Late last week, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) released a new report detailing the political campaign influence operations from specific nation-state groups around the world. The report focuses on disinformation campaigns and hacking efforts originating from Iran, Russia, and China. In a summary blog, Clint Watts, General Manager of MTAC, writes that Microsoft’s goal in releasing election reports this year “is to underscore the importance of combating election deepfakes and promoting education and learning about possible foreign interference.”
Thank you for reading. You’ll find our roundup of recent tech policy news and a featured commentary below.
This Week in Washington
- CNBC: The White House invited a group of 100 digital content creators and industry professionals to speak with key officials, including President Biden, about the “creator economy.” The influencers discussed issues regarding AI, data privacy, and the impact of social media on mental health.
- FedScoop: The White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs launched a call center and governmentwide website, VSAFE.gov, to help protect veterans and their families from scams and fraud. The website combines information from across the federal government to offer fraud prevention resources, response information, and reporting assistance.
- The Hill: Despite passing out of the U.S. Senate 91-3 in July, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is facing resistance in the U.S. House. Some lawmakers have called out as problematic the “duty of care” provision that requires platforms to implement features to prevent and mitigate harm to minors.
- Reuters: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized a ban on companies knowingly buying or selling fake online reviews. It also prohibits the sale or purchase of fabricated views and followers on social media, as well as the removal of negative reviews through intimidation tactics.
Article Summary
- CyberScoop: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) convened 90 teams at this year’s DEF CON conference in Las Vegas to build autonomous agents to probe open-source code bases, find vulnerabilities, and fix them automatically. The competitors found 22 unique vulnerabilities in major open-source programs and automatically patched 15.
- Reuters: U.S. District Judge James Donato announced plans to issue an order forcing Alphabet’s Google to give Android users more options to download apps. Donato set up a three-person compliance and technical committee to implement and monitor the injunction in the coming weeks. However, a lawyer at Google said the company should not be forced to distribute a rivals’ app stores.
- Nextgov: The United Nations voted to adopt a draft version of its cybercrime convention which is slated for implementation by the U.N. General Assembly later this year. The treaty’s objectives are centered around halting the use of technology that may facilitate firearm and drug trafficking, terrorism, and other transnational crimes.
- Broadband Breakfast: New York received more than $664 million from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program to deploy high-speed internet to every unserved and underserved address in the state.
Featured Commentary
- World Economic Forum
AI is at the forefront of economic debate and “technological unemployment” has become the new wave of worry. Yet history shows that technology not only has deflationary benefits, but it has also played a key role in rejuvenating the labor market. Still, the question remains, will AI follow in the footsteps of past technology, or will the technology of the future forge a new path? (“Why AI will not lead to a world without work” – August 15, 2024)