Tech Policy Leaders

Darell West: AI, the Future of Work, and the Future of America (Ep. 137) Bio

Darrell M. West (@darrwest) is the vice president and director of Governance Studies and Director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution and Editor-in-Chief of TechTank. His current research focuses on technology, mass media, campaigns and elections, and public sector innovation. Prior to coming to Brookings, West was the John Hazen White Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University.

West is the author or co-author of 23 books including The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation(Brookings Institution Press, 2018), Megachange: Economic Disruption, Political Upheaval, and Social Strife in the 21st Century (Brookings Institution Press, 2016), Going Mobile: How Wireless Technology is Reshaping Our Lives (Brookings Institution Press, 2015), Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust(Brookings Institution Press, 2014), Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education (Brookings, 2012), The Next Wave: Using Digital Technology to Further Social and Political Innovation (Brookings, 2011), Brain Gain: Rethinking U.S. Immigration Policy (Brookings, 2010), Digital Medicine: Health Care in the Internet Era (Brookings, 2009), Digital Government: Technology and Public Sector Performance, (Princeton University Press, 2005), Air Wars: Television Advertising in Election Campaigns (Congressional Quarterly Press, 2005), Cross Talk: Citizens, Candidates, and the Media in a Presidential Campaign(University of Chicago Press, 1996) The Sound of Money: How Political Interests Get What They Want (W. W. Norton, 1998), Biotechnology Policy Across National Boundaries (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007), and Patrick Kennedy: The Rise to Power (Prentice-Hall, 2000), among others.

He is the winner of the American Political Science Association's Don K. Price award for best book on technology (for Digital Government) and the American Political Science Association's Doris Graber award for best book on political communications (for Cross Talk). He has published more than three dozen scholarly articles in a wide range of academic journals. In 2014, he was honored by Public Administration Review for having written one of the 75 most influential articles since 1940. This was for his article "E-Government and the Transformation of Service Delivery and Citizen Attitudes."

He has delivered many lectures in more than a dozen different countries around the world, including Malaysia, Singapore, Norway, China, Japan, Russia, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Bahrain, and the United States. He has been quoted in leading newspapers, radio stations, and national television networks around the world.

The Center that he directs at Brookings examines a wide range of topics related to technology innovation including governance, democracy, and public sector innovation; health information technology; virtual education, and green technology. Its mission is to identify key developments in technology innovation, undertake cutting-edge research, disseminate best practices broadly, inform policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels about actions needed to improve innovation, and enhance the public's and media's understanding of technology innovation.

Resources

Inside Politics

The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation (Brookings Institution Press, 2018)

Brookings Center for Technology Innovation

Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz (HarperCollins, 2017)

News Roundup Federal watchdog: FCC's ORielly violated Hatch Act

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the federal ethics authority, warned Republican FCC Commission Mike O'Rielly that O'Rielly violated the Hatch Act, according to a letter it wrote to the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from using their official authority to influence or affect an election. At a panel discussion of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February, O'Rielly stated ,"I think what we can do is make sure as conservatives that we elect good people to both the House, the Senate and make sure that President Trump gets reelected." OSC did say, however, that merely appearing at the event was not a violation.

Comcast aims for 21st Century Fox

Comcast is preparing an all-cash $60 billion bid for 21st Century Fox, according to Reuters. This exceeds Disney's current $52 billion proposal. But Comcast says it'll wait for regulators to decide the fate of AT&T's proposed takeover of Time Warner, before making a formal offer.

Tensions mount between U.S. and China over Telecom/5G

Tensions between the U.S. and China are beginning to mount over national security concerns related to Chinese telecommunications equipment, and the two countries' race to lead the world in 5G. Cecilia Kang and Ana Swanson report in the New York Times that the White House is considering further restricting the sale of telecom equipment manufactured in China. The FCC and Commerce Department have already restricted government contractors from purchasing telecommunications equipment from companies like ZTE, which the Commerce Department says failed to punish employees for violating U.S. sanctions.

