Digital Daily » Department of Homeland Security

Dude, Where's My Czar?

John Paczkowski — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:01:29 +0000

Add Melissa Hathaway to the list of cybersecurity experts who don’t want the job of White House cybersecurity czar. Hathaway, a former Bush administration official who led President Obama’s recent 60-day review of the federal government’s cybersecurity efforts, was thought to be a leading contender for the position. But according to The Wall Street Journal, she asked not to be considered for that post about two weeks ago, citing personal reasons. And now she’s resigned her current post as well.

An odd turn of events, considering Hathaway led the administration’s 60-day review of governmentwide cybersecurity preparedness and seemed its likely choice to head up the new cybersecurity office. With the post now vacant and the list of candidates who’ve been considered for the job rumored to have reached at least 30, the administration may have a tough time finding the right person for this difficult job–and convincing him or her to accept it.

“As it stands right now, the cyber czar would have two bosses, the National Security Council and National Economic Council, as well as a chief information officer and chief technology officer,” Greg Garcia, former assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications at the Department of Homeland Security, told Dark Reading. “In addition, that individual would have to herd all of the cats at DHS and other agencies. Those are big shoes to fill–in fact, I’m skeptical that anyone could succeed in the [cyber czar] job.”

And Garcia’s not the only one. Among other potential candidates who’ve reportedly told the White House they’re not interested: former Republican U.S. Representative Tom Davis of northern Virginia, Microsoft (MSFT) executive Scott Charney, Symantec (SYMC) Chairman John Thompson and retired Air Force General Harry Raduege Jr., the former Defense Information Systems Agency director and co-chair of the Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency.

Amazon to Investors: We Wish You a Lousy Xmas

John Paczkowski — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:00:21 +0000

[ See post to watch video ]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mice

John Paczkowski — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:50:32 +0000

Targeted memory erasure may soon be more than just a plot device in romantic comedies like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” By manipulating a single protein called alpha-CaM kinase II, researchers have managed to eliminate traumatic memories from the brains of mice without impacting their ability to recall other memories. A remarkable discovery and one that heralds the possibility of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and debilitating phobias, not to mention questionable new procedures for the Central Intelligence Agency and Department of Homeland Security. That said, the process is nowhere near ready for human trials. “First of all I should emphasize the methodology is not applicable to the human clinical situation yet,” said Dr. Joe Tsien of the Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute in Georgia. “However, it does suggest molecular paradigms which we can explore to perhaps achieve the same kind of effects in humans–but those are probably years or decades away.”

Motorola Finds Mobile Devices CEO

John Paczkowski — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:00:06 +0000

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DHS: Terrorism? We Thought You Said "War on Tourism"

John Paczkowski — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:55:33 +0000

Overseas travel to the United States has plummeted in the past five years, and it may well plummet further thanks to The Department of Homeland Security’s recently revealed border policy on laptops, iPods and other electronics carried into the country by travelers. The policy (PDF) is five pages long, but essentially boils down to this: DHS agents can routinely seize travelers’ electronic gear and keep it for as long as they see fit. And they can search its contents and copy and share them with other agencies. And they can do this “absent individualized suspicion.”

The policy–which covers “any device capable of storing information in digital or analog form” as well as “written materials commonly referred to as ‘pocket trash’ or ‘pocket litter’”–applies to anyone entering this country, including U.S. citizens.

Anyone who wants to, that is.

If only we could keep our right to privacy safely up in “the cloud: along with our data …