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☆ China takes major step in regulating generative AI services like ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

China also urges platforms to “participate in the formulation of international rules and standards” related to generative AI, it said. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have taken the world by storm. Generative AI refers to the technology that underpins platforms like ChatGPT. In the global race to build guardrails for how governments tap AI, China had gained a significant head start, US Senator Mark Warner warned last month. So far, Baidu, Alibaba and JD.com’s generative AI services are either in the trial stage or being tested by corporate users.

Persons: —, Olivier Morin, Mark Warner, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Cyberspace Administration, Ant, Baidu, Getty, China, Politico’s Global Tech Summit ., ” Citi, National Development, Reform Commission Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, AFP, United States

☆ Chinese intelligence hacked State Department emails in ‘significant’ breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 5, 2023. Chinese intelligence hacked into Microsoft email accounts belonging to two dozen government agencies, including the State Department, in the United States and Western Europe in a "significant" breach, according to Microsoft and U.S. national security officials. "The Senate Intelligence Committee is closely monitoring what appears to be a significant cybersecurity breach by Chinese intelligence," Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, and chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence said Wednesday. The compromise was "mitigated" by Microsoft cybersecurity teams after it was first reported to the company in mid-June 2023, Microsoft said in a pair of blog posts about the incidents. It's also a timely example of the kind of threat that U.S. national security officials have been warning about for months and years.

Persons: Strategic Communications John Kirby, James, Brady, Sen, Mark Warner, Mandiant, Charles Carmakal, Adam Hodge, Covington Organizations: National Security, Strategic Communications, White, Microsoft, State Department, Senate Intelligence, Intelligence, U.S, Warner, of State, CNBC, National Security Council, FBI, Infrastructure Security Agency, Security, Wall Street Locations: Washington ,, United States, Western Europe, China, Burling, Guam, It's, U.S

☆ US lawmakers consider changes to TikTok crackdown bill -senator
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ARLINGTON, Virginia July 10 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers are considering changes to address concerns about a bill that would give the Biden administration new powers to ban Chinese-owned TikTok, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee who has cosponsored the legislation said on Monday. Democratic Senator Mark Warner told Reuters that aggressive lobbying by the ByteDance-owned short video app TikTok against the Restrict Act "slowed a bit of our momentum" after it was introduced in March. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Warner's assessment of its lobbying. In March, Republican Senator Rand Paul blocked a bid to fast-track a separate bill to ban TikTok introduced by Senator Josh Hawley, who said the Restrict Act "doesn't ban TikTok. Attempts in 2020 by then President Donald Trump to ban TikTok were blocked by U.S. courts.

Persons: Mark Warner, Warner, TikTok, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, Biden, Donald Trump, Chuck Schumer, David Shepardson, Leslie Adler, Sonali Paul Organizations: Biden, Senate Intelligence, Democratic, Reuters, Commerce Department, Republican, Thomson Locations: ARLINGTON, Virginia, U.S, China, Montana

☆ U.S. lawmakers consider changes to TikTok crackdown bill, says senator
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

TikTok logo is displayed on the screen of a smartphone. U.S. lawmakers are considering changes to address concerns about a bill that would give the Biden administration new powers to ban Chinese-owned TikTok, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee who has cosponsored the legislation said on Monday. Democratic Senator Mark Warner told Reuters that aggressive lobbying by the ByteDance-owned short video app TikTok against the Restrict Act "slowed a bit of our momentum" after it was introduced in March. "I will grant TikTok this, they spent $100 million in lobbying and slowed a bit of our momentum," Warner said, adding that initially it seemed it would be almost "too easy" to get the bill approved. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Warner's assessment of its lobbying.

Persons: Mark Warner, Warner, TikTok Organizations: Biden, Senate Intelligence, Democratic, Reuters, Commerce Department

☆ Putin says Russia would have crushed rebellion, vows 'justice' for mutiny organizers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin grimaces during his joint press conference with Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune (not pictured) at the Grand Kremlin Palace, June,15,2023, in Moscow, Russia. WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday the organizers of an armed mutiny over the weekend will be "brought to justice" and that his military would have put down the rebellion anyway. In exchange for his turning back, a criminal case against Prigozhin was dropped and he was permitted to leave Russia for Belarus. On Monday, Putin said any "armed rebellion would have been put down anyway." Prigozhin has said his goal was never to seize political control of the Kremlin and overthrow Putin, but rather to protest a planned dissolution of his Wagner Group, his private army.

