Designer pathogen research; Calif.’s bot regulation; IoT defense strategy, and more

New pathogen research rules: Gain of function, loss of clarity (Gregory D. Koblentz and Lynn C. Klotz, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientits)
In December 2017, after six years of debate and discussion, the United States government closed a chapter—though perhaps not the book—on one of the most controversial experiments in the annals of dual-use research: the creation of an H5N1 avian influenza virus that was transmissible through the air between mammals. That is, the Health and Human Services Department has finally issued new rules governing how it will decide whether to fund similar experiments in the future. While these new rules embody a reasonable set of principles for assessing the risks and benefits of such research, the review process could also be strengthened in several ways to ensure that it is comprehensive and rigorous.

North Korea is giving chemical-weapons supplies to Syria, UN experts say (Michael Schwirtz, New York Times)
North Korea has been shipping supplies to the Syrian government that could be used in the production of chemical weapons, United Nations experts contend. The evidence of a North Korean connection comes as the United States and other countries have accused the Syrian government of using chemical weapons on civilians, including recent attacks on civilians in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta using what appears to have been chlorine gas.

Russia claims it now has lasers to shoot satellites (Patrick Tucker, Defense One)
A defense source tells Russian media that military engineers have advanced work on the next big anti-satellite weapon.

Russia is abetting mass murder in Syria (Evelyn N. Farkas, Defense One)
By standing by and watching a slow-motion Rwanda unfold, the U.S. risks becoming an accessory to evil.

Feds need a defense strategy for IoT (James Scott, Fedtech)
Agencies, manufacturers and regulators must work together to secure the billions of connected devices coming online.

At governors meeting, guns absent from agenda(Natalie Delgadillo, Governing)
The National Governors Association largely avoided the topic of guns at its meeting this weekend, suggesting that — despite some Republicans’ recent embrace of gun control — there is still a lack of bipartisan agreement about how to make schools safer.

California wants to govern bots and police user privacy on social media (Elizabeth Zima, Govtech)
The proposed legislation will hold social media and Internet companies accountable for user privacy, and force them to stop the spread of misinformation by bots.