Last week's cyberattack on computers in multiple countries via ransomware known as "WannaCry" has made numerous headlines and sparked much discussion and criticism. One side of the story of this major security breach to receive less attention, however, is the light it shines on the cozy relationship between major tech companies and the National Security … Continue reading WCry ransomware attack exposes murky NSA-corporate ties yet again
Tag: fbi
As the U.S. carries on its "counter-terror" crusade against a wide range of non-state actors within its own borders and outside of them into an era of ever-increasing information flows, the Pentagon is having trouble keeping up with its own intelligence collection capabilities. "The Department of Defense is grappling with an overwhelming preponderance of data, … Continue reading More A.I. suggested as solution to Pentagon intel overload problem
A linguist, left, shares a smartphone device with a Afghan Army command sergeant major during a security meeting at the Qara Bagh district's center in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, July 16, 2012. Smartphone devices are increasing in use on the battlefield in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense. In 2015, the U.S. officially ended … Continue reading A military-grade ‘Wikipedia’ app for cross-cultural understanding?
Following protests and rioting in Berkeley, California last week over a scheduled -- and then cancelled -- appearance by conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos that brought condemnation from President Donald Trump, and new executive orders signed this week including one aimed at "preventing violence" against law enforcement, many are wondering how aggressively the new administration plans … Continue reading Activism and ‘extremism’ in the era of Trump
Every year the Federal Bureau of Investigation issues tens of thousands of "National Security Letters." These demands for information from communications service providers are a key component in the U.S. government's domestic surveillance apparatus, yet the details of how they are used were long kept largely secret from the public. This has begun to change … Continue reading Critics question FBI use of National Security Letters
The US government's use of unmanned drones has been an open secret for some time. It has been over three years since President Obama admitted that multiple Americans have been killed in drone strikes overseas, and also since the FBI admitted to using surveillance drones to monitor US citizens. This year, the Pentagon has even … Continue reading Drone security lags behind counter-drone tech
In a post last week on Lawfare, a blog published in cooperation with the Brookings Institute, former National Counterterrorism Center official Walter Haydock argues that "Artificial Intelligence Targeting Personas" -- an obscure term that does not appear to have been used before publicly, if at all -- could be harnessed in the fight against online … Continue reading Counter-terror chatbots plan would automate entrapment trolling
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
Following news today that a National Security Agency contractor, Harold Thomas Martin, was arrested over a month ago and secretly detained since then for allegedly stealing classified documents, many questions remain unanswered, but some details are known. Martin worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, the same defense and intelligence community contractor that whistleblower Edward Snowden had been … Continue reading Detained NSA contractor doesn’t fit ‘insider threat’ profile, raising questions
It may not come as a huge surprise that the company embroiled in controversy following today's groundbreaking Reuters report on surveillance is Yahoo, as the internet search and email giant was one of several major tech companies exposed as being accessible to the National Security Agency's Prism program in 2013. It is certainly shocking to … Continue reading Yahoo revelations expand known scope of NSA mass surveillance
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