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Hackers break into UC Berkeley health-services databases
Hackers began breaking into the databases back in October, and continued to steal information until breach was discovered on 9 April; about 160,000 individuals believed to be affected by breach
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Canceling U.K. national ID scheme will save £400 million annually
If start up costs of £300 million are included, the U.K. National Identity Scheme will, over a decade, cost government and citizens around £4.3 billion more than the cost of current passports
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London to deploy satellite-based speed-control system
London buses, cabs, and government cars will be equipped with a satellite-based speed-control system: A centralized computer database will contain the speed limits on each of the city’s streets; a satellite will note the location of the GPS-equipped vehicles, and if the vehicle is going over the speed limit, the computer will seize control of the vehicle’s throttle, letting off the gas until it eases back down to the speed limit
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The security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal // by Dinshaw Mistry
Pakistan has significantly strengthened its nuclear command and control mechanisms; still, under some situations, its nuclear arsenal may be vulnerable to takeover by extremists
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DHS 2010 budget increases by 6 percent
Proposed $43 billion 2010 DHS budget emphasizes border and transportation security, de-emphasizes a national network of sensors to detect dirty bombs
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U.S. "black" military budget is second biggest military budget in world
Forget the $490 billion U.S. defense budget; just the secret, or “black,” budget portion of the defense budget — the money dedicated to secret operations and space activities — ranks second or third among the world’s military expenditures
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New DHS S&T leader: U.S. should brace for "bio-Katrina"
Dr. Tara O’Toole, new leader at DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate: “There is a possibility, a real possibility, that there could be the equivalent of a bio-Katrina on [Obama’s] watch”
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The 2010 U.S. defense budget creates winners and losers
The proposed 2010 U.S. defense budget is 4 percent larger than last year’s budget, but the cancellation of major weapon systems and the reorientation toward a nimbler, lighter military will see some defense contractors win while others will be disappointed; major winners will be defense contractors involved in cyber security, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
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Britain to remove some DNA profiles from database
About 5.2 percent of the U.K. population is on the national DNA database, compared with just 0.5 percent in the United States; the European Court of Human Rights rules that Britain’s DNA database is incompatible with the requirements of democracy, and the Home Office says it will begin to remove the DNA of innocent citizens
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European Court: Scottish DNA database system is "fairer and proportionate"
the European Court of Human Rights ruled the DNA databases in Britain, Wales, and Northern Ireland “could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society”; the European Court considered the system in Scotland “fair and proportionate”
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ShotSpotter to acquire QinetiQ North America's SECURES
ShotSpotter will acquire SECURES Acoustic Gunshot Detection System
from QinetiQ North America, strengthening its position in the acoustic detection arena; 35 localities in the United States already deploy ShotSpotter systems in high-crime areas -
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Canada bolsters air travel security
The government in Ottawa announced $350-million in funding to boost security at airports across the country
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DoJ's IG criticizes DHS terrorist Watch List
Inspector General says Watch List is flawed; FBI was also slow in removing names that should not have been on the list
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Hackers hold medical records hostage
Hackers broke into a Virgina pharmaceutical clearinghouse Web site, deleted records of more than 8 million patients, and replaced the site’s homepage with a ransom note demanding $10 million for the return of the records
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Senators urges Gates to continue production of Stealth fighter
Utah senators lead group of legislators urging Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to continue production and procurement of the F-22 Raptor and the C-117; other legislators form group to fight Gates’s cancellation of other weapon systems
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The long view
Going Nuclear? Why a Growing Number of Washington’s Allies Are Eyeing an Alternative to U.S. Umbrella
Until just a few years ago, few would have predicted that Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and other nations – all allies of Washington – might one day join the nuclear club. The U.S. nuclear umbrella has, for decades, offered U.S. allies an easy way of declining to pursue nuclear weapons. But the policies of the first and second Trump administrations damaged U.S. credibility as a reliable, steadfast ally, leading these nations to consider developing domestic nuclear weapons programs.
Bookshelf: The Waning Dominance of U.S. Dollar
Perhaps the greatest threat to the dominance of the dollar may come from the US itself. US government debt is basically ‘out of control’, representing 120 percent of GDP, and neither political party has a serious plan to bring it back under control.
AI and Extremist Propaganda: An Assessment
AI has rapidly accelerated the transformation of the global violent extremist landscape by acting as a force multiplier in the manufacturing and dissemination of extremist propaganda. This presents a broader set of challenges for states and reinforces the need for technologically grounded counter-violent extremist frameworks.
How to Prevent Elections from Being Stolen − Lessons from Around the World for the U.S.
President Donald Trump in his State of the Union address doubled down on his false claims that the U.S. elections system is compromised. His persistent effort to denigrate and spread distrust in the U.S. electoral process has led to speculation about how much further he might go to tilt the 2026 midterm and 2028 presidential elections in favor of candidates he supports.
AI Governance Is not Just Top-Down in China, Research Finds
Political scientist Xuechen Chen said traditional Chinese values and market driven factors have also driven moves to regulate generative AI platforms.
Plum Island, 1954-2026: A Requiem
Plum Island is an 840-acre island in the Long Island Sound, just off Long Island’s North Fork (New York), a short distance from Connecticut. It has been federally owned since the 19th century and was long home to the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC), a research laboratory focused on foreign animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease.