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Study highlights air cargo security failings
New study: “these weak spots [in air cargo security] increase the security risk of worldwide transport, which can result in the disruption of logistical processes with considerable economic losses”
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NRC seeks tighter oversight of often-lost radioactive devices
A 3 August proposal by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) would expand the agency’s oversight, giving federal and state officials more muscle by stiffening regulations on almost 2,000 items — mostly industrial gauges containing radioactive material; there are approximately 2 million radioactive devices in factories, hospitals, research facilities — and the GAO estimates that up to 500,000 of those devices are unaccounted for
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In-building public-safety communication a growing business
The 9/11 attacks exposed a major weakness: rescue personnel had no communication coverage inside the towers; regulations now require that first responders have communications coverage everywhere in a building — or at least 95 percent of it; as businesses and local governments face deadlines for complying with these requirements, businesses offering in-building communication services will benefit
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Patent systems may discourage innovation: study
The traditional view is that patents foster innovation. A new study suggests instead that they may hinder technological progress, economic activity, and societal wealth
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Sweeping food safety bill passes House
House passes new, sweeping food safety bill requiring more government inspections and imposing new penalties on those who violate the law
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Apple says jailbreaking may knock out transmission towers
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asked the U.S. Copyright Office to instruct Apple to allow “jailbreaking ” — that is, modification of the iPhone’s software without Apple’s approval; Apple responded that modifying the iPhone’s operating system could crash a mobile phone network’s transmission towers or allow people to avoid paying for phone calls
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DHS unveils improved online presence
DHS unveils new Web site; National Threat Advisory graphic is given much less prominence
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U.S. considers cloud security standards
Cloud computing is gaining among businesses, so the U.S. government says it may step up with a set of cloud-security standards to meet government requirements for protecting sensitive data
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Concerns over E-Verify effectiveness as illegal immigration detentions drop
The Obama administration has mandated that by 8 September, all contractors who do work with the federal government must use E-Verify to ensure their prospective employees can legally work in the United States; senators say it is too easy to fool the current E-Verify system
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Opponents of Israeli Biometric Law: "It's a Step to a True Police State"
Debate heats up in Israel over the creation of a national biometric database; the law empowers the Interior Ministry to set up a database that would include biometric identification information on every Israeli citizen
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Napolitano highlights differences between Real ID and PASS ID
DHS secretary Napolitano, in her previous post a governor of Arizona, opposed the Real ID Act and the mandates it imposes on states; now, as DHS secretary, she is charge of implementing the act; Napolitano offers the PASS ID program as a compromise
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The Obama administration would require federal contractors to use E-Verify
The Obama administration said it would support a George Bush administration regulation that would only award federal contracts to employers who use E-Verify to check employee work authorization
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DHS's Einstein 3 plans raise questions
DHS wants to use Einstein 3 to bolster cybersecurity; the deployment of this powerful program has its critics, though
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To claim that swine flu has been "contained" is premature
We have not yet reached the “containment” phase of the swine flu epidemics; to say we have is PR, not public health policy
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U.S. designates North Korea's NCG as a nuclear-proliferation violator
NCG is a North Korean nuclear-related company in Pyongyang; today, the U.S. Department of State froze the assets of the and took other measures to isolate it from the U.S. financial and commercial systems
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The long view
Social Media Research Tool Lowers the Political Temperature
Researchers created a method to downrank antidemocratic and highly partisan posts on X, reducing polarization while potentially giving users greater control over their feeds.The method reprioritizes social media posts, pushing those that breach democratic norms and use hostile partisan language lower in a feed.