December 2014

Julie Drizin named executive director of Current

The American University School of Communication has hired public media journalist, producer and critic Julie Drizin for the new position of Executive Director of Current, as the newspaper and website seeks to expand its coverage and impact in US public and nonprofit media.

She comes to Current from the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, where she directed the Journalism Center on Children and Families, taught undergraduate journalism majors, and convened a December 2014 Aspen Institute Forum on Race, Journalism and Society. Drizin has been an award-winning producer of news, public affairs and talk programming at WXPN-FM in Philadelphia, Democracy Now!, NPR’s Justice Talking and WETA-FM in Washington (DC).

US attributes Sony attack to North Korea

Federal investigators accused North Korea of carrying out a computer attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment, blaming the government for an intrusion that exposed corporate e-mails, wiped out computer data and underlined the cyber capabilities of one of the United States’ top adversaries. The new claim marks a significant escalation -- the first time that the United States has openly laid blame on a foreign government for a destructive cyberattack against an American corporation.

The statement said the conclusion was based in part on a “technical analysis” of the malware used in the attack, which “revealed links to other malware that the FBI knows North Korean actors previously developed.” The FBI said the attack was also linked to several Internet protocol addresses “associated with known North Korean infrastructure.” North Korea’s actions were “intended to inflict significant harm on a US business and suppress the right of American citizens to express themselves,” the FBI said. “Though we have seen many different types of intrusions targeting US networks, the destructive nature of this attack, coupled with its coercive nature, sets it apart from typical cyber incidents,” a senior administration official said.

President Obama: Sony Pictures 'made a mistake' in canceling 'The Interview'

President Barack Obama addressed Sony Picture's decision to halt the release of "The Interview," during a press conference, saying he believed the studio made "a mistake" by pulling the film.

"In this interconnected digital world, there are going to be opportunities for hackers to engage in cyberassaults both in the private sector and the public sector," the President said, urging Congress to pass legislation that would allow for greater information sharing about such threats. "We cannot have a society in which some dictator some place can start imposing censorship here in the United States," President Obama said. "Because if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that they don't like or news reports that they don't like -- or, even worse, imagine if producers and distributors and others start engaging in self-censorship because they don't want to offend the sensibilities of someone who sensibilities probably need to be offended."

Statement By Secretary Johnson On Cyber Attack On Sony Pictures Entertainment

The cyberattack against Sony Pictures Entertainment was not just an attack against a company and its employees. It was also an attack on our freedom of expression and way of life.

This event underscores the importance of good cybersecurity practices to rapidly detect cyber intrusions and promote resilience throughout all of our networks. Every CEO should take this opportunity to assess their company’s cybersecurity. Every business in this country should seek to employ best practices in cybersecurity. The Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies are here to help. We seek to raise the level of cybersecurity in both the private sector and civilian government, and provide timely information to protect all our systems against cyber threats. For businesses and other organizations that want to improve their cybersecurity, the 'Cybersecurity Framework' is a great starting point and a great tool. It lays out best practices developed together by government and the private sector. We encourage all businesses and other organizations to use the 'Cybersecurity Framework' to assess and limit cyber risks and protect against cyber threats.

Wait, Cuba has its own Internet?

[Commentary] The Cuban Internet is different from the Internet that most of the rest of the world knows. And on the Cuban version of the Internet, there is no Twitter, no YouTube, few blogs or publications from the United States or elsewhere beyond the boundaries of that island nation. Instead, that Cuba-wide web is limited to a national e-mail system, some government-approved Web sites, a Cuban encyclopedia, and little else.

North Korea barely has the Internet. And that could be good defense in a cyberwar.

What exactly the United States can do about a destructive cyberattack by North Korea against Sony is unclear, especially if the government wants to launch a counter cyberattack against the secretive nation. The international legal framework guiding how the United States could respond to a cyberattack is largely untested, leaving the White House a limited number of options.

The Electronic Equivalent of War

[Commentary] A company has been attacked on US soil; our sovereignty has been violated. The Sony attack is a watershed event. The pretending is over. There is a real cyber-war going on, and we should admit it and develop serious, transparent policies in response. We need an aggressive defense. Now.

Poll Shows Broad Impact of Cyberattacks

Just fewer than half of Americans say that a retailer, bank or credit-card company has told them or a household member that their payment card details were stolen in a data breach, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. That figure has contributed to what many retail analysts are calling “breach fatigue,” in which consumers stop worrying about cyberattacks because they appear in the news so frequently. The poll also found that more Americans than ever think they have been targeted in Internet crime.

President Obama called on women reporters for all eight questions at his press conference

President Barack Obama began the December 19, 2014 press conference with a joke about having a naughty and nice list from his press secretary, detailing which reporters he would take questions from. As it turns out, that list was all women. President Obama took eight questions on everything from the Sony hacks to tax reform to Cuba, and in each case made what appeared to be a deliberate effort to listen to female voices.

Congress wants to legislate network neutrality. Here’s what that might look like

Republicans in Congress appear likely to introduce legislation in January 2015 with an industry-backed proposal that would preempt efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to draw up new rules for Internet providers.

Apparently, while key details of the proposed bill are still being hammered out, the legislation would attempt to end a debate over the FCC's power to regulate network neutrality. One important piece of the proposed legislation would establish a new way for the FCC to regulate broadband providers by creating a separate provision of the Communications Act known as "Title X". Title X would enshrine elements of the tough net neutrality principles called for by President Barack Obama. In exchange for Title X, the FCC would refrain from regulating net neutrality using Title II of the Communications Act.

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