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national security

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House Committees Investigate DoorDash's Use of Chinese AI
2 months ago
- House committees are investigating the national security, cybersecurity, and economic security risks of U.S. companies using Chinese open-weight AI models, focusing on DoorDash.
- Open-weight AI models lack guardrails, making them vulnerable to misuse, such as code injection or attacks on AI systems.
- The investigation aims to gather facts to inform a federal approach that reduces reliance on Chinese models while promoting American open-weight alternatives with appropriate safeguards.
- Previous letters were sent to Anysphere and Airbnb in April 2026, and DoorDash is now requested to provide similar information.
- Chinese efforts to close the AI innovation gap through model distillation and intellectual property theft heighten the national security threat.
US lawmakers investigate DoorDash's use of Moonshot AI's Kimi K2.6 model
2 months ago
- US lawmakers are investigating DoorDash for using Moonshot AI's Kimi K2.6 model, a Chinese-developed AI.
- The investigation reflects growing tensions as US companies increasingly adopt Chinese AI models to cut costs.
- Lawmakers request an in-person briefing from DoorDash staff by August 21 on AI infrastructure and security.
- The letter acknowledges practical benefits of Chinese open-weight models but stresses national security risks from dependence on PRC-developed AI.
Judge says Trump still lacks evidence for Anthropic supply-chain risk
2 months ago
- Judge Lin ruled the Trump administration lacked evidence to label Anthropic a supply-chain risk and ban its use by the federal government.
- The dispute arose from stalled contract negotiations, with Anthropic refusing to allow its AI for mass surveillance of Americans or lethal targeting decisions.
- The DOD claimed Anthropic could disable or alter AI models during operations, but the judge said there was no proof of a 'kill switch'.
- Anthropic filed two lawsuits in March challenging the ban and risk designation; the judge is now considering making her temporary block permanent.
Who wins and who loses after US bans foreign robots?
2 months ago
- The US FCC has banned foreign-made advanced robots, including humanoid, quadruped, and autonomous mobile robots, citing national security risks.
- The ban is justified by cybersecurity vulnerabilities previously found in Chinese-made robots, but it covers robots from any foreign country.
- The FCC followed a White House-led interagency directive to add these robots to the Covered List, as it cannot update the list independently.
- Covered robots are defined as mechanical mobile devices with sensors, network connectivity (e.g., Bluetooth, satellite >200 kbps), and onboard or cloud-based software/AI.
- The ban affects affordable Chinese robots like Unitree's humanoid robots used in labs and Roborock's robot vacuums, limiting US consumer and researcher access.
US bans humanoid robots from China, citing 'unacceptable risks'
2 months ago
- The FCC has banned Chinese humanoid and animal-like robots, citing 'unacceptable risks' to national security.
- The ban also includes connected power inverters from China, essential for renewable energy and data centers.
- The Trump administration aims to boost US technology manufacturing and secure supply chains for critical technologies.
- China's embassy warns it will take necessary measures to protect its interests and urges the US to stop smearing Chinese companies.
- A Chinese analyst states the US is anxious about its eroding technological advantage and is implementing irrational restrictions.
- The restrictions apply to unreleased models, but the FCC can revoke authorizations for already-approved devices.
- Humanoid robots and inverters are seen as crucial for future consumer, industrial, and data center growth.
Our position on open-weights models
2 months ago
- Anthropic and its CEO, Dario Amodei, do not advocate for a ban on open-weights models, viewing them as a public good when lacking dangerous capabilities.
- The primary concern is authoritarian governments, particularly China, using powerful AI for military or repressive purposes, which is unrelated to open-weights access by US businesses.
- A secondary concern is the misuse of powerful AI models for cyber or biological attacks; open-weights increase risk due to difficulty in applying guardrails, but banning US business use does not address this.
- Anthropic supports three measures: restricting chip sales to China, cracking down on industrial-scale distillation, and mandatory safety testing for all sufficiently capable models, regardless of openness.
- There is disagreement with the open letter's claims that open-weights models inherently aid safeguards or defenders, arguing such questions should be resolved by empirical testing.
Trump administration bans new Chinese humanoid robots
2 months ago
- The Trump administration banned new foreign-made humanoid and four-legged robots, along with power inverters, citing national security risks.
- Many of these advanced robots are produced in China, which is competing with the US in robotics and AI development.
- The FCC added the items to its Covered List, blocking new imports but not affecting previously authorized models.
- FCC warned that foreign-made inverters and robots could enable surveillance, data theft, remote control, or cyberattacks by foreign actors.
- The Chinese embassy opposed the ban as politicizing trade and threatened necessary measures, urging the US to stop its hegemonic mindset.
- The ban is part of broader US-China trade tensions, including tariffs on Chinese EVs, semiconductor export restrictions, and IP theft allegations.
