Crossroads Blog | Institute National Security and Counterterrorism

Bulk Data-Collection, China, Cybersecurity, Internet governance, NSA

Cyber Round Up: NSA Bulk Data-Collection Case Continues, Cybersanctions Against China, Facebook Asked to Censor Content

  • Appeals Court Overturns Injunction Against NSA Bulk Data-Collection (Politico):  The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned an injunction issued against the NSA’s bulk data-collection program, reports Politico.  The preliminary injunction prohibiting the government from collecting the plaintiffs’ call records was issued by the district court, but was stayed pending the appeal.  The appeals court reversed and remanded the case to the district court, with one judge dissenting and arguing to reverse and dismiss the case entirely.  Judge Richard Leon, the district court judge who issued the injunction, has already scheduled a hearing for September 2 on the next steps in the case.  Read the full article here.
  • Sanctions Against China Under Consideration (The Wall Street Journal):  The White House is preparing sanctions against Chinese state-owned enterprises and private companies that are believed to have benefitted from the cybertheft of U.S. corporate secrets, reports the Wall Street Journal.  The authority for the planned sanctions is likely from the Executive Order signed in April 2015, authorizing the government to block the property of those who engage in malicious cyber-enable activities.  The sanctions are not expected to be imposed until after President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jingping meet this month.  Some scholars see the threat of sanctions as a possible bargaining chip to create rules on cyberspace.  A copy of the Executive Order and a brief analysis can be found here.
  • German Laws Must Be Obeyed, Even Online (Business Insider):  German Justice Minister Heiko Maas has requested that Facebook take down racist content from its site.  According to an interview with Reuters, Minister Maas expressed concerns that the internet was being used as a means to spread and incite racial hatred with impunity.  Facebook must abide by German laws, even though they have a “stricter interpretation of the freedom of speech that the United States does,” the minister said.  A spokesperson for Facebook announced that the company is interested in meeting with the minister to discuss his concerns.  The full article can be found here.

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