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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news
As Russia Uses Cyberattacks, Ukraine Bans Some Social Media Sites
KYIV, Ukraine—Citing Russian cyberattacks as a national security threat, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on Tuesday banning several popular Russian social media sites, as well as other Russian websites and news outlets, for three years. The move was part of a comprehensive cyber sanctions package against Moscow, which included a ban on VKontakte,… -
opinion
As World Reels From Cyberattack, Trump Executive Order Could Help Counter Threats
A new executive order from the White House could help the U.S. defend against future cyberattacks, much like the one currently affecting 150 countries. President Donald Trump signed the order Thursday after a series of delays, but it was ultimately overshadowed by the worldwide ransomware attack that hit thousands of computers across the globe. The… -
opinion
A Massive Cyberattack Has Hit Over 150 Countries. Here’s How to Protect Your Computer.
A cyberattack is currently hitting countries from Great Britain to Russia, affecting hospitals, businesses, and home computers. The attack, also known as WannaCry, has reportedly affected over 200,000 businesses across 150 countries since initially being reported on Friday. In Great Britain alone, 16 National Health Service hospitals were hit. The number of those affected is likely… -
news
Google Asked to Label Anti-Fracking Websites as ‘Fake News’
An oil and gas drilling advocacy group published an open letter to Google asking the search engine giant to consider “purging or demoting” websites spreading misinformation about hydraulic fracturing. Google rewrote its search engine algorithm to bury “fake news” websites in the wake of the 2016 presidential election. Now the industry-funded Texans for Natural Gas… -
news
Trump: ‘No One Should Be Censoring Sermons or Targeting Pastors’
President Donald Trump asked two nuns with the Little Sisters of the Poor to join him in front of a Rose Garden audience Thursday before he signed an executive order easing enforcement of Obamacare regulations forcing religious organizations to pay for employee health plans covering contraception and abortion-inducing drugs. “Freedom is not a gift from government…. -
opinion
By Choosing Trump Hater as Dinner Speaker, Mainstream Media Embraces ‘Opposition Party’ Status
Apparently the mainstream media doesn’t have a problem being seen as the “opposition party” to President Donald Trump, to use the phrase of Trump adviser Stephen Bannon. On Tuesday, the White House Correspondents’ Association announced that the comedian to be featured at the group’s fundraising dinner—the biggest annual event for D.C. political journalists—is Hasan Minhaj…. -
opinion
The Myth of an Unbiased Mainstream Media
The attention on The Daily Signal’s Fred Lucas’ role as occasional White House pool reporter has made one thing very clear: For many, the illusion still remains that the mainstream media is unbiased. “It’s concerning that news organizations with a clear and stated bias are serving as the eyes and ears of the White House… -
opinion
How to Win Friends and Influence People (on Social Media)
The Trump administration is less than one month old and unity seems like a pipe dream, especially if you log on to social media. Everyone has an opinion and they’re not afraid to share it, which is both the beauty and tragedy of the internet—it allows great access to information, but also erects a barrier… -
opinion
How the Private Sector Can Remake US Cybersecurity
President Donald Trump recently reiterated a pledge to build a team that will provide him, in his administration’s first 90 days, with a plan to “aggressively combat and stop” cyberattacks. Topping the list of the new administration’s priorities should be the need to articulate a comprehensive strategy of cyber deterrence. In outlining policies to shape… -
news
Newt Gingrich Explains Why the Media Can’t Comprehend Trump
President-elect Donald Trump’s successful candidacy is the result of an unequivocal disconnect between elite media and average Americans, says former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Speaking Tuesday at The Heritage Foundation at the first of a six-part series on Trumpism, Gingrich explained how the media’s disdain for the American people ultimately led to Trump’s victory in… -
news
Georgia Student Sues After His Public School Censored Him From Sharing His Faith on Campus
A student in Georgia has sued his school after he claims the public college prohibited him from sharing his Christian faith on campus. Lawyers for Georgia Gwinnett College student Chike Uzuegbunam filed a lawsuit against the school on Monday. Uzuegbunam “believes it is his duty to inform others” of his evangelical Christian beliefs and “for… -
news
What a Special Committee Investigating Russia’s Cyberattacks Could Do
A bipartisan group of senators is pressing for the creation of a special panel—known as a select committee—to investigate and provide the definitive account of Russian cyberattacks on the U.S. political system. Sens. John McCain. R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., along with incoming Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.,… -
news
How Russia’s Cyberattacks Have Affected Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine’s May 25, 2014, presidential election was a pivotal moment for the country. A revolution that February, in which more than 100 died, had overthrown pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. Two weeks prior to the election, on May 11, pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Luhansk declared their independence from Kyiv…. -
opinion
Cyberattacks Are a Major Security Threat. Here’s How to Deter Them.
Nearly two years ago, North Korea launched a cyberattack against Sony that nearly crippled the movie giant. The U.S. responded by imposing yet another round of feckless sanctions against the Hermit dynasty. But ironically, if members of the North Korean army had landed in Los Angeles and blown up Sony’s studios with dynamite, they would… -
opinion
Facebook’s Reliance on Liberal Fact-Checkers Means Your News Is About to Be Censored
Facebook doesn’t think you know what’s “fake news” and what’s not. In an announcement Thursday, the social media giant said it was going to crack down on fake news through a variety of ways, including letting users report what they deem to be fake news. >>> The 4 Steps Facebook Is Taking to Crack Down on… -
news
The 4 Steps Facebook Is Taking to Crack Down on ‘Fake News’
Facebook announced Thursday an aggressive plan to combat so-called “fake news,” giving users more power to report hoaxes and empowering fact-checking outlets as arbiters. The social media giant faced criticism internally and from liberals following the election of Donald Trump last month. Critics pointed to “fake news” sites spreading false information as a factor in… -
news
Conservative Group, Liberal Bloggers Trade Shots Over Elon Musk’s Taxpayer Subsidies
A conservative advocacy group has a special name for liberal bloggers who have rushed in to defend the business practices of Elon Musk, the multibillionaire co-founder of taxpayer-funded renewable energy and space technology companies. It calls them “stoogers.” Despite “mounting evidence of cronyism by his crumbling empire, Elon Musk has tapped stooge-like left-wing bloggers to come… -
opinion
After Royally Screwing Up the Election, the Media Want Control Over Your Facebook News
The modern American media may have just had their worst year yet, and for their efforts, they have announced they’d like to reward themselves more power than they have held in decades. The past year has seen a declining trust in the media that is fully deserved. Debate moderators have been exposed as shills; network employees have been busted tipping the scales… -
opinion
It’s Time to Stop Spending Taxpayer Dollars on Elon Musk and Cronyism
From Enron to Bernie Madoff, at the end of every great American financial scandal, the totality of the perpetrators’ greed seems to be matched only by the public’s incredulity at how such a thing could be allowed to happen. And thanks to Elon Musk, there’s a good chance we may all be asking this question…