Publications

Opinion: After high-profile hacks, it's time for a bolder approach to cybersecurity

Author(s): 
Scott Shackelford
Publication Date: 
February 27, 2015
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

In the wake of the Sony Pictures hack, the cybersecurity firm FireEye demonstrated that the sort of breach that Sony experienced is not likely preventable with conventional network defenses.

Instead, the firm noted that “organizations must consider a new approach to securing their IT assets ... [they] can’t afford to passively wait for attacks. Instead, they should take a lean-forward approach that actively hunts for new and unseen threats.” Read more about Opinion: After high-profile hacks, it's time for a bolder approach to cybersecurity

Don't Worry, This Net Neutrality Order Will Survive in Court

Author(s): 
Marvin Ammori
Publication Date: 
February 26, 2015
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

Today, the FCC is voting on its third major net neutrality opinion since 2008.

The last two failed in court. So you might wonder: why would this one survive? Because, if reports are right, the FCC finally learned its lesson. And that lesson is so simple–the FCC will win in court if it relies on its strongest basis for authority given to it by Congress, called Title II. Read more about Don't Worry, This Net Neutrality Order Will Survive in Court

Ten Reasons The Net Neutrality Victory Is Bigger Than The SOPA Win

Author(s): 
Marvin Ammori
Publication Date: 
February 25, 2015
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

Tomorrow, the FCC is voting on its long-awaited net neutrality rule. Everyone is hoping for a huge, enormous victory for the open Internet we all know and love. The FCC appears ready to forbid phone and cable giants (like Comcast and Verizon) from blocking websites, throttling them, or selling various slow lanes. The FCC will also build this rule on rock not sand—it will rely on its strongest legal authority known as Title II and therefore stand up in court. The devil will be in the details, but the general direction is very positive. Read more about Ten Reasons The Net Neutrality Victory Is Bigger Than The SOPA Win

How social science explains the Silk Road

Author(s): 
Henry Farrell
Publication Date: 
February 24, 2015
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

I just wrote an article at Aeon, looking at the rise and fall of Ross Ulbricht, the Texan who created and ran the online drugs market Silk Road. The piece uses arguments from social science to understand how Silk Road worked. Here’s some of them (in greater detail but worse prose than the actual essay).

States and mafias have a lot in common. Read more about How social science explains the Silk Road

Dark Leviathan

Author(s): 
Henry Farrell
Publication Date: 
February 20, 2015
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

The Hidden Wiki holds the keys to a secret internet. To reach it, you need a special browser that can access ‘Tor Hidden Services’ – websites that have chosen to obscure their physical location. But even this browser isn’t enough. Like the Isla de Muerta in the film Pirates of the Caribbean, the landmarks of this hidden internet can be discovered only by those who already know where they are. Read more about Dark Leviathan

SOPA Sequels: The Method to the MPAA's Mississippi Madness

Author(s): 
Marvin Ammori
Publication Date: 
February 18, 2015
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

A few weeks ago, the New York Times reported on increasing dissatisfaction that the big movie studios are having with the MPAA, their big trade association. And it’s no wonder. While the six major studios pour 20 million dollars each into the MPAA every year—so that the MPAA can focus on the future of the movie business—recent reports reveal that the MPAA is instead focused on convoluted, Rube Goldberg-like political strategies far removed from filmmaking. Read more about SOPA Sequels: The Method to the MPAA's Mississippi Madness

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