• Congressional transportation security caucus formed

    On Thursday members of the House Homeland Security Committee announced that they were starting a “Transportation Security Caucus”

  • Concern over DHS move to create giant information databank

    In an effort to enhance DHS’ information sharing capabilities, the department is looking to construct an integrated database known as the “Federated Information Sharing System,” a move which has raised concerns from the American Civil Liberties Union

  • GAO reports problems in cybersecurity hiring strategy

    An audit by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that some government agencies have failed to effectively develop or implement cybersecurity workforce planning strategies; agencies also reported problems in filling some cybersecurity positions, particularly those requiring specialized skills

  • The threat to military communities inside the United States

    The Majority Staff of the House Committee on Homeland Security has released a report on threats to the security of military communities in the United States; the report says that 70 percent of the plots against military targets occurred since mid-2009 — including the two successful homeland attacks since 9/11

  • Yellow Dot gets medical info to first responders fast

    Emergency officials in Alabama recently introduced a new program aimed at quickly providing first responders with critical information during accidents; in the event of a car accident, first responders will be able immediately to find vital medical information on victims by simply looking in their glove compartment

  • Interface could help Facebook members limit security leaks

    Researchers develop a sign-up interface for Facebook apps could help members prevent personal information — and their friends’ information — from leaking out through third-party games and apps to hackers and identity thieves

  • Safer fertilizer technology

    Honeywell will build a facility in California to produce a fertilizer with the agronomic benefits of traditional nitrate-based fertilizers, but with significantly lower explosive potential; the new fertilizer was independently tested, with guidance from the DHS and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and demonstrated significantly less or no explosive power

  • Nigerian Islamist terrorists and U.S. security

    Boko Haram is an Islamist religious sect that formed in the northern part of Nigeria, Africa’s leading oil producer, in 2002. Its Hausa-language name means “Western education is sin.” The group’s continuing attacks on Western targets in Nigeria and a death toll reaching 330 people in 2011 have made U.S. lawmakers and security experts take notice.

  • CIA terror plot-tracking technology is intriguing, worrisome

    A program developed by Palantir Technologies for PayPal is now used by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. It allows the CIA to detect a terrorist plot in the making, and do so without subjecting the general public to intrusive measures.

  • Congressional approval of cybersecurity bill looks promising

    Amid the partisan acrimony of the budget battles on Capitol Hill, the Obama administration and the Senate have made promising efforts to pass a sweeping cybersecurity bill in a rare show of bipartisan agreement; the bill is now at the top of the Senate’s agenda, and Senator Harry Reid (D – Nevada), the majority leader, said he plans to bring the bill to the floor during the first working session of 2012

  • Early Egyptian election returns confirm Islamist trend

    The immediate results of the Arab Spring so far have complicated the manner in which the United States protect its interests and negotiate regional issues, but these results also offer new opportunities; the news is not all bad for the United States: the Islamist parties which won in Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt may use anti-American rhetoric, but their rise to power also means an increase in the influence of Saudi Arabia in the region; this will likely mean a more robust Sunni Arab containment posture vis-à-vis Iran and its Shi’a and non-Sunni allies (Hezbollah, Syria)

  • Chinese rare earth embargo would be “disastrous,” says mining executive

    Mike Parnell, the CEO of U.S. Rare Earths, Inc., recently took the time to chat with Homeland Security NewsWire’s executive editor Eugene K. Chow; in the interview Parnell discusses the potential consequences of a full Chinese rare earth metal embargo, efforts to develop alternatives to rare earth metals, and the progress made in making the drilling process more environmentally friendly

  • British law enforcement exploits flaw in iTunes to spy

    British law enforcement agencies and Apple are coming under sharp criticism after it was discovered that authorities exploited a security flaw in iTunes to spy on individuals

  • Florida’s falling crime rate has experts puzzled

    With unemployment at record highs and police departments struggling with budget cuts, the fact that Florida’s crime rate has fallen nearly 33 percent in the last decade has many experts puzzled

  • House Intelligence panel investigates Chinese telecom giants

    As Chinese telecom giants Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp continue to eye the lucrative American market, they have come under increasing scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers who fear their technology could be used by Chinese hackers to steal U.S. secrets; the two Chinese companies are now the subject of a House Intelligence Committee investigation aimed at determining whether they are a threat to the United States