Academic Writing

Predicting Corporate Intelligence Agencites in the 1960s

Author(s): 
Brian Nussbaum
Publication Date: 
January 24, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

The recent tumult around the emergence of a dossier suggesting salacious things about President Donald Trump has cast light on a series of for-profit intelligence firms with names like “Orbis International” and “Fusion GPS.” Such organizations are part of a huge industry providing information, analysis, and “decision advantage” for companies, investors, political parties, and often government agencies. It is a giant industry, and one that was predicted with remarkable insight i Read more about Predicting Corporate Intelligence Agencites in the 1960s

How journalists can protect themselves while covering protests

Author(s): 
Geoffrey King
Publication Date: 
January 19, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

Protesters call attention to economic, environmental, racial, gender-based and other forms of injustice. For journalists covering political movements, reporting on protests is crucial, but these events come with unique security challenges. This quick guide will focus on how U.S. journalists can manage the security of their devices and reporting materials when covering protests. Digital security is only one consideration, alongside both physical threats and your rights as a citizen and journalist. Read more about How journalists can protect themselves while covering protests

Facebook and Falsehood

Author(s): 
Henry Farrell
Publication Date: 
January 15, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

After the election, many people blamed Facebook for spreading partisan — and largely pro-Trump — "fake news," like Pope Francis’s endorsement of Trump, or Hillary Clinton’s secret life-threatening illness. The company was assailed for prioritizing user "engagement," meaning that its algorithms probably favored juicy fake news over other kinds of stories. Read more about Facebook and Falsehood

Republicans say their midnight vote was about bridge building. Actually, it was bridge burning.

Author(s): 
Henry Farrell
Publication Date: 
January 12, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

Republicans in the Senate voted Wednesday night on a bill that would significantly accelerate the repeal of key elements of the Affordable Care Act (commonly called Obamacare) through reconciliation. As Republican Sen. Read more about Republicans say their midnight vote was about bridge building. Actually, it was bridge burning.

Trump’s Dangerous Attribution Message on Russian Hacking—and How to Counter It

Author(s): 
Kristen E. Eichensehr
Publication Date: 
January 10, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

President-elect Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on the Intelligence Community and denials of Russian involvement in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) risk emboldening U.S. adversaries. Attribution of cyber intrusions to particular perpetrators is a necessary precondition to every possible response, from criminal indictments to economic sanctions to countermeasures. Read more about Trump’s Dangerous Attribution Message on Russian Hacking—and How to Counter It

Looking back at 2016, A Status Check on Government Hacking

Author(s): 
Marshall Erwin
Publication Date: 
January 10, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

Last year, the ongoing encryption debate took a backseat to a steady drip of stories and developments related to government hackings. This set the stage for a set of policy and legal innovations that are critical but that now seem unlikely to occur. As a result, we may look back on 2016 as the year we legitimized government hacking without establishing safeguards to prevent its abuse.

Before talking about the implications of that fact, it is worth walking through some of the events of the last year and take stock of what we learned: Read more about Looking back at 2016, A Status Check on Government Hacking

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