IT & Technology News
Reporting on information technology, cybersecurity, and tech policy. The Daily Signal includes analysis, commentary, and opinion on technology’s impact.
-
opinion
US Must Remain Vigilant to Counter Cyberattacks
Dyn, a New Hampshire-based computer firm whose specialty is in providing the means to access websites through its servers, was brought offline by a sequence of large cyberattacks last Friday. This recent attack highlights the continued challenges that persist in cybersecurity and how the cyberthreat landscape is ever-changing. Dyn’s servers were compromised via a distributed… -
opinion
ISIS Social Media Campaign Falters Under Military Assault
Military advances against Islamic State-, or ISIS, held territory in Iraq and Syria have produced a welcome byproduct: a marked decline by 70-80 percent in the output of social media propaganda by the terror group. ISIS fighters were recently chased out of the Syrian village of Dabiq by Syrian rebel forces without offering much resistance… -
opinion
What the US Needs to Do About Russia’s Cyberattacks
The U.S. finally is ramping up its response to Russian cyberattacks. Good. The bad news is our response shows how ill thought-out both our strategy toward Russia and our policies for retaliating against malicious cyber operations are. Russia has been linked to many cyber incidents, most notably the hack of the Democratic National Committee and… -
news
Germany Threatens Facebook With Criminal Action for ‘Hate Speech’ Violations
Last month, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas suggested that Facebook and Twitter could be held criminally liable if they do not step up their efforts to remove content considered “incitement to hatred” according to the Financial Times. Among Maas’ contentions were that Facebook was more likely to remove content that was flagged by a government-funded… -
news
Watch the 21 PragerU Videos That YouTube Is Censoring
YouTube is currently restricting 21 educational videos from PragerU, a conservative advocacy organization. According to YouTube, videos that are restricted contain vulgar language, violence and disturbing imagery, nudity and sexually suggestive content, and portrayal of harmful or dangerous activities. Videos that fit this description are not available to logged-out users, those who are under 18… -
news
Lawmakers Have a Plan to Stop IRS From Censoring the Free Speech of Pastors
In an effort to give faith communities and nonprofits a voice in the political sphere, two U.S. congressmen have introduced a bill that would expand the ability of these institutions to comment on political matters. The Free Speech Fairness Act, co-sponsored by House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., gives churches… -
news
Watch Mike Lee Tell Americans to ‘Expect More’ of Congress in Facebook Live Manifesto
Hours after the Senate passed a stopgap spending measure to keep the federal government running, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, logged onto Facebook to record a video diatribe. The short story behind Lee’s 12-minute selfie-video on Facebook Live: The Utah Republican voted against the measure and is frustrated with the way Washington spends taxpayer dollars. Unable… -
opinion
Obama’s Radical Proposal Could Result in Censorship Online
This is a portion of remarks Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, delivered on the Senate floor on Thursday. The Obama administration’s proposal to give away control of the internet poses a significant threat to our freedom, and it’s one that many Americans don’t know about. It is scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 30, 2016…. -
news
What the WikiLeaks Hack Exposes About Democrat Media Bias
Leaked emails seem to suggest that the Democratic National Committee maintains cozy relationships with mainstream media outlets but takes a more caustic approach with publications it believes to be conservative. According to these emails, party officials stonewalled and blacklisted the Washington Examiner when editors approached the party in May to gather the names of delegates to the Democratic National Convention for… -
opinion
This Government Agency’s Cover-Up May Have Hindered US Cybersecurity
The Chinese government may have hacked into computers at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on multiple occasions between 2010 and 2013, according to a congressional report. The report describes various instances of in which current or former FDIC employees inadvertently downloaded sensitive data to portable storage devices, which were later removed from the office. Rep. Lamar… -
news
Facebook Says Its Integrity Depends on Being ‘a Platform for All Ideas’
Facebook is sharing publicly for the first time the core values that guide its news feed—the main source of news and information from your friends, family, and publications like The Daily Signal. The decision to disclose more information about the news feed comes a month after the social media giant faced accusations of anti-conservative bias…. -
news
Facebook to Provide ‘Political Bias’ Training for Employees
Facebook is adding a training program for its employees to address concerns that the company has a bias against conservatives. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, announced the addition of a “political bias” section to the company’s managing unconscious bias class during a Wednesday event at the American Enterprise Institute. “We have a managing bias class… -
news
Why This Senator Is Asking Facebook Tough Questions
The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee defended his inquiry to Facebook over accusations of anti-conservative bias, telling The Daily Signal he simply wants to make sure consumers aren’t being misled by the social media giant. “We’re not interested in regulating any media platform out there. All we want to do is ensure that consumers… -
opinion
Jim DeMint: Why I Met With Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg
This election season has made many Americans even more cynical about our democratic system of government. There is clearly political upheaval underway in America and around the world. This massive disturbance of the status quo has been fueled in large part by more people getting better, faster information from many sources on the internet. Previously,… -
opinion
China’s Challenge to International Cybersecurity
Chinese activities in cyberspace regularly garner a great deal of attention. Chinese hackers have been accused of stealing millions of records from U.S. government databases, such as the Office of Personnel Management, as well as various corporations. Chinese leadership sees information as inextricably linked to not only the broader national interest, but also to regime… -
opinion
Facebook’s War on Conservative News
Maybe we need to start talking about the consequences of living in Mark Zuckerberg’s America. It’s easy to see Facebook as the new town square. Friends, family, and acquaintances may live far apart, but on the Facebook news feed, the mixture of personal updates and news stories allow conversations and exchanges of viewpoints to continue,… -
opinion
Why You Can’t Google ‘Panama Papers’ in China
Typing the phrase “Panama Papers” into Baidu (China’s equivalent to Google) will yield the message “The search results may not meet the relevant regulations, and have not been displayed.” The millions of emails leaked last week by a Panamanian law firm revealed information on client investments in the country’s tax-haven investments, including those of high-ranking… -
opinion
University of Michigan Students Call for Police to Censor Classmates’ Political Messages
The University of Michigan is one of our nation’s premier institutions of higher learning. Young people from all over the country move to Ann Arbor every year to obtain an education and to have their ideas challenged by exposure to fellow students from many walks of life. Or maybe not. Last Thursday afternoon, a number of… -
opinion
Why ISIS Has Threatened the CEOs of Facebook and Twitter
U.S. social media companies are taking steps to curb support for terrorist causes on their websites. According to news reports, both Facebook and Twitter have rooted out thousands of accounts that either advocate or display sympathy for terrorists—and as a result have reduced the groups’ effectiveness on the Internet. In response the Islamic State (also known… -
opinion
Is Twitter Censoring Non-Politically Correct Viewpoints?
The folks running Twitter may be too young to have heard of George Orwell, or perhaps they simply do not care that their new advisory council sounds frighteningly Orwellian. Either way, the brand new “Twitter Trust and Safety Council” seems like a board ready to censor comments in deference to political correctness. It doesn’t help…