China's Ministry of Commerce told a U.S. trade delegation that visited Beijing last week that the ZTE ban would severely hurt the company. Se Young Lee and Lusha Zhang report in Reuters.

N.S.A.'s collection of data from U.S. phone companies is up threefold since 2016

Charlie Savage reports in the New York Times that the National Security Agency collected three times more data than it did in 2016. The NSA collected some 534 million phone call and text message records from telecommunications companies.

FCC begins shift of $9 Billion in Universal Service funds from BofA to Treasury

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has begun moving $9 billion that's used for the universal service fund from Bank of America to the Treasury Department. Democratic Commissioners Rosenworcel and Clyburn say moving the funds is a shame because it foregoes some $50 million in annual interest income that could have been used to provide further subsidies. Todd Shields reports in Bloomberg.

Velázquez and 46 members of Congress urge the FCC to preserve Lifeline

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai made a proposal recently to rollback the federal Lifeline program, a program that subsidizes communications services for low-income Americans. In a letter she wrote along with 47 Members of Congress, New York Representative Nydia Velázquez says rolling the program back would result in 75 percent of existing customers in Puerto Rico losing their telecommunications carrier.

Cambridge Analytica declares bankruptcy

Cambridge Analytica has declared bankruptcy and is ceasing operations. The company began losing clients following the investigation into its alleged work to use the personal data of millions on Facebook to help get Donald Trump elected. However, the UK's investigation of Cambridge Analytica is still ongoing, despite the bankruptcy, according to the Associated Press.

CBC Releases vision for shared prosperity in tech

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) released last week its Tech 2020 set of principles. The principles include proposals for STEAM education and job training, making tech available and affordable, addressing the economic stability of communities, recruiting and retaining black talent, and targeting investment in diverse companies and communities.

Melania Trump announces platform

Melania Trump announced a platform focused on children's issues. It's dubbed "Be Best" and it will have three components: well being, social media use (including cyberbullying) and opioid abuse.

Google and Facebook announce ban on bail bond ads

Google and Facebook announced that they would ban ads for bail bonds. Google said it would officially start banning the ads in July. Google's Global Product Policy Director David Graff said the bail bond providers make most of their revenue from low income areas and communities of color. Facebook has plans to ban the ads as well, but it's still working out the details.

Darell West: AI, the Future of Work, and the Future of America (Ep. 137) Bio

Darrell M. West (@darrwest) is the vice president and director of Governance Studies and Director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution and Editor-in-Chief of TechTank. His current research focuses on technology, mass media, campaigns and elections, and public sector innovation. Prior to coming to Brookings, West was the John Hazen White Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University.

West is the author or co-author of 23 books including The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation(Brookings Institution Press, 2018), Megachange: Economic Disruption, Political Upheaval, and Social Strife in the 21st Century (Brookings Institution Press, 2016), Going Mobile: How Wireless Technology is Reshaping Our Lives (Brookings Institution Press, 2015), Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust(Brookings Institution Press, 2014), Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education (Brookings, 2012), The Next Wave: Using Digital Technology to Further Social and Political Innovation (Brookings, 2011), Brain Gain: Rethinking U.S. Immigration Policy (Brookings, 2010), Digital Medicine: Health Care in the Internet Era (Brookings, 2009), Digital Government: Technology and Public Sector Performance, (Princeton University Press, 2005), Air Wars: Television Advertising in Election Campaigns (Congressional Quarterly Press, 2005), Cross Talk: Citizens, Candidates, and the Media in a Presidential Campaign(University of Chicago Press, 1996) The Sound of Money: How Political Interests Get What They Want (W. W. Norton, 1998), Biotechnology Policy Across National Boundaries (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007), and Patrick Kennedy: The Rise to Power (Prentice-Hall, 2000), among others.

