The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to ban new Huawei and ZTE device sales in the U.S., the first time the regulator has banned equipment on the basis of national security, according to various reports.

The FCC, with the support of Congress, has already cut any broadband subsidy funding to ZTE and Huawei network equipment, which it has concluded is a threat to national and network security. With the backstop of federal legislation, the FCC also requires any so-subsidized networks to rip and replace any of that suspect tech they have been using.

The issue is the conclusion that those companies have too-close ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Also: Telecom Nets Seek $5 Billion-Plus to Rip and Replace

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a former top communications tech executive, buttressed that reporting with a statement Thursday (Oct. 13) billed as a response to “the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision to ban new sales of Chinese-based Huawei and ZTE technologies on the bases of national security.”

A spokesperson said the senator’s response was to the widespread reporting, combined with the fact that the law requires the FCC to vote on such a ban before the end of the year.

Also: Huawei Says FCC Ban Could Be Unconstitutional

Warner, who has long warned of the dangers of using tech from those Chinese companies, said he was glad the FCC “finally took that step” and pointed out that a bipartisan group of senators has been calling out the threat from Huawei and ZTE for several years, including passing the Secure and Trusted Networks Act of 2019, which incentivized the FCC rip and replace program, and which Warner co-authored.

The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act required the FCC to identify tech companies — and their subsidiaries and affiliates — whose products and/or services posed a national security threat and reimburse them for removing that suspect tech. ■

Legislators from both sides of the aisle -- Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) -- have teamed up to urge the Federal Trade Commission to investigate over-the-top video clip streaming site TikTok based on reports that suggest the Chinese-based company is not insulated from the Chinese government's demands for data on U.S. users.

Warner and Rubio are the chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

In a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan, the senators cited a BuzzFeed story about leaked internal TikTok meeting data showing U.S. user data had been accessed from China.

Also: FCC's Carr Tells App Stores TikTok Has to Go

They said they wanted her to immediately launch a Sec. 5 investigation, which is an inquiry into potential false and deceptive conduct. That includes that the site offered employees in China "unfettered access to user information, including birthdates, phone numbers, and device identification information."

They told Khan that TikTok had appeared to misrepresent its relationship to its ByteDance parent and subsidiaries, one of which, ByteDance Technology, is partially owned by the Chinese Communist Party, and that updates to TikTok's privacy policy that indicate that the site may be collecting biometric data "heighten their concern." ■

A former tech exec turned senator has officially cautioned edge providers against allowing their platforms to be used for Russian war propaganda, calling out YouTube in particular.

Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who co-founded Nextel, sent letters to Alphabet (Google, YouTube), Meta (Facebook), Reddit, Telegram, TikTok, and Twitter saying they need to make sure their companies are not used by Russia and Russia-linked entries, warning that influence operations are part of Russia's warfare playbook.

He cited what he said had been content on Russian-affiliated YouTube channels RT, Sputnik and Tass monetizing content about the Ukraine conflict, "including, somewhat perversely, an ad by a major U.S. government contractor. Meanwhile, Google’s wider ad network continues to support influence outlets such as Sputnik and Tass, directing advertising dollars from unwitting U.S. brands like Best Buy, Allbirds, and Progressive to entities whose ties to Russian influence activity has been well-documented for over five years."

Warner said social media should not abet Russia's efforts to "promote disinformation narratives that weaken the global response to these illegal acts."

He said while social media can be a valuable information tools and outlets for independent media, it can also be a "vector" for "misinformation and disinformation."

Warner asked the companies to, "at minimum":

• "Establish mechanisms by which Ukrainian public safety entities can disseminate emergency communications to your users in Ukraine; 
• "Furnish additional account monitoring and security resources to Ukrainian government, humanitarian, and public safety institutions to prevent account takeovers; 
• "Surge integrity teams, including those with language expertise in Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Romanian, and German, to monitor your platform for malign influence activity related to the conflict; 
• "Devote additional resources towards the identification of inauthentic accounts, and the removal or labeling of inauthentic content, associated with Russian influence operations; and 
• "Establish dedicated reporting channels for qualified academic, public interest, and open source intelligence researchers to share credible information about inauthentic activity, disinformation, and other malign efforts utilizing your platforms." ■

Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Mark Warner (D-Va.), have reintroduced a bill that would require more transparency about edge providers' use of secret algorithms to frame user's online experience.

The Filter Bubble Transparency Act, which was introduced back in 2019, requires large internet platforms (over 1 million users and generating more than $50 million in gross revenues, to inform users how their experience is being shaped and allow them to exit that information bubble if they choose.

