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Alphabet Breaks Out YouTube and Cloud Revenue for the First Time – Motley Fool

February 9, 2020 | Author: admin

Online advertising giant Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) reported fourth-quarter and full-year results after market close on Monday. The quarter's results featured more strong top- and bottom-line growth, fueled by advertising across its Google properties and network members' properties, as well as its cloud computing business -- Google Cloud.

While the overall financial results are worth looking over, the most notable takeaway from the report for investors is the company's first-ever disclosure of YouTube and Google Cloud revenue. Both businesses are seeing outsize growth compared with the rest of Alphabet's business.

Image source: Alphabet.

Alphabet reported fourth-quarter revenue of $46.1 billion 17.3% year over year over. Total advertising revenue from online Google properties was $31.9 billion, up from $26.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019. Revenue from ads on network members' properties was $6.0 billion, up from $5.6 billion a year ago. "Google other" revenue, which now excludes revenue from Google cloud, increased from $4.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018 to $5.3 billion.

Earnings per share for the period were $15.35, up from $12.77 in the year-ago quarter.

The company's top- and bottom-line performance was mixed in comparison to what analysts were expecting. Revenue missed an average analyst forecast for $46.9 billion whileearnings per share of $15.35 easily beat a consensus estimate for $12.53. This earnings-per-share beat, however, was because the company's fourth quarter of 2019 saw a 0% tax rate thanks to one-time items, including the resolution of multi-year audits, compared with an 11% tax rate in the year-ago period.

Alphabet broke out its YouTube advertising revenue, which is included in its Google properties revenue, for the first time. YouTube revenue was $4.7 billion, growing 31% year over year. The streaming video service, therefore, accounted for 15% of Alphabet's Google properties revenue and 10% of total revenue.

In the company's earnings release, Alphabet notes that non-advertising YouTube revenue such as subscriptions to YouTube Premium, are included in "Google other" revenue, alongside hardware and Google Play app store revenue.

The company's Google Cloud revenue, formerly reported in Google other revenue, was $2.6 billion -- up 53% year over year.

For some context, that compares withAmazon.com's (NASDAQ:AMZN) cloud computing revenue of $7.4 billion during Q4. While Google Cloud is still much smaller than AWS, the world's largest cloud computing business, it's notably growing more rapidly than Amazon's cloud business. AWS revenue was up 34% year over year in Q4.

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CLOUD COMPUTING IN GOVERNMENT MARKET 2020 INDUSTRY FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES BY INDUSTRY SIZE, TOP PLAYERS ANALYSIS, SHARE, GROWTH FACTORS AND FORECAST…

February 9, 2020 | Author: admin

Global Cloud Computing in Government Market Research Report offers detailed survey of market insight in communicative format, covering past from 2015-2019 and calculating 2020-2025.The predominant applications wise data has also been discussed at length in this research study with various Cloud Computing in Government market. It also provides complete professional and extensive analysis of global Cloud Computing in Government Market demand, standardization, deployment models, business challenges, industry opportunities and historical data with expert opinions.

Get Sample Copy of this Report https://www.orianresearch.com/request-sample/1434627

Global Cloud Computing in Government (OBC) Market: Drivers and Restrains

This report mainly elaborates the definition, types, applications and major players of Cloud Computing in Government market in details. Deep analysis about market status (2014-2019), enterprise competition pattern, advantages and disadvantages of enterprise products, industry development trends (2019-2024), regional industrial layout characteristics and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy has also be included. From raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry will be analyzed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel will be presented as well. In a word, this report will help you to establish a panorama of industrial development and characteristics of the Cloud Computing in Government market.

The major players in the marketinclude

Amazon.com, Ellucian, IBM, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Dell Technologies, Amazon Web Services, Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce, HPE, Oracle, CampusWorks, Alphabet, Google and IBM

Most important types of Cloud Computing in Government products covered in this report are:

Most widely used downstream fields of Cloud Computing in Government market covered in this report are:

A thorough evaluation of the restrains included in the report portrays the contrast to drivers and gives room for strategic planning. Factors that overshadow the market growth are pivotal as they can be understood to devise different bends for getting hold of the lucrative opportunities that are present in the ever-growing market. Additionally, insights into market experts opinions have been taken to understand the market better.

