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Google refutes Trump accusation over State of the Union links
After earlier tweeting, deleting and re-posting unsupported claims that Google is "suppressing voices of Conservatives," this afternoon the President's personal Twitter account posted a new attack video. It claimed that the company failed to promote his State of the Union address with a link on its homepage after doing so for President Barack Obama, but several things about it don't hold up. In a statement to the media, Google explained that isn't quite true, since a President's first address to Congress (like Donald Trump's this year) is not technically a State of the Union address, and explained that it did not promote Obama's speech in 2009 or Trump's in 2017. While the video claimed that it did not post a link for the 2018 speech, Google said it did. Buzzfeed News points to a Reddit post in the pro-Trump The_Donald section containing a screenshot showing the active link, posted during the speech earlier this year. Additionally, it points out that the video doesn't match Google's logo during the time in question. Meanwhile, Rob Graham points to an Internet archive page showing the link was active during the speech. Even if the video's claims were true, which all evidence available shows they are not, it's unclear why a link to a YouTube video -- which is also posted on the White House website -- would provide bias for or against a speech that also aired live on all major network and news TV channels. Google spokesperson: On January 30 2018, we highlighted the livestream of President Trump's State of the Union on the google.com homepage. We have historically not promoted the first address to Congress by a new President, which is technically not a State of the Union address. As a result, we didn't include a promotion on google.com for this address in either 2009 or 2017.
Google defends search policy following Trump accusations
In response to accusations tweeted today by Donald Trump, Google has issued a statement saying that it doesn't tailor its search results based on political ideologies. Across two tweets, the president claimed that Google searches for "Trump News" surfaced mostly negative coverage of him from left-wing media outlets and that the company was "suppressing" conservative voices. "This is a very serious situation-will be addressed," he wrote.
Jack Dorsey explains why Twitter is reluctant to fight fake news
Twitter chief Jack Dorsey's media tour has swung past CNN, and he's using this latest opportunity to defend more of the social network's controversial decisions over subjects like fake news. In an interview with Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter, Dorsey argued that his company hadn't "figured this [fake news] out" and was reluctant to outright remove false reports. It would be "dangerous" for Twitter staffers to serve as "arbiters of truth," he claimed.
Trump reportedly reverses Obama-era rules for US cyber operations
The Trump administration has reportedly reversed an Obama-era framework for how and when the US can use cyber attacks against foes. President Trump undid Presidential Policy Directive 20 yesterday according to the Wall Street Journal's sources, and with it reversed a classified framework detailing a multi-agency process that must be followed before carrying out an attack.
Anonymous deals with its QAnon branding problem
When you're a notorious hacking entity like Anonymous, and a pro-Trump conspiracy cult (QAnon) steals your branding (while claiming you're the impostor), the obvious thing to do is declare cyberwar. That's exactly what Anonymous did this past week in a press announcement, followed by a social media and press offensive. So far Anonymous has managed to take over QAnon's hashtags (while adding #OpQAnon and others) and dox a couple hundred members of Trump's pedophilia-obsessed, "deep state" doomsday cult. QAnon's mouthpieces responded exactly as we'd expect, with taunts and tweets saying: "These people are STUPID!! They have no brains and no skills. Typical 'empty threat' terrorists! But DO NOT click their links!! Virus city baby!!"
Vice President Pence lays out plan to create Space Force
Vice President Mike Pence has detailed a plan to establish Space Force as a new military branch. In a Pentagon speech, he laid out proposals to form a US Space Command (as was previously reported) that would focus on defending space. White House officials aim to establish Space Command by the end of the year and have a four-star general in place to lead it.
19 states vow to sue over proposed fuel efficiency rollbacks
Yesterday, the Trump administration unveiled its plan to roll back fuel efficiency standards and soon thereafter, multiple states vowed to fight the move in court. Nineteen states and Washington, DC announced they would sue to prevent the changes from being put into place, Reuters reports. "The Trump administration has launched a brazen attack, no matter how it is cloaked, on our nation's clean car standards," California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said following the publication of the proposed plan. "CA DOJ will use every legal tool at its disposal to defend today's national standards and reaffirm the facts and science behind them."
Trump administration reveals plans to roll back vehicle fuel standards
Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it wanted to roll back vehicle efficiency standards put into place by the Obama administration, and today the Trump administration revealed its plan to do so. While the previous policies stated that automakers have until 2025 to get their average fuel efficiencies for passenger vehicles to over 50 miles per gallon, the Trump administration rules would freeze standards after 2021 and average fuel efficiency requirements would then remain around 37 miles per gallon. Further, the plan aims to revoke a waiver that allows California to set its own vehicle efficiency standards.
The US is not prepared to shape global internet policy
This is a critical moment in global internet policy. The world is awake to the power of connected online systems, and the United Nations agrees that access to the internet is a human right, tied irrevocably to the tenets of free thought and expression. The European Union has just implemented strict data-protection policies under the GDPR, influencing businesses around the world in the process. Russia has been caught hacking into critical US systems, including utility companies, nuclear facilities and routers, and using social media to undermine the 2016 presidential election. Just this week, Facebook announced it had discovered another, similar influence campaign aimed at continually disrupting American democracy. As leaders around the world turn their attention to cybersecurity, the US lacks the resources and reputation to properly lead the conversation. That's the message out of Tuesday's Senate hearing, The Internet and Digital Communications: Examining the Impact of Global Internet Governance.