He is the winner of the American Political Science Association’s Don K. Price award for best book on technology (for Digital Government) and the American Political Science Association’s Doris Graber award for best book on political communications (for Cross Talk). He has published more than three dozen scholarly articles in a wide range of academic journals. In 2014, he was honored by Public Administration Review for having written one of the 75 most influential articles since 1940. This was for his article “E-Government and the Transformation of Service Delivery and Citizen Attitudes.”

He has delivered many lectures in more than a dozen different countries around the world, including Malaysia, Singapore, Norway, China, Japan, Russia, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Bahrain, and the United States. He has been quoted in leading newspapers, radio stations, and national television networks around the world.

The Center that he directs at Brookings examines a wide range of topics related to technology innovation including governance, democracy, and public sector innovation; health information technology; virtual education, and green technology. Its mission is to identify key developments in technology innovation, undertake cutting-edge research, disseminate best practices broadly, inform policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels about actions needed to improve innovation, and enhance the public’s and media’s understanding of technology innovation.

Resources

Inside Politics

The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation (Brookings Institution Press, 2018)

Brookings Center for Technology Innovation

Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz (HarperCollins, 2017)

News Roundup Federal watchdog: FCC’s ORielly violated Hatch Act

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the federal ethics authority, warned Republican FCC Commission Mike O’Rielly that O’Rielly violated the Hatch Act, according to a letter it wrote to the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from using their official authority to influence or affect an election. At a panel discussion of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February, O’Rielly stated ,“I think what we can do is make sure as conservatives that we elect good people to both the House, the Senate and make sure that President Trump gets reelected.” OSC did say, however, that merely appearing at the event was not a violation.

Comcast aims for 21st Century Fox

Comcast is preparing an all-cash $60 billion bid for 21st Century Fox, according to Reuters. This exceeds Disney’s current $52 billion proposal. But Comcast says it’ll wait for regulators to decide the fate of AT&T’s proposed takeover of Time Warner, before making a formal offer.

Tensions mount between U.S. and China over Telecom/5G

Tensions between the U.S. and China are beginning to mount over national security concerns related to Chinese telecommunications equipment, and the two countries’ race to lead the world in 5G. Cecilia Kang and Ana Swanson report in the New York Times that the White House is considering further restricting the sale of telecom equipment manufactured in China. The FCC and Commerce Department have already restricted government contractors from purchasing telecommunications equipment from companies like ZTE, which the Commerce Department says failed to punish employees for violating U.S. sanctions.

China’s Ministry of Commerce told a U.S. trade delegation that visited Beijing last week that the ZTE ban would severely hurt the company. Se Young Lee and Lusha Zhang report in Reuters.

N.S.A.’s collection of data from U.S. phone companies is up threefold since 2016

Charlie Savage reports in the New York Times that the National Security Agency collected three times more data than it did in 2016. The NSA collected some 534 million phone call and text message records from telecommunications companies.

FCC begins shift of $9 Billion in Universal Service funds from BofA to Treasury

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has begun moving $9 billion that’s used for the universal service fund from Bank of America to the Treasury Department. Democratic Commissioners Rosenworcel and Clyburn say moving the funds is a shame because it foregoes some $50 million in annual interest income that could have been used to provide further subsidies. Todd Shields reports in Bloomberg.

Velázquez and 46 members of Congress urge the FCC to preserve Lifeline

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai made a proposal recently to rollback the federal Lifeline program, a program that subsidizes communications services for low-income Americans. In a letter she wrote along with 47 Members of Congress, New York Representative Nydia Velázquez says rolling the program back would result in 75 percent of existing customers in Puerto Rico losing their telecommunications carrier.

Cambridge Analytica declares bankruptcy

Cambridge Analytica has declared bankruptcy and is ceasing operations. The company began losing clients following the investigation into its alleged work to use the personal data of millions on Facebook to help get Donald Trump elected. However, the UK’s investigation of Cambridge Analytica is still ongoing, despite the bankruptcy, according to the Associated Press.