Persons: Vladimir Putin grimaces, Abdelmajid Tebboune, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Prigozhin, Sen, Mark Warner Organizations: Algerian, WASHINGTON —, Wagner Group, Senate Intelligence Locations: Moscow, Russia, WASHINGTON, WASHINGTON — Russian, Russian, Belarus, Minsk, Rostov

☆ US gathered detailed intelligence on Wagner chief’s rebellion plans but kept it secret from most allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Alex Marquardt Kylie Atwood Kevin Liptak | Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —US intelligence officials were able to gather an extremely detailed and accurate picture of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plans leading up to his short-lived rebellion, including where and how Wagner was planning to advance, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. But the intelligence was so closely held that it was shared only with select allies, including senior British officials, and not at the broader NATO level, these sources said. Ukrainian officials were not told about the intelligence in advance, either, officials said, due primarily to fears that conversations between US and Ukrainian officials might be intercepted by adversaries. There were also signs that Wagner was stockpiling weapons and ammunition leading up to the rebellion, CNN has reported. “It’s an internal Russian matter,” the official said the Ukrainian officials were told, echoing what US and other Western officials have said publicly.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, Prigozhin’s, ”, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Democratic Sen, Mark Warner of, “, “ Putin, ” Warner, Putin, –, Monday Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, British, NATO, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Russian Ministry of Defense, European, Democratic, Senate Intelligence, Kremlin, ” Locations: Rostov, Moscow, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, Mark Warner of Virginia, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Russian Belgorod

☆ Ukraine managed to gain ground in Ukraine as Russia faced off against Russia in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian forces spent Saturday preparing to defend Moscow from a paramilitary uprising. But Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his fighters to turn around just before reaching the capital. Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy minister of defense, said Saturday that Ukrainian forces launched new counter-offensives in the country's east and were holding Russian forces in defensive positions in the south. While Ukraine continued its efforts to retake territory, Russia was forced to defend itself from itself. Before the Wagner Group fighters turned back, Russian security officials were gearing up to defend Moscow.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Vladimir Putin —, Prigozhin, Ukraine's, Hanna Maliar, Wagner Group's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sergei Shoigu, Sen, Mark Warner of, Marco Rubio Organizations: Service, Wagner, Russian, Twitter, BBC, Wagner Group, Moscow, Russian Defense, Senate Intelligence, CBS Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Mark Warner of Virginia, Marco Rubio of Florida

☆ Ukraine gained ground inside Ukraine as Russia faced off against Russia inside Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Ambitious plans for US-India technology sharing face hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Standing in the way are strict U.S. rules governing export of defense technology, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs, has stressed the need to break down barriers to technology sharing with allies and partners, including India. But one congressional aide said efforts to speed technology sharing with India would face "an uphill battle" both in the U.S. Congress and at the U.S. State Department, where officials have a specific obligation to protect U.S. technology. "There are concerns about (technology sharing) in the Australia context and there would be more concerns in the India context," he said. Rick Rossow, an India expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said approval processes for advanced defense technology transfer were "onerous but not impossible."

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Elizabeth Frantz WASHINGTON, Biden, Ely Ratner, Democrat Mark Warner, Republican John Cornyn, Bill Greenwalt, Greenwalt, ITAR, Rick Rossow, David Brunnstrom, Mike Stone, Patricia Zengerle, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, United, Indian, General Electric Co, Center, New, New American Security, TECH, U.S . Senate India Caucus, Democrat, Republican, U.S . Congress, U.S . State Department, Pentagon, GE, State Department, U.S . Missile Technology Control, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, India, New Delhi, Asia, U.S, Britain, Australia, New American, Russia, Ukraine, Delhi

☆ Sen. Mark Warner on U.S.-India ties: One of the most critical U.S. relationships this century
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSen. Mark Warner on U.S.-India ties: One of the most critical U.S. relationships this centurySen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss President Biden's meeting with India Prime Minister Modi, U.S.-India relations, concerns over competition from China, and more.

Persons: Email Sen, Mark Warner, Sen, Biden's, Modi Organizations: Email, India Locations: India, U.S, China

☆ Inside China's spy war on American corporations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Eamon Javers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Top intelligence and law enforcement officials in Washington are issuing a stark warning to American companies: The Chinese government wants to replace you. Asked whether the Chinese government wants to compete with or eliminate American companies, FBI Director Christopher Wray told CNBC: "Well, their definition of competing, I think, involves embracing the idea of eliminating." The paid-in foreign investment reached 127.69 billion yuan, up 14.5% year on year. Foreign companies including US investors have been upbeat about the China market and plan to expand in China. Former GE engineer David Zheng and GE Aerospace also declined to comment.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Sen, Marco Rubio, Rubio, Mark Warner, …, Warner, Xu Yanjun, Xu, James Olson, Xu Yanjun's, David Zheng, – CNBC's Katherine Liu, Bria Cousins, Laura Measher, Wally Griffith Organizations: CNBC, American, Democrat, World Trade, Ministry of State Security, GE, Boeing, Honeywell, GE Aviation, FBI, CIA, American Chamber of Commerce, Business Environment, US Department of Commerce, GE Aerospace Locations: Washington, America, U.S, China, Nanjing, Cincinnati, South China, reinvest

