Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast: Interview with Michael Mainