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
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…. -
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…