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
Twitter’s Censorship of the New York Post Is Un-American
Less than three weeks from a presidential election, perhaps the most vital platform for political news and debate, Twitter, has locked down the accounts of a presidential candidate’s press secretary and of his official campaign, among others, at the behest of activists pretending to be journalists. This is unsurprising to anyone who has been paying… -
news
Twitter Reverses Censorship of House GOP Committee Webpage, Says It Was Blocked ‘in Error’
Twitter said it erroneously blocked a link to the official government website for House Judiciary Committee Republicans that republished a censored New York Post story about Hunter Biden. “The link referenced was blocked in error. That decision has been reversed and the link is now unblocked,” a Twitter spokesman, who insisted on anonymity as a… -
opinion
Watch Out for the New Censors
Until the Trump era, there was a pretty broad consensus in America around free speech. If you didn’t like something someone said, you could debate them and prove their point was not worthy. The solution to bad arguments was to use our free speech rights to win an argument. The notion of censoring political debate… -
news
Facebook Says Ban on Conversion Therapy to Strike ‘Right Balance’ on Speech, Safety
In response to activists, Instagram and parent company Facebook plan to ban information about “conversion therapy” available for gays and lesbians—but haven’t fully defined the term. In yet another debate over free speech on social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook may end up picking winners and losers in a hotly debated topic. A Facebook representative… -
news
Trump Administration Weighs Banning TikTok, Other Chinese Apps
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the Trump administration is strongly considering banning TikTok and other Chinese apps. “We are taking this very seriously. We are certainly looking at it,” Pompeo told Fox News after being asked about whether President Donald Trump is making a move against the company. His comments come as national security… -
opinion
The New Censors
Do you say what you think? That’s risky! You may get fired! You’ve probably heard about a New York Times editor resigning after approving an opinion piece by Sen. Tom Cotton that suggested the military to step in to end riots. Many Times reporters tweeted out the same alarmist wording, “Running this puts Black NY… -
opinion
YouTube Weaponizes ‘Hate Speech’ Policy to Censor Heritage Foundation Video
On Oct. 9, Walt Heyer took the stage at a Heritage Foundation event called the Summit on Protecting Children from Sexualization. His powerful testimony captivated the audience. It was so powerful, in fact, that YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, is now censoring his words. The event, co-sponsored with the Family Policy Alliance, was a half-day… -
opinion
An Open Letter to Congress on Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Reform
As former national security officials, we write to express our deep concerns about the current debate over suggested amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Contrary to popular narratives making the rounds on the extremes of both sides of the political aisle, the fact is that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is a critical… -
opinion
What You Need to Know About Trump’s Social Media Executive Order
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on social media Thursday. Klon Kitchen, director of the Center for Technology Policy at The Heritage Foundation, joins the podcast to discuss what the order does, how it affects tech companies, and the future of free political speech online. Read the lightly edited transcript, pasted below, or… -
news
Ukraine Extends Quarantine on Russian Social Media
KYIV, Ukraine—Although Ukraine began to ease off its national coronavirus lockdown last week, the country’s ongoing quarantine against Russian disinformation remains in full force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved a measure Friday extending for another three years a national ban on Russian social media sites, email services, and internet search engines. Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna… -
news
GOP Senators ‘Increasingly Concerned’ Surveillance of Trump Associates Began Earlier Than Previously Known
Two Republican senators dramatically expanded their request for so-called Obama administration unmasking records on Tuesday, saying in a letter to the U.S. government’s top spy chief that they are “increasingly concerned” that surveillance of Trump campaign aides began earlier than the FBI has previously acknowledged. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson sent a letter to… -
news
Sen. Lindsey Graham Sets Vote to Subpoena Comey, Brennan, Others Involved in FBI Surveillance
The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on June 4 whether to authorize subpoenas for documents and testimony from more than 50 current or former government officials, including James Comey and John Brennan, as part of the panel’s investigation into abuse of the surveillance process during Crossfire Hurricane. The committee will debate and vote June 4… -
opinion
What Does Facebook’s New Oversight Board Mean for Conservative Posts?
Facebook recently announced the first 20 members of its new oversight board. The role of the board is to guide Facebook through decisions on what controversial content should be allowed to stay up or be deleted. Michael McConnell, professor and director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School and a co-chair of Facebook’s… -
news
Christian Missionary’s ‘Hold the Line’ Group Aims to Engage the Flock Politically
Only about 20% to 30% of America’s churchgoers practice their constitutional right to vote, according Sean Feucht, the founder of Hold the Line. The mission of Hold the Line is to engage and educate both the church and young people on policy issues, encouraging them to vote their values and become politically active in their… -
opinion
Sen. Cruz Seeks to Flip the SCRIPT on Hollywood’s Kowtowing to Chinese Censors
A bill proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that seeks to dissuade Hollywood studios from submitting their movies to the censorship of the People’s Republic of China seems to strike the right policy balance. It would limit government interference in businesses decisions, but exposes an outrage that most Americans likely are unaware of. The Stopping… -
opinion
Liberal Media’s Double Standard: Censor Trump’s Briefings, Air China’s Propaganda
The lack of regular White House press briefings used to be decried as the end of democracy. Now it’s daily White House briefings that represent the end of democracy. Actress Jane Lynch demanded on Twitter on Monday that President Donald Trump end his daily press briefings and that the media stop covering them. Lest one… -
news
9th Circuit Rules Facebook, YouTube Not Bound by First Amendment
Facebook, YouTube, and other big tech companies are not bound to abide by the First Amendment of the Constitution, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, dealing a blow to conservatives online. The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came in a case brought by Prager University, a nonprofit that produces videos promoting… -
news
Mark Meadows: GOP Will Appeal to Surveillance Court Over Choice to Oversee FBI Reforms
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said Monday that congressional Republicans plan to appeal to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) over its choice to oversee the FBI’s surveillance reforms in the wake of a damning inspector general’s report regarding the bureau’s wiretapping of Carter Page. In an interview with journalist Sara Carter, Meadows criticized the FISC’s pick of… -
news
Surveillance Footage Outside Jeffrey Epstein’s Jail Cell Goes Missing
Surveillance footage showing the outside of alleged child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s jail cell the night he first tried to commit suicide is missing, prosecutors say. >>> Update: The missing footage actually was preserved and has been found, the New York Daily News reported Thursday night. Epstein, arrested in July, died in an apparent suicide while… -
news
DOJ Watchdog Finds ‘Significant Inaccuracies’ in Surveillance Warrants Against Trump Aide
The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General found “significant inaccuracies” in the FBI’s applications for warrants to conduct surveillance against a Trump campaign adviser, according to a report released Monday. Michael Horowitz, the inspector general, said that the FBI’s decision to open investigations against Trump campaign advisers in July 2016, as well as to…