Amazon Web Services last week unveiled a new cloud computing "secret region" to store classified information for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other members of the American intelligence community. In 2013 it was revealed that the CIA was pursuing a $600 million cloud computing contract with Amazon, in what The Atlantic has described as … Continue reading Amazon’s new ‘secret region’ for the CIA
Tag: national security
It's been a busy year for American arms sales -- "busier than ever" as one official put it in June. In the first eight months of 2017, by the latest count, the total value of U.S. "arms transfer notifications" has almost doubled compared to the same period last year, reaching $48 billion. The Trump administration's … Continue reading U.S. plans even more aid for state-subsidized arms exporters
As tweet-storm controversies and allegations and investigations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election continue, President Donald Trump is having trouble -- for reasons both self-made and external -- filling vacancies in top jobs throughout the federal government. Trump has recently announced a few nominations. These include Richard V. Spencer (not to be confused with … Continue reading Key federal jobs vacant under chaotic Trump administration
In the wake of high-profile leaks of government secrets in recent years such as those by Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, and most recently the CIA revelations from Wikileaks, the "insider threat" has become a prominent concern in national security circles. It is not surprising, then, that someone has now suggested another popular buzzword -- … Continue reading Automation suggested as ‘insider threat’ solution
Among other unprecedented steps, President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration includes a temporarily ban on immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries -- Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia -- with the ostensible goal of preventing terrorism. For a variety of reasons, however, close observers of Islamist extremism say that Trump's plan will only … Continue reading Trump’s Muslim ban is the recruiting tool ISIS has dreamed of, experts say
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
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump outlined the first concrete details of his controversial new immigration plans. Already, the initial steps announced so far appear poised to disrupt the lives of millions of people living in the U.S. They include the beginning of work on Trump's long-promised border wall, cutting federal funding to "sanctuary" states and … Continue reading Trump says nation needs border wall, perhaps also CIA black sites beyond borders
Despite opposition from Saudi Arabia and the European Union, despite opinion pieces published by major outlets like CNN and the Atlantic urging President Obama to veto a bill allowing 9/11 victims' families to sue the Saudi government, which he did last week, Congress voted overwhelmingly today to override the president's veto for the first time … Continue reading Obama, CIA express disappointment, disbelief following veto override
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