Technology
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Technology
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Signal use back in spotlight amid Hegseth controversy
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Revelations that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive military info with family members on another Signal chat have renewed scrutiny on use of the messaging platform.
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Earlier this week, The New York Times published a bombshell report stating Hegseth shared the same attack plans he had disclosed on an earlier reported Signal chat with his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, who is a former Fox News producer and is not employed by the Defense Department — and about a dozen other people from his personal and professional inner circle.
The report came less than a month after The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed he was included in a Signal group chat with more than a dozen top Trump administration officials.
The administration officials, according to Goldberg, used the chat to discuss plans for airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen hours before they were launched.
The Atlantic piece put Signal, a messaging service offering end-to-end encryption, under the spotlight as cybersecurity experts weighed the risks of using a third party app for sensitive information.
The story also raised broader questions about which platforms government officials are permitted to use and the cybersecurity measures in place for potential information breaches.
The Trump administration fiercely defended Hegseth and his leadership on Monday.
In the wake of the latest news, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asked the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to investigate Trump administration officials’ use of Signal and other third-party messaging applications.
Schiff, a frequent critic of President Trump, urged NARA to make sure the messages sent over the encrypted messaging app by Trump officials are preserved and warned that, apart from national security concerns, utilizing Signal “creates profound risk of non-compliance with document preservation.”
“I write to request that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) take immediate action to preserve records and pursue remedial measures in connection with the use of Signal and other commercial messaging applications and email by Trump Administration Officials,” Schiff wrote in a four-page letter.
Schiff warned in the letter that in “addition to the national security risks, the use of messaging applications like Signal creates profound risk of non-compliance with document preservation requirements because they allow users to create settings to automatically delete messages.”
Our colleague Filip Timotija has more here.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Miranda Nazzaro and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
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How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:
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Tesla’s quarterly earnings dropped by 71 percent, the company announced Monday, marking the latest sign of bad news for Elon Musk’s electric vehicle manufacturer as scrutiny of the tech billionaire persists. The electric vehicle company reported a 9 percent decline in revenue for the first three months of this year. Its earnings totaled $409 million, down from $1.4 billion in the first quarter of last year, the company …
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Eight Democratic state treasurers on Tuesday pressed the chair of Tesla’s board about the company’s faltering performance, raising questions about whether Elon Musk is devoting enough time to his electric vehicle (EV) firm amid his work in the Trump administration. In a letter to Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm, the treasurers voiced concerns that the company’s recent difficulties indicate “deeper governance and leadership …
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Tesla has settled a wrongful death case with the estate of a man who was killed in a crash involving one of the company’s electric vehicles (EVs). Elon Musk’s EV company reached an agreement with the estate of Clyde Leach and his wife Donna Leach to dismiss the lawsuit, according to a court filing Monday. The filing did not disclose the details of the settlement. Leach died in 2021 when his Tesla …
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Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would permit homeowners to use “reasonable force” against drones — likely sparked by last year’s uptick in sightings of mysterious unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The measure, sponsored by state Sen. Keith L. Truenow (R) last month, was placed on the Florida Senate’s legislative calendar on April 16. Constituents across the U.S. have signaled discontent …
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News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:
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- National Science Foundation cancels research grants related to misinformation, disinformation (Nieman Journalism Lab)
- Trump administration considering policy to integrate artificial intelligence into K-12 schools (The Washington Post)
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Trump's crypto-friendly pick takes the helm at SEC
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© Susan Walsh, Associated Press
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Paul Atkins was sworn in as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday, solidifying President Trump's pro-crypto realignment.
Atkins, who is widely expected to be a key ally to the crypto industry, takes the helm of an agency that will be central to determining how digital assets are regulated.
“I am honored by the trust and confidence President Trump and the Senate have placed in me to lead the SEC,” Atkins said in a statement.
His appointment marks a sharp departure from former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who had a strained relationship with the crypto industry.
However, his temporary replacement, acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda, has not lost any time during his brief tenure atop the agency. He has moved quickly to reshape the SEC's crypto policy, including:
- Forming a crypto task force focused on developing a regulatory framework for digital assets
- Dismissing cases against crypto firms, such as Coinbase, Kraken, Consensys and Ripple
- Reconsidering Biden-era proposals impacting the industry
Uyeda welcomed Atkins, who previously served as an SEC commissioner under President George W. Bush, back to the agency Monday.
"Sometimes, life comes full circle," he said in a statement. "In October 2006, I joined the Commission as counsel to then-Commissioner Paul S. Atkins."
"Today, I took great pride in swearing in Paul as the next Chairman of the Commission," Uyeda continued, adding, "Now, the transition set in motion by the voters last November is complete."
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Crypto Corner is a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington. Have tips or feedback? Email us.
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Branch out with other reads on The Hill:
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Washington Post inks deal with OpenAI
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The Washington Post has struck a deal with OpenAI that will allow the artificial intelligence provider to use the outlet’s journalism as part of its search function. As part of the deal, OpenAI’s ChatGPT will display summaries, quotes and links to original reporting from the Post in response to relevant questions and prompts, the company said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Ensuring ChatGPT users have …
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