Market Segment Analysis

The research report includes specific segments by Type and by Application. Each type provides information about the production during the forecast period of 2015 to 2025. Application segment also provides consumption during the forecast period of 2015 to 2025. Understanding the segments helps in identifying the importance of different factors that aid the market growth.

Global Cloud Computing in Government (OBC) Market: Regional Analysis

The report offers in-depth assessment of the growth and other aspects of the Cloud Computing in Government (OBC) market in important regions, including the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Brazil, etc. Key regions covered in the report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

The report has been curated after observing and studying various factors that determine regional growth such as economic, environmental, social, technological, and political status of the particular region. Analysts have studied the data of revenue, production, and manufacturers of each region. This section analyses region-wise revenue and volume for the forecast period of 2015 to 2025. These analyses will help the reader to understand the potential worth of investment in a particular region.

Global Cloud Computing in Government (OBC) Market: Competitive Landscape

This section of the report identifies various key manufacturers of the market. It helps the reader understand the strategies and collaborations that players are focusing on combat competition in the market. The comprehensive report provides a significant microscopic look at the market. The reader can identify the footprints of the manufacturers by knowing about the global revenue of manufacturers, the global price of manufacturers, and production by manufacturers during the forecast period of 2015 to 2019.

Order a copy of Global Cloud Computing in Government Market Report @https://www.orianresearch.com/checkout/1434627

Table of Contents

1 Cloud Computing in Government (OBC) Market Overview

2 Market Competition by Manufacturers

3 Production Capacity by Region

4 Global Cloud Computing in Government (OBC) Consumption by Regions

5 Production, Revenue, Price Trend by Type

6 Global Cloud Computing in Government (OBC) Market Analysis by Application

7 Company Profiles and Key Figures in Cloud Computing in Government (OBC) Business

8 Cloud Computing in Government (OBC) Manufacturing Cost Analysis

9 Marketing Channel, Distributors and Customers

10 Market Dynamics

11 Production and Supply Forecast

12 Consumption and Demand Fprecast

15 Methodology and Data Source

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Want to make $150K a year? Microsoft Azure training could be your ticket. – The Next Web

February 9, 2020 | Author: admin

TLDR: The Complete 2020 Microsoft Azure Certification Prep Bundle can land you a six-figure job working on this in-demand cloud platform.

For the past decade, Microsofts cloud computing platform Azure has quickly worked to get on its feet, while trying to chip away at Amazons market dominance. Funny thing is, after the companys first serious revenue bump in two years from its Azure unit, Wall Street is starting to pay attention.

Whether or not this is the surge that puts Microsoft in range of its herculean competitor, Azure architects are already finding a healthy job market, with average salaries from $99k to $198k a year. You can join those well-paid ranks with the training found in The Complete 2020 Microsoft Azure Certification Prep Bundle ($42.90, over 90 percent off).

With 11 courses including over 50 hours of instruction, students can find all the background they need for building, nurturing and protecting a network, site or app of virtually any size or shape in Azure.

Once up to speed on using Azure, these courses explain how to put a system infrastructure in place, how to protect data from attack and advanced troubleshooting to knock out any network problems before they become problems.

These courses also get students ready to ace four vital Microsoft-endorsed certification exams, tests that validate their skills and prove their readiness to handle a high-paying role as an Azure administrator.

A $2,000 value, this limited-time deal gives you each course for less than $4 each while this offer lasts.

Prices are subject to change.

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Head In The Clouds – The Jewish Press – JewishPress.com

February 9, 2020 | Author: admin

Photo Credit: pixabay

{Originally posted to Rabbi Weinbergs website, The Foundation Stone}

I often heard teachers complain to my parents that His head is in the clouds. Well, my head is in the clouds, more specifically in cloud computing. Please dont ask me to explain what it is or how works, but it does mean that you dont need a hard drive to backup your information. Everything exists somewhere out there in the ether. Computing is going to change yet again. Just when I finally got the hang of writing blogs, running a website, and sending out newsletters and e-mail, now I have to learn a whole new system. Its getting to be a little too much. How are we to manage all of this change?