Also Read: Big Tech Sues Florida

Specifically, the bill would require those platforms to:

1. "Clearly notify its users that their platform creates a filter bubble that uses secret algorithms (computer-generated filters) to determine the order or manner in which information is delivered to users; and

2. "Provide its users with the option of a filter bubble-free view of the information they provide. The bill would enable users to transition between a customized, filter bubble-generated version of information and a non-filter bubble version (for example, the “sparkle icon” option that is currently offered by Twitter that allows users to toggle between a personalized timeline and a purely chronological timeline)."

It would be illegal for anyone to operate a covered online platform that uses a "secret algorithm" unless the above two conditions are met. The Federal Trade Commission would enforce the legislation, including giving it the power to seek civil penalties for willful violations.

The bill's 2019 bipartisan incarnation may not have made it into law, but Silicon Valley is under renewed, heavy, and bipartisan criticism for how it treats content and its users.

“Big tech’s manipulative algorithms have exploited consumers and their data for far too long,” said Blumenthal. “By notifying and providing users with options for how they are viewing information, this bill will grant Americans the transparency and privacy they deserve. I’m proud to join a bipartisan coalition in the ongoing fight for stronger data privacy protections.”

“The more transparency consumers have with respect to how social media and other internet platforms prioritize content on their services, the better,” said Thune, ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee Communications Subcommittee (all the bill's sponsors but Warner are members of the committee). “This legislation helps consumers better understand how algorithms are used to select content in their ‘feed’ and gives users more control over what information they are digesting. I’d like to thank Sen. Schatz for adding his support to this bill, which increases the momentum behind this important issue.”

A bipartisan group of senators led by Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) has called on President Biden to put $3 billion toward funding Open Radio Access Network (ORAN), so those equipment vendors can compete in the 5G market with Chinese network tech suppliers Huawei and ZTE.

That came in a request as the President prepares his 2022 budget. The money would go into the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund and the Multilateral Telecommunications Security Fund ($1.5 billion in each), which were created in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2021.

Chinese suppliers are subsidized by the government, so Warner and company want to boost U.S. tech's chances of competing, particularly since the U.S. is in the process of ripping and replacing Huawei and ZTE tech from networks built with government subsidies, and is being pressed by some, including FCC commissioner Brendan Carr, to bar Chinese telecoms from network buildouts with private capital.

Also Read: FCC's Rosenworcel Pushes Deep Dive on ORAN

"For years, we have called on telecommunications providers in the U.S., as well as our allies and partners, to reject Huawei 5G technology, but we have not provided competitively-priced, innovative alternatives that would address their needs," the Senators wrote in a letter to the President, a copy of which was provided to Multichannel News. "As wireless networks adapt to the growing demands for 5G connectivity, a new Open RAN architecture will allow telecommunications providers to migrate from the current hardware-centric approach into a software-centric model that relies heavily on cloud-based services. This architecture will break down the current end-to-end proprietary stack of hardware; lower barriers to entry and prompt innovation; diversify the supply chain and decrease dependence on foreign suppliers; and spur Open RAN deployments throughout the United States, particularly in rural America."

The FCC, which is overseeing the suspect tech rip-and-replace program, has been collecting string on the ORAN alternative, including holding a virtual forum on the technology last year.

Also signing on to the letter were Intelligence Committee vice chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Susan Collins (R-Me.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Angus King (I-Me.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

The Senate has approved a bipartisan bill, the Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act, which requires that any IoT devices purchased with government money meet minimum security standards.

The latest incarnation of the bill was introduced in March 2019 by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), co-chair of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus with Mark Warner (D-Va.), and in the House by Reps. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and Will Hurd (R-Texas).

It passed the House in September and heads to the President's desk for his signature.

The bill:

1. "Requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to issue recommendations addressing, at a minimum, secure development, identity management, patching, and configuration management for IoT devices.

2. "Directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidelines for each agency that are consistent with the NIST recommendations, and charge OMB with reviewing these policies at least every five years.

3. "Requires any Internet-connected devices purchased by the federal government to comply with those recommendations.

4. "Directs NIST to work with cybersecurity researchers, industry experts, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to publish guidance on coordinated vulnerability disclosure to ensure that vulnerabilities related to agency devices are addressed.

5. "Requires contractors and vendors providing information systems to the U.S. government to adopt coordinated vulnerability disclosure policies, so that if a vulnerability is uncovered, that can be effectively shared with a vendor for remediation."

“While more and more products and even household appliances today have software functionality and internet connectivity, too few incorporate even basic safeguards and protections, posing a real risk to individual and national security,” said Warner. “I’m proud that Congress was able to come together today to pass this legislation, which will harness the purchasing power of the federal government and incentivize companies to finally secure the devices they create and sell. I urge the President to sign this bill into law without delay.”

