Published on March 18th, 2022 📆 | 7637 Views ⚑
0The Download: Fixing America’s cybersecurity and part 2 of The Secret Police investigation
What is it: Stronger government oversight, rules mandating that organizations meet minimum cybersecurity standards, closer partnerships with the private sector, a move away from the current market-first approach, and enforcement to make sure any new rules are followed.Ā
Precedent: The new strategy will take its cue from some of the nationās most famous regulatory landmarks, such as the Clean Air Act or the formation of the Food and Drug Administration. Not everyone is happy about it, though. Read the full story.
Patrick Howell OāNeill
The secret police: A police system for watching protesters kept going even after protests around George Floydās murder ended
Despite public assertions that it had gone dormant, a multi-agency task force consisting of federal, state, and local police that was created to monitor protests in Minnesota during the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin continued to operate in secret after the trialās conclusion, according to emails and documents examined by MIT Technology Review.Ā
The program, known as Operation Safety Net (OSN), held regular meetings, conducted policing operations, continued close coordination, and updated intelligence documents until at least October 2021, far past its publicly announced ādemobilizationā in April 2021.
Read the full story here.
This is the second story in this investigative series. Our first story, about how Operation Safety Net stymies the freedom to protest,Ā is here.
Sam Richards & Tate Ryan-Mosley
The must-reads
Iāve combed the internet to find you todayās most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 The war in Ukraine will spark a global energy crisis
The IEA is warning countries to reduce demand, now. (NYT)
- Why do Russian tanks now have cages mounted on top? (Economist)
- The online movement to help Ukrainian researchers. (Verge)
- Russiaās killer drone sparks fears about AI in warfare. (Wired)
2 Another covid wave is looming
Cases are spiking in Europe and the UKāthe US will be next. (Atlantic)
- We should track our immunity to monitor how weāre doing against covid. (Atlantic)
- Moderna is asking for approval to give a 4th dose. (CNBC)
- Pfizer has already asked for the same. (WaPo)
3 Chinaās current internet dark age could be Russia's future
The two countries have the tendency to learn the worst from each other. (NYT)
- Why Russia is risking the splinternet. (TR)
4 We have the tech to ditch fossil fuels
And deploying it fast will actually save us money, writes Bill McKibben. (New Yorker)
5 Vitalik Butherin is worried about cryptoās future
Ethereumās creator is disenchanted with all the wealth being flaunted. (Time)
- Crypto is keeping Russiaās YouTubers afloat. (Verge)
- Ethereumās switch to proof of stake, explained. (TR)
- Itās running out of time to change the world. (TR)
6 Clubhouse has become a lifeline for anti-war RussiansĀ
So far the out-of-favor audio app is not on the censorsā radar. (Input)
7 EllieQ is a robot to keep your grandparents company
Cute? Or dystopian? You decide! (Wapo)
8Ā The Zelensky deepfake was taken down across all channels, fast
The way the platforms reacted is a blueprint. (Wired)
- A deepfake of Putin āannouncing peaceā has also now emerged. (Reuters)
- Reminder: the biggest threat of deepfakes isn't the deepfakes themselves. (TR)
9 Is Starlinkās offer of internet access in times of crisis just a PR stunt?
For many, Muskās motives are unclear.(SciAm)
10 The new touch-tech that is making VR more immersive
āChemical hapticsā promise to take realism to a whole new level. (New Scientist)
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)
- Gorgeous cherry trees in China.
- Ever wanted to know how to draw a nose? I got you.Ā
- Researchers might be on the cusp of discovering a sort of āAtlantisā but in Yorkshire, England.Ā
- A fun interactive to introduce you to āscam rapā.
Quote of the day
āThis is not the war to defend Russia that your grandfathers and your great-grandfathers fought. This is an illegal war. Your lives, your limbs, your futures are being sacrificed for a senseless war, condemned by the entire world.Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses the Russian peopleā best coq au vin in a powerful video that he posted on Twitter.
Gloss