- Chinese robotics firms like Unitree, UBTech, and AgiBot have rapidly developed humanoid robots for factories and homes.
Starlink exempted from FCC ban on foreign-made routers
2 months ago
- The Trump administration exempted SpaceX's Starlink routers from the FCC ban on foreign-made routers.
- The exemption lasts until February 1, 2028, and was approved by the Department of Defense.
- The FCC's Covered List bans consumer routers with foreign components unless exempted, due to national security risks.
- Netgear and Amazon have received exemptions, but companies with Chinese ties are expected to struggle obtaining them.
- SpaceX has some routers made in the USA, but others are manufactured in Vietnam.
Residential Proxies Are a National Security Threat
2 months ago
- Residential proxies route traffic through real home internet connections, making abuse appear as legitimate user activity.
- They are created unknowingly through free VPN apps, proxy SDKs in games, or malware on devices.
- Blocking residential proxies is difficult because it would also cut off genuine users from the same IP ranges.
- The threat intelligence industry profits from tracking these IPs but has perverse incentives to not eliminate the problem.
- Residential proxy networks pose national security risks including data loss, malware surveillance, influence campaigns, and botnets.
- ISPs should detect suspicious activity and warn customers to clean their devices and remove proxy software.
TU Delft lecture: Security of Science - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- The speaker, a former TU Delft student and national security expert, argues that while universities are not designed to keep secrets (they disseminate knowledge), the West should stop worrying about foreign students stealing information and instead build dedicated military research institutes.
- Historically, military innovations like atomic bombs, radar, GPS, and penicillin came from collaborations between universities and specialized labs (e.g., Los Alamos, Philips NatLab), not universities alone.
- The speaker calls for Europe and NATO to establish at least one 'Son of National Defense' institute—similar to China's Seven Sons universities or US national labs—to foster classified defense innovation, given that current defense giants are too bureaucratic and startups lack resources for large-scale projects.
- Current threats like hypersonic missiles, AI drones, and submarine detection (e.g., via the Debye effect) require urgent military research, as European capabilities in classified work are lagging.
- Investing in military research also yields civilian spin-offs (e.g., Hubble Space Telescope, better batteries), and the EU's €800 billion Re-Arm Europe fund should allocate a portion to such institutes rather than just purchasing existing hardware.
Trump's Push to Build Data Centers for the US Military
2 months ago
- President Trump's executive order directed the Department of Defense to lease military land for private data centers, which are growing unpopular due to electricity use and pollution.
- In March, private developers Carlyle Group and CyrusOne were chosen to build hyperscale data centers on federal land in Texas and Utah, with the Texas facility potentially requiring more power than all of El Paso.
- The DOD requested $30 billion for data centers integrating untested hardware/software for military decisions, framing it as critical to national security.
- The federal government uses national security to justify billions to tech companies like Elon Musk's xAI, which received at least $200 million and was exempt from permitting for Grok's operation.
- Data centers on federal land may bypass environmental backlash due to sovereign immunity exempting military bases from pollution regulations, creating 'sacrifice zones' like Camp Lejeune.
- Congress has mixed reactions: Rep. Tlaib's bill to ban AI data centers on federal lands was rejected as an amendment but reintroduced; Rep. Mills' provision banning Chinese components in military base data centers was included but opposed by the Army.
- Critics argue public lands should not become sacrifice zones for AI arms race, forcing communities to bear energy and pollution costs for war-making systems.
UK Government Report Shows Imminent Threat from Biodiversity Loss
2 months ago
- This assessment analyzes how global biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse could affect UK national security.
- It identifies six ecosystems of strategic importance to the UK and explores cascading global impacts from their decline.
- Environmental degradation is shown to disrupt food, water, health, and supply chains, and trigger wider geopolitical instability.
- The assessment supports long-term resilience planning and highlights opportunities for innovation, green finance, and global partnerships.
New DHS rules limit foreign student visas to 4 years plus extensions
2 months ago
- DHS eliminates 'duration of status' loophole for foreign students, exchange visitors, and media representatives, ending indefinite stays without oversight.
- New rule sets fixed admission periods (up to 4 years for F and J visas) and requires formal extensions via USCIS, including biometric vetting and background checks.
- Reduces departure grace period from 60 to 30 days and restricts academic changes to combat visa abuse and strengthen national security.
What's in America's Code
2 months ago
- Chinese LLMs produce more vulnerable code when prompted with a U.S. government persona, with obfuscated vulnerabilities.
- Chinese LLMs inject PRC-aligned political bias in generated answers and code, refusing tasks deemed politically sensitive by Beijing.