CBC Releases vision for shared prosperity in tech

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) released last week its Tech 2020 set of principles. The principles include proposals for STEAM education and job training, making tech available and affordable, addressing the economic stability of communities, recruiting and retaining black talent, and targeting investment in diverse companies and communities.

Melania Trump announces platform

Melania Trump announced a platform focused on children’s issues. It’s dubbed “Be Best” and it will have three components: well being, social media use (including cyberbullying) and opioid abuse.

Google and Facebook announce ban on bail bond ads

Google and Facebook announced that they would ban ads for bail bonds. Google said it would officially start banning the ads in July. Google’s Global Product Policy Director David Graff said the bail bond providers make most of their revenue from low income areas and communities of color. Facebook has plans to ban the ads as well, but it’s still working out the details.

Chelsea Barabas: How to balance AI and criminal justice (Ep. 136)

MIT Research Scientist Chelsea Barabas and Joe Miller discuss how to balance AI and criminal justice to affect better defendant outcomes.

Bio

Chelsea Barabas (@chels_bar) is a research scientist at MIT, where she examines the spread of algorithmic decision making tools in the US criminal justice system.

Formerly, Chelsea was the Head of Social Innovation with the MIT Media Lab's Digital Currency Initiative. She has worked on a wide range of issues related to the use of emerging technologies to serve the public good around the world.

Chelsea's graduate research at MIT was on understanding the U.S.'s ongoing struggle to cultivate and hire a diverse technical workforce, and she conducted her graduate thesis in partnership with Code2040. She attended Stanford as an undergraduate, where she earned a B.A. in Sociology.

Resources

Chelsea Barabas, Karthik Dinakar, Joichi Ito, Madars Virza, and Jonathan Zittrain. 2018. Interventions over Predictions: Reframing the Ethical Debate for Actuarial Risk Assessment. In Proceedings of the Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAT*) conference (FAT* 2018). ACM, New York, NY, USA.

Virginia Eubanks, Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor (2018)

News Roundup T-Mobile and Sprint announce merger plans

T-Mobile and Sprint have announced merger plans again. It's a $27 billion deal that would include Softbank giving up control of Sprint. The combined company would be called T-Mobile and, with 98 million subscribers, the combined company would become the second largest wireless carrier, behind Verizon's 116 million. Brian Fung and Tony Romm report in the Washington Post.

Comcast launches bidding war against Fox for Sky

Comcast announced that it would seek to acquire European pay TV provider Sky for $31 billion. The Murdoch's 21st Century Fox already has a bid for Sky on the table, but it's $15 billion lower than Comcast's, even though Fox already has a 39% stake in Sky. 21st Century Fox had rejected a separate bid by Comcast to acquire Fox's entertainment assets, which Disney is now planning to purchase for $52.4 billion, which was also lower than Comcast's proposal. Shalani Ramachandran, Amol Sharma and David Benoit report in the Wall Street Journal.

EU investigates Apple's Shazam bid

EU antitrust regulators are investigating whether Apple's bid for music identification service Shazam is anticompetitive. Apple had announced back in December that it was looking to acquire Shazam for an undisclosed amount. The EU is concerned the acquisition could limit consumer choice. Foo Yun Chee has more at Reuters.

Senate confirms Nakasone to Lead NSA/Cyber Command

The Senate unanimously confirmed U.S. Army Command Chief Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone to serve as both the head of the National Security Administration and U.S. Cyber Command. He'll replace Mike Rogers. Nakasone will also get a fourth star.

SEC fines company formerly known as Yahoo! $35 million

The Securities and Exchange Commission fined Altaba, the company that now owns Yahoo!'s remaining assets, over $35 million. The fine is for failing to disclose a 2014 data breach that compromised the data of over 500 million Yahoo! users. Jacob Katrenakes reports in the Verge.

FTC warns app firms about collecting children's data

The Federal Trade Commission has warned app firms in China and Sweden about collecting the data of U.S. children. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act prohibits the collection of such data and applies to foreign companies. The China based- Gator Group and Sweden-based Tinitell, both sell smartwatches to children.