☆ U.S. Congress to consider two new bills on artificial intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - U.S. senators on Thursday introduced two separate bipartisan artificial intelligence bills on Thursday amid growing interest in addressing issues surrounding the technology. Lawmakers are beginning to consider what new rules might be needed because of the rise of AI. "We cannot afford to lose our competitive edge in strategic technologies like semiconductors, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence to competitors like China," Bennet said. Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he had scheduled three briefings for senators on artificial intelligence, including the first classified briefing on the topic so lawmakers can be educated on the issue. read moreThe briefings include a general overview on AI, examining how to achieve American leadership on AI and a classified session on defense and intelligence issues and implications.

Persons: Gary Peters, Mike Braun, James Lankford, aren't, Braun, Michael Bennet, Mark Warner, Todd Young, Bennet, Chuck Schumer, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Alistair Bell Organizations: Homeland Security, Republican, Global, Thomson Locations: United States, China

☆ Joe Manchin is set to get a big win out of the debt ceiling deal on a gas pipeline that Virginia Democrats and environmentalists hate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, has long pushed for a controversial gas pipeline. The debt ceiling deal will likely force federal agencies to approve the project's remaining permits. The Democrat and his fellow West Virginia lawmakers have for years pushed for the completion of a controversial 303-mile pipeline that would carry Appalachian shale gas from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia. Virginia's Democratic lawmakers are staunchly opposed to the pipeline provision. He plans to file an amendment to remove this harmful Mountain Valley Pipeline provision."

Persons: Sen, Joe Manchin, —, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Manchin, McCarthy, Manchin didn't, Virginia Sens, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Kaine, Jennifer McClellan, Kaine doesn't, John Podesta, Tim Kaine's Organizations: West, West Virginia Democrat, Service, Democrat, Republicans, Democratic, Appeals, Circuit, Democratic House, Washington Post Locations: West Virginia, Virginia, America

☆ Chinese apps remain hugely popular in the U.S. despite efforts to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +15 min

But while TikTok has been the one in the spotlight, other Chinese apps that present similar issues are also experiencing massive popularity in the U.S. Gorman said as the U.S. considers the threat posed by TikTok, it will also need to develop a framework for how to evaluate the relative risk of Chinese apps. But in the meantime, U.S. consumers continue to turn to Chinese apps. "And then of course, there's the early growth of Lemon8, which suggests that the appetite for Chinese apps in the U.S. is still growing." And some say the most effective long-term solution for curbing the use of Chinese apps may be fostering an environment for robust alternatives to grow.

☆ Defense personnel alarmed after memos reveal Air Force leadership warned about accused Pentagon leaker but let him continue working
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Haley Britzky Sean Lyngaas Zachary Cohen Natasha Bertrand | Haley Britzky | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Teixeira was arrested on April 14 and has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials. His defense lawyers have argued he didn’t expect classified information that he posted on Discord to be further spread around the internet. According to one current US service member who handles classified intelligence, the memos read as if Teixeira’s leadership was building a case for disciplinary action against him. Jobs under the 1N0 and 1N4 job codes would have given him more hands-on responsibilities with intelligence, the current service member and a former enlisted intelligence airman told CNN. But the current service member said it would not be unusual for senior non-commissioned officers to handle disciplinary matters with a junior enlisted airman like Teixeira.

☆ Bat-wielding attacker injures Virginia congressman's district office staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Rebecca Shabad | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) listens at a news conference outside of the U.S. Capitol Building on June 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. "This morning, an individual entered my District Office armed with a baseball bat and asked for me before committing an act of violence against two members of my staff. He said his focus is on ensuring his staff members receive the care they need. "My District Office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day. His district office is in Fairfax, Virginia, which is less than 15 miles from downtown Washington.

"That combination of overclassification and then too many people having clearances has led us to this problem," Warner told a news conference. He said more than 4 million people in the United States now have security clearance. Attorney General Merrick Garland has also appointed special counsels to investigate the handling of classified records by Republican former President Donald Trump and the handling of classified records from his time as vice president by current Democratic President Joe Biden. The path forward for the bills was not immediately clear but the senators said they hoped the recent attention on the clearance issue would help. "This is a piece of legislation that can become law and it is desperately needed for that to happen," Moran said.

☆ Meet a mom with $610,000 in student debt who still can't separate her balance from her ex-husband's 8 years after their divorce: 'This one thing is still holding me stuck to him'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Dawn Rose, 53, has $610,000 in student debt after combining balances with her then-husband in 1999. They divorced in 2015, but Rose is stuck paying off her ex-husband's debt. After taking out student loans for four semesters of college, Rose said her husband — now ex-husband — was finishing his master's degree, which was also financed by student loans. Now Rose is stuck paying off $610,000 in student debt, per documents reviewed by Insider — the majority of which she said belonged to her ex-husband. Dawn Rose, 53, has $610,000 in student debt.