If Im having trouble managing these changes I wonder how the Children of Israel managed all the changes in their lives over the course of this weeks Portion: first they leave Egypt, then they turn back, only to find themselves stuck between the Egyptian army and the sea. The sea splits and then drowns the Egyptians. Moshe uses a branch of bitter wood to sweeten bitter water. God provides a magical water supply, and then they start receiving magical bread. They have to fight their first battle. Its far too much change all at once for people who have been slaves until just a few days ago.

We are taught that their heads too, were in the clouds: God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way. (Exodus 13:21) Did they really need the cloud to guide them? Moshe was leading them, and I suspect that he knew exactly where to go. The cloud was not a GPS, it was a reminder of the benefit of having our heads in the clouds: The cloud was an invitation to extend their reach, to remind them that each time they experienced a life changing miracle they could live far beyond their perceived limitations. God wanted their heads in the cloud, unconstrained by the realities of this world, but as elevated as the first cloud: A mist ascended from the earth and watered the whole surface of the soil. And God, the Lord, formed the man of dust from the ground. (Genesis 2:6-7) From the first moments of mans existence the dust, the physical, raised his eyes up toward the cloud to become an unlimited being.

Whether its learning about cloud computing or discovering a new insight into a verse, my head, heart and soul are in the clouds; They are constantly reaching for greater heights. I look to that cloud that led us through the desert, and through it to that first cloud, and reach for so much more. This is the cloud described as the Presence of God. It is still there for all of us willing to have our heads in the clouds.

Shabbat Shalom

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More Cloud, More Hacks: Panic Or Keep Calm And Carry On? – Forbes

February 9, 2020 | Author: admin

How secure is your data?

It has been just about a decade since cloud technologies arrived, and we are in a phase of fast adoption, with cloud-specific spending expected to rise by more than six times the rate of general IT spending through 2020 (McKinsey).

New technology applications, including artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality, the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing, are driving this adoption with new ones coming in rapid cycles. This ongoing movement to the cloud and new cloud-based technologies is not only a boom but a magnet for cyber threats and nefarious actors. New waves of technology, a growing cloud base and the radical geopolitical scene of 2020 are poised to threaten nations, industries, organizations and even individuals inadvertently.

Unfortunately, many companies are ill-prepared for these threats, relying on security practices and baselines that are all over the map. For organizations relying on poor, outdated and inadequate IT systemssystems that are rarely updated and barely protectedthe risk of cyber attack is higher than ever.

Threat actors watch everything, monitoring businesses 24/7 for vulnerabilities and opportunities to hack. Reports indicate that about 20% of enterprise data is currently cloud-based, a number that will increase leaps and bounds as new cloud-based technologies move into the picture. But while these new technologies have the power to drive transformation and innovation, they also create new opportunities and attack surfaces for threat actors to exploit.

Take, for example, the significant advancements that we've seen in quantum computing over the last year. Packed with extraordinary computational power, the application of quantum computing holds untold potential in commercial, research and government use cases. However, this same potential has caught the interest of next-wave hackers that see the possibilities to crack algorithms, encryption and complex cryptographies in a simple matter of seconds.

The industry must continue to be on high alert for signs of these threats, as well as preparing, validating and potentially executing recovery processes. Organizations, from government and financial services to healthcare and even retail, must step up to the cyber threat challenges ahead by putting proactive missions into action. But what threats lurk ahead for our ever-evolving and advancing IT landscape?

In my next piece, part two of "More Cloud, More Hacks," I will take a look at the risk forecast for 2020from politics to sportsand what we can do to tackle it head-on.

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Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition Market Booming by Size, Revenue, Trends and Top Growing Companies 2026 – Instant Tech News

February 9, 2020 | Author: admin

Verified Market Research offers its latest report on the Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition Market that includes a comprehensive analysis of a range of subjects such as market opportunities, competition, segmentation, regional expansion, and market dynamics. It prepares players also as investors to require competent decisions and plan for growth beforehand. This report is predicted to assist the reader understand the market with reference to its various drivers, restraints, trends, and opportunities to equip them in making careful business decisions.

The top manufacturer with company profile, sales volume, and product specifications, revenue (Million USD) and market share

Global Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition Market: Competitive Landscape

The chapter on competitive landscape covers all the major manufacturers in the global Smart Cameramarket to study new trends and opportunities. In this section, the researchers have used SWOT analysis to study the various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and trends the manufacturers are using to expand their share. Furthermore, they have briefed about the trends that are expected to drive the market in the future and open more opportunities.

Global Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition Market: Drivers and Restraints

The researchers have analyzed various factors that are necessary for the growth of the market in global terms. They have taken different perspectives for the market including technological, social, political, economic, environmental, and others. The drivers have been derived using PESTELs analysis to keep them accurate. Factors responsible for propelling the growth of the market and helping its growth in terms of market share are been studied objectively.

Furthermore, restraints present in the market have been put together using the same process. Analysts have provided a thorough assessment of factors likely to hold the market back and offered solutions for circumventing the same too.

Global Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition Market: Segment Analysis

The researchers have segmented the market into various product types and their applications. This segmentation is expected to help the reader understand where the market is observing more growth and which product and application hold the largest share in the market. This will give them leverage over others and help them invest wisely.

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Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition Market: Regional Analysis :

As part of regional analysis, important regions such as North America, Europe, the MEA, Latin America, and Asia Pacific have been studied. The regional Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition markets are analyzed based on share, growth rate, size, production, consumption, revenue, sales, and other crucial factors. The report also provides country-level analysis of the Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition industry.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The report starts off with an executive summary, including top highlights of the research study on the Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition industry.

Market Segmentation: This section provides detailed analysis of type and application segments of the Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition industry and shows the progress of each segment with the help of easy-to-understand statistics and graphical presentations.

Regional Analysis: All major regions and countries are covered in the report on the Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition industry.

Market Dynamics: The report offers deep insights into the dynamics of the Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition industry, including challenges, restraints, trends, opportunities, and drivers.

Competition: Here, the report provides company profiling of leading players competing in the Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition industry.

Forecasts: This section is filled with global and regional forecasts, CAGR and size estimations for the Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition industry and its segments, and production, revenue, consumption, sales, and other forecasts.

Recommendations: The authors of the report have provided practical suggestions and reliable recommendations to help players to achieve a position of strength in the Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition industry.

Research Methodology: The report provides clear information on the research approach, tools, and methodology and data sources used for the research study on the Cloud Computing Data Center It Asset Disposition industry.

Complete Report is Available @ https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/Cloud-Computing-Data-Center-It-Asset-Disposition-Market/?utm_source=ITN&utm_medium=003

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Verified market research partners with clients to provide insight into strategic and growth analytics; data that help achieve business goals and targets. Our core values include trust, integrity, and authenticity for our clients.

Our research studies help our clients to make superior data-driven decisions, capitalize on future opportunities, optimize efficiency and keeping them competitive by working as their partner to deliver the right information without compromise.

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NSF To Fund National Cloud Testbed That Uses Core Technology from Red Hat, Others – Integration Developers

February 9, 2020 | Author: admin

The National Science Foundation will help fund the development of a national cloud testbed for research and development of new cloud computing platforms. The funding builds on R&D technology formed under a partnership which includes Red Hat, among others.

by Vance McCarthy

Tags: cloud, FPGA, MOC, NSF, open, R&D, Red Hat, testbed,

The National Science Foundation will help fund the development of a national cloud testbed for research and development of new cloud computing platforms.

The NSF grant supports an innovative public-cloud testbed initiative co-founded in part by Red Hat, alongside academia, government and other private and non-profit firms.

The grant which was awarded to a research team from Boston University, Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts -Amherst (UMass) to fund development of a national cloud testbed for research and development of new cloud computing platforms.

