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FBI worried about increased cyber crime
Head of the FBI cyber division says the number of victims of cyber crime, and the cost of that crime, are increasing; moreover, as many as two dozen countries have taken an “aggressive interest” in penetrating the networks of U.S. companies and government agencies
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Heron UAV delivered to Canadian forces in Afghanistan
Israel Aerospace Industries deliver Heron UAV to Canada; delivery is part of part of a $85 million contract
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Chertoff urges industry to invest in cybersecurity
About 85 percent of the U.S. critical infrastructure is owned and operated by private industry; DHS secretary Chertoff says this fact makes cybersecurity a shared responsibility between government and the corporations that control most computer networks
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Militaries eye biometric technology
New report says that biometrics is useful not only for homeland security applications, but also for military uses in the theater; the military biometrics market thus offers investors new opportunities
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Briefly noted
Quantum cryptography: As awesome as it is pointless… Smiths Detection wins $26.7 million TSA order for advanced checkpoint X-ray systems… Motorola sells biometrics arm to Safran… Aussie government approves ProtectDrive for government use
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GSC announces six finalists for 13 November event
The Global Security Challenge has announced the six finalists for the competition to be held 13 November; winner will receive $500,000 grant in cash and mentorship from venture capitalists
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Thales opens European security center
More than 25 percent of Thales’s revenues come from its security systems, which totalled approximately €3.4 billion in 2007; the French giant launches a security research center dedicated to homeland security
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California IT security company adds 225 jobs in Ann Arbor expansion
Ann Arbor, Michigan, is attracting more and more IT security companies; half a dozen IT companies have already announced expansions in the Ann Arbor region this year, and their plans for Ann Arbor include the addition of nearly 1,200 jobs in the coming years
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Technology start-ups, investment, and the financial crisis
The U.S. financial crisis need not spell doom for technology start-ups, says Kevin Maney; one of the main reasons: “The cost of starting a tech company has dropped precipitously, thanks to cheaper/better/faster technology”
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IT security hinders innovation
New IDC reports says businesses are struggling to find the right balance between security and innovation; information security concerns have caused 80 percent of companies surveyed to back away from new innovation opportunities
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Coast Guard chooses new patrol boat
Years after Congress urged the U.S. Coast Guard to speed up its patrol boat replacement program, the service finally picked a design and a shipbuilder for its new cutters; the winner: Bollinger Shipyards
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Send Word Now completes $14 million financing round
As more attention is paid to alerting people of imminent or on-going disasters, investors pay more attention to companies producing effective, reliable alert systems; Send Word Now benefits
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Washington State, Microsoft sue cyber fear mongers
Washington State has one of the nation;s toughest anti-spyware laws, and the state attorney general joins with Microsoft to sue companies which use fear to sell security products
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EU bans baby food with Chinese milk
Twenty-two Chinese dairies used industrial additive melamine in their products; 54,000 Chinese babies were sickened, 4 died, and more than 10,000 are still hospitalized; 27-nation EU bans baby food with Chinese milk
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California tells residents not to flush pharmaceuticals
In an effort to limit the contamination of drinking water with pharmaceuticals, California launches “No Drugs Down the Drain Week”
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The long view
U.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.
The American TikTok Deal Doesn’t Address the Platform’s Potential for Manipulation, Only Who Profits
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.
Underground Data Fortresses: The Nuclear Bunkers, Mines and Mountains Being Transformed to Protect Our “New Gold” from Attack
Bunker scholars have long noted that these buildings are as much about time as they are about space. Bunkers are designed to preserve and transport their contents through time, from an apocalyptic present into a safe future.
Funding Cuts, Policy Shifts, and the Erosion of U.S. Scientific and Public Health Capacity
The U.S. continues to face mounting threats to its health, scientific enterprise, and national security. A recent report warns that proposed FY 2026 budget cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) could reduce its funding by more than half – from $9 billion in FY 2025 to under $4 billion. If passed by Congress, these cuts would result in an estimated ~$11 billion in economic losses.
U.S. Energy Supply Chains Are Unlikely to Meet Anticipated Demand
The U.S. fast-growing energy demands for clean energy sources faces a problem: Under current supply chain conditions, the United States is on track to fall significantly short of surging demand for three clean energy sources: wind, solar, and battery. The shortage is due to the scarcity of critical raw materials such as nickel, aluminum, and silicon.