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
How New Social Media Background Checks Could Enhance Homeland Security
Terrorist travel just got a little bit harder, as selected visa applicants are now being asked to turn over their social media information to State Department officials. While this new process is only expected to impact 0.5 percent, or 65,000 of the 13 million annual visa applications to the U.S., it still presents questions of… -
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…. -
news
Senator Explains Why the Susan Rice Surveillance Allegations Are a Big Deal
Hearings are being planned to find out more about whether Obama political officials obtained intelligence to use against President Donald Trump’s associates during the campaign. News reports recently alleged President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, asked to see names of U.S. citizens captured incidentally in surveillance—names normally “masked” for privacy reasons. I recently… -
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… -
news
Alleged Surveillance of Trump Team Fuels Debate Over Government Spying
The chairman of the House intelligence committee surprised colleagues by saying he has evidence suggesting intelligence agencies may have misused and spread information legally obtained through surveillance of President Donald Trump or those close to him as they communicated with foreigners after the election. The disclosure Wednesday fed a debate over the government’s surveillance powers… -
news
Who Knew What About Trump Surveillance? New Details Raise More Questions
The chairman of the House intelligence panel acknowledged Wednesday that President Donald Trump and members of his team were likely under surveillance, at least incidentally, between Election Day and the presidential inauguration. Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, also refused to rule out the involvement of senior Obama administration… -
news
Sharyl Attkisson on Trump Surveillance Claims: ‘I Don’t Think It’s Outside Realm of Possibility’
Veteran investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson said Thursday it’s possible President Donald Trump is right about government surveillance. “I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility, especially considering The New York Times and USA Today reported that there was wiretapping going on of some of his top people,” Attkisson told “Fox & Friends.” Attkisson, who… -
news
Trump Surveillance Allegation Could Trace to Reported Court Order
There isn’t yet a paper trail, but there is a potential press trail to follow on President Donald Trump’s claim of surveillance by the Obama administration. Still, there’s a question about whether this action was illegal and whether the former president directed it—as Trump asserted in a series of tweets Saturday. “President Trump is onto… -
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
Study Shows Americans Flock to States With Less Burdensome Taxes
Migration patterns for 2016 show that Americans tended to move away from high-tax states and into states where residents keep more of what they earn. United Van Lines, the nation’s largest moving company, recently released its annual movers study report showing that South Dakota overtook Oregon as the top inbound destination. Generally, more people moved… -
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….