IT & Technology News
Reporting on information technology, cybersecurity, and tech policy. The Daily Signal includes analysis, commentary, and opinion on technology’s impact.
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- Opinion
This New Social Media Platform Aims to Protect Your Beliefs and Privacy
Facebook has become so big that even one of its initial founders says it’s time for government to break it up. But what if the market solved the problem — and offered users better free speech protection? Enter AllSocial — a new social media platform designed for everyone, with minimal censorship. Read the interview, posted…Daniel Davis -
- News
Banned on Social Media for ‘Political Bias’? The White House Wants to Hear From You
The White House is inviting Americans to share their experiences having their social media accounts banned or suspended for “unclear” reasons through an online tool that launched Wednesday. “Social media platforms should advance freedom of speech. Yet too many Americans have seen their accounts suspended, banned, or fraudulently reported for unclear ‘violations’ of user policies,”…Evie Fordham -
- Opinion
How Trump’s Executive Order Can Strengthen the Cybersecurity Workforce
President Donald Trump last week took a big step toward improving the cybersecurity of the nation. Trump signed an executive order aimed at increasing the size and strength of the cybersecurity workforce in the United States and addressing a critical need for protecting America in the cyber domain. “Cyber” is an all-encompassing thing in the…James Di Pane -
- Opinion
Google Caves to the Intolerant Left, Betraying Its Own Ideals
Believers in internet freedom and all the potential of the digital revolution should be deeply disheartened by Google’s spineless decision last week to abandon its artificial intelligence advisory council. The reason Google dropped the idea? The inclusion on the council of The Heritage Foundation’s president, Kay Coles James. James would have been a conservative voice…Helle Dale -
- Opinion
Mainstream Media’s Worshipping of Michael Avenatti
Remember celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti, the man who represented porn star Stormy Daniels? Well, the media’s favorite guest is back in the news after being indicted on 36 charges Thursday. Two hundred fifty-four—that’s how many times Avenatti was featured on major TV networks in one year, according to NewsBusters. CNN alone featured Avenatti a staggering…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
Mob’s Push to Oust Heritage President From Google Council Part of Larger Agenda
The left must control the narrative. It will be nasty about making sure it does and won’t care for niceties. It is part of “the will to power” that propelled Lenin and Mussolini to rule. Only this time a gaggle of coddled, probably mostly white, liberals at Google and academia have taken on more than they can…Mike Gonzalez -
- News
6 Big Topics From Senate Hearing on Censorship by Big Tech
Facebook and Twitter executives testified Wednesday on Capitol Hill about their alleged political bias in the wake of numerous anecdotal instances of censorship reported by users of the social media sites. Carlos Monje Jr., director of public policy for Twitter Inc., and Neil Potts, public policy director for Facebook, appeared before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee…Fred Lucas -
- News
Trump Assails Left’s Court-Packing Scheme, Social Media Bias
President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticized calls by some Democrats and liberals for packing the Supreme Court with more justices and endorsed changes to make social media “fair” to conservative voices. Trump hosted a visit by Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, to the White House, where they held a joint press conference in the Rose…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Facebook Streaming, Location Made New Zealand Attack Unusual Act of Terrorism
Listen to our interview with The Heritage Foundation’s Robin Simcox in the podcast, or read the lightly edited transcript below. Kate Trinko: I’m here with Robin Simcox, the Margaret Thatcher fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Robin focuses here on research, on terrorism, and national security. Thanks for joining us today, Robin. Robin Simcox: Great to…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
Senate Should Keep Pedal to the Metal on Judicial Nominees This Week
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday will hold its fourth judicial confirmation hearing of the 116th Congress, this one featuring two nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. This hopefully signals that the new chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., will continue a robust pace for hearings on President Donald Trump’s judicial…Thomas Jipping -
- Opinion
Meet the California Lawyer Defending Covington Teens, Former Google Employee
What’s it like to be a conservative lawyer in a liberal bastion like San Francisco? That’s exactly what Harmeet Dhillon does every day, and her clients include a dozen of the Covington High School teens, pro-life activist David Daleiden, and many others. Listen to the interview in the podcast or read the transcript below. Plus:…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
Why the Military Is Losing the Battle for the Best, Brightest Cybersecurity Talent
What do GPS satellites, F-35s, and the new Department of Veterans Affairs health care records management system have in common? The latest Defense Department annual assessment of cyberthreats has found disturbing weaknesses in each of these systems. Furthermore, Robert Behler, director of the Defense Department’s Operational Test and Evaluation, claimed that the Pentagon’s cybertesting was…Elias Gavilan -
- Opinion
‘Attention Engineering’: Why We Suffer in the Social Media Economy
By now, many people are aware of the fascinating experiment conducted by Microsoft to track and interpret human attention spans. They are, of course, shortening on average. Microsoft estimated that between the years 2000 and 2016, the human attention span shortened from roughly 20 seconds to eight seconds on average. As it stands, the average…Armstrong Williams -
- Opinion
The Covington Fiasco Is a Perfect Example of Why the Founders Distrusted Democracy
In the shallow world of modernity, we throw around a word like “democracy” as a stand-in for “things that I like.” Many in popular culture and elite institutions promote democracy as a cure for all that ails us—an unquestioned and unqualified blessing. Still others turn on a dime and hope for its demise as soon…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
Democrat Senator Calls for Investigation Into Liberals’ Facebook Tricks During Senate Race
Democratic Alabama Sen. Doug Jones asked the Federal Election Commission Wednesday night to investigate a false flag operation that was designed to suppress conservative votes ahead of the midterm election. Jones made his request less than a month after reports from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Daily Caller News Foundation fleshed out the extent of…Chris White -
- News
PragerU Brings New Suit Against Google in California State Court
Conservative nonprofit PragerU filed suit against Google in California court on Tuesday for allegedly violating state law in restricting access to Prager’s educational videos on YouTube, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The suit claims that YouTube’s restrictions on many of Prager’s videos violate California law in four…Peter Hasson -
- News
Google Employees Debated Burying Conservative Media in Search Results
Google employees debated whether to bury conservative media outlets in search results as a response to President Donald Trump’s election in 2016, internal Google communications obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation reveal. The Daily Caller and Breitbart were specifically singled out as outlets to potentially bury in search results, the communications reveal. Trump’s election…Peter Hasson -
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- Opinion
Twitter’s Initial Classification of ‘Illegal Alien,’ ‘Criminal Alien’ as Hateful Shows Social Media’s Censorship Potential
Twitter made headlines recently when it denied the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonpartisan group, the ability to promote four tweets that—according to Twitter—contained “hateful content.” What was that hateful content? The legally correct phrases “illegal alien” and “criminal alien.” To be clear, those who follow the Center for Immigration Studies on Twitter were able…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
6 Key Moments From Social Media Hearings
On Capitol Hill Wednesday, Facebook’s chief operating officer and Twitter’s CEO testified about foreign entities and the use of social media platforms to influence the United States’ elections. Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey answered questions from the Senate intelligence committee on topics including foreign influences and “fake news.” Dorsey also appeared before the…Rachel del Guidice