☆ Student-loan borrowers who combined their balances with a spouse just got new guidance on separating their loans. Here's what you need to know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, a bill to allow student-loan borrowers to separate balances from a spouse was signed into law. In September, the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act of 2021 was signed into law, which allowed borrowers in the spousal joint consolidation loan program to separate their combined balances. On Friday, the Federal Student Aid website posted new guidance detailing the process for borrowers to go about separating their balances. A separate application: This application option would allow just one of the coborrowers to apply for separation of the balances, regardless of what the other coborrower decides. According to FSA, borrowers with direct joint consolidation loans will receive those adjustments when they become available, and separation of loans is not necessary to receive those benefits.

☆ Senators will look at legislation addressing TikTok in China proposal -- Schumer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said senators will consider legislation to bolster the Biden administration's ability to crackdown on popular video sharing app TikTok as they craft wide-ranging legislation to address Chinese threats. In March, Senators Mark Warner and John Thune joined by 24 other senators proposed the Restrict Act to grant the Commerce Department new authority to review or block a range of transactions involving foreign-owned apps like TikTok that pose national security risks. "This is one of the things we will look at for sure," Schumer said Wednesday at a press conference citing Warner's bill. Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - The Biden administration outlined efforts this week to address growing U.S. national security concerns on foreign companies' handling of Americans' data. Concerns about Chinese-owned TikTok have sparked new efforts in Congress to boost powers to address it or potentially ban the popular short video sharing app. Under Commerce Secretary for Industry and Security Alan Estevez was among those addressing information and communications technology supply (ICTS) chain threats, the department said. "I think it is a top priority and we need to move with urgency," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said at a Senate hearing on Wednesday of the legislative effort. Days before then President Donald Trump left office in 2021, the Commerce Department issued aimed at addressing ICTS concerns posed by China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.

☆ Jack Teixeira: Accused Pentagon leaker's violent rhetoric raises fresh questions about top secret vetting process
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Sean Lyngaas Zachary Cohen Haley Britzky | Natasha Bertrand | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But that didn’t stop the Pentagon from granting a top-secret security clearance to Jack Teixeira, who prosecutors say had an arsenal of weapons at home and a history of violent online rhetoric. And the Air Force’s Inspector General investigation is specifically examining the Pentagon’s vetting process and whether any procedures were violated or ignored, Pentagon officials said. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Thursday that when vetting someone for a security clearance, the adjudicator examines “a sufficient period” in someone’s life to determine if they are eligible. That program – largely run by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) – aims to continuously vet security clearance holders for warning signs than periodically investigate them every five to 10 years. “Social media is a new world that the government really hasn’t gotten ahold of yet,” said Brad Moss, a lawyer who specializes in national security and security clearance law.

☆ Elon Musk talks AI, economy with Democratic leader Schumer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla (TSLA.O) and social media platform Twitter, discussed artificial intelligence issues with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday. "We talked about the future," Musk told reporters after exiting the meeting that lasted about an hour. Earlier this month, Schumer said he had launched an effort to establish rules on artificial intelligence to address national security and education concerns, as use of programs like ChatGPT becomes widespread. Senate Intelligence Committee chair Mark Warner sent major AI CEOs a letter Wednesday asking them to take steps to address concerns. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters Wednesday the Biden administration is working "as aggressively as possible to figure out our approach" to AI.

☆ US senator urges AI company CEOs to take steps to address risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - The chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday urged CEOs of several artificial intelligence (AI) companies to prioritize security measures, combat bias, and responsibly roll out new technologies. Democratic Senator Mark Warner raised concerns about potential risks posed by AI technology. "Beyond industry commitments, however, it is also clear that some level of regulation is necessary in this field," said Warner, who sent letters to the CEOs of OpenAI, Scale AI, Meta Platforms (META.O), Alphabet's Google (MSFT.O), Apple, Stability AI, Midjourney, Anthropic, Percipient.ai, and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O). Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Limit access to most secret US documents, Senate intel panel head says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - Too many people have access to the U.S. government's closest secrets and a central entity should oversee the classification process, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said on Sunday, addressing leaks of documents in an online chat group. The United States has numerous intelligence gathering entities and Warner said the situation needed to be dealt with. "We need somebody fully in charge of the whole classification process and I think for those classified documents there ought to be a smaller universe," he said. As an example, Warner said the National Security Agency has suffered leaks in the past and internal controls limit the copying of documents. Warner also said that not everyone handling a document needs to see the whole document and that just seeing the header could be enough.

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