FBI admits to buying location data of US citizens without a warrant
Privacy advocates are outraged, and for good reason
Government articles
China leads the US in the research of 37 out of 44 critical technologies, claims think tank
China has a "stunning lead" over the US
In a nutshell: The Biden administration might be limiting China's ability to manufacture advanced chips, but according to an independent think tank, the Asian nation is still ahead of the US when it comes to research in 37 out of 44 crucial and emerging technologies, including AI, defense, and key quantum tech areas.
U.S. Marshals Service hack is the latest in a string of cybersecurity "incidents" over last two weeks
The big picture: The US government has had a bad run of cybersecurity-related incidents over the last couple of weeks. In the span of 12 days, officials from the FBI, DoD, and USMS have confirmed one data leak caused by human error and two separate attacks against government systems. So far, investigators have either not found any suspects or are keeping the lid on what they have discovered.
Misconfigured government mail server spilled sensitive military data for weeks
The drip has been contained
Hackers used legitimate remote help-desk tools to scam multiple US federal agencies
Widespread campaign tricked federal employees into "refunding" bad actors fake charges
Congress refuses Army request to spend $400 million on Microsoft HoloLens-based headsets
It awarded $40 million to build a new version instead
What just happened? The controversial deal between Microsoft and the US Army for the military branch to buy 6,900 HoloLens-based headsets at the cost of $400 million has been blocked by congress. As a consolation, the government approved $40 million for Microsoft to build a new and improved version that soldiers will hopefully hate less.
The US Department of the Interior has a significant password issue
No "123456" passwords here but opsec is still very, very bad
Cities stand to lose billions in taxes thanks to work-from-home, analysts sound alarm
Let's shutdown the economy, what could possibly go wrong?
Huawei patents EUV lithography tools used to make <10nm chips
Another step towards technological self-sufficiency
Australia is considering a ban on ransom payments to hackers
But would it cause more problems than it fixes?
Joe Biden thinks Elon Musk's links with other countries should be "looked at"
Saudi Arabia's investment in Twitter could be a red flag
US government denies it is considering national security reviews of Elon Musk ventures
Twitter and SpaceX were reportedly set for review
"End Live Piracy Now" campaign demands swift action against illegal streaming in Europe
A hot potato: End Live Piracy Now is a new initiative against unlicensed streaming of live sports and events. More than 100 organizations want the EU to "end piracy" for good, with new laws that would shut pirate servers off even before a live show comes to an end. Which is easier said than done.
The White House unveils a "Bill of Rights" for artificial intelligence
Protecting citizens from ever-growing AI
US-China semiconductor battle: Second and third order consequences
Not so obvious ripple effects
Why it matters: Earlier this month, the US government blocked the sale of specific chips to anyone in China. We see this as an important change by the government in the tactics they are deploying. The United States has gone from blocking specific companies in China, to blocking all companies and focusing on specific products. This is a big change, and opens up the question -- what exactly are they hoping to achieve? This matters obviously in that it can help us predict the outcome, but we increasingly hold the view that the government may not have entirely thought through how this will ultimately play out.
Google and the US government partner to make open source chips
Google's money will be used to fund industry innovation
White House consults experts, lays down a six-point plan to increase Big Tech accountability
The Biden Administration wants to put large tech platforms on a leash
New US export rules prohibit Nvidia and AMD from selling high-end accelerators to China and Russia
The restrictions could cost Nvidia up to $400 million
Over a decade after their demise, Japan's government declares "war" on floppy disks
Fax machines and CDs are also used extensively
Philippines fraud inquiry examines government purchase of 40,000 Celeron laptops at $1,000 each
A grand for a Celeron laptop? No wonder it bought so many...
The UK will use smartwatches and facial recognition to monitor migrants convicted of crimes
Wearers must scan their faces up to five times per day
Chipmakers might soon get $52 billion CHIPS Act windfall, but there's a catch
Companies that operate in "unfriendly" countries won't see any benefits
Intel postpones groundbreaking ceremony, warns of delays at Ohio plant as CHIPS Act stalls
GlobalFoundries has also warned of expansion delays due to lack of funding
Biden administration proposes national EV charging station standards
A plan to end EV charging station deserts
Crypto crash could see El Salvador default on debt payments
Adopting Bitcoin as legal tender comes with risks