First things first, if you would like to receive my Technology Policy Update, email me. You can find some of these Updates from 2019 here. “Taiwan joins Canada in banning Zoom for government video conferencing” – CBC and “Video service Zoom taking security seriously: U.S. government memo” – Reuters. The island nation joined Canada in … Continue reading Further Reading (11 April)
“Exclusive: U.S. officials agree on new ways to control high tech exports to China – sources” – Reuters. Sounds like internecine warfare in the Trump Administration over China trade policy has spilled out into the open again. It appears as if those in favor of stricter export restrictions are leaking the details of regulations (which … Continue reading Further Reading (5 April)
“Hackers had access to European electricity organization’s email server for weeks: report“ – cyberscoop“High-Stakes Security Setups Are Making Remote Work Impossible“ – WIRED“Federal employees may soon be ordered to work from home. That could pose serious cybersecurity risks“ – The Washington Post“Israel deploys cyber-monitoring against coronavirus, tells people not to leave home“ – Reuters“U.S. government, … Continue reading Further Reading (27 March)
“The Pentagon Is Sitting on a Chunk of Valuable Airwaves. Why?“ – Politico. This comprehensive primer on U.S. spectrum issues points to a major stumbling block in trying to beat China in the 5G race: the Department of Defense currently controls the valuable mid-band spectrum that experts and private sector stakeholders argue is best suited … Continue reading Further Reading (March 9)
“Senior intelligence official told lawmakers that Russia wants to see Trump reelected” – Washington Post and “Lawmakers Are Warned That Russia Is Meddling to Re-elect Trump” – New York Times. According to these accounts of a briefing provided to the House Intelligence Committee by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the status … Continue reading Further Reading (March 2)
“‘The intelligence coup of the century’” – The Washington Post. A fascinating read of how the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency and West Germany’s intelligence agency used a Swiss company, Crypto AG, to sell encryption machines to the governments of many countries that enabled the agencies to spy on their communications. This operation … Continue reading Further Reading (February 27)
“Tech’s liability shield becomes trade-deal flashpoint“ – Axios. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced her late opposition to including language in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) of language granting liability protection for social media platforms akin to Section 230. Pelosi echoed House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg … Continue reading Further Reading (December 17)
“Big Tech’s Big Defector“ – The New Yorker. Roger McNamee was one of the pioneer investors in Silicon Valley, including companies like Facebook, and now condemns many of the data privacy practices the largest technology engage in. This article surveys a number of possible remedies, including banning transfers of data to third parties, imposing a … Continue reading Further Reading (December 8)
“Meet The Immigrants Who Took On Amazon” – Wired. This article traces a burgeoning movement of workers at an Amazon fulfillment center in Minneapolis-St. Paul comprised largely of Somali immigrants to win some concessions from management. The article also traces Amazon’s view on unionizing (not surprisingly, it’s not favorable) and its employment practices. Whether the … Continue reading Further Reading (23 November)
“The Porch Pirate of Potrero Hill Can’t Believe It Came to This" – The Atlantic. How technology intersects with and possibly exacerbates long entrenched societal problems. A fascinating read starting with someone stealing Amazon packages in a rapidly gentrifying San Francisco neighborhood.“Why Do We Tolerate Saudi Money in Tech?” – The New York Times and … Continue reading Further Reading (15 November)
Michael Kans 