Just the Facts on ‘Geofencing,’ the Intrusive, App-Based ‘Dragnet’ That Sgt. Joe Friday Never Dreamed Of

Don’t “geofence” them in, say worshippers in Silicon Valley. This map is from nearby Mountain View-based Google, recently penalized over its location tech. Google Maps “We are in the space between the emergence of this technological practice and courts having ruled on its constitutionality,” said Alex Marthews, national chair for Restore the 4th, a nonprofit… Continue reading Just the Facts on ‘Geofencing,’ the Intrusive, App-Based ‘Dragnet’ That Sgt. Joe Friday Never Dreamed Of

Embracing the Messiness of Public-Private Collaboration in the Fight Against Botnets

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine War, Russia has sponsored several Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against Ukrainian targets, including various attacks against government and financial entities. Botnets, which are networks of computers infected with malware that an attacker controls and uses to fulfill malicious cyber activities, can be used to launch these DDoS… Continue reading Embracing the Messiness of Public-Private Collaboration in the Fight Against Botnets

Winning the Tech Cold War

If world leaders learn only one lesson from the war in Ukraine, it should be that the ability to rapidly innovate—to invent, adopt, and effectively integrate new technologies—can have profound implications for combat outcomes. Outgunned and outnumbered, Ukrainians took a page from the U.S. playbook and turned to technology to gain an advantage over the… Continue reading Winning the Tech Cold War

These Technologies Could Defeat China’s Missile Barrage and Defend Taiwan

Earlier this year, a group of experts from RAND and the Special Competitive Studies Project launched a new wargame effort around China’s invasion of Taiwan—but unlike most D.C.-based wargames, this effort heavily involved members of the commercial technology sector, in order to understand what near-term capabilities might be brought to bear on a Taiwan scenario.… Continue reading These Technologies Could Defeat China’s Missile Barrage and Defend Taiwan

Money, Markets, and Machine Learning: Unpacking the Risks of Adversarial AI

It is impossible to ignore the critical role that artificial intelligence (AI) and its subset, machine learning, play in the stock market today. While AI refers to machines that can perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, machine learning (ML) involves learning patterns from data, which enhances the machines’ ability to make predictions and… Continue reading Money, Markets, and Machine Learning: Unpacking the Risks of Adversarial AI

UFOs Are Not the Only Potential Threat in American Skies

On Thursday, the House Oversight Committee will hold a public hearing about national security implications of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). It comes on the heels of public inquiries in 2022 by Congress, the Department of Defense, NASA, and the intelligence community (PDF) into what were once called UFOs. If extraterrestrials are visiting our planet, the… Continue reading UFOs Are Not the Only Potential Threat in American Skies

Ukrainian Refugees, U.S. and Allied Defense Strategy, Threats from AI: RAND Weekly Recap

This week, we discuss why European host countries shouldn’t treat Ukrainian refugees like short-term visitors; how to reverse the erosion of U.S. and allied power and influence; Washington’s concerns over Taiwan’s defense spending; addressing the mental health crisis in U.S. jails; tackling existential threats from artificial intelligence; and how the conflict in Sudan is creating… Continue reading Ukrainian Refugees, U.S. and Allied Defense Strategy, Threats from AI: RAND Weekly Recap

Do Generals Dream of Electric Tanks?

Members of the House Armed Services Committee have expressed concerns over the electrification of Army combat vehicles. Though such concerns have some merit, there is also a larger issue motivating research and development efforts—the growing demand for energy on the battlefield. Strategists analyzing a potential U.S.-China conflict will often comment on the challenges presented by… Continue reading Do Generals Dream of Electric Tanks?

Deception by Redaction: More FBI FISA Abuses, This Time Using Fake News in the Washington Post

By Paul Sperry, RealClearInvestigationsAugust 1, 2023 The FBI’s efforts to mislead a federal court in order to wiretap an adviser to the Trump campaign were more extensive than previously reported, according to classified documents described to RealClearInvestigations. John Durham, special counsel: The FISA abuse that got away. AP The embattled bureau tried to hide its… Continue reading Deception by Redaction: More FBI FISA Abuses, This Time Using Fake News in the Washington Post

Woe, the Humanity: How AI Fits Into Broadly Rising Anti-Humanism

The future of humanity is becoming ever less human. The astounding capabilities of ChatGPT and other forms of artificial intelligence have triggered fears about the coming age of machines leaving little place for human creativity or employment. Even the architects of this brave new world are sounding the alarm. Sam Altman, chairman and CEO of… Continue reading Woe, the Humanity: How AI Fits Into Broadly Rising Anti-Humanism