- The adoption of Chinese AI models in the U.S. software supply chain is accelerating due to lower costs, posing untraceable risks.
- Chinese models failed to demonstrate trustworthy behaviors in tests and should be banned from critical U.S. environments.
- American AI companies need U.S. government collaboration to make models commercially compelling and economically viable.
UK has 'no future' if it fails to act on ecosystem collapse
2 months ago
- UK MPs demand full publication of a classified spy agency report warning that ecosystem collapse abroad will have catastrophic national security consequences, including severe food shortages within five years.
- The government has only released a redacted 14-page summary despite the report detailing risks of food shortages, price hikes, migration, political destabilization, and possible war due to human-induced climate crisis and over-exploitation.
- MPs criticize the government for failing to link national security threats to climate and biodiversity collapse while cutting overseas aid and climate finance budgets, contrasting with increased defense spending.
- The unpublished report, involving the Joint Intelligence Committee, highlights risks from collapses in ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest, which could shift from a carbon sink to a carbon source.
- Publication of the full report was blocked by Downing Street last October and again at the Cop30 summit, with insiders attributing the suppression to political advisors.
- Despite claims of being "laser-focused" on nature protection, the UK has slashed climate assistance to poor countries, removing ringfenced nature spending and affecting projects globally.
I Could Kill You with a Consumer Drone
3 months ago
- Consumer drones can be highly advanced and easily modified for military or harmful purposes.
- Terrorist groups like ISIS are increasingly using modified consumer drones in combat zones.
- Government regulations and military spending on drones are lagging behind consumer drone technology advancements.
- The gap between military and consumer drone capabilities is narrowing rapidly.
- There is a call for government to involve industry leaders to address the drone threat.
US Government says it got hacked – again
3 months ago
- DHS is investigating a cyberattack on its Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN), a platform for intelligence sharing among government and law enforcement agencies.
- The breach occurred in late May to early June, potentially exposing sensitive but unclassified information, with concerns raised about national security risks.
- HSIN supports major events like the World Cup and emergency responses, such as a past mid-air collision, highlighting its critical role.
- This incident adds to ongoing scrutiny of federal cybersecurity defenses, following budget cuts under the Trump administration.
- Recent years have seen multiple cybersecurity lapses affecting the U.S. government, including leaks of classified data and personal information.
Spanish government 'quietly bans use of Palantir' in critical state systems
3 months ago
- Spanish government restricts new contracts with Palantir over national security and sovereignty concerns, particularly in critical sectors like communications, defense, and infrastructure.
- UK MPs and officials express similar worries, citing vulnerabilities in public services and procurement breaches, while Palantir plans major European defense investments and faces criticism over its political ties.
- Despite the ban, Spain's Ministry of Defense continues negotiations with Palantir on existing contracts, and the company maintains partnerships globally, including with the Israeli military and US agencies.
Hazel (YC W24) Is Hiring for Our Largest Government Contract
3 months ago
- Hazel uses AI to transform government procurement, aiming to improve speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness for U.S. agencies.
- The role requires U.S. citizenship and a Top Secret security clearance with full-scope polygraph, focusing on deploying AI solutions for federal and SLED agencies.
- Hazel's platform supports the entire procurement lifecycle and is mission-driven, with founders from Palantir and BCG background.
- The position involves full-stack engineering, from architecture to deployment, with ownership of features and working directly with customers.
- Compensation includes $150K-$200K salary and 0.25%-0.75% equity, with opportunities for career growth in national security.
- Hazel promotes a team-oriented, learning-focused culture and is an equal opportunity employer, inspired by historical figure Hazel Ying Lee.

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national security

House Committees Investigate DoorDash's Use of Chinese AI

US lawmakers investigate DoorDash's use of Moonshot AI's Kimi K2.6 model

Judge says Trump still lacks evidence for Anthropic supply-chain risk

Who wins and who loses after US bans foreign robots?

US bans humanoid robots from China, citing 'unacceptable risks'

Our position on open-weights models

Trump administration bans new Chinese humanoid robots

Starlink exempted from FCC ban on foreign-made routers

Residential Proxies Are a National Security Threat

TU Delft lecture: Security of Science - Bert Hubert's writings

Trump's Push to Build Data Centers for the US Military

UK Government Report Shows Imminent Threat from Biodiversity Loss

New DHS rules limit foreign student visas to 4 years plus extensions

What's in America's Code

UK has 'no future' if it fails to act on ecosystem collapse

I Could Kill You with a Consumer Drone

US Government says it got hacked – again

Spanish government 'quietly bans use of Palantir' in critical state systems

Hazel (YC W24) Is Hiring for Our Largest Government Contract