A weekly digest of the latest news and research related to the work of the Technology, Economics, and Governance Working Group. Topics covered in the digest include cybersecurity, domestic regulation, innovation, international competition, social media disinformation, and the California exodus.
This week’s edition includes pieces on why Florida may be the new Silicon Valley, Facebook’s showdown with the Senate, and a report from RAND on how to address the challenges of building an offensive and defensive cyber workforce in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Industrial Policy, International Competition and Cooperation
U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Inaugural Joint Statement | The White House
The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) assembled for the first time on Wednesday to draft strategies for strengthening economic cooperation in the face of new tech-related challenges. Discussion centered around managing the national security consequences of AI, addressing semiconductor supply chain issues, and reducing barriers to trade while prioritizing international security through the use of export controls and investment screening.
There’s a Multi-Million Dollar Market for your Phone’s Location Data | The Markup
As the apps on our cell phones that tell us everything from the current weather to our daily step count increasingly rely on our location data, a $12 billion market has developed that includes harvesting, selling, and trading location data for profit. Thus far, this market has operated very much in the shadows, with most people not realizing the data is even being collected and most companies using vague language about what they do with it. This article attempts to piece together the ecosystem of the market and identifies some of the way in which the data is being operationalized.
Domestic Regulation
Facebook attempts to minimize its own research ahead of children’s safety hearings | The Washington Post
On Wednesday, Facebook released newly annotated versions of internal research presentations in an attempt to downplay the validity of its findings on the relationship between Instagram and mental health. Facebook’s actions precede several upcoming Senate hearings on children’s safety that were called after it was revealed that the company’s own data indicate that its products negatively impact the mental health of younger users.
Innovation
Global Missile Defense From Space Got More Affordable, DOD Official Says | U.S. Department of Defense
The director of the Space Development Agency discussed how new developments in the private sector have made defense goals more attainable at a Defense One virtual panel on Monday. Before the commercialization of space, the costs of launching satellites were prohibitively expensive, but now, he says, the Defense Department’s goal of developing a “meshed network of low Earth orbit satellites [...] providing real-time global awareness of missile threats” before the end of the decade is fiscally feasible.
Cyber
Lawmakers look to include cyber incident reporting measure in annual defense spending bill | The Hill
During the AWS Summit on Tuesday, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner expressed “high, high hopes” that a bipartisan proposal to mandate cyber incident reporting for certain groups would be added to the annual defense legislation. In July, members of both parties backed legislation that would require critical organizations to report cyber breaches to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within 24 hours, but the bill has not yet been finalized. CISA Director Jen Easterly, also in attendance at the summit, encouraged lawmakers to rethink the 24-hour window, concerned that a tight deadline would cause the CISA to be “overburdened with noise.”
Building the Best Offensive and Defensive Cyber Workforce | RAND Corporation
The RAND Corporation released an extensive report on Wednesday that identifies the most pressing concerns shared by cyber workers in the U.S. Air Force and offers a detailed plan of action to address these issues. Researchers drew their insights from dozens of interviews and focus groups with enlisted and civilian cyber personnel. Many interviewees expressed worry that the best employees had the lowest retention rates and that the military’s practice of promoting top technicians to supervisory roles is a primary driver of inefficiency and underutilized talent. The authors suggest that the Air Force should begin formally monitoring the retention of top performers and address the frustrations with its bureaucracy that amplify the pull of the private sector.
California
How Miami Seduced Silicon Valley | New York Magazine
Since the pandemic drove a number of tech entrepreneurs to the Miami area, Mayor Francis Suarez has fully embraced the “Miami movement,” promising Bay Area techies lower taxes and a friendlier business environment. While many have welcomed Mayor Suarez’s initiative, others are more skeptical about Miami’s capacity to sustain its growth. This article includes insights from interviews with Mayor Suarez and various tech influencers about Miami’s potential to overtake Silicon Valley.
Orlando is gearing up to rival Silicon Valley by becoming a hub for tech, defense, and finance | Business Insider
In recent years, the rapid growth of Orlando’s thriving tech sector has helped to rebrand Florida’s reputation. While out-of-state tech workers are increasingly drawn to Orlando’s low cost of living, executives from Electronic Arts, Luminar, and Stax say that much of Orlando’s business appeal stems from ease of recruitment — roughly half a million college students live within one hundred miles of the city center.
Freedom of Speech, Domestic Democracy, and Extremism
YouTube cracks down on anti-vaccine videos, bans major accounts | NBC News
YouTube implemented a new policy this week prohibiting all forms of vaccine misinformation and banned several of the platform’s largest anti-vaccine activists. According to vaccine advocates, YouTube’s algorithm has long magnified misinformation and made it difficult for viewers to find trustworthy sources on vaccination.
