U.S. Looks To Lead On Quantum Information Science (Free Preview)
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Last week, United States (U.S.) President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14073, “Enhancing the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee” and “National Security Memorandum on Promoting United States Leadership in Quantum Computing While Mitigating Risks to Vulnerable Cryptographic Systems.” These presidential directives will change U.S. policy on quantum information science (QIS) so that the U.S. can maintain its lead in research and development (R&D) in the computational field that promises and threatens to remake computer technology and security. One of the imminent changes relates to encryption, as one administration official explained:
…a potential quantum computer could break the cryptography underpinning much of the cryptography that’s used commercially, but it’s also used in the national security community. And indeed, you know, even a quantum computer a decade from now could potentially be used to decrypt data that’s encrypted even today.
Consequently, the U.S. is understandably interested in remaining the world’s preeminent technological power and investing in and fostering a world-leading QIS program will be a key part of achieving that goal. Other nations, most notably the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom, Canada, and others, are vying to pull ahead on QIS. The Biden administration is building on efforts begun in the last administration.
The White House’s National Science & Technology Council (NSTC) explained the ramifications of QIS in late December 2021:
QIS unifies concepts from quantum mechanics and information theory, two foundational theories underpinning modern technology. QIS research includes transformative new types of computers, sensors, and networks that can improve the Nation’s prosperity and security. Investment in fundamental QIS research thus lays a foundation for industries of the future, and opens new frontiers in science.
And, here are developments and articles from last month. Being subscribed would mean getting these in a more timely fashion.
Other Developments
The United States (U.S.) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) may have previewed its thinking on how to implement the “Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022” in a fact sheet titled “SHARING CYBER EVENT INFORMATION: OBSERVE, ACT, REPORT.”
The United States (U.S.) Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a general license making clear that “all transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the receipt or transmission of telecommunications involving the Russian Federation that are prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 587 (RuHSR), are authorized” with some exceptions.
United States (U.S.) Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan made remarks at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit, in which she “offer[ed] a few observations about the new political economy of how Americans’ data is tracked, gathered, and used; identif[ied] a few ways that the Federal Trade Commission is refining its approach in light of these new market realities; and share[d] some broader questions that I believe these realities raise for the current frameworks we use for policing the use and abuse of individuals’ data.”
United States (U.S.) Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), John Thune (R-SD), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced the “Medicaid Ensuring Necessary Telehealth is Available Long-term (MENTAL) Health for Kids and Underserved Act” (S.4309) that “would direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to issue guidance to states on options to increase access to behavioral health services and treatment via telehealth for children and underserved Americans.”
The White House released the Equity Action Plans of federal agencies.
The United Kingdom’s (UK) Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) “found insufficient evidence to prosecute two people suspected of unlawfully obtaining and disclosing CCTV footage from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC)…[that] showed the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matthew Hancock MP, and his former aide, Gina Coladangelo.”
The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab has found that Catalan “Members of the European Parliament, Catalan Presidents, legislators, jurists, and members of civil society organisations” were targeted with Pegasus and Candiru spyware.
The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness established “a new disinformation portal focused on assisting the public in identifying and vetting any truth-obscuring, manufactured information.”
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) wrote Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Jessica Rosenworcel “regarding the issue of pole attachments” and she “stressed that the high costs and long waits imposed by pole owners when poles need to be replaced are hindering the progress of broadband deployment, which is why reforms are desperately needed.”
The White House released “a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook to help state, local, Tribal and territorial governments in rural areas unlock the benefits from the historic investments in our nation’s infrastructure and launched a rural infrastructure tour led by the President and other senior administration officials to engage rural communities across the country.”
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reaffirmed that scraping is not illegal under “Computer Fraud and Abuse Act” in Hiq Labs, Inc. v. Linkedin Corporation.
Further Reading
“How Democracies Spy on Their Citizens” By Ronan Farrow — The New Yorker
“Microsoft’s Brad Smith says tech regulation is coming, so industry should participate in shaping it” By Lauren Feiner — CNBC
“Cities ask Netflix, Hulu, stream services to pay cable fees” By Andrew Welsh-Huggins — Associated Press
“Russia Is Leaking Data Like a Sieve” By Matt Burgess — WIRED
“Chinese Tech Giants Lose Shine as Growth Stalls” By Clarence Leong — Wall Street Journal
“Internet ‘algospeak’ is changing our language in real time, from ‘nip nops’ to ‘le dollar bean’” By Taylor Lorenz — Washington Post
“Industry Groups Butt Heads on SEC’s Incident Reporting Rules” By Miriam Baksh — Nextgov
“How Russian Media Uses Fox News to Make Its Case” By Stuart Thompson — New York Times
“Key Lawmaker Working to Tag Major Cloud Service Providers as Critical Infrastructure” By Miriam Baksh — Nextgov
“Neurodiverse Candidates Find Niche in Remote Cybersecurity Jobs” By Nicolle Liu — Wall Street Journal
“The Tech Bubble That Never Burst” By Erin Griffith and Taylor Johnston — New York Times
“NTIA Chief Sees $1 Billion Middle Mile Program Moving Fast, Encourages State Engagement” By Joan Engebretson — Telecompetitor
“Why Is My Internet So Slow?” By Aaron Sankin — The Markup
“Mark Zuckerberg Ends Election Grants” By Neil Vigdor — New York Times
“DHS investigators say they foiled cyberattack on undersea internet cable in Hawaii” By AJ Vicens — cyberscoop
“Ukraine Says It Thwarted a Sophisticated Russian Cyberattack on Its Power Grid” By Kate Conger — New York Times
“TikTok created an alternate universe just for Russia” By Will Oremus — Washington Post
“In Ukraine, a ‘Full-Scale Cyberwar’ Emerges” By Dustin Volz and Robert McMillan — Wall Street Journal
“Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right’s outrage machine” By Taylor Lorenz — Washington Post
“Synopsys Probed on Allegations It Gave Tech to Huawei, SMIC” By Ian King and Jenny Leonard — yahoo! finance