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
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… -
news
Grounded Surveillance Operation Nabbed 110,000 Illegal Immigrants at Border
While surveillance helicopters were grounded in Texas, the head of Customs and Border Protection called the flights critical to “countering illegal immigration” from Mexico. Records bear that out: A government report credited Operation Phalanx with apprehending 110,000 illegal border crossers. CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske stated in a Nov. 16 letter that Phalanx “provided tangible benefits… -
news
Obama Administration Shuts Down Aerial Surveillance on Border
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security quietly shut down Operation Phalanx, an aerial surveillance program that intercepts drugs and illegal crossings along the Mexican border. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, vows to challenge DHS’ move, saying Congress provided “full funding” for 2017. Cuellar, a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the homeland security subcommittee, is… -
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… -
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….