This Week in NET

Host João Tomé welcomes Alissa Starzak, Global Head of Policy at Cloudflare, to discuss Internet regulation, election security and policy challenges. Alissa reflects on her career spanning the CIA, U.S. Army, and Cloudflare, exploring topics like the fragmentation of the Internet into ‘several Internets,’ the complexities of global elections and the influence of AI. She and João also celebrate the 10th anniversary of Cloudflare’s Project Galileo, highlighting its role in safeguarding vulnerable communities, independent journalism and high-risk organizations across the globe.

Related links:

• Protecting vulnerable communities for 10 years with Project Galileo 
• European Union elections 2024: securing democratic processes in light of new threats 
• Check out Project Athenian at cloudflare.com/athenian 
• Follow us @CloudflareTV 
• Read the blog posts at blog.cloudflare.com
• Watch our full video library at cloudflare.tv/ThisWeekInNet

This week, we present an episode on elections from an Internet and cybersecurity perspective, given that 2024 has been considered the “year of elections.” Over 70 national elections took place, impacting more than half of the world’s population.

Host João Tomé is joined by Alissa Starzak, our Deputy CLO and Global Head of Policy, and Jocelyn Woolbright from Public Policy. Together, they discuss Cloudflare’s various Impact initiatives and how these were utilized during the 2024 elections, particularly in the United States.

We explore how Cloudflare assembled a tiger team for the US elections and addressed the unique needs and challenges at the county, state, and national levels, including those of political campaigns. Additionally, we examine Internet and threat trends related not only to the US but also to Europe and other regions.

Learn more:

Join host João Tomé and Cloudflare CTO John Graham-Cumming for a deep dive into tech milestones and innovations. They’ll celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1974 TCP Paper, dissect Taylor Swift’s cutting-edge wristband tech and review technical highlights from Cloudflare, including Cloudflare Workers supporting Fortran code and new AI models like Meta Llama 3. Plus, listen as they get into Internet resilience amid submarine cable failures and bid farewell to the iconic messaging service ICQ after 28 years. It’s a tech-packed episode you definitely don’t want to miss.

Related Links - 

• Watch the TCP 50th Anniversary show 
• TCP - The Cloudflare blog 
• Controlling the Taylor Swift Eras Tour wristbands with Flipper Zero
• Follow us @CloudflareTV 
• Watch our full video library at cloudflare.tv/ThisWeekInNet

Host João Tomé welcomes two expert guests for an insightful discussion on tackling security challenges. Ranee Bray, Chief of Staff for Cloudflare’s Security Team, shares the behind-the-scenes story of managing Code Red—a 30-day initiative to strengthen, validate and remediate a critical security incident. Ranee details vulnerability management with robust teamwork for Internet security, rapid response and compliance. Then João and Ling Wu, Senior Director of Information Security and GRC, dive into compliance’s vital role, exploring recent advancements and challenges in governance, risk management and cybersecurity. Join in on this must-listen for security and compliance professionals!

Related Links - 

• Security Incident Response (Code Red) 
• Follow us @CloudflareTV 
• Read the blog posts at blog.cloudflare.com
• Watch our full video library at cloudflare.tv/ThisWeekInNet

In this episode, host João Tomé chats with Trey Guinn, Cloudflare’s Field Chief Technology Officer, about the latest DDoS attacks and global cybersecurity trends. Explore Cloudflare’s DDoS threat report, the critical role of certificates, emerging attack strategies and more. Trey also dives into the growing menace of QR phishing and introduces Foundation DNS, Cloudflare’s enterprise-grade authoritative DNS solution. Stay ahead of evolving threats with expert insights from this engaging conversation.

Related Links - 

• Follow us @CloudflareTV 
• Read the blog posts at blog.cloudflare.com
• Watch our full video library at cloudflare.tv/ThisWeekInNet

Join host João Tomé and Emily Hancock, Cloudflare’s Chief Privacy Officer, as they explore the critical importance of privacy in today’s Internet age. This episode dives into what enterprise companies and everyday Internet users need to know about data privacy, Cloudflare’s innovative approach to it and how security and privacy intersect. You’ll discover insights on evolving AI regulations, data localization challenges and international data transfers — for anyone navigating the complexities of the digital world, don’t miss this informative exchange. 

Related Links - 

• theNET presents Privacy-first security 
• Follow us @CloudflareTV 
• Read the blog posts at blog.cloudflare.com
• Watch our full video library at cloudflare.tv/ThisWeekInNet

This week, host João Tomé is at Web Summit, one of the world's largest technology conferences held in Lisbon, Portugal with over 70,000 attendees.

He is joined by guest Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and former editor-in-chief of Wired. In this interview, Thompson discusses the swift growth of AI technology, social media's influence on children, and the challenge of protecting content creators from AI crawlers - a problem Cloudflare’s AI Audit is designed to address. They also explore the current state of traditional media, the Internet and its role in supporting democracy.

To wrap up, we review recent blog posts and spotlight a relevant conversation with Cloudflare’s CEO, Matthew Prince, highlighting the importance of Cloudflare's AI Audit that helps content creators regain control of their content from AI bots.

Mentioned blog posts:

Dive into the pulse of the Internet with This Week in NET. A weekly roundup of Cloudflare's latest news, innovations and the most impactful developments shaping the Internet. From security updates to performance breakthroughs, we deliver insights that matter to developers, businesses, and Internet enthusiasts alike. Each episode features expert analysis with special guests offering unique perspectives on today's digital challenges and evolving landscape. 

• Follow us @CloudflareTV 
• Read the blog posts at blog.cloudflare.com
• Watch our full video library at cloudflare.tv/ThisWeekInNet

Celso Martinho is a Senior Director of Engineering at Cloudflare. He works across multiple teams from Radar to Workers AI in our new Cloudflare Lisbon offices.

In this conversation, host Joao Tome and Celso discuss the rapid growth of Cloudflare Workers, simplifying life for developers, and the importance of observability in AI. Celso also dives into how the challenges for developers have changed since the 1990s tech era and why he believes the Internet is still in its infancy.

Related Links:

This Week in NET reviews Cloudflare’s latest Q3 DDoS attacks report with Manish Arora, Senior Manager of Engineering. Released quarterly, these reports provide an in-depth analysis of the DDoS threat landscape as observed across the Cloudflare network.

We also take a look at the grand opening of the new Lisbon office, which serves as Cloudflare’s European headquarters. João Tomé interviewed many executives on the benefits of hiring in Lisbon, the importance of building community in Portugal and why it’s a burgeoning tech hub. Featured Cloudflare executives: John Graham-Cumming (Chief Technology Officer), Janel Riley (VP, Chief Accounting Officer), Dane Knecht (SVP, Emerging Technology and Incubation), Celso Martinho (Senior Director of Engineering) and Doug Kramer (Chief Legal Officer).

Related links: