning that the Trump Administration’s refusal to start the transition to the Biden Administration may harm the United States’ (U.S.) ability … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (16 November)
Further Reading “ICE, IRS Explored Using Hacking Tools, New Documents Show” By Joseph Cox — Vice. Federal agencies other than the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Intelligence Community (IC) appear to be interesting in utilizing some of the capabilities offered by the private sector to access devices or networks in the name of … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (11 November)
Michael Kans 