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WASHINGTON — Now under attack by POTUS, meet the new wolves of ‘K Street’.

Ahead of tech executives from Facebook, Google, and Twitter heading to more hearings in front of the U.S. Senate, in this video Loup Ventures’ Gene Munster discusses what he expects to hear from these powerful companies.

What are their new agenda items, hidden or otherwise? Legacy policies have eroded, our data and privacy are next to non-existent, artificial intelligence (Ai), social media, and search engine optimization (SEO) algorithms (“algos“) matter—regulations are inevitable.

M&A: A merger or an acquisition? How soon could artificial intelligence and machine learning subsume legislative processes and ‘become one’ with Federal, State, and Local lawmakers when governing bodies can no longer fully embrace software-defined ecosystems, cybersecurity challenges, nor keep pace with new technologies? ‘Swiping left‘ or ‘swiping right‘ for proposals, bills, and votes in near real-time are distinct possibilities with human-in-the-loop machine learning.

Bail-Out: Oversight committees and regulatory demands for discriminatory algorithms, pleas for open source software, or mandatory transparency for pseudo-code or source code will not bode very well for search engine and social media business models.

When industry’s “Secret Sauce” no longer remains secret nor immune from new laws and regulations, alternative value propositions will respectfully be requested from lawmakers and appropriators by lobbyists, stakeholders and shareholders in order for powerful applications and algorithms to preserve industrial dominance across all industry sectors.

Powerful trends toward digital transformation, end-user empowerment, and global policies such as the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are just the beginning.

— Sources: CNBC and BDPA Washington

The House Passes Fiscal Year 2017 Defense Policy Bill

WASHINGTON — The House voted on Wednesday, May 18th, 2016, to add billions to a list of Pentagon weapons programs and training, then signed off on a $583 billion Pentagon budget. The final vote was 277-147.

H.R. 4909, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, also calls for the establishment of ROTC Cyber Institutes. Mock wars in cyberspace, new technologies, new challenges, training, and recruiting new talent remain mission priorities.

See Section 562 subtext below.
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…SEC. 562. ESTABLISHMENT OF ROTC CYBER INSTITUTES AT SENIOR MILITARY COLLEGES.

(a) In General.—Chapter 103 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

“§ 2111c. Senior military colleges: ROTC cyber institutes

“(a) Program Authorized.—The Secretary of Defense may establish cyber institutes at each of the senior military colleges for the purpose of accelerating the development of foundational expertise in critical cyber operational skills for future military and civilian leaders of the armed forces and the Department of Defense, including such leaders of the reserve components.

“(b) Elements.—Each cyber institute established under this section shall include each of the following:

“(1) Training for members of the program who possess cyber operational expertise from beginning through advanced skill levels, including instruction and practical experiences that lead to cyber certifications recognized in the field.

“(2) Training in targeted strategic foreign language proficiency designed to significantly enhance critical cyber operational capabilities and tailored to current and anticipated readiness requirements.

“(3) Training related to mathematical foundations of cryptography and cryptographic theory and practice designed to complement and reinforce cyber education along with the strategic language programs critical to cyber operations.

“(4) Training designed to expand the pool of qualified cyber instructors necessary to support cyber education in regional school systems.

“(c) Partnerships With Department Of Defense And The Armed Forces.—Any cyber institute established under this section may enter into a partnership with any active or reserve component of the armed forces or any agency of the Department of Defense to facilitate the development of critical cyber skills.

“(d) Partnerships With Other Schools.—Any cyber institute established under this section may enter into a partnership with one or more local educational agencies to facilitate the development of critical cyber skills under the program among students attending the elementary and secondary schools of such agencies who may pursue a military career.

“(e) Senior Military Colleges.—The senior military colleges are the senior military colleges in section 2111a(f) of this title.”.

(b) Clerical Amendment.—The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:
“2111c. Senior military colleges: ROTC cyber institutes.” …