A LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: THE ENCRYPTION FIGHT IS BACK. The debate around encryption is poised to heat up in Washington. Administration officials and lawmakers are taking another crack at resolving the "going dark" problem and finding a way to give law enforcement access to encrypted communications in criminal investigations. The Trump administration is said to be meeting with security researchers on the potential for a technical fix that would allow law enforcement access in some cases to encrypted devices. Officials are also mulling whether to ask Congress for legislation that would require tech companies to build such tools -- which critics call "back doors" -- into their devices, according to The New York Times. Separately, Senate Judiciary Committee staffers have been engaging with technology industry representatives on the issue of encryption in recent weeks, sources say, an early sign that new legislation could be forthcoming. The issue has long been a source of tension between law enforcement and the tech community, culminating in a public tug of war between the FBI and Apple in 2016 over access to an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terror attack suspects. At the time, President Trump, then a candidate, sided with the FBI. Apple fought an order to help provide access to the device, and the FBI eventually paid a third-party firm $900,000 to hack into the phone. The issue has re-emerged in recent months, as Justice Department and FBI officials have stepped up their public rhetoric about the challenge posed by encryption. They often emphasize that the bureau was unable to access thousands of devices last year despite having court orders. "Being unable to access nearly 7,800 devices is a major public safety issue," FBI Director Christopher Wray said during remarks at Boston College on March 7. The officials' public appeals are attracting attention in the Senate, where staffers of Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have begun meeting with tech lobbyists and others on the issue of encryption, sources say. According to CyberScoop, which first reported on the discussions Tuesday, there have also been internal discussions about potential encryption legislation at various federal departments, including Justice, Commerce, Homeland Security, and the National Security Agency. Sources with knowledge of the recent Senate discussions say the efforts are in the very early stages, and there is no clear picture of what legislation would look like. A spokeswoman for Feinstein referred The Hill to Grassley's office. His spokesman declined to confirm the discussions. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who has advocated for legislation that would force tech companies to make their devices accessible to law enforcement agencies pursuant to a warrant, also recently met with Senate staffers on encryption, the Feinstein spokeswoman confirmed. Vance's office declined to comment on Friday. To read more from our piece, click here. A REPORT IN FOCUS: Roughly two-thirds of links to popular websites shared on Twitter are posted by automated accounts or "bots," according to research released by the Pew Research Center on Monday. The study also found that a small group of "highly active" bot accounts are responsible for a large share of the links to popular sites shared on Twitter. Specifically, Pew researchers discovered that 500 of the most active accounts believed to be bots are responsible for nearly a quarter of the links shared on Twitter. Political bias? The study did not conclude that bot accounts show a particular political bias in their sharing of news outlets overall. Specifically, the researchers found that, when analyzing the news sites producing political material, bots share 44 percent of links to sites primarily shared by liberal users, and 41 percent of links to those primarily shared by conservatives. To read more of the key takeaways from Pew, click here. A LIGHTER CLICK: A new set of wheels: Uber acquires a bike-share startup. (The Verge) WHO'S IN THE SPOTLIGHT: MIKE POMPEO: CIA Director Mike Pompeo will appear before a key Senate panel in the coming week as part of his nomination to be secretary of State. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, announced that he will hold a hearing on Thursday. The hearing is a first step in the Senate's consideration of Pompeo's nomination to the position. Pompeo met with Corker before Congress left for a two-week break. Several aides for Democratic members of the committee told The Hill on Friday that their bosses are scheduled to meet with him this week. Pompeo was expected to get a hearing this month. Corker said immediately following Pompeo's nomination that the two had a "very good conversation" and the committee would "consider his nomination as expeditiously as possible." Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has already said he will oppose Pompeo's nomination, complicating his path to a Senate floor vote. Republicans have a one-seat advantage on the panel. If every Democrat opposes him, it would result in a 10-11 vote. Pompeo is likely to face a wide range of questions when he appears before the panel, including those related to former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's controversial reorganization plan. Among the most criticized facets of the plan was Tillerson's decision to shutter the State Department's cybersecurity coordinator office. It is unclear to what extent Pompeo will continue with the reorganization should he be confirmed. To read more, click here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Links from our blog, The Hill, and around the Web. Feds charge Backpage execs with promoting prostitution, money laundering. (The Hill) Trump administration slaps sanctions on Russian oligarchs. (The Hill) Facebook launches project to study social media's impact on elections. (The Hill) OP-ED: Like the early web, cryptocurrency represents big risks and major opportunities. (The Hill) '60 Minutes' aired an in-depth report on Russia's efforts to target states ahead of the 2016 election. (CBS) Official says that Arizona's election database was not targeted by Russian hackers, but rather criminals. (Reuters) Consumer groups accuse YouTube of improperly collection data on children. (New York Times) Army, Navy to deploy cyber mission teams early. (Federal News Radio) Iran was hit with a cyberattack that warned against messing with elections. (Reuters) The Internet of Things (IoT) faces a slew of threats. (Wired) If you'd like to receive our newsletter in your inbox, please sign up here. |