PrivacyNew Tool Reveals Security and Privacy Issues with Contact Tracing Apps Published 17 March 2021 Researchers have developed a tool to identify security and privacy risks associated with Covid-19 contact tracing apps. COVIDGuardian, the first automated security and privacy assessment tool, tests contact tracing apps for potential threats such as malware, embedded trackers and private

3/17/21 Guns Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  Enable IntenseDebate Comments Gun violence in popular prime-time broadcast television dramas has increased steadily over almost two decades, a trend that parallels the rise in U.S. homicide deaths attributable to firearms, according to research by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. read more Hits: 0

The Russia connectionRussia, Iran Meddled in November’s Election; China Did Not: U.S. Intelligence By Jeff Seldin Published 17 March 2021 A just-released assessment by U.S. intelligence officials finds Russia and Iran did seek to influence the outcome of the November 2020 presidential election. But the assessment also concludes that, despite repeated warnings by a number

ARGUMENT: ExtremismThe German Far Right Doesn’t Need to Win Elections to Be Dangerous Published 17 March 2021 On March 3, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency placed the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) under observation as a suspected far-right extremist organization. “The challenge posed by the German far right goes beyond the AfD, Sam Denney writes.

3/17/21 Coastal challenges Enable IntenseDebate Comments:  Enable IntenseDebate Comments It is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. What is less well know is the threat of sinking land. And in many of the most populated coastal areas, the land is sinking even faster than the sea is rising. read more Hits:

Border securitySurge in Migrants at U.S.-Mexico Border Reignites Washington Debate By Ken Bredemeier Published 16 March 2021 Thousands of unaccompanied children crossing the Mexican border into the United States have quickly reignited the contentious immigration debate in Washington, with Republicans and Democrats at odds over who is to blame. The Biden administration has stopped short

ARGUMENT: Encrypted havensAre Telegram and Signal Havens for Right-Wing Extremists? Published 16 March 2021 Since the violent storming of Capitol Hill and subsequent ban of former U.S. President Donald Trump from Facebook and Twitter, the removal of Parler from Amazon’s servers, and the de-platforming of incendiary right-wing content, messaging services Telegram and Signal have seen

ExtremismAfter the Insurrection, America’s Far-Right Groups Get More Extreme By Matthew Valasik and Shannon Reid Published 16 March 2021 As the U.S. grapples with domestic extremism in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, warnings about more violence are coming from domestic intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Two experts – the

The extremist mindPsychological “Signature” for the Extremist Mind Uncovered Published 15 March 2021 Researchers have mapped an underlying “psychological signature” for people who are predisposed to holding extreme social, political, and religious attitudes and supporting violence in the name of ideology.A new study suggests that a particular mix of personality traits and types of unconscious

China watchChina Prepares New Era of ‘Belt and Road’ amid Pandemic Pressures By Reid Standish Published 15 March 2021 After declaring victories over extreme poverty and the coronavirus, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in a meeting of the National People’s Congress, has laid out a new path for China’s economic rise at home and abroad that