In other news related to Children's privacy, YouTube has announced new parental controls for YouTube kids. Parents will now be able to limit recommendations and suggestions will now be made by humans.

Did Diamond and Silk commit perjury?

In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee last week, conservative African American internet personalities Diamond and Silk said under oath that President Trump's 2016 presidential campaign never paid them. But there's a 2016 Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing showing that the campaign paid them $1,275 for "field consulting". Harper Neidig reports in the Hill.

CBC members to meet in Silicon Valley to discuss diversity

The Congressional Black Caucus is sending the largest delegation of lawmakers it has ever sent to Silicon Valley to discuss diversity. Just 3% of Silicon Valley tech workers are black, according to a Center for Investigative Reporting study. Shirin Ghaffary reports in Recode.

Facebook warns SEC about more data misuse

In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Facebook indicated that additional reports of the misuse of user data are likely forthcoming. The social media giant said it is conducting a third-party audit which it anticipates will reveal additional improprieties.

Google's Sergey Brin warns about AI threat

Finally, Google co-founder Sergey Brin warned in the company's annual Founders' Letter about the future of AI and the fact that it is already transforming everything from self-driving cars to planetary discovery. Brin said he is optimistic about Artificial Intelligence and said that Alphabet is giving serious consideration to the ways in which AI will affect employment, how developers can control for bias in their algorithms, and the potential for AI to "manipulate people." James Vincent notes in the Verge that Brin's letter does not discuss the dangers of using AI for military intelligence, although the company has said its technology would be used for "non-offensive purposes only". Still, several employees at the company are urging Alphabet to withdraw from its plans to work with the Pentagon.

MIT Research Scientist Chelsea Barabas and Joe Miller discuss how to balance AI and criminal justice to affect better defendant outcomes.

Kadija Ferryman: Achieving Fairness in Precision Medicine (Ep. 135)

Data & Society's Kadija Ferryman joined Joe Miller to discuss data-driven medicine and the policy issues surrounding fairness in precision medicine.

Bio

Dr. Kadija Ferryman (@KadijaFerryman) is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Data and Society Research Institute in New York. Dr. Ferryman is a cultural anthropologist whose research examines how cultural and moral values are embedded in digital health information, social and biological influences on health, and the ethics of translational and digital health research. She earned a BA in Anthropology from Yale University and a PhD in Anthropology from The New School for Social Research. Before completing her PhD, she was a policy researcher at the Urban Institute where she studied how housing and neighborhoods impact well-being, specifically the effects of public housing redevelopment on children, families, and older adults. She has published research in journals such as Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, European Journal of Human Genetics, and Genetics in Medicine.

Resources

What is Precision Medicine by Kadija Ferryman and Mikaela Pitcan (Data & Society, 2018)

Fairness in Precision Medicine by Kadija Ferryman and Mikaela Pitcan (Data & Society, 2018)

Fact Sheet: Obama Administration Announces Key Actions to Accelerate Precision Medicine Initiative (archived)

Are Workarounds Ethical?: Managing Moral Problems in Health Care Systems by Nancy Berlinger (Oxford University Press, 2016)

News Roundup Facebook still under fire amidst looming GDPR implementation

The EU's Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is set to take effect on May 26th and Facebook is scrambling to manage a ceaseless onslaught of negative press regarding how it handles its users' data. Ryan Browne at CNBC reports on the dangers of Facebook's "log in with Facebook" feature, which apparently exposes users' data to third-party trackers.

Morgan Chalfant at the New York Times reported on a painting app that actually installs malware that harvests users' payment information, among other things.

Additionally, Ali Breland reports in the Hill that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has reopened an investigation it had closed last year into whether and how Facebook helps facilitate housing discrimination.

