Digital Government

Moscow Retaliates as Online Giants Take Steps to Stem Disinformation

As Kremlin limits access to Twitter and Facebook, Western observers say the tech companies' moves are years late.

Ideas

School Surveillance of Students Via Laptops May Do More Harm than Good

School laptop surveillance systems monitor students even when they’re not in school.

Cybersecurity

Facebook Can Sue Israel’s NSO Group, Appeals Court Says

The case against the NSO Group appears to scratch the surface of problematic commercial hacking tools sold at arms markets, which the U.S. government has only just begun trying to control.

Cybersecurity

CISA Warns of Vulnerabilities in Banned Chinese Surveillance Tech

The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on tightening its national security reviews of foreign suppliers.

Emerging Tech

Facial Recognition Tech Use Increasing Among Federal Agencies

Use cases included criminal investigations, building security and access to digital assets like smartphones and security agency websites.

Ideas

What Is Pegasus? A Cybersecurity Expert Explains How the Spyware Invades Phones and What It Does When It Gets In

Since 2019, Pegasus users have been able to install the software on smartphones with a missed call on WhatsApp.

Emerging Tech

Lawmakers Renew Effort to Ban Federal Agencies from Using Facial Recognition Tech

The reintroduced bill would prohibit agencies from using biometric tech and block federal funds for biometric surveillance systems.

Artificial Intelligence

South Korea to Add Robots-on-Rails and AI Surveillance to DMZ Border

The demilitarized zone between North and South Korea will be getting new surveillance technologies in the coming months, Korean news outlets report.

Digital Government

No Domestic Surveillance Authorities Needed, NSA Director Reiterates

Instead, Gen. Paul Nakasone and other intelligence community leaders want better public-private partnerships to address “blind spots” in the cyber realm.

Cybersecurity

Director Says NSA’s Domestic Surveillance Authority ‘Rightly’ Limited

Gen. Paul Nakasone, who oversees both the intelligence agency and U.S. Cyber Command, stressed the need for greater visibility through private-sector information streams.

Digital Government

Customs and Border Protection Behind on Deploying Border Surveillance Tech, DHS OIG Finds

But President Joe Biden’s new immigration bill calls for more “smart technology” at the border.

Emerging Tech

Biometrics in Action

Federal agencies ramped up the use and scope of facial recognition tools in 2020, expanding programs to target more people and making significant technology upgrades.

Emerging Tech

Intel, Nvidia Face Questions from Lawmakers on Sale of Supercomputing Chips to China

The legislators’ probe follows reports that U.S.-built technology is underpinning the mass surveillance of Uighurs and others.

Digital Government

DHS IG Opens Probe into Warrantless Cellphone Tracking

The investigation is in response to a Congressional inquiry about Customs and Border Protection getting location data from phones.

Digital Government

Senators Urge Investigation After CBP Admits to Warrantless Cell Phone Surveillance

Customs and Border Protection, part of the Department of Homeland Security, told senators it uses a commercial database to conduct warrantless tracking of people inside the United States.

Digital Government

Lawmakers: Did DHS Surveil Portland Protesters’ Phones?

Lawmakers want to know if federal agencies intercepted messages or collected cellphone data—including through commercial sources—during Portland protests.