OUR PICKSThe US Election Threats Are Clear. What to Do About Them Is Not | Keeping Federal Data Secure | U.S. Intelligence Is Facing a Crisis of Legitimacy, and more
· The US Election Threats Are Clear. What to Do About Them Is Anything But
A Senate Intelligence Committee hearing today saw broad agreement on how AI and other threats loom ahead of the US election—and uncertainty about how to respond
· RFK Jr. Is Priming His Audience for Election Denialism
Robert F. Kennedy’s campaign—and his life’s work—have laid the groundwork for supporters to blame his inevitable loss on an elite conspiracy
• Trump Blasts His Trial Judges. Then His Fans Call for Violence.
Experts on extremism say the constant repetition of threatening or menacing language can normalize the idea of violence – and increase the risk of someone carrying it out
· Violent Threats Surge After Donald Trump’s Attacks on Trial Judge
Online posts call for physical violence — including death threats — against Juan Merchan after the former president called him corrupt
· Trump’s Attacks on Justice System Are Causing Real Damage, Experts Say
Prosecutors, witnesses and jurors in ex-president’s sights, and it could lead to violence, former federal prosecutors and judges say
· UK to Deploy New Radio-Wave Weapon Which Can Blast Swarms of Drones Out of the Sky
At 10p a shot, military technology is a cost-effective alternative to traditional missiles, say experts
· How to Regulate Artificial Intelligence
To everyone from academics and journalists to policymakers and AI researchers themselves, the imperative for regulation seems obvious
· Keeping Federal Data Secure
Leaks, hacks, and simple mistakes have exposed Americans’ data, in some cases widely to the public, in others to malicious actors and enemies abroad
· U.S. Intelligence Is Facing a Crisis of Legitimacy
Bad-faith attacks are putting U.S. security in danger
The US Election Threats Are Clear. What to Do About Them Is Anything But (William Turton, Wired)
On Wednesday, members of the US Senate Intelligence Committee questioned senior national security officials on how they plan to respond to attacks on voting infrastructure and attempts to influence the election using deepfakes, generative AI, and misinformation. While everyone in the room appeared to agree on what the threats are, senators expressed concern about how exactly government agencies would respond.
RFK Jr. Is Priming His Audience for Election Denialism (Anna Merlan, Wired)
Kennedy held himself out as the lone man asking the hard questions, a tactic he has used throughout his entire career. And now, in his quest for the presidency, he’s doing so again.
Trump Blasts His Trial Judges. Then His Fans Call for Violence. (Peter Eisler, Ned Parker, and Joseph Tanfan, Reuters)
As his presidential campaign intensifies, Trump has baselessly cast the judges and prosecutors in his trials as corrupt puppets of the Biden administration, bent on torpedoing his White House bid.
Violent Threats Surge After Donald Trump’s Attacks on Trial Judge (Hugh Tomlinson, The Times)
Donald Trump’s attacks on the integrity of the judge overseeing his criminal trial have prompted a surge in violent threats online, according to a study.
Trump’s Attacks on Justice System Are Causing Real Damage, Experts Say (Peter Stone, Guardian)
Donald Trump’s verbal assaults on judges, prosecutors, witnesses, jurors and the broader US justice system are undermining the rule of law and American democracy while fueling threats and potential violence against individuals involved with the legal cases against him.
UK to Deploy New Radio-Wave Weapon Which Can Blast Swarms of Drones Out of the Sky (Danielle Sheridan, The Telegraph)
A new radio-wave weapon which can destroy swarms of drones in one shot is to be used by the British military for the first time.
The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) beams disruptive radio waves at vehicles and drones, frying the electronics inside.
How to Regulate Artificial Intelligence (Dean Woodley Ball, National Affairs)
The emergence of generative artificial intelligence in the last few years has drawn a growing chorus of advocates offering proposals for how to regulate this new technology. Many of them want to treat AI as an entirely new kind of challenge that calls for entirely new regulatory tools. But starting from scratch is unlikely to lead us to effective regulation. Instead, regulators should begin from our existing tools and take the time to see what new modes of regulation might be needed.
Keeping Federal Data Secure (Matthew Jensen, National Affairs)
In the past few years alone, the U.S. government has suffered dozens of high-profile data breaches of its civilian agencies. Leaks, hacks, and simple mistakes have exposed Americans’ data, in some cases widely to the public, in others to malicious actors and enemies abroad. Policymakers must reconceive the federal government’s entire approach to data security — and the sooner they do, the better.
U.S. Intelligence Is Facing a Crisis of Legitimacy (David V. Gioe, Michael S. Goodman, and Michael V. Hayden, The Atlantic)
The need for good intelligence has never been more visible. The failure of the Israeli security services to anticipate the brutal surprise attack carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 reveals what happens when intelligence goes wrong.