Leak provides early details for Trump's proposed Space Force
Congress is still a long way off from greenlighting Trump's proposed Space Force, but that isn't stopping the Pentagon from outlining plans for the new military branch. Defense One has obtained a leaked draft proposal that reveals some of the potential changes. The military would move quickly, creating a US Space Command by the end of 2018 that watches over space operations across the armed forces. The Pentagon would recommend that the leader of Air Force Space Command also head up this new division. Simultaneously, officials would establish a Space Operations Force that would include personnel (including civilians) from the whole military. It'd be ready quickly -- "space experts" would go to the European and Indo-Pacific Commands by summer 2019.
States sue to block sale of 3D-printed weapon designs online
The fight to keep 3D-printed gun designs off of the web continues as a number of states said on Monday that they would be jointly suing the Trump administration, Reuters reports. In a press release, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said today that the states have requested an injunction to block online publication of the designs and have filed a lawsuit. Joining Washington in the endeavor are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Oregon, Maryland and Washington, DC.
Russian hackers targeted Democratic senator ahead of midterms
Russian hackers targeted the campaign of Sen. Claire McCaskill in the Kremlin's first identified attempt at interference this midterm election season, The Daily Beast reports. "While this attack was not successful, it is outrageous that [Russia thinks it] can get away with this. I will not be intimidated. I've said it before and I will say it again, Putin is a thug and a bully," Missouri Democrat McCaskill said in a statement.
White House reportedly working on federal data privacy policy
The Trump administration is working on a set of data privacy protections, the Washington Post reports, and according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, officials have held 22 meetings with more than 80 companies and groups since last month. Companies like Facebook, Google, AT&T and Comcast have been involved, according to four Washington Post sources familiar with the matter. The short-term goal is to deliver a data privacy proposal -- including how data should be collected and handled and what rights consumers have regarding that data -- which could serve as a guide for lawmakers as they consider legislation.
Why are Trump and sex workers angry about shadow banning?
On Thursday morning, United States President Donald Trump tweeted about how Twitter was "shadow banning" prominent republicans, presumably after reading reports that it wasn't auto-suggesting the names of members of his party when people searched for them on its app. "Not good," Trump said. "We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once! Many complaints." But, while some people may appreciate what Twitter is doing, the company says this wasn't done on purpose -- it was simply a side effect of a change it made back in May aimed at cleaning up the platform.
Mueller reportedly targets Trump's tweets in obstruction probe
It looks like Donald Trump's tweets are getting him into trouble yet again. The New York Times reports today that special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into the president's tweets and statements about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former FBI director James Comey, according to sources familiar with the matter. Mueller also reportedly wants to question Trump himself about his tweets. The interest is part of Mueller's ongoing probe into whether the president has engaged in any obstruction of the special counsel's investigation into potential links between Trump's campaign and Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.
In nuclear politics, one size doesn't fit all
No one wants to use nuclear weapons. Even President Harry S. Truman, the only leader in history to actually order and carry out a nuclear strike, was hesitant to use the United States' atomic arsenal after witnessing the power of the bombs first-hand. On July 16th, 1945, the US successfully detonated the world's first atomic warhead, an implosion-type plutonium bomb that transformed the New Mexico desert into radioactive green glass. Six days later, President Truman wrote in his journal: "We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. It may be the fire destruction prophesied in the Euphrates Valley Era, after Noah and his fabulous Ark. ... This weapon is to be used against Japan between now and August 10th. I have told the Sec. of War, Mr. Stimson, to use it so that military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the target and not women and children."
Senate gives up on ZTE sanctions
Though a number of US senators have been seeking to block President Trump's deal with ZTE that lets the Chinese firm circumvent sanctions put into place by US officials earlier this year, they have now backed off on that effort. In June, the Senate passed a version of the National Defense Authorization Act that reinstated sanctions against ZTE and would effectively nullify the president's and Commerce Department's deal with the firm. However, the House of Representatives passed a version of the bill without such language and the two chambers have been working on a compromise bill that marries each of their versions. Senators have now decided to abandon the ZTE sanctions in exchange for more oversight for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS).
Trump is one of the biggest political ad spenders on Facebook
In May, Facebook began requiring political ads to disclose who paid for them and started collecting all political ads in a searchable archive. Now, researchers are using that information to see how politicians are incorporating the social platform into their campaigns. As the New York Times reports, researchers at New York University have conducted an initial analysis of political Facebook ads and found that President Trump is a leading spender.
UK politicians push for FOSTA SESTA-style sex censorship
If you're familiar with the phrase "that's a terrible idea, let's do it" then you might be one of the British MPs who think that the UK should do its own version of FOSTA-SESTA. That's exactly what Labour MP Sarah Champion has done by leading a debate this week for the creation of laws to criminalize websites used by sex workers in the UK -- under the rubric of fighting trafficking, of course.
US says ZTE can resume limited business while sanctions are debated
The Trump administration has handed ZTE another lifeline, Bloomberg reports, allowing it to resume certain business activities while US lawmakers decide how to deal with the company going forward. In April, the US Commerce Department banned ZTE from working with US companies after the company shipped US-made parts to Iran and North Korea -- in violation of US trade sanctions -- and then lied about giving the executives involved with those deals large bonuses. Though the Trump administration is looking to offer ZTE a reprieve, some members of Congress would like to see certain sanctions stay in place. And while the two sides try to work that out, ZTE will be allowed to keep providing some services.