Democrats are pushing for tighter data protection rules at the Federal Trade Commission, but that's unlikely to mean much in the near-term since, with Commissioner Terrell McSweeny's announcement last week that she'll be stepping down at the end of this month, the FTC will now be operating with just one of five commissioners—Republican Acting Chair Maureen Ohlhausen. Auditors don't seem to be offering much in the way of confidence in the manner with which Facebook protects user data. PricewaterhouseCoopers conducted an audit of Facebook and told the FTC, after Facebook knew about Cambridge Analytica, that Facebook was adequately protecting consumer privacy and in compliance with a 2011 consent decree.

Meanwhile, David Ingram reports for Reuters that Facebook has changed its terms of service for 1.5 billion Facebook users in Africa, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Like Europe, their terms of service were governed by Facebook's headquarters in Ireland. But since Ireland would come under GDPR, Facebook has changed the terms of service in those areas to fall under the more lenient U.S. privacy standards. Facebook says it will apply the same privacy standards around the world.

Clyburn to step down from FCC

Democratic FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn has announced that she will be stepping down from the dais at the end of the month. The Obama appointee served at the Commission for eight years and was a rare and passionate advocate for marginalized communities. President Trump will need to nominate a replacement Commissioner who would then need to be confirmed by the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is reportedly set to recommend current FCC Assistant Enforcement Bureau Chief Geoffrey Starks, who enjoys broad support from Democrats.

U.S. investigates AT&T/Verizon collusion

Cecilia Kang reports for the New York Times that the DOJ has launched an antitrust investigation into possible coordinated efforts between AT&T and Verizon and the G.S.M.A.— the standards-setting group, to make it more difficult for consumers to switch carriers. The Justice Department is looking into whether the organizations intentionally attempted to stifle the development of eSIM which allows consumers to switch provides without a new SIM card.

FCC to hold 5G spectrum auctions in November

The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously last week on a public notice that it will commence spectrum auctions for 5G in the 28- and 24- GHz bands. The auctions will commence on November 14th, beginning with the 28 GHz band.

CNN report: YouTube ran ads for hundreds of brands on extremist YouTube channels

A CNN report found that ads from over 300 companies appeared on YouTube channels promoting extremist groups like Neo-Nazis, conspiracy theorists and other extremist content. Adidas, Cisco, Hershey, Hilton and Under Armour were among the many companies whose ads appeared on these sites. Paul Murphy reports in CNN.

Lyft to invest to offset carbon emissions

Finally, Heather Somerville at Reuters reported that Lyft is launching a program to offset emissions from their 1.4 million drivers. The company will invest in things like renewable energy and reforestation to make up for its emissions, and the amount it invests will grow with the company.

Dr. Kadija Ferryman (@KadijaFerryman) is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Data and Society Research Institute in New York. Dr. Ferryman is a cultural anthropologist whose research examines how cultural and moral values are embedded in digital health information, social and biological influences on health, and the ethics of translational and digital health research.

Carson Martinez: Health Data Privacy 101 (Ep. 134) Bio

Carson Martinez (@CarsonMart) is the Future of Privacy Forum's Health Policy Fellow. Carson works on issues surrounding health data, particularly where it is not covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These non-HIPAA health data issues include consumer-facing genetics companies, wearables, medical "big data", and medical device surveillance. Carson also assists with the operation of the Genetics Working Group. Carson was previously an Intern at Intel with the Government and Policy Group, working on health, technology, and policy. Before joining Intel, she was an intern for the International Neuroethics Society, and a Research Assistant for both the Data-Pop Alliance and New York University.

Carson graduated from Duke University with a Master's Degree in Bioethics and Science Policy with a concentration in Technology and Data Policy. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Neuroscience with minors in Philosophy and Psychology from New York University. Carson is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US).

Resources

Future of Privacy Forum

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

News Roundup Trump considers re-joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Erica Werner, Damian Paletta and Seung Min Kim reported for the Washington Post that President Trump has ordered officials to look into the possibility of re-joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership –that's the trade partnership between eleven nations, including Japan, Vietnam and Singapore. The Obama administration had signed the agreement, and Mexico and Canada are participating. But Trump backed out. Now he wants back in, presumably to gain negotiating leverage against China.

