At a glance.
- FTC requests public comment on privacy rulemaking.
- DOE invests in securing the US power grid.
- US Army offers training for its Cyber Branch.
FTC requests public comment on privacy rulemaking.
Last week the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on “Commercial Surveillance and Data Security,” the first step toward the establishment of a federal regulation addressing privacy, data security, and algorithmic discrimination. The ANPRM indicates the FTC is considering placing restrictions on personalized advertising, implementing privacy protections for children that go above and beyond the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and curbing strategies that aim to keep minors glued to their screens. JDSupra notes that the document poses nearly one hundred questions asking for input on the efficacy of solutions like consent-based data processing, opt-out preferences for targeted advertising, parental consent for personalized advertising targeting children, breach notification standards, automated decision-making via algorithms, and the collection of biometric data. The public will be given sixty days to submit comment.
DOE invests in securing the US power grid.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) yesterday announced it’s putting $45 million toward cyber technology aimed at safeguarding the nation’s power infrastructure from cyberaggression, providing funding for up to fifteen research endeavors that focused on reducing cyber risks. These research projects are also intended to bolster relationships between energy sector utilities, vendors, and universities. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm issued a statement explaining, “As DOE builds out America’s clean energy infrastructure, this funding will provide the tools for a strong, resilient, and secure electricity grid that can withstand modern cyberthreats and deliver energy to every pocket of America.” The Hill notes that this is just the latest move signaling the DOE’s efforts to improve the cybersecurity of the energy grid. In April, the agency announced a $12 million investment in six research projects focused on using anomaly detection, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to secure critical infrastructure including the power sector, and in July House legislators passed a bill establishing a DOE grant program for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers studying cybersecurity and energy infrastructure.
US Army offers training for its Cyber Branch.
Defense News reports that the US Army, in coordination with US Cyber Command and other entities, is establishing a cyber training program aimed at closing technology skill gaps across the military. Approximately six months to a year from being operational, the program will include courses in Texas, Georgia, Washington, DC, and Maryland. Earlier this week at the AFCEA TechNet Augusta conference, Major General Paul Stanton, the commander of the Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, explained the program “requires a little bit of a change in curriculum, a change in approach, a change in our assessment strategy, but we are absolutely making progress and informing the longer-term way ahead.” Based on information gathered first-hand during the war in Ukraine, one area of focus will be emissions control and its impact on the electromagnetic spectrum. “We’re watching both the Russian and Ukrainian ability to find each other on the battlefield using EMS, using electronic warfare,” Stanton added.