Democrats in the House are requesting that social media groups hand over information related to threats made against law enforcement officials.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Cyber Command said it recently deployed its “hunt forward” team for the first time in Croatia to help the Balkan country shore up its cyber defenses and networks against active threats.
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Dems request info on FBI threats
House Democrats asked social media platforms to turn over information about threats to federal law enforcement officials and how they combat the violent posts, according to letters sent to eight companies Friday.
House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) demanded Meta, Twitter, TikTok, Truth Social, Rumble, Gettr, Telegram and Gab respond with details about their policies and data on the threats.
- The request comes after researchers have identified an uptick in violent posts targeting FBI agents since the search at former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
- In the letter, the Democrats cited incendiary posts from their GOP colleagues that have accused the Department of Justice of being “weaponized” against Trump and called to “defund” the FBI.
Read more here.
US sent cyber team to Croatia
The U.S. Cyber Command recently deployed its “hunt forward” team for the first time in Croatia to help the Balkan country shore up its cyber defenses and networks against active threats.
The team, which is made up of U.S. military and civilian personnel, worked alongside Croatian intelligence and cybersecurity officials to look for malicious cyber activity and vulnerabilities.
“It was an honor to send some of our best defensive operators to Croatia, to hunt for shared threats alongside our partners — we want to bring both expertise and talent to our partner nations, while seeing cyber adversaries who may be threatening our nation,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Hartman, commander of the U.S. Cyber Command’s Cyber National Mission Force.
The agency often sends the team overseas to assist allies in strengthening their cybersecurity defenses as well as collect information on adversaries’ cyber activities.
Read more here.
DOT LAUNCHING DELAYED, CANCELED FLIGHT DASHBOARD
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a letter to CEOs in the airline industry on Thursday the Department of Transportation (DOT) will be launching a dashboard to help customers determine what they are owed if a flight is delayed or canceled.
Buttigieg chastised the airlines for “unacceptable” delays and cancellations Americans have experienced this summer, saying customers “deserve clear and transparent information on the services that your airline will provide, to address the expenses and inconveniences resulting from these disruptions.”
To help with that process, Buttigieg said the DOT website will launch a dashboard before Labor Day weekend, on Sept. 2, where customers can find information about what each airline carrier offers in the event of a delay or cancellation.
Read more here.
BITS & PIECES
An op-ed to chew on: As Schumer eyes Big Tech, hold onto your wallet
Notable links from around the web:
Viral video of a racist rant led people to threaten the wrong business. The owner blames Google. (NBC News / Ben Goggin)
TikTok Browser Can Track Users’ Keystrokes, According to New Research (The New York Times / Paul Mozur, Ryan Mac and Chang Che)
Amazon’s health ambitions sometimes clashed with medical best practices, nurses say (The Washington Post / Caroline O’Donovan)
One more thing: Biden to host summit
President Biden plans to host a summit in mid-September focused on stamping out the effects of hate-fueled violence in the United States in furtherance of his campaign pledge to unify the country.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Friday that the “United We Stand” summit would be held on Sept. 15 at the White House with the goal of countering “the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence on our democracy and public safety.”
“Even as our nation has endured a disturbing series of hate-fueled attacks, from Oak Creek to Pittsburgh, from El Paso to Poway, from Atlanta to Buffalo, Americans remain overwhelmingly united in their opposition to such violence,” Jean-Pierre said.
Read more here.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you Monday.
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