The Pentagon is not known for good bookkeeping. As some readers may recall, the Defense Department's Inspector General reported in June that the DoD cannot account for trillions in spending. So the release of a definite number last week - $58 billion - might come as a relief - except that it's not an amount … Continue reading $58 billion in cancelled DoD projects just a drop in a bucket of unknown depth
Month: October 2016
Another day, another media freakout over the alleged Wikileaks-Russian axis of hacking. On Monday, it was Marc Thiessen of the American Enterprise Institute and the Washington Post's turn to attack Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who, according to Thiessen "is the devil." Thiessen asserts that the media is being hypocritical and irresponsible in not reporting on … Continue reading Assange ‘is the devil,’ but is he a ‘cyber combatant’?
A new report published this month from House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) titled "Cash to Chaos: Dismantling ISIS’ Financial Infrastructure" explores in some detail the various funding sources behind the Islamic State extremist group operating in Iraq and Syria. "ISIS’ march across the globe is fueled not just by a hateful ideology—but … Continue reading ISIS cashes in on US-sponsored chaos
With the U.S. presidential election less than three weeks away, many Americans remain focused on domestic politics, or in foreign affairs, on the escalating tensions with Russia over the war in Syria. In other news, however, the U.S. is also escalating its role in an array of other conflicts across the Middle East -- and … Continue reading As Americans focus on election, U.S. steps up involvement in several wars
Adm. Mike Rogers, the "dual-hatted" head of both the National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Cyber Command (Cybercom), repeated his position Tuesday that the two agencies should be split and run separately, saying it is only a matter of “the right time” and “the right process.” The proposed move is opposed by some including Senate Armed … Continue reading Proposed NSA-Cybercom split comes as govt. looks to justify cyberattacks
From the late 1990s until just under a year ago, UK intelligence agencies MI5, MI6 and GCHQ illegally collected data on citizens, according to a new ruling from the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which oversees the spy services. The tribunal found that for 17 years, from the mass surveillance programs' inception in 1998 until last November, … Continue reading UK court rules spy agencies illegally collected data, can continue surveillance
President Obama spoke at the "White House Frontiers Conference" in Pennsylvania on Thursday, discussing a wide range of technology-related issues with other panelists, from artificial intelligence to healthcare to cybersecurity. If you are reading this post, though, it may be because you maintain a healthy skepticism towards the "tech sector" or the "innovation space" or … Continue reading Obama talks tech, cybersecurity, censorship at White House conference
The United States on Thursday launched cruise missile strikes that destroyed three radar sites on the coast of Yemen, retaliating following missile attacks against a U.S. Navy destroyer earlier this week, but also escalating a conflict that threatens to further entangle America in yet another war in the Middle East. The missile launches mark the … Continue reading U.S. steps up involvement in Yemen conflict
The American Civil Liberties Union of California revealed on Tuesday that it has obtained records from prominent social media companies showing that up until recently they had agreements with a controversial data mining company called Geofeedia that markets its social media surveillance services to law enforcement agencies. The companies named in the ACLU report -- … Continue reading Facebook let surveillance company monitor its favorite protest group
At the second presidential election debate of 2016 on Sunday, the candidates were asked what they would do to help Muslim Americans deal with being labeled as threats to the country as a result of rising Islamophobia in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. Neither had much to say that Muslims could have found very … Continue reading Syrian refugees catch jihadist the day after candidates scold a whole religion
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