“Obama administration officials will meet with executives of major technology and entertainment firms in Washington on Wednesday for a conference aimed at combating the activities of violent extremists online, according to industry and government officials,” Cecilia Kang and Matt Apuzzo report for The New York Times. “The meeting was called by the White House, according to a person who was invited and who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The afternoon meeting at the Justice Department will include speeches by John P. Carlin, the assistant attorney general for national security; Megan Smith, the national chief technology officer; and Jen Easterly, the senior director for counterterrorism.”
“The event is another step toward coordinating government and private sector efforts on national security. After the mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., last year, the White House and presidential candidates pushed for greater accountability by Internet firms to clamp down on extremists who use social media to recruit new members, organize and broadcast their demands to the world,” Kang and Apuzzo report. “Last month, the White House and tech chief executives held a security meeting in San Jose to discuss the use of social media by terrorist groups and encryption practices by tech firms to keep consumer data private. Secretary of State John Kerry also met with Hollywood studio executives earlier this month, and entertainment firms have been asked by government officials to help create ‘counternarratives’ to those of terrorists on social media networks.”
“The afternoon gathering on Wednesday, which will be held at the Justice Department, brings together tech companies in Washington at a time of heightened tension between the administration and Silicon Valley over the contentious battle between Apple and the United States government over access to the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. Some of the tech firms have expressed cautious support of Apple,” Kang and Apuzzo report. “The subject of encryption and Apple’s resistance to being ordered to break through its encrypted software for law enforcement is not on the agenda.”
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MacDailyNews Take: Pfft.
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