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Top CISA Cybersecurity Officials Resign, Urge Private Sector To Build Secure Products
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Two high-ranking officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the United States have recently resigned. Both announced their departures on LinkedIn on Monday, describing the move as a difficult decision but offering no further details about their reasons.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Two top officials at CISA announced on LinkedIn their resignations on Monday.
- Both talents worked as chief architects at the Secure by Design program.
- A CISA director said they keep working on improving national security and that they continue to urge companies to build safe products.
According to The Record , Bob Lord and Lauren Zabierek shared public announcements on the social media platform LinkedIn. Lord had been a senior technical advisor for CISA since 2022, and Zabierek since 2023 .
“This was not an easy choice, as service to the nation has been the cornerstone of my career, from my time in uniform, to my years in the intelligence community, and now as a senior advisor at the nation’s cyber defense agency,” wrote Zabierek.
According to Cyberscoop , both talents were chief architects behind CISA’s Secure by Design program, an initiative that encouraged companies to build safe products considering a cybersecurity framework to prioritize users’ safety. Both officials praised the program, and Lord said he will keep “contributing” after a break.
“Being part of this initiative has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career, one that truly embodies the spirit of public-private partnership and both interagency and international collaboration,” wrote Zabierek.
The departures raise concerns over the future of the Secure by Design program—launched under the Biden administration—especially now that the Trump administration has been reducing personnel and resources.
“CISA remains laser-focused on working across the public and private sectors to improve the nation’s cybersecurity,” said Bridget Bean, acting CISA Director, to Cyberscoop. “This is why we continue to urge companies to develop products that are secure by design, instead of passing the cost of poorly designed products on to consumers.”
A few days ago, CISA announced a new wave of layoffs as it was going through a workforce transition to adjust to the new administration’s requirements. Cybersecurity Dive estimated that the agency could eliminate 1,300 jobs and offered deferred resignation, voluntary separation, and early retirement programs to its employees. It has not been disclosed if Zabierek or Lord accepted one of the programs.
Major restructuring efforts have also taken place in other departments. A whistleblower recently raised concerns about Musk’s DOGE accessing sensitive information from the NLRB and implementing workforce reductions.
Image by Gabrielle Henderson, from Unsplash
Instagram Tests AI Age Verification For Teen Accounts
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Instagram is testing AI to check ages, automatically setting teen accounts to private and restricting content to ensure safer use for kids
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Teen accounts automatically set to private with restricted messaging and content.
- AI uses signals like content interaction and account creation date to determine age.
- Teen accounts will receive notifications after 60 minutes of use.
Instagram is starting to test a new way to use artificial intelligence to check if kids are lying about their age on the platform, Meta Platforms announced on Monday, as reported by the AP .
Meta has been using AI to determine people’s ages for a while, but Instagram is taking it to the next level, as reported by the AP. The app will “proactively” look for accounts that seem to belong to teens even if they entered a false birth date when signing up. If Instagram’s AI detects that an account likely belongs to a teenager, it will automatically change the account to a “ teen account .”
The AP notes that Teen accounts come with extra restrictions. For example, they are set to private by default, and teens can only receive private messages from people they already follow. Content like videos of fights or those promoting cosmetic surgery will be limited for teen users.
Instagram will also alert teens when they’ve been on the app for more than an hour and will activate a “sleep mode” that turns off notifications and sends auto-replies to messages from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The AP reports that Meta trains its AI to look at various signals to determine a user’s age. These signals include the kind of content a user interacts with, their profile details, and when the account was created.
The company believes app stores should be responsible for checking ages, especially amid criticism that social media platforms don’t do enough to protect children or prevent kids under 13 from using their services.
To further support parents, Instagram will also send notifications to alert them about how they can talk to their teens about providing the correct age online.
