Anonymous ID: afb78a April 21, 2022, 8:27 a.m. No.16120558   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0564 >>0577 >>0664 >>0764

==Open Letter from Former Defense, Intelligence, Homeland Security, and Cyber Officials Calling

for National Security Review of Congressional Tech Legislation==

 

April 18, 2022

 

This is a pivotal moment in modern history. There is a battle brewing between authoritarianism and

democracy, and the former is using all the tools at its disposal, including a broad disinformation campaign

and the threat of cyber-attacks, to bring about a change in the global order. We must confront these global

challenges.

 

U.S. technology platforms have given the world the chance to see the real story of the Russian military’s

horrific human rights abuses in Ukraine, including the atrocities committed in Bucha, and the incredible

bravery of the Ukrainian people who continue to stand their ground. Social media platforms are filled

with messages of support for Ukraine and fundraising campaigns to help Ukrainian refugees.

At the same time, President Putin and his regime have sought to twist facts in order to show Russia as a

liberator instead of an aggressor. When reporting and images of the atrocities in Bucha began to circulate,

along with evidence and testimony pointing to Russian forces as the perpetrators, the Kremlin was quick

to label the claims as “fake news.”1 The Russian government is seeking to alter the information landscape

by blocking Russian citizens from receiving content that would show the true facts on the ground – and it

has already received buy-in from other like-minded states, such as China, whose social media platform

TikTok continues to abide by Moscow’s rules of “digital authoritarianism.” Indeed, it is telling that

among the Kremlin’s first actions of the war was blocking U.S. platforms in Russia. Putin knows that

U.S. digital platforms can provide Russian citizens valuable views and facts about the war that he tries to

distort through lies and disinformation.

 

U.S. technology platforms have already taken concrete steps to shine a light on Russia’s actions to

brutalize Ukraine. Through their efforts, the world knows what is truly happening in cities from Mariupol

to Kiev, undistorted by manipulation from Moscow. Providing timely and accurate on-the-ground

information – and disrupting the scourge of disinformation from Russian state media – is essential for

allowing the world (including the Russian people) to see the human toll of Russia’s aggression and is

increasingly integral to U.S. diplomatic and national security efforts. It is our belief that these efforts will

play a part in helping to end this war.

 

contuinued:

 

https://punchbowl.news/wp-content/uploads/Open-Letter-Cyber-Intel-Defense-HS-1.pdf

Anonymous ID: afb78a April 21, 2022, 8:28 a.m. No.16120564   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>16120558

 

Meanwhile, cybersecurity threats from authoritarian regimes are also on the rise. As President Biden

recently announced, the United States is facing an extraordinary threat from Russian cyber-attacks, and

the private sector “must accelerate efforts to lock their digital doors.”2 In response to this heightened

threat environment, U.S. technology companies have accelerated their partnership with the U.S.

government and its allies to improve our collective defense. Both in public and behind the scenes, these

companies have rolled out integrated cyber defenses, rapidly fused threat intelligence across products and

services, and moved quickly to block malicious actors on their platforms. This partnership has resulted in

the detection and disruption of a series of significant security threats from Russia and Belarus.

In the face of these growing threats, U.S. policymakers must not inadvertently hamper the ability of U.S.

technology platforms to counter increasing disinformation and cybersecurity risks, particularly as the

West continues to rely on the scale and reach of these firms to push back on the Kremlin. But recently

proposed congressional legislation would unintentionally curtail the ability of these platforms to target

disinformation efforts and safeguard the security of their users in the U.S. and globally. Legislation from

both the House and Senate requiring non-discriminatory access for all “business users” (broadly defined

to include foreign rivals) on U.S. digital platforms would provide an open door for foreign adversaries to

gain access to the software and hardware of American technology companies. Unfettered access to

software and hardware could result in major cyber threats, misinformation, access to data of U.S. persons,

and intellectual property theft. Other provisions in this legislation would damage the capability of U.S.

technology companies to roll out integrated security tools to adequately screen for nefarious apps and

malicious actors, weakening security measures currently embedded in device and platform operating

systems. Our national security greatly benefits from the capacity of these platforms to detect and act

against these types of risks and, therefore, must not be unintentionally impeded.

 

We call on the congressional committees with national security jurisdiction – including the Armed

Services Committees, Intelligence Committees, and Homeland Security Committees in both the House

and Senate – to conduct a review of any legislation that could hinder America’s key technology

companies in the fight against cyber and national security risks emanating from Russia’s and China’s

growing digital authoritarianism. Such a review would ensure that legislative proposals do not enhance

our adversaries’ capabilities. It is imperative that the United States avoid the pitfalls of its key allies and

partners, such as the European Union (EU), whose Digital Markets Act (DMA) passed without any

consideration of national security repercussions – despite repeated concerns from the Biden

administration, including over potential cybersecurity risks.3 There were also bipartisan congressional

fears that the DMA would benefit “powerful state-owned and subsidized Chinese and Russian

companies,” which could have “negative impacts on internet users’ privacy, security, and free speech.”4

Even in light of these security concerns, the EU’s refusal to undertake a national security assessment led

to none of them being addressed. The U.S. government must not make this same mistake.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marks the start of a new chapter in global history, one in which the ideals of

democracy will be put to the test. The United States will need to rely on the power of its technology

sector to ensure that the safety of its citizens and the narrative of events continues to be shaped by facts,

not by foreign adversaries.