U.S./UK Accuse Russians of hacking home routers

There are fresh allegations today from British and American officials regarding Russia's spying program. Apparently, Russians may have hacked routers belonging to small businesses and home offices. British intelligence, the National Security Council, DHS and the FBI made the announcement saying they had "high confidence" that Russia led cyberattacks into internet service providers, network routers, government and critical infrastructure. You can find the report in Forbes.

FCC's Pai won't investigate Sinclair

Remember the viral video from a few weeks ago in which news anchors on Sinclair TV stations around the country were reading the exact same script? Well, despite the request from 11 Democratic Senators plus Bernie Sanders, who is an Independent, to investigate Sinclair for distorting new coverage, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has declined. He cites the First Amendment. The FCC's inspector general is currently investigating Pai for improperly paving the way for Sinclair's acquisition of Tribune Media. Brett Samuels reports in The Hill.

Apple warns employees about leaking

Mark Gurman reports in Bloomberg on a leaked memo from inside Apple to employees warning them about leaks. The company threatened legal action and criminal charges and indicated that it caught 29 leakers last year, 12 of which were arrested.

New paper finds women find chilly environment in tech companies

A new paper out of the Clayman Institute for Gender Research and Stanford University finds that more women are earning STEM degrees. But they are finding the tech companies in which they find jobs to be stifling environments. Contributing to the chilly environments women technologists often find themselves in are the overt usage of gender stereotypes, an exclusive "geek" culture and other factors that discourage some women from advancing in tech.

Carson Martinez: Health Data Privacy 101 (Ep. 134) Bio

Carson Martinez (@CarsonMart) is the Future of Privacy Forum’s Health Policy Fellow. Carson works on issues surrounding health data, particularly where it is not covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These non-HIPAA health data issues include consumer-facing genetics companies, wearables, medical “big data”, and medical device surveillance. Carson also assists with the operation of the Genetics Working Group. Carson was previously an Intern at Intel with the Government and Policy Group, working on health, technology, and policy. Before joining Intel, she was an intern for the International Neuroethics Society, and a Research Assistant for both the Data-Pop Alliance and New York University.

Carson graduated from Duke University with a Master’s Degree in Bioethics and Science Policy with a concentration in Technology and Data Policy. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Neuroscience with minors in Philosophy and Psychology from New York University. Carson is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US).

Resources

Future of Privacy Forum

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

 

News Roundup Trump considers re-joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Erica Werner, Damian Paletta and Seung Min Kim reported for the Washington Post that President Trump has ordered officials to look into the possibility of re-joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership –that’s the trade partnership between eleven nations, including Japan, Vietnam and Singapore. The Obama administration had signed the agreement, and Mexico and Canada are participating. But Trump backed out. Now he wants back in, presumably to gain negotiating leverage against China.  

U.S./UK Accuse Russians of hacking home routers

There are fresh allegations today from British and American officials regarding Russia’s spying program. Apparently, Russians may have hacked routers belonging to small businesses and home offices. British intelligence, the National Security Council, DHS and the FBI made the announcement saying they had “high confidence” that Russia led cyberattacks into internet service providers, network routers, government and critical infrastructure. You can find the report in Forbes.

FCC’s Pai won’t investigate Sinclair

Remember the viral video from a few weeks ago in which news anchors on Sinclair TV stations around the country were reading the exact same script? Well, despite the request from 11 Democratic Senators plus Bernie Sanders, who is an Independent, to investigate Sinclair for distorting new coverage, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has declined. He cites the First Amendment. The FCC’s inspector general is currently investigating Pai for improperly paving the way for Sinclair’s acquisition of Tribune Media.  Brett Samuels reports in The Hill.

