Presiding Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Judge Reggie Walton was misled by Department of Justice officials resulting in an erroneous ruling on March 7 that the government should not be permitted to store phone records longer than five years, U.S. News reports. Specifically, DOJ officials failed to inform the Court of preservation of evidence orders issued against the NSA. Without this information, Judge Walton deemed the government’s fear of penalties for deleting older records “far-fetched.” Judge Walton has ordered an apology and explanation from the DOJ, the article further explains.
According to the New York Times, in an attempt to relieve some of China’s concerns over the U.S.’s intent to triple the number of cyberwarriors it employs by 2016, the Obama Administration has “quietly held an extraordinary briefing for the Chinese military leadership on . . . the Pentagon’s emerging doctrine for defending against cyberattacks against the United States—and for using its cyber technology against adversaries, including the Chinese.” The Times further reports that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is concerned about “the growing possibility of a fast-escalating series of cyberattacks and counterattacks between the United States and China.”
Jamshid Muhtorov, a Colorado resident charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization, has become the first defendant to challenge the constitutionality of the law authorizing foreign intelligence surveillance without a warrant, the Los Angeles Times reports. Although Mr. Muhtorov’s defense team has thus far not been allowed to see classified evidence in the case, the team believes Mr. Muhtorov’s phones were secretly tapped and emails read pursuant to this law.
The U.S. Army Military Academy at West Point has established a cyber warfare reasearch institute and plans to build “a cyber brain trust unprecedented within the service academies,” according to USA Today. Through these programs, elite cybertroops will betrained, with seventy-five positions available to scholars of technology, psychology, history and the law, and other relevant areas of expertise over the next three years.
According to Ars Technica and an FCC filing, in-flight WiFi provider, GoGo has voluntarily exceded the information sharing requirements imposed by the government, a choice that has been criticized by the ACLU. GoGo claims its decision was born out of a desire to thwart spammers and protect against other network vulnerabilities.
A new report authored by an independent group led by former Attorney General Richard Thornburgh indicates that “lax security at NASA centers has compromised the agency’s sensitive technology network,” reports Asbury Park Press.Here’s a link to Mr. Thornburgh’s written statement before the House Committee on Appropriations on April 8.
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