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
US Is Right to Sanction Russia for Cyberattacks and Meddling
The Trump administration Thursday issued sanctions on Russia for a series of cyberattacks and for its meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Treasury is targeting five Kremlin intelligence agencies, including the Federal Security Service and Internet Research Agency, and 19 individuals indicted by FBI special counsel Robert Mueller for interfering in the election…. -
news
Russia Uses Facebook to Undermine Dakota Access Pipeline, Other US Energy Projects
Russian agents working to undermine America’s fossil fuel industry use Facebook, Twitter, and other social media tools to spread propaganda and try to turn U.S. public opinion against domestic energy production, according to a new congressional report. The report found that between 2015 and 2017, “an estimated 9,097 Russian posts or tweets regarding U.S. energy… -
news
Conservative Nonprofit PragerU Is Suing Google for Alleged Discrimination
Prager University, a conservative nonprofit that creates educational videos, is suing Google for allegedly discriminating against the digital media organization for its fairly moderate ideological slant. Specifically, PragerU is accusing YouTube, which is owned by Google parent company Alphabet, of restricting or “demonetizing” videos even though they all appear to be innocuous and compliant with… -
opinion
Cyberthreats Are Only Growing. Here’s How Congress Can Improve Cybersecurity.
Whether it’s a new data breach, a scary new vulnerability to cyberattack, or fears of election meddling, it is more important than ever for U.S. authorities to have the tools they need to stop or mitigate cyber aggression. It is also essential for the government to harness the expertise and innovation of the private sector…. -
news
Fired Googler Warns Social Media Users About Censored Speech
Bias and mass censorship from extraordinarily powerful tech companies create an enormous problem that Americans have to come to terms with, says a former Google employee who was fired for his politically incorrect views. While tech companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere are incentivized to create a “safe and civil” environment for their customers, problems… -
news
Daily Caller Is One Step Closer to Becoming Facebook Fact-Checker
The Daily Caller is now part of the Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network, which is one of the necessary qualifications to become an official fact-checker for Facebook and Google. The news organization’s Check Your Fact project is “loyal to neither people nor party—only the truth.” The Daily Caller is now one of only two conservative… -
opinion
Facebook Suspended Me for Sharing My Religious Beliefs About Homosexuality
Editor’s note: After The Daily Signal contacted Facebook for a response to this op-ed prior to publication, the company notified author Michelle Rioux as follows: “A member of our team accidentally removed something you posted on Facebook. This was a mistake, and we sincerely apologize for this error. We've since restored the content, and you… -
opinion
How Congress Can Help Protect US Companies From Cyberattack
One of the fastest growing threats to the United States lies in the realm of cyberspace. With the touch of a button, foreign hackers and malicious governments can deliver blows to the U.S. economy by targeting American companies. Recognizing the need to address this issue, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, asked Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen… -
news
Google Removes Fact-Check Feature Targeting Conservative Media
Google says it is discontinuing its fact-check feature because it proved to be too faulty for public use, directly attributing the decision to an investigation by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The company has no date set for when it will return, if ever. “We launched the reviewed claims feature at the end of last… -
news
Washington Post: We Didn’t Attack The Daily Caller, and Don’t Know Why Google Is
Google’s relatively new “fact check” feature proves there’s something fundamentally wrong with at least some of its highly influential algorithms, after an investigation by The Daily Caller News Foundation found that the widget is both blatantly biased and tremendously faulty. The most powerful search engine in the world and a massive arbiter of online information, Google… -
news
Twitter Says Employees Were Openly Speaking of Censorship ‘in a Personal Capacity,’ Not for Company
Twitter says that individuals shown in an undercover video casually talking about how they plan on censoring certain viewpoints on the social media platform were speaking only “in a personal capacity.” They “do not represent or speak for Twitter,” a company spokeswoman said. The video in question, secretly recorded by Project Veritas, shows eight current… -
opinion
Podcast: Google’s Double Standard for Conservative, Liberal News Sites
The Federalist’s David Harsanyi joins us today to discuss why Google is presenting “fact checks” to some conservative news sites like The Federalist and The Daily Caller, but not to other sites that have gotten issues wrong, such as CNN. Plus: we talk about whether Democrats are embarrassed about their tax reform “no” votes in… -
news
Lawsuit Claims Rank Internal Bias at Google, Sweeping Commitment to Identity Quotas
James Damore, a former Google engineer who was fired after criticizing the company’s diversity policies, filed a class-action lawsuit against the tech giant Tuesday. The lawsuit describes a corporate culture in which managers and employees alike conspire to stifle conservative views and retaliate against conservative employees, while implementing race- and gender-based hiring and advancement criteria that… -
opinion
Podcast: Former Employee Sues Google, Alleges Discrimination Against Conservatives
Former Google employee James Damore is suing Google, accusing the tech giant of discrimination against conservatives and whites. The Heritage Foundation’s Mike Gonzalez joins us to discuss that lawsuit, Silicon Valley’s diversity problem, and why the Census should stop dividing Americans into six ethnic categories. Plus: President Donald Trump shows his love for the national… -
opinion
The Numbers That Prove How Much the Mainstream Media Hate Trump
There may be fake news, but there’s no making up the media’s loathing of President Donald Trump. The press has been unrelenting toward this president since Day One—and the Media Research Center’s data proves it. Even the 89 percent negativity from his early months almost seem benevolent now, with numbers in the 91-93 percent range (the latter… -
news
French Kids May Soon Be Able to Have Sex 3 Years Before They Can Join Facebook
France is considering a new law that would require all children under the age of 16 to get parental approval to open a social media account. The legislation was introduced Wednesday as part of wider push to adapt data privacy regulations. “Joining Facebook will involve parental authorization for minors aged under 16,” said Nicole Belloubet,… -
opinion
Podcast: Is Facebook Destroying Our Culture?
Is a former Facebook executive right about the evils of social media? We debate. Plus we talk about transgenderism and children, the Democrats’ attempts to get the Dreamers legalized, Lois Lerner’s ongoing fight, and whether Netflix shamed Christmas movie fans. -
opinion
Some Say Facebook and Amazon Should Be Broken Up. Here’s Why That Thinking Is Wrong.
Is it time for Congress to step in and dismantle Facebook, Amazon, and Google’s ever-expanding internet empires? In recent months, the left has raised sharp cries against the dangers of tech companies’ rapid growth and allegedly ironclad hold of their respective market spaces. Some critics have even argued that internet giants such as “Amazon, Google,… -
news
Growing Number of Americans Oppose Government Regulation of Social Media
Last week’s congressional hearings with Facebook, Twitter, and Google may have had the opposite effect of what lawmakers intended. A new poll from Axios and SurveyMonkey reveals that “more Americans are now wary of the government going too far to regulate web platforms than before the hearings,” according to Axios’ David McCabe. Representatives from Facebook,… -
opinion
Conservative Group Claims YouTube Is Censoring Its Videos
“We believe everyone should have a voice,” YouTube has said. Everyone, it seems, but conservatives. The internet’s biggest video warehouse isn’t exactly new to the censorship debate. After run-ins with Lila Rose, David Daleiden, and other pro-lifers, people were already suspicious that YouTube was picking sides in the culture debates. Now, after watching YouTube block dozens…