Feds’ Smart Grid Race Leaves Cybersecurity in the Dust: Via Threat Level.

Amid the government-funded rush to upgrade America’s aging electric system to a “smart grid,” Threat Level is pondering a strange confluence of press releases this week by the White House and the University of Illinois.

Tuesday morning President Obama, speaking at Florida Power and Light (FPL) facilities, announced $3.4 billion in grants to utility companies, municipal districts and manufacturers to spur a nationwide transition to smart grid technologies and fund other energy-saving initiatives as part of the economic stimulus package. [ Read more ... ]

Senate Votes on Surveillance Law This Week - Via EFF: Deep Links:

This week, Senators finally cast their votes on amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). This is a critical week for the privacy and civil liberties of all Americans — the amendments are the last chance the Senate has to prevent handing the Administration a blank check to spy on you for years to come.

Of the amendments, the most important is The Dodd-Feingold Amendment to Strike Retroactive Immunity. The vote on this could happen as early as Monday — so email or telephone your Senators now and tell them where you stand! [ Read more ... ]

What Richard Clarke Was Really Saying At Black Hat - Security Blog - InformationWeek:

Don't let politics get in the way of progress. That was one of the key messages former U.S. counterterrorism advisor Richard Clarke delivered during his Black Hat keynote. Of course, Clarke has a colorful way of putting things.

Clarke, chief counterterrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council during portions of the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations and currently chairman of Good Harbor Consulting, has been known to wear his politics on his sleeve. Although he served during both the Clinton and Bush administrations, let's just say he's not been impressed with the latter. He even suggested that the Bush Administration's lack of funding for important technology developments will create serious impediments for the U.S.

Clarke criticized the current Bush Administration's policies against stem-cell research and its opposition to the development of human-machine interface technologies. The question is, "are humans beginning to take control of their own evolution and is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked the crowd Wednesday at the Black Hat USA 2007 conference in Las Vegas. "We need to start thinking about it now." [ Read more ... ]