Earlier this week, Microsoft released a progress report on its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), which is the largest cybersecurity engineering project in history. Thus far, the company has invested the equivalent of 34,000 engineers working full-time for 11 months to mitigate risk and improve security.
The company has hardened identity security, improved its ability to detect and respond to cyberthreats, and partnered with industry to protect customers from zero-day attacks. The company also supports government-led cybersecurity initiatives, such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA’s) Secure by Design pledge. For highlights of the SFI report, see this Microsoft Security blog.
Thank you for reading. Check out this week’s tech policy news highlights below and a featured report from LinkedIn on how generative AI is transforming the global economy and the way we work.
This Week in Washington
- Washington Post: The White House is considering issuing an executive order that would create a policy integrating artificial intelligence into K-12 education. Under the draft executive order, federal agencies would be instructed to take steps to train students in using AI and to incorporate it into teaching-related tasks.
- Ars Technica: Two weeks ago, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved on a 49-1 vote the Take It Down Act. This bill would criminalize the publication of non-consensual deepfake sexual imagery and require websites to remove such imagery within 48 hours of receiving a takedown request. The bill has already passed the Senate and is expected to receive a full House vote next week.
- Nextgov: Following a restructuring of the National Science Foundation, 430 federally-funded research grants–around $328 million worth–covering topics like deepfake detection, artificial intelligence advancement, and the empowerment of marginalized groups in scientific fields have been terminated.
- CyberScoop: Two top officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) working on the ‘Secure by Design’ initiative are leaving the agency. The initiative aims at working with the private sector to manufacture secure products and technology.
- AP: Countries around the world are gearing up for greater digital conflict as increasing global tensions and a looming trade war have raised the stakes. Chances that a cyberattack could cause significant economic damage, disrupt vital public systems, reveal sensitive business or government secrets, or even escalate into military confrontation are also growing.
Article Summary
- New York Times: New restrictions on semiconductor exports to China are scrambling sales and fueling concerns that Huawei will become a chip-making powerhouse.
- StateScoop: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) notified states that they’ve been granted a 90-day extension to submit their final spending proposals for their slice of the $42.45 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
- Nature: A new study argues that AI can bridge the growing gap between newer and older solar data and help scientists uncover overlooked aspects of the Sun’s long-term evolution.
- Michigan Advance: President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order shifting some of the responsibility from the federal government to states and localities to improve their infrastructure to address cybersecurity risks, including cybercrimes, but many states may not be prepared to tackle the effort.
Featured Report
- LinkedIn
Generative AI (GAI) is transforming the global economy and the way we work, and we’re at a pivotal moment. To fully realize its potential, we must ensure the workforce has the skills needed to thrive in an AI-powered future. LinkedIn’s latest report explores how businesses, governments, and workers can harness this shift. (AI and the Global Economy: Unlocking Growth and Reshaping Work – April 2025)