Our picksPrivate Eyes in the Sky | Record Increase in Murders in 2020 | Risky Chinese Drones, and more

Published 23 September 2021

·  U.S., Russian Military Officials Meet amid Concerns about Terrorism Fight

·  Extremists Using Video-Game Chats to Spread Hate

·  Private Eyes in the Sky

·  From 9/11 to 1/6

·  FBI Report Likely to Show Record Increase in Murders in 2020

·  DHS Launches National Climate Resilience Prize Competitions

·  U.S. Government Buying Risky Chinese Drones

·  Federal Agencies Warn Companies to Be on Guard against Prolific Ransomware Strain

·  2nd Ransomware Attack on Agricultural Cooperative Points to Food Safety Threat

U.S., Russian Military Officials Meet amid Concerns about Terrorism Fight  (Gordon Lubold, Wall Street Journal)
The Pentagon’s top officer met with his Russian counterpart in the Finnish capital Wednesday amid American and allied efforts to find ways to fight terrorism after the departure of U.S. and allied troops from Afghanistan last month. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley met here with Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov, officials said. U.S. military officials declined to provide any details of the meeting, except to issue a brief statement saying the two discussed “risk reduction and operational deconfliction.” The U.S. and Russia have in the past discussed how to avoid conflict in Syria, where both countries maintain troops, and in the Black Sea, where both militaries conduct naval patrols. The two sides have also discussed Moscow’s incursion into Crimea and its massing of forces along Ukraine’s eastern and southern borders. But Gen. Milley, on a tour through Europe this week, has been focused on terrorism and countering violent extremism in the region. He met NATO chiefs of defense in Athens before meeting with a smaller group of his counterparts in Berlin on Monday. On Tuesday, he was in London meeting with the military chiefs of the other “Five Eyes” nations, including Canada, Australia, the U.K. and New Zealand.

Extremists Using Video-Game Chats to Spread Hate  (Carl Miller and Shiroma Silva, BBC)
Extremists are using mainstream video games and gaming chat platforms to spread hate, BBC Click has found. Over three months, researchers found anti-Semitism, racism and homophobia on platforms, including DLive and Odysee, where users stream and chat about games such as Call of Duty and Minecraft. Campaigners say including extremist narratives among everyday conversations can be a pathway to radicalization. These conversations then move to spaces such as private Telegram channels. “Once you’re in that world, then the radicalization starts to happen,” Joe Mulhall, of anti-fascist organization Hope Not Hate, said. “That’s when you start to go to other meetings, to smaller groups that aren’t necessarily playing games, talking about politics more explicitly.” (Cont.)