1. Monthly archive
  2. February 2016

February 2016

Pentagon admits it is 'looking to accelerate' cyberattacks against ISIS

The Pentagon has acknowledged using its storehouse of new digital weapons to attack Islamic State communications networks, the first time that the US military has acknowledged doing so during an active war. Operators from the US Cyber Command, the young military command twinned to the National Security Agency, have launched assaults on nodes, overloading them with data, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said. Sec Carter said the US was “looking to accelerate” cyberstrikes he likened to the traditional disruption of enemy command networks. The US cyberattacks, which Sec Carter said complemented familiar methods of signal jamming over radio frequencies, seek to instill a loss of confidence in the security and efficacy of internal Isis communications. Analysts who have long tracked the development and incorporation of digital weapons into the US military arsenal considered Sec Carter’s acknowledgment to be a milestone.

Emerging tools for cities to address the digital divide

[Commentary] Recently, the New York Times ran an article on how the digital divide particularly affects schoolchildren, creating what they termed a “homework gap.” The article illustrates vividly what has been clear, at least since the 2010 National Broadband Plan advocated universal adoption—that today, a person’s full participation in the economy and civic life requires connectivity.

An outcome of the plan’s discussions included various private efforts, such as Cox Cable’s program and Comcast’s Internet Essentials, now the largest program connecting low-income Americans to broadband. AT&T and other telecommunication companies offer similar programs. Google also entered the space, including in its first fiber roll-out an inexpensive option—a one time connection fee of $300, payable over time but no monthly service charge—for a 5Mbps service, priced well below the comparable DSL service. Google also supports programs like Digital Inclusion Fellows, to help aid local training sessions. What’s great about these private efforts, which will enjoy increased momentum when the Federal Communications Commission reforms Lifeline, is they demonstrate how market forces are taking hold and spurring behavior common to more competitive markets: experimentation and adjustments to find more effective ways to bring customers value. Market forces along will not solve the adoption issue, but market forces, particularly if supported by smarter government, can accelerate the closing of the digital divide.

Sen Franken Seeks Answers From Clear Channel

Sen Al Franken (D-MN) wants information from Clear Channel Outdoor Americas about its new Radar service. Citing a story in The New York Times about the service, which is launching in 11 cities, Sen Franken said he was alarmed by the report that it was teaming with AT&T, among others, to track cellphone location data to target advertising campaigns. “I am concerned about the extent to which Clear Channel may be collecting Americans’ personal information, including sensitive location data, and sharing that information without people’s knowledge or consent,” wrote Sen Franken, the Ranking Member and former chair of the Senate Privacy and Technology Subcommittee. “I believe Americans have a fundamental right to privacy, and that right includes an individual’s access to information about what data are being collected about them, how the data are being treated, and with whom the data are being shared.”

Sen Franken said Clear Channel’s privacy policy is unclear, and wanted responses to a number of questions, including how the information collected is randomized, whether it is retained, and wants a list of all the outside parties that share consumer information with Clear Channel, a division of media company iHeartMedia.

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