“I applaud the Senate for passing our bipartisan and bicameral legislation to ensure the federal government leads by example and purchases devices that meet basic requirements to prevent hackers from accessing government systems,” said Gardner. “Most experts expect tens of billions of devices operating on our networks within the next several years as the Internet of Things (IoT) landscape continues to expand. We need to make sure these devices are secure from malicious cyber-attacks as they continue to transform our society and add countless new entry points into our networks, particularly when they are integrated into the federal government’s networks.”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), co-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a former tech exec, is calling on Facebook, Twitter and Google to implement "robust accountability and transparency standards" in the run-up to the November election. 

He said that should include requirements in his Honest Ads Act, which has yet to pass the Congress.

Warner sent individual letters to the companies' CEOs outlining the ways he thinks they continue to contribute to the spread of "disinformation, viral misinformation, and voter suppression."

The companies appeared to have already gotten the message. Twitter flagged a COVID-19-related tweet from the President as misinformation and Facebook restricted the account of conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin for "repeatedly sharing false news," a charge Levin disputes.

Warner warned of the "imminent risk of bad actors once again weaponizing American-bred social media tools to undermine democracy ahead of the November election."

Warner's committee conducted an extensive investigation into Russian election meddling in the 2016 election, including via social media.

“The pervasiveness of political misinformation on Facebook – and the ways in which your company chooses to amplify it – was on display just this week, when a baseless conspiracy about Vice President Biden was highlighted on Facebook’s own News Tab, a result of Facebook choosing to amplify The Daily Caller as a verified news publisher and fact-checker despite its long track record of promoting false information,” wrote Warner in the letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Warner gave Twitter props for the efforts it has taken to flag content, but wanted more. “I appreciate the leadership Twitter has demonstrated to take steps against the promotion of false, deceptive, and manipulated political content," he wrote CEO Jack Dorsey. "[H]owever, more must be done to secure our political discourse from disinformation on digital platforms like yours."

Warner praised Facebook for another move, its banning of accounts connected to the QAnon conspiracy theory, but with a caveat.

“I’m pleased to see Facebook take action against this harmful and increasingly dangerous conspiracy theory and movement," said Warner, pointing out he had encouraged the company to take the threat of QAnon more seriously since Facebook had a role in its growth. "Ultimately the real test will be whether Facebook actually takes measures to enforce these new policies – we’ve seen in a myriad of other contexts, including with respect to right-wing militias like the Boogaloos, that Facebook has repeatedly failed to consistently enforce its existing policies.”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is praising House passage of his Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act, which requires minimum security requirements for IoT devices bought by the U.S. government, saying that there are not enough market incentives to secure devices.

Related: Sen. Warner Urges Internet Device Makers to Protect Products

The latest incarnation of the bill was introduced in March 2019 by Warner joined by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), co-chair of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus with Warner, and in the House by Reps. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and Will Hurd (R-Texas).

The bill has yet to pass the Senate, but did pass the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in June 2019.

It would:

1. "Require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to issue recommendations addressing, at a minimum, secure development, identity management, patching, and configuration management for IoT devices.

2. "Direct the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidelines for each agency that are consistent with the NIST recommendations, and charge OMB with reviewing these policies at least every five years.

3. "Require any Internet-connected devices purchased by the federal government to comply with those recommendations.

4. "Direct NIST to work with cybersecurity researchers, industry experts, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to publish guidance on coordinated vulnerability disclosure to ensure that vulnerabilities related to agency devices are addressed.

5. "Require contractors and vendors providing information systems to the U.S. government to adopt coordinated vulnerability disclosure policies, so that if a vulnerability is uncovered, that can be effectively shared with a vendor for remediation."

“The House passage of this legislation is a major accomplishment in combating the threats that insecure IoT devices pose to our individual and national security," said Sen. Warner. "Frankly, manufacturers today just don’t have the appropriate market incentives to properly secure the devices they make and sell – that’s why this legislation is so important."

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is worried that there is still confusion and potential delay in getting unemployment checks to gig workers, the self-employed and independent contractors, like many working in the entertainment business, that he wants to make sure don't get left out. 

Unions representing performers in TV, movies, theater, concerts and other venues had sought inclusion of their members in the aid package, and Congress delivered. 

Related: Performers Groups Seek Piece of Massive Coronavirus Aid Package 

He said Friday (April 3) that a week after the $2 trillion COVID-19 aid bill was signed and despite new guidance from the Department of Labor, states are still struggling to get the money to those workers and it could be weeks before some can access the aid Congress intended and they desperately need. 

“The CARES Act directs states to stand up a new program, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program, to disburse benefits to workers who would normally not be eligible for unemployment assistance, such as gig workers or freelancers," he wrote to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia. "Unfortunately, we are already hearing reports from unemployment officials from around the country that it will likely take weeks to stand up a new program and disburse benefits to these newly eligible workers." 