The testbed, known as the Open Cloud Testbed, will integrate capabilities previously developed for the CloudLab testbed into the Massachusetts Open Cloud (MOC), of which Red Hat is a founding partner.

Under the grant, Red Hat will work with Northeastern University and UMass, as well as other government and industry collaborators, to build the national testbed on Red Hats open hybrid cloud technologies.

This project will construct and support a testbed for research and experimentation into new cloud platforms - the underlying software which provides cloud services to applications. It will further speed the tech transfer of such cloud technology from academia to commercial and practical use.

In specific, the new testbed will combine proven software technologies with a real production cloud enhanced with programmable hardware - Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) - capabilities not present in other facilities available to researchers today.

The combination of a testbed and production cloud will allow

(a) larger scale compared to isolated testbeds,

(b) reproducible experimentation based on realistic user behavior and applications, as well as

(c) a model for transitioning successful research results to practice.

NSF described the focus and rationale for the grant as follows:

The project will support educating the next generation of researchers in this field, and existing relationships with industrial partners of the affiliated production cloud will accelerate technology transfer from academic research to practical use.

MOC was launched in 2014 to bring together academia, government, non-profit, and industry to create an "open, production-grade public cloud suitable for cutting-edge" R&D. Red Hat was a co-founder and has served as a core partner ever since.

The MOCs open cloud stack is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat OpenStack Platform and Red Hat OpenShift.

Officials cited several goals and expected benefits from the investment in the MOC-based testbed. Among them:

Speaking about the award, Michael Zink, associate professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), University of Massachusetts Amherst, said, This testbed will help accelerate innovation in cloud technologies, technologies affecting almost all of computing today.

By providing capabilities that currently are only available to researchers within a few large commercial cloud providers, the new testbed will allow diverse communities to exploit these technologies, thus democratizing cloud-computing research and allowing increased collaboration between the research and open-source communities. We look forward to continuing the collaboration in MOC to see what we can accomplish with the testbed.

Orran Krieger, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University; co-director, Red Hat Collaboratory; PI, Massachusetts Open Cloud has this to say.

An important part of the MOC has always been to enable cloud computing research by the academic community. This project dramatically expands our ability to support researchers both by providing much richer capabilities and by expanding from a regional to a national community of researchers.

MOC is currently managed at Boston Universitys Hariri Institute for Computing. Other commercial / open source vendors supporting MOC include: Cisco, EMC, SGI, Juniper, Canonical, Dell, Intel, Mellanox, Brocade, DataDirect Networks, Mathworks, Plexxi, Enterprise DB and Riverbed.

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Child-Welfare Activists Attack Facebook Over Encryption Plans – The New York Times

February 9, 2020 | Author: admin

WASHINGTON New opponents confronted Facebook on Wednesday as it moves forward with a plan to encrypt all of its messaging platforms: child welfare advocates who said that encryption would allow child predators to operate with impunity across the companys apps.

Facebook has a responsibility to work with law enforcement and to prevent the use of your sites and services for sexual abuse, a group of 129 child protection organizations, led by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, said in a letter to the Silicon Valley company. An increased risk of child abuse being facilitated on or by Facebook is not a reasonable trade-off to make.

The letter indicates how activists and law enforcement agencies have seized on child exploitation as a new way to combat the expanded use of encryption in consumer technology.

The Justice Department and its counterparts in Britain and Australia previously used the threat of terrorist activity to rail against encryption, saying that tech companies were shielding malicious and dangerous criminals. But they have recently shifted their focus to child exploitation as tech companies have made good on plans to make it harder to see or stop illicit activity on those platforms.

In a statement, Facebook said, Encryption is critically important to keep everyone safe from hackers and criminals. The company said it was building safety measures for children and working closely with child safety experts.

We have led the industry in safeguarding children from exploitation and we are bringing this same commitment and leadership to our work on encryption, Facebook said.

Last March, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, announced that he planned to knit together and encrypt the companys various messaging services, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger. The products serve billions of people globally.

