Business

CHINA WATCHThe American TikTok Deal Doesn’t Address the Platform’s Potential for Manipulation, Only Who Profits
By Andrew Buzzell
If we want to protect democratic information systems, we need to focus on reducing the vulnerabilities in our relationship with media platforms – platforms with surveillance power to know what we will like, the algorithmic power to curate our information diet and control of platform incentives, and rules and features that affect who gains influence. The biggest challenge is to make platforms less riggable, and thus less weaponizable, if only for the reason that motivated the TikTok ban: we don’t want our adversaries, foreign or domestic, to have power over us.
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CHINA WATCHElon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly from Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies
By Justin Elliott and Joshua Kaplan
The newly unsealed testimony marks the first time direct Chinese investment in the company has been disclosed, raising new questions about foreign ownership interests in one of America’s most important military contractors.
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CYBERSECURITYMultitasking Raises Risk of Phishing
By Michael Parker
In the information age, multitasking is often worn as a badge of honor. But according to new research, multitasking may also blind us to hidden threats, thereby increasing our chances of falling victim to cybercrime.
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DHSKristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened
By Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski
The DHS chief has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA’s response after natural disasters. Texts and emails obtained by ProPublica point to an effective way to get help faster: have one of Noem’s big donors make the ask.
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CYBERSECURITYMarket Incentives and Cybersecurity: Fixing the Broken System Before It Breaks Us
By Rajiv Shah and Debi Ashenden
Cybersecurity is not just an IT issue; it is a shared responsibility and an economic imperative. Only by ensuring resilience can we confidently adopt new technology and realize its benefits. The next horizon of the cyber security strategy would require a mix of incentives—including regulation, market forces and cultural change—to realize the objective of building a secure and resilient digital economy.
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CHINA WATCHPentagon Bans Tech Vendors from Using China-Based Personnel After ProPublica Investigation
By Renee Dudley
The Defense Department has tightened cybersecurity requirements for its cloud services providers. The changes come after ProPublica revealed how Microsoft’s use of China-based engineers left sensitive government data vulnerable to hacking.
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DEMOCRACY WATCHThe Government Shouldn’t Play “Truth Police”
By Thomas A. Berry
There is little doubt that ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was the result of the not-so-veiled threats by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that the network would face FCC action unless it removed Kimmel who, Carr argued (wrongly), had implicated MAGA in the killing of Charlie Kirk. But the government should not serve as the arbiter of truth in public debate. Government coercion to censor speech is wrong no matter which party is in power. We should all be concerned when the government takes upon itself the role of policing “truth” and uses that mantle as a tool to threaten and punish disfavored speakers.
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SECURITY INDUSTRYThe Security Industry’s Blind Spot - Management
By Pierre Alcantara
The global security industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world. Driven by rising crime rates, growing urbanization, and heightened awareness of personal and property safety, the demand for private security services continues to soar.
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WILDFIRESWho Pays for Wildfire Damage? In the West, Utilities Are Shifting the Risk to Customers
By Will Peischel
Utah laws cap wildfire damages and let utilities pass the cost onto customers. Utility lobbyists are pushing the model in other states.
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CYBERSECURITYCybersecurity Training Programs Don't Prevent Employees from Falling for Phishing Scams
By Ioana Patringenaru
Cybersecurity training programs as implemented today by most large companies do little to reduce the risk that employees will fall for phishing scams. Study involving 19,500 UC San Diego Health employees evaluated the effectiveness of two different types of cybersecurity training.
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CHINA WATCHWhen Global Trade Is About More Than Money
By Christy DeSmith
International trade can yield far more than imports and exports. Economist’s new tool looks at how China is more effective than U.S. in exerting political power through import, export controls
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FLOODSElon Musk Pushed Back on Our Reporting on His Houston Tunnels Plan. Experts Say His Comments Are Misleading.
By Yilun Cheng, Houston Chronicle
Elon Musk is taking issue with a recent investition by the Houston Chronicle and The Texas Newsroom that raised questions about a flood tunnel project he’s pitching to address Houston’s chronic flooding woes. But experts said his response, which he did not explain to the newsrooms, isn’t supported by facts or data.
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CRITICAL MINERALSSecuring South Korea's Critical Minerals Supply Chains Through Trilateral Cooperation
South Korea, Japan, and the United States’ trilateral partnership has expanded to include collaboration on economic security, including on critical minerals supply chains (CMSCs). A new report offers analysis, tools, and recommendations to strengthen South Korea’s CMSCs and economic security.
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CHINA WATCHPentagon Warns Microsoft: Company’s Use of China-Based Engineers Was a “Breach of Trust”
By Renee Dudley
The Defense Department is opening an investigation to determine if the tech giant’s use of overseas engineers to maintain sensitive U.S. government computer systems compromised national security.
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TECHNOLOGY RACEU.S.-China Tech Rivalry: The Geopolitics of Semiconductors
The United States and China are locked in a high‑stakes contest for dominance in computing power. In response to US sanctions and export controls, China has ramped domestic chip design and manufacturing, aiming to create an all‑Chinese semiconductor supply chain that reduces dependence on foreign technologies.
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