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Air Force general behind government 5G memo leaves White House
That scrapped proposal for a goverment-run 5G network is triggering a political fallout. A senior official has confirmed to the Washington Post that the author of the memo pushing for the 5G network, Brigadier General Robert Spalding, has left his position as the National Security Council's senior director for strategic planning and returned to the Air Force. He wasn't fired, the insider claimed, and this wasn't prompted by the leak -- rather, the Council decided against renewing his position in part because his push for government 5G had "gone beyond his role."
White House says it’s not considering a national 5G network
Yesterday, Axios reported that the Trump administration was considering the option of a government-controlled 5G network. Documents obtained by Axios showed that Trump's national security team had proposed a couple of options, including one where the US government funds and constructs a single network, aimed at protecting US networks from Chinese cyberattacks. However, Recode now reports that those documents were outdated and their proposed plans are not actively being considered by the administration.
US-UK plan would share tech companies’ data with both governments
Companies like Microsoft and Google store some of their data overseas and when US agencies want access to that data, during a criminal case, for example, they often have a fight on their hands. That's because current laws don't require these companies to provide that data, just as they don't require these companies to hand over data stored in the US to foreign agencies. This has posed a problem on both sides because it can slow down investigations being conducted by US or other countries' officials and it puts tech companies in a sort of legal limbo as they've typically chosen to protect users' privacy since there are no laws compelling them to do otherwise.
Out of control satellite "weeks" away from slamming into Earth
Good news, everyone! According to reports, a US spy satellite which has lost power and propulsion is weeks or even months away from striking Earth. Officials say that the space junk -- which can now no longer be controlled and could contain hazardous materials -- is due to come smashing into some location on our planet's surface, but they can't really say where. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the Nation Security Council. Government agencies are still considering options such as shooting down the stray equipment, though they say they'd be just as happy to let the potentially radioactive / alien-filled hunk of metal crash into a small village in a developing country.
