December 2016

ELECTION 2016

CYBER EXPERTS CITE LINK BETWEEN DNC HACKS AND AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Shane Harris]
Malicious software used in a hack against the Democratic National Committee is similar to that used against the Ukrainian military, a computer-security firm has determined, adding evidence to allegations that the hackers who infiltrated the DNC were working for the Russian government. The malware used in the DNC intrusion was a “variant” of one designed to help locate the position of Ukrainian artillery units over the past two years, the security company, CrowdStrike, said in a report released Dec 22. The artillery units were deployed to defend Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014. CrowdStrike concluded that the malware used against the Ukrainian military was designed by a hacker group known to security experts as Fancy Bear. The American security firm said the group works for the Russian military intelligence agency, known as the GRU, and was one of two Russian hacker outfits that stole emails from the DNC earlier in 2015.
benton.org/headlines/cyber-experts-cite-link-between-dnc-hacks-and-aggression-against-ukraine | Wall Street Journal
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TRANSITION

OBAMA MADE IT HARDER FOR TRUMP TO BUILD MUSLIM REGISTRY
[SOURCE: Vox, AUTHOR: Dara Lind]
For nine years, from 2002 to 2011, a version of one of Donald Trump’s most extreme proposals was standard US government policy: requiring certain people in the US on visas from Muslim-majority countries to register with the government. President Barack Obama suspended the program in 2011 — after years of complaints by civil rights groups that the program targeted Muslims and wasn’t effective in preventing terrorism. But it had never been fully dismantled — it was still sitting around for the Trump administration to dust off. Until now. On Dec 22, the Department of Homeland Security published a regulation that would totally get rid of the National Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) — forcing the Trump administration to take the time to create something new, and giving civil rights groups an opportunity to stop them. The regulation goes into effect Friday, December 22, well before President Trump is inaugurated. So when his administration takes office — if it’s serious about finding a way to register people from Muslim-majority countries in the US — it’s going to have to find another way to do it.
benton.org/headlines/president-obama-just-made-it-much-harder-president-elect-trump-build-his-muslim-registry | Vox
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COMMUNICATIONS APPOINTMENTS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Philip Rucker, Elise Viebeck]
President-elect Donald Trump appointed a handful of campaign loyalists to senior positions in his White House with responsibility for overseeing the administration’s outreach to the public and managing Trump’s sometimes hostile relationship with the news media. Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s campaign manager who was an unyielding promoter and defender of his on television, will serve as counselor to the president with direct access to advise him on his message strategy and political tactics across a broad range of issues. Conway will serve as a public face of the administration along with Sean Spicer, the Republican National Committee’s chief strategist and communications director, who was named White House press secretary. A veteran operative with deep relationships among Republican officials and political journalists, Spicer will ascend to one of Washington’s most coveted jobs, representing the president in briefings with the press corps. Also leading the communications operation will be Jason Miller, the Trump campaign’s senior communications adviser, who will serve as director of communications; Hope Hicks, Trump’s longtime spokeswoman who was at the candidate’s side nearly every day of his 16-month campaign, who will be director of strategic communications; and Dan Scavino, a onetime golf caddy who managed Trump’s presence on Twitter and Facebook during the campaign, who has been named director of social media.
benton.org/headlines/president-elect-trump-hires-conway-spicer-and-other-loyalists-senior-white-house-jobs | Washington Post | NY Times | The Hill
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CONWAY: TRUMP WH WILL ENGAGE WITH PRESS ON 'DAILY BASIS'
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Hadas Gold]
Newly appointed counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway said that the incoming White House will have a more or less traditional relationship with the media. "This will be a traditional White House in the sense that you will have a great deal of press availability on a daily basis and you'll have a president who continues to be engaged with the press," Conway said. The assurance from one of President-elect Donald Trump's most senior advisers comes as other members of Trump's senior staff have said that there might be changes coming to how the White House interacts with the media, from doing away with the daily briefing to rearranging the seating in the briefing room. Conway also said that they will soon announce who will fill the positions of press secretary, communications director and other senior members of the communications team. Republican National Committee chief strategist Sean Spicer is the heavy favorite for the press secretary post, though Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle is also likely to be offered a position on the team in an ancillary role, apparently.
benton.org/headlines/conway-trump-white-house-will-engage-press-daily-basis | Politico | The Hill
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SECURITY/PRIVACY

TRAVELERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
[SOURCE: Politico, AUTHOR: Tony Romm]
The US government quietly began requesting that select foreign visitors provide their Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts upon arriving in the country, a move designed to spot potential terrorist threats that drew months of opposition from tech giants and privacy hawks alike. Foreign travelers arriving in the United States on the visa waiver program have been presented with an “optional” request to “enter information associated with your online presence.” The prompt includes a drop-down menu that lists platforms including Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, as well as a space for users to input their account names on those sites. The new policy comes as Washington tries to improve its ability to spot and deny entry to individuals who have ties to terrorist groups like the Islamic State.
benton.org/headlines/us-government-begins-asking-foreign-travelers-about-social-media | Politico
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ORACLE PETITIONS FCC TO RECONSIDER BROADBAND PRIVACY RULES
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wendy Davis]
Software corporation Oracle is asking the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider the sweeping broadband privacy rules passed earlier in 2016. Oracle, which spent years unsuccessfully attempting to prove that Google's Android code infringes copyright, says the FCC's recent order on privacy will give Google an unfair advantage against Internet service providers. "The Commission cannot allow the order to stand, when it hands a clear victory to Google by hamstringing ISPs while allowing Google to continue to engage in invasive data collection and aggregation techniques, bolstered by its tight control of the Android operating system," Oracle said in a petition asking the FCC to reconsider the ruling.
benton.org/headlines/oracle-petitions-fcc-reconsider-broadband-privacy-rules | MediaPost
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WIRELESS/SPECTRUM

DAINES SECURES EXPANSION OF WIRELESS BROADBAND TO RURAL MONTANA
[SOURCE: ABC Fox Montana, AUTHOR: Cassidy Belus]
Sen Steve Daines (R-MT) secured the expansion of wireless broadband access in rural Montana. The Federal Communications Commission provided final regulatory approval for T-Mobile to provide 4G LTE service to areas covering over one million people in Montana and Wyoming. “Montanans know all too well the feeling of seeing your call dropped, pressing send on text messages that will never get sent in the rural parts of our state,” Sen Daines stated. “Today’s announcement that T-Mobile will be able to expand their coverage to the under-served part of our state is great news for connectivity and the safety of Montanans on our roadways.” “T-Mobile is grateful to Senator Daines and the FCC for giving us the opportunity to expand broadband across Montana,” said Kathleen Ham, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for T-Mobile. Sen Daines met with T-Mobile CEO John Legere in his Washington, D.C. office on November 30, 2016. The FCC's approval follows a letter Sen Daines sent to the FCC, urging it to take action on T-Mobile’s plan to offer expanded service.
benton.org/headlines/sen-daines-secures-expansion-wireless-broadband-rural-montana | ABC Fox Montana
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December 2016

Can Alexa help solve a murder case? Police think so, but Amazon won't give up the data

FDA outlines cybersecurity recommendations for medical device manufacturers

Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

Birch To Pay $6.1M To Settle Slamming And Cramming Investigation

December 23, 2016 (Happy Holidays from the Benton Foundation)

Spicer: Trump should continue to use Twitter as 'direct pipeline' if he sees fit

AT&T’s DirecTV Now Gets Off to a Bumpy Start

Jennifer Rubin: The House GOP agenda is already out of date

President-elect Trump hires Conway, Spicer and other loyalists for senior White House jobs

Total Call Mobile Pays $30 Million and Receives Permanent Lifeline Ban