Apple warns employees about leaking

Mark Gurman reports in Bloomberg on a leaked memo from inside Apple to employees warning them about leaks. The company threatened legal action and criminal charges and indicated that it caught 29 leakers last year, 12 of which were arrested.

New paper finds women find chilly environment in tech companies

A new paper out of the Clayman Institute for Gender Research and Stanford University finds that more women are earning STEM degrees. But they are finding the tech companies in which they find jobs to be stifling environments. Contributing to the chilly environments women technologists often find themselves in are the overt usage of gender stereotypes, an exclusive “geek” culture and other factors that discourage some women from advancing in tech.

 

Riana Pfefferkorn: The Emerging Trend of 'Side-Channel Cryptanalysis' (Ep. 133) Bio

Riana Pfefferkorn (@Riana_Crypto) is the Cryptography Fellow at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society. Her work, made possible through funding from the Stanford Cyber Initiative, focuses on investigating and analyzing the U.S. government's policy and practices for forcing decryption and/or influencing crypto-related design of online platforms and services, devices, and products, both via technical means and through the courts and legislatures. Riana also researches the benefits and detriments of strong encryption on free expression, political engagement, economic development, and other public interests.

Prior to joining Stanford, Riana was an associate in the Internet Strategy & Litigation group at the law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she worked on litigation and counseling matters involving online privacy, Internet intermediary liability, consumer protection, copyright, trademark, and trade secrets and was actively involved in the firm's pro bono program. Before that, Riana clerked for the Honorable Bruce J. McGiverin of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. She also interned during law school for the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Riana earned her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Whitman College.

Resources

The Risks of Responsible Encryption by Riana Pfefferkorn

Riana Pfefferkorn, Everything Radiates: Does the Fourth Amendment Regulate Side-Channel Cryptanalysis? 49 Connecticut Law Review 1393 (2017)

Generation Wealth by Laura Greenfield

News Roundup Facebook still in hot water

Facebook is still managing the onslaught following revelations that Cambridge Analytica allegedly used Facebook data to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. Faceboook upped the number of users whose data Cambridge Analytica acquired by 37 million to 87 million. Originally, Facebook reported that just 50 million users were affected. In addition, Facebook has had to suspend yet another data analytics firm, CubeYou, for collecting information via quizzes, as Michelle Castillo reports in CNBC. CubeYou misleadingly told users that it was collecting their data for "non-profit academic research", but it turns out CubeYou was in fact sharing the information with marketers.

Facebook said Friday that it will now require buyers of ads related to controversial political topics like gun control and immigration, to confirm their location and identity. Facebook is due to testify before the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Tuesday, and the House Energry and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, David Shepardson reports in Reuters.

Backpage.com founders indicted

A federal grand jury in Arizona indicted seven Backpage founders on 93 counts of facilitating prostitution and money laundering on Monday.The indictment states that many of the ads on Backpage were of child sex trafficking victims. Federal agents seized Backpage on Friday, and raided the home of Backpage co-founder, Michael Lacey. Last month, Congress passed changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to provide that websites may be held liable for knowingly facilitating users' ability to post illegal content.

Best Buy reports possible data breach

Best Buy reported a possible data breach last week. The company that handles Best Buy's messaging system, [24]7.ia was hacked late last year, which may have exposed Best Buy customers' data. Charisse Jones reports in USA Today.

U.S. expanding surveillance of migrants within Mexico

Finally, Nick Miroff and Joshua Partlow report in the Washington Post that the U.S. government is expanding its data-gathering efforts within Mexico. According to the report, the Trump administration is "capturing the biometric data of tens of thousands of Central Americans" who were arrested in Mexico. The U.S. is also operating detention facilities in Mexico. But President Trump had accused Mexico of doing nothing to stop the flow of migrants fleeing Central American countries for the Mexico/U.S. border.

Stanford University Cryptography Fellow Riana Pfeffercorn joined Joe Miler to discuss the emerging trend of 'side-channel cryptanalysis' for surveillance.