Warner wants the department to streamline the PUA process by removing "burdensome regulatory barriers"--a phrase more associated with Republicans in normal times--limiting worker participation, "require states to accept electronic documentation" and "allow them flexibility to make determinations on eligibility for the program on a case-by-case basis." 

He would also like to see "innovative technologies to implement the program"--Warner is a former tech executive--and allow states to disburse the weekly benefits. 

The vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee is citing the recent disclosure of malware exploring a Department of Defense server to push for passage of his Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act. 

Related: Senate Intelligence Report Recommends Overarching Cyber Doctrine

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) pointed out in a statement that it was a vulnerability exposure regime at DOD that allowed a researcher to report the malware and said his bill would help advance similar programs that could be coordinated with the DOD procedures in place. Warner's bill was reported out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last June, but has yet to be voted in the Senate. 

Znet reported that the researcher had first discovered that a DOD server running on Amazon Web Services' cloud platform was publicly accessible without credentials, then that it had been hacked and was being used by a botnet to mine cryptocurrency. 

The bill was introduced last March and reported favorably out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last June. 

It would make sure government IoT devices are as secure as they can be, including by requiring transparency and disclosure from contractors. The bill now heads to the full Senate for a vote. It would also require government-purchased devices to meet a minimum level of security. 

“This incident demonstrates the inherent value of vulnerability disclosure programs for information technology products operated by federal agencies,” Warner wrote in a letter to DOD CIO Dana Deasy. “These programs are a crucial force multiplier for federal cybersecurity efforts. Clear guidelines and a process for security researchers to find and share vulnerabilities enabled this malware discovery, and ultimately prompt remedial action by DOD," he said. "Continuing to encourage the responsible discovery and disclosure of bugs or vulnerabilities on federal information technology systems with both internal and outside security researchers can only strengthen the cybersecurity posture of federal and DOD systems.” 

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and co-founder of that body's Cybersecurity Caucus, praised the indictment of Yahoo's alleged Russian hackers Wednesday (March 15), but was clearly troubled by the involvement of Russian government entities and still unhappy with Yahoo.

“I applaud the Department of Justice for naming names and bringing criminal charges against the individuals responsible for the Yahoo hack, including two individuals who are on the payroll of the Russian government," he said in a statement.

"We commend Yahoo and Google for providing exemplary cooperation while zealously protecting their users’ privacy," said U.S. Attorney Brian Stretch in announcing the indictments.

Warner was not ready to join in that characterization.

“I continue to believe Yahoo had a responsibility to be more forthcoming in publicly reporting this breach sooner than it did, and both the public and private sectors often move too slowly to address the growing threats posed by cyber criminals," he said.

He said the indictments were a reminder to American businesses that they need to invest in "robust cyber defenses," as well as to be "more willing to share threat information, and be much more upfront with consumers when their defenses fail."

He also said that hackers needed to be pursued "wherever possible to the fullest extent of the law, whether the motivation was financial or political."

The Intelligence Committee is in the midst of an investigation of allegations that Russia intervened in the U.S. presidential election in favor of eventual winner Donald Trump.

“Today’s indictments shed a light on the close and mutually beneficial ties between the cyber underworld and Russia’s government and security services, and the extent to which Russia leverages these cyber activities to multiple ends: commercial, financial, and geopolitical," he said, "This simply underscores the complexity and the urgency of the task facing the Senate Intelligence Committee in its bipartisan investigation into Russia’s interference in America’s 2016 elections.”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) has asked the SEC to investigate Yahoo! over the hack of more than a half billion accounts.

Yahoo! announced the 2014 breach last week, but Warner wants to know what executives knew and when they knew it.

Warner, cofounder of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, wants to know whether Yahoo! complied with federal securities laws to keep the public and investors informed about breaches.

"“Data security increasingly represents an issue of vital importance to management, customers, and shareholders, with major corporate liability, business continuity, and governance implications,” wrote Warner, a former tech exec. executive. “Yahoo’s September filing asserting lack of knowledge of security incidents involving its IT systems creates serious concerns about truthfulness in representations to the public. The public ought to know what senior executives at Yahoo knew of the breach, and when they knew it.” 

But Warner wants the SEC to dig deeper. "[S]ince published reports indicate fewer than 100 of approximately 9,000 publicly listed companies have reported a material data breach since 2010, I encourage you to evaluate the adequacy of current SEC thresholds for disclosing events of this nature," he said.

Yahoo! said Thursday (Sept. 22) it had uncovered a hack of info that might have included "email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords (the vast majority with bcrypt) and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers," though it said it does not think the stolen data included banking or

Warner immediately called for passage of breach notification and said he is currently working on a bill to create a "comprehensive, nationwide and uniform data breach standard."