Facebook has been grappling with its role in the explosion of online child pornography. In 2018, tech companies reported more than 45 million online photos and videos of children being sexually abused. Facebook accounted for more than 90 percent of reports that tech companies flagged that year. Once Facebook Messenger the companys main source of such imagery is fully encrypted, it will be nearly impossible for Facebook to detect such images.

Tech companies said they had found other ways to combat abuse of their services, even if they introduce encryption. Those methods include scanning and matching the profile photos of users to those of known predators, as well as relying on user reports and complaints. WhatsApp, which is already fully encrypted, has said it bans more than 250,000 users every month for posting imagery of exploited children.

The scope and severity of online child pornography has grown exponentially along with the rise of social networks.

It is possible to find images and videos of children as young as infants being raped and abused online, and some services allow people to watch pay-per-view live streams of assaults of victims from around the world. Many victims live in fear of being recognized, thanks to the near impossibility of deleting these images from the internet.

It would take nearly every agent at the F.B.I. to pursue every child pornography lead that came into the bureau, according to F.B.I. and Justice Department officials who have fought to obtain information that companies like Apple say they cannot give because of the strengthened security in their products.

In a hearing with the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, also criticized Facebook on its encryption plans, calling it a dream come true for predators and child pornographers who use the services to traffic in illicit material.

If Facebook moves forward with the plans that they have at the moment, we will be blinded, Mr. Wray said. They will blind themselves and law enforcement.

Mr. Wray said Facebook should not be able to decide unilaterally to shut out law enforcement, leaving open the possibility that American lawmakers could try to mitigate the problem through legislation, as Australia has done. In 2018, the Australian Parliament passed a bill that required tech companies to provide law enforcement authorities with access to encrypted communications.

Tech companies like Facebook have a vital responsibility to balance privacy with the safety of vulnerable children, Priti Patel, the British home secretary, said in a statement on Wednesday. We have also submitted detailed evidence to the U.S. Senate about these concerns.

In a recent meeting with Sheryl Sandberg, Facebooks chief operating officer, Ms. Patel said the social networks encryption plans could not be allowed to hamper law enforcements ability to protect children online.

Facebook and other tech companies have received support for encryption from a coalition of civil liberties organizations, techno-libertarian groups and former national security experts, many of whom served in the Obama administration.

While many of these groups agree that there needs to be a balance between public safety and the privacy of people who use technology to communicate, they said encryption was a public good that helps ensure a safer world.

The future of cybersecurity, robotics, communications and other technologies depends on better encryption, said Ari Schwartz, managing director for cybersecurity services at Venable.

Law enforcement officials have long been frustrated by this argument. They said companies like Facebook and Apple did not encrypt parts of their services that would make it impossible for users to do things like reset their passwords when they forget them a decision that keeps those products generally usable and appealing, and makes it possible for law enforcement authorities to see into services such as Apples iCloud.

The question, some law enforcement officials said, is why tech companies choose not to encrypt when it serves their bottom line, but choose to encrypt when it could harm public safety.

Katie Benner reported from Washington and Mike Isaac from San Francisco.

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How Attorney General Barr’s War On Encryption Will Harm Our Military – Techdirt

February 9, 2020 | Author: admin

from the stop-it-guys dept

We've highlighted in the past that there are large parts of the federal government that recognize that strong encryption is actually very, very important for national security, and that the framing by Attorney General William Barr, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and even President Trump -- that there need to be back doors to encryption for "security" reasons -- is utter nonsense. The intelligence community has long recognized the importance of strong encryption. Even many people within the FBI think their bosses' position on this issue is bonkers. Late last year, we were pleasantly surprised to see the Defense Department step up as well, with a letter to Congress talking about just how important encryption is for national security.

Over at Cyberscoop, former National Security Council cybersecurity expert Ari Schwartz has a nice article explaining just how important encryption is to protecting the military. It won't tread any new ground for anyone who understands the basics here, but it's nice to see more and more people highlighting this.

Last month, a brigade of U.S. soldiers deployed to the Middle East received instructions from their superiors to use two commercial encrypted messaging applications, Signal and Wickr, on their government issued cell phones. These leadership cues trickled down from the Department of Defenses (DoD) position that strong encryption is critical to national security. While U.S. Attorney General William Barr continues to push for a broad mandate for backdoors for law enforcement, those on the front lines of protecting America have notably decided on a different approach. Simply put, weakening encryption means putting our military service members at risk.

The key point -- and one that many of us have made for years is that the framing by Wray/Barr (and, for what it's worth, James Comey before them) is that there's some sort of conflict here between "security" and "privacy." But that's always been bullshit. The issue has always been between having both security and privacy vs. giving law enforcement easier access to data and information they can almost always get elsewhere with a little more effort. In short, it's a debate between having security and privacy widely available against a bit of convenience for law enforcement. As such, this should be no debate at all.

Lets stop wasting time suggesting that we need universal solutions that may solve law enforcements short-term needs, but then put consumers and our military at risk.

Somehow, I don't think the time wasting is going to go away any time soon, unfortunately.

Filed Under: dod, doj, encryption, going dark, military, national security, william barr

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Strong Opinions on Whether Police Calls Should be Encrypted – Government Technology

February 9, 2020 | Author: admin

(TNS) The question of whether police radio transmissions should be encrypted inspires strong opinions on both sides and one local police department has asked the public to weigh in on the issue.

Those in favor argue encryption which would prevent the public from listening to police communications is an officer-safety issue, since criminals listen to scanner transmissions.

Those opposed argue that encryption denies the public access to information it has the right to know, and poses a danger of police operating without accountability.

Encryption is a timely issue in Luzerne County, where a new digital 911 communication system is being rolled out this year. The system offers the option to encrypt police transmissions.

On Saturday, Wilkes-Barre Twp. police started a poll on the departments Facebook page, asking readers to vote whether they support encryption for some or all police calls. The post generated hundreds of responses.

Comments to the post from township police seem to indicate support for encryption, giving an example of a fleeing suspect who listened to a scanner app playing live audio of police looking for him.

West Pittston police Chief Michael Turner favors encryption.

I definitely support it, Turner said Sunday. It gives us some protection as far as bad guys having a radio.

Turner described encryption as an officer-safety issue, though he said no officers from his department have been injured because of open scanner transmissions.

Officers have found portable radios programmed to police frequencies in the possession of suspects, Turner said.

There are some operations we go out on we are using cell phones because we dont want transmissions done on the radio, the chief said.

Comments on the Wilkes-Barre Twp. Facebook page show a wide range of opinions on encryption.

Mary Jarrett, of Plymouth, who frequently posts to social media about borough and community issues, said she has become a big supporter of police from listening to scanner broadcasts. She said a three-minute delay would be acceptable but that police calls should be open to the public, noting sunshine disinfects and removes the we/they that permeates our society today.

Others who commented said transmissions about tactical incidents such as hostage situations should be encrypted, but not standard police calls.

A man who said he is a firefighter in Connecticut said he has gotten a head start on emergency calls by listening to open police transmissions.

Some expressed support for encrypting all police calls, to ensure officer safety and protect the privacy of innocent people.

Others took the polar opposite view, that a publicly funded communication system should be open to the public without restriction.

Luzerne County does not plan to encrypt fire or emergency medical calls, officials said last week at a demo of the new radios and equipment.

Questions remain as to whether police transmissions will be encrypted once the new system goes live, and whether that decision will be made countywide or left up to individual police departments.

Following last weeks equipment demo, Andy Zahorsky, data and technical support manager for Luzerne County 911, said the county will not mandate the use of encryption.

Emergency responders interviewed since then have given conflicting opinions as to whether the county will stipulate encryption of police calls countywide, or if police departments will have the option whether or not to encrypt transmissions.

Fred Rosencrans, county 911 executive director, said in an email sent Thursday that issues involving encryption are under review and there is no deadline for decisions to be finalized.

Contact the writer:

emark@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2117

2020 The Citizens' Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)

Visit The Citizens' Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) at citizensvoice.com

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