White House receives DHS report that will shape travel ban's future
(The Washington Post, Sep 19, 2017)
The Department of Homeland Security has submitted to the White House a classified report on screening foreign travelers wanting to enter the United States — a key document President Trump is likely to rely on as he decides the future of his controversial travel ban. With a major portion of the ban set to expire Sunday, DHS officials in recent days sent a report to the White House that "meets the requests that the president laid out in the executive order in an effort to establish better screening and vetting of persons to the United States."
Before the breach, Equifax sought to limit exposure to lawsuits
(The Washington Post, Sep 19, 2017)
Before Equifax discovered a massive computer breach that exposed sensitive information about millions of Americans, the company lobbied Congress on legislation to limit how much it could be forced to pay if sued by consumers, and it pressed lawmakers to roll back the powers of its regulators. Since at least 2015, the credit reporting agency has repeatedly lobbied lawmakers on issues related to “data security and breach notification,” according to federal disclosure forms.
Facial Recognition Is Only the Beginning: Here's What to Expect Next in Biometrics on Your Phone
(MIT Technology Review, Sep 20, 2017)
With the introduction of the iPhone X, Apple shined a new spotlight on a decades-old technology that has never worked well on the phone: facial recognition for things like unlocking and paying with the device. It’s a big bet, but one that may very well pay off. Apple has a penchant for adding future-facing features to the iPhone a little later than other phone makers, but it markets them so slickly that they seem like shiny must-haves if you don’t already have them.
Thanks to Apple, 50-Year-Old Facial Recognition Goes Mainstream
(Bloomberg, Sep 20, 2017)
Thanks to Apple Inc.’s new iPhone X, facial recognition may finally be on the verge of breaking out with consumers. The technology first developed in the 1960s has since been mostly relegated to the realm of government agencies and high-security firms. But if it follows the same path as Apple’s previous rollouts, like fingerprint sensors, it’s just a matter of time before the technology starts popping up in homes, stores and on other phones, too.
Time to Retire Social Security Numbers
(Real Clear Policy, Sep 16, 2017)
There’s no way to sugarcoat it: The hackers who breached the credit bureau Equifax scored big. They made off with the personal identities of 143 million Americans — names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. With that kind of information circulating on black markets, criminals can perpetrate all sorts of financial fraud, from opening credit cards in other people’s names to claiming their tax returns. It will upturn lives.
Facebook Faces a New World as Officials Rein In a Wild Web
(The New York Times, Sep 17, 2017)
The internet has long had a reputation of being an anything-goes place that only a few nations have tried to tame — China in particular. But in recent years, events as varied as the Arab Spring, elections in France and confusion in Indonesia over the religion of the country’s president have awakened governments to how they have lost some control over online speech, commerce and politics on their home turf. Even in the United States, tech giants are facing heightened scrutiny from the government.
At U.N., Britain to push internet firms to remove extremist content quicker
(Reuters, Sep 20, 2017)
The leaders of Britain, France and Italy will push social media companies on Wednesday to remove “terrorist content” from the internet within one to two hours of it appearing because they say that is the period when most material is spread. British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni will raise the issue at an event on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.
An Unexpected Security Problem in the Cloud
(The Wall Street Journal, Sep 17, 2017)
As more companies unplug their data centers and rent out cloud-computing services from providers such as Amazon.com and Microsoft, some are discovering an unexpected problem: They’re accidentally leaving their corporate data exposed for all the world to see. Configuration errors made while using cloud-storage services are common, security experts say, and often occur when users set access permissions so someone outside of the company—say, a vendor—can see data.
Coming Soon: New Trusted Traveler Programs Website
(CBP, Sep 18, 2017)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced plans today to launch a new Trusted Traveler Programs website in October. CBP will transition from the Global Online Enrollment System to the Trusted Traveler Programs System which will facilitate the enrollment and membership of the Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST programs. The new website makes the process of applying for or managing a Trusted Traveler membership more user-friendly and will improve and better facilitate the experience for those looking to join the ranks of Trusted Traveler.
