The CyberWire Pro Policy Briefing for 12.9.19

Summary

By the CyberWire staff

China's president Xi Jinping ordered that all foreign-made computer hardware and software must be removed from government offices within the next three years, the Guardian reports. The Financial Times said the task will begin next year, and will require the removal and replacement of between twenty and thirty million devices.

The European Union Council has concluded that it will adopt a "comprehensive and risk-based approach" to 5G security, Computing notes. The EU didn't make reference to any specific companies like Huawei or ZTE, but it did say it would take into consideration "non-technical factors such as the legal and policy framework to which suppliers may be subject to in third countries." Bloomberg quotes Rob Strayer, the US State Department's deputy assistant secretary for cyber security, as saying, "We were very pleased to see the conclusions on 5G that the EU council released."

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said on Saturday that international norms are needed in cyberspace in order to enforce standards, Fifth Domain reports. Gen. David Goldfein, chief of the US Air Force, said General Nakasone at US Cyber Command should be given "increased decision authority" to enforce such standards.

Selected Reading

Shutterstock Is Latest Tech Company to Censor Itself for China (The Intercept) More than 180 employees signed a petition opposing the censorship, which blocked searches for “Taiwan flag,” “dictator,” “yellow umbrella,” and more.

All the King’s Consultants (Foreign Affairs) Experts play valuable and highly visible roles advising leaders in wealthy liberal democracies and international institutions. But far less is known about what they do—and to what effect—for authoritarian regimes and developing countries.

Election security bolstered in key states for 2020 presidential race (The Fulcrum) In the 13 states that are likely to decide the 2020 presidential election a variety of new security measures have been put in place to prevent hacking by Russia and other countries.

Here’s what the Marines’ information command centers will do (C4ISRNET) These centers will help commanders better understand the threats and vulnerabilities in the information sphere.

The Navy will build tactical cyber teams (Fifth Domain) In a new strategy document released Dec. 4, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said he wanted the service to develop a plan to field small tactical cyber teams by February 2020.

()

EU Council agrees 'risk-based' approach to 5G following bout of US lobbying (Computing) The US is 'pleased' to see the EU's conclusions on 5G

In cyber, the US can’t ‘enforce standards that don’t exist’ (Fifth Domain) With no global playbook for proper behavior in cyberspace, the United States and allies can't police adversaries as needed to protect data and systems.

A Framework for Regulating Competition on the Internet (Stratechery) Understanding the differences between platforms and Aggregators is critical when it comes to considering regulation.

DHS chooses Bryan Ware, former AI entrepreneur, as assistant director for cybersecurity (CyberScoop) Department of Homeland Security officials have selected Bryan S. Ware, a tech-savvy entrepreneur and holder of multiple patents, to be the department’s most senior official focused exclusively on cybersecurity, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

Top U.S. Cybersecurity Officials to Depart as Election Season Enters Full Swing (WSJ) Two top government officials with broad cybersecurity and election-integrity portfolios have said they are stepping down, a loss of expertise in a critical area less than a year before the 2020 presidential election.

Voting-Machine Upgrade Stirs a Partisan Clash in Pennsylvania (Wall Street Journal) A partisan clash is unfolding over an effort to upgrade voting systems in Pennsylvania, after Republicans accused the Democratic governor of rushing the deployment of new voting machines, some of which malfunctioned in November. Democrats called the claims inaccurate.

PRIMER: China’s cryptography law (IFLR) IFLR’s latest primer looks at China’s new law targeting blockchain development, how it relates to the country’s national digital currency, and the impact on the fintech community

WSJ News Exclusive | Trump Administration Weighs Putting Amazon Foreign Sites on ‘Notorious Markets’ List (Wall Street Journal) The Trump administration is considering putting some of Amazon.com Inc.’s overseas operations on a list of global marketplaces known for counterfeit goods, according to people familiar with the matter.

House Democrat presses Google executives for answers on handling of health data (TheHill) Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) on Friday pressed Google executives for answers on how the company is collecting and protecting sensitive consumer health data as part of a special project with a health care group.