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Generation ID: Worries about kiddyprinting
There is Generation X and Generation Y; now there is Generation ID: Thousands of children across the U.K. have had their fingerprints and DNA taken without explicit informed parental consent; children — and privacy — advocates say this is dangerous
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FBI asks U.K., other countries to participate in U.S. terror database
The FBI’s Server in the Sky project would allow countries to search and swap biometric data on some of the world’s most wanted criminals; project is similar to the EU’s Prüm Treaty
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FBI in a $1 billion effort to build world's largest biometric database
FBI servers occupy an underground facility the size of two football fields; the organization’s database now contains 55 million digital prints; the plan is not only to increase this number, but also add palm patterns, iris patterns, face shapes, scars, and data on people’s voices and walking patterns
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Top 10 overseas security trends for the U.S. private sector in 2007
Advisory group says theft of trade secrets (did somebody say China?), cyber attacks, and home-grown radicalism were among the major 2007 threats to U.S. businesses operating abroad — and that 2008 will see intensification of these threats
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U.S., U.K., China, and Russia are "endemic surveillance societies"
Respected annual report ranking countries on privacy protection gave the four nations the lowest possible rating; concern over terrorism, immigration, and border control continue to erode privacy and increase surveillance
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Energy bill to save U.S. more than $400 billion between now and 2030
The energy efficiency portions of the energy bill which passed the Senate save U.S. consumers and businesses more than $400 billion between now and 2030; this is triple the savings from legislation passed by Congress in 2005
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Budget cuts threaten Fermilab's viability
Fermilab’s 2008 budget will be 17 percent smaller than the 2007 budget; 200 of its 1,900 scientists will be laid off next month; NOνA’s neutrino experiment, Tevatron collider, other programs to be halted; one scientist says: “Effectively, Fermilab is put on a glide-path to shut down after 2011”
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House backs TRIA version broader than one favored by Senate, White House
House backs a slimmer version of Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) — but this version is still broader than the one favored by the Senate and White House; TRIA will expire on 31 December unless renewed, and insurance companies, big cities are increasingly anxious
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U.K. government promotes commercialization of innovative technology
The U.K. government and a couple of research associations are seeking bids from universities interested in hosting new Innovation and Knowledge Centers (IKCs); each center will be funded with £9.5 million spread over five years
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Sale of controlled technology to China brings two years
China is engaging in a broad effort to obtain Western technology, and has instructed its intellignece agencies to engage in industrial espionage in the West; a California resident is sentenced to two years in prison for selling China night-vision cameras
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Foreign investment boosts U.S. economy
Last year the United States attracted $180 billion in foreign direct investment; U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies employ 5.1 million Americans with a payroll of $336 billion; this translates into annual average worker compensation of $66,042 — well above the national average; one analyst argues that we should not allow protectionist sentiments and misplaced security concerns disrupt this contribution to the U.S. economy
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U.S. teens lag behind in science and math
U.S. teenagers continue to fall behind students from other industrialized countries in science and math; tests conducted among students in the 30 industrialized OECD countries place U.S. students at 23rd in math and 17th in science; when compared to tests conducted among students from two dozen non-industrialized countries, U.S. students fell in the middle of the pack in science and did somewhat worse in math
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DHS's inspector general to take a close look at FEMA
IG predicts that the number of FEMA investigations outnumber those planned for any of the ten other DHS divisions; for 2008, the IG plans to produce 173 management reports — 53 on FEMA and 31 on the department’s management division
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Administration plans drastic cuts in antiterrorism funds to large cities
New York politicians slam administration’s plans to cut antiterrorism funds to New York and other large cities; if Bush includes the cuts in his annual funding request to Congress, “They’ll be dead on arrival,” Representative Peter King (R-New York) vowed
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U.K. government looks to private sector, academia for help on security
U.K. Home Office organize a meeting of 150 scientists, venture capitalists, chief executives, and academics to exchange ideas on new capabilities and future research priorities in the figh against terrorism
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The long view
Understudied terrorists put under a microscope
Bombs exploding, hostages taken and masked gunmen firing machine guns are all types of terrorist attacks we’ve seen. According to a new study, it’s the attacks we don’t see – cyberattacks – that happen more often and can cause greater destruction. “Little work has been done around the use of the internet as an attack space,” said Thomas Holt, Michigan State University professor of criminal justice and lead author. “The bottom line is that these attacks are happening and they’re overlooked. If we don’t get a handle understanding them now, we won’t fully understand the scope of the threats today and how to prevent larger mobilization efforts in the future.”
Modeling terrorist behavior with Sandia social-cultural assessments
Part of what makes terrorists so frightening is their penchant for unpredictable, indiscriminate violence. One day they could attack a global financial center. And the next they could hit a neighborhood bike path. A team of social-behavioral scientists and computational modelers at Sandia National Lab recently completed a two-year effort, dubbed “Mustang,” to assess interactions and behaviors of two extremist groups. The purpose was to inform U.S. and U.K. decision-makers about the groups’ possible reactions to specific communications. The model suggested several communication options that are most likely to reduce the recruitment and violence of the extremist groups over time.
Russia’s hostile measures threaten Europe: Report
A new RAND report examines current Russian hostile measures in Europe and forecasts how Russia might threaten Europe using these measures over the next few years. “Whatever the U.S. response, preparation for involvement in a wide range of conflicts can help reduce the risk of mismanagement, miscalculation, and escalation,” the report’s authos say.
Antimicrobial resistance: A neglected biodefense vulnerability
We typically think that biodefense is about defending against bioterrorism or the next pandemic – or, in extreme cases, about some laboratory accident. Biodefense is mostly about all these things, but also about much more. Antimicrobial resistance is not a headline-grabbing topic and it certainly is not getting its own apocalyptic outbreak movie anytime soon, but the microbial threat has been growing since antibiotics were first discovered.
Using social science to combat human trafficking
Worldwide, an estimated 20.9 million people are victims of sex trafficking, forced labor, and domestic servitude, collectively known as human trafficking. It is estimated that human trafficking generates billions of dollars in illegal profits annually, making it second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime. Human trafficking doesn’t only happen abroad; it occurs throughout the U.S., including in urban, suburban, and rural areas. DHS launches a campaign to combat human trafficking.
How French strategies prevented Al Qaeda's expansion in Mali
There have been many books on the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but there are few about the recent military interventions of America’s allies in countries such as Mali and others on the African continent. Because the January 2013 French intervention in Mali against the local Al Qaeda affiliate was quick, effective, and relatively low cost, the story contains valuable lessons for future strategy.