Walter Pincus

Partnering for Cyberspace Security

Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 3, 2008 - 8:32am
Last updated: November 3, 2008 - 8:32am

In two recent speeches that have attracted little notice, Donald Kerr, principal deputy director of national intelligence, has called for a radical new relationship between government and the private sector to counter what he called the "malicious activity in cyberspace [that] is a growing threat to everyone." Kerr said the most serious challenge to the nation's economy and security is protecting the intellectual property of government and the private sector that is the basis for advancements in science and technology.

US to Fund Pro-American Publicity in Iraqi Media

Submitted by Benton Foundation on October 3, 2008 - 7:16am
Last updated: October 3, 2008 - 7:16am

The Defense Department will pay private US contractors in Iraq up to $300 million over the next three years to produce news stories, entertainment programs and public service advertisements for the Iraqi media in an effort to "engage and inspire" the local population to support US objectives and the Iraqi government.

Cybersecurity Will Take A Big Bite of the Budget

Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 21, 2008 - 7:31am
Last updated: July 21, 2008 - 7:32am

President Bush's single largest request for funds and "most important initiative" in the fiscal 2009 intelligence budget is for the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, a little publicized but massive program whose details "remain vague and thus open to question," according to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Keeping Secrets: In Presidential Memo, A New Designation for Classifying Information

Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 19, 2008 - 7:41am

Sometime in the next few years, if a memorandum signed by President Bush this month ever goes into effect, one government official talking to another about information on terrorists will have to begin by saying: "What I am about to tell you is controlled unclassified information enhanced with specified dissemination." That would mean, according to the memo, that the information requires safeguarding because "the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure would create risk of substantial harm." Bush's memorandum, signed on the eve of his daughter Jenna's wedding, introduced "Controlled Unclassified Information" as a new government category that will replace "Sensitive but Unclassified." Such information -- though it does not merit the well-known national security classifications "confidential," "secret" or "top secret" -- is nonetheless "pertinent" to U.S.

Cabinet Officials Cite Concerns About Senate Version of Reporter's Shield Law

Submitted by Benton Foundation on April 21, 2008 - 9:22am

Bush Cabinet members with national security responsibilities are sending letters to Senate leaders about the Free Flow of Information Act. The bill would protect a reporter's source unless a federal judge, "by a preponderance of the evidence," ruled that the identity sought is "essential to the resolution of the matter." In a criminal case, the judge must determine that "there are reasonable grounds to believe that a crime has occurred." In their letter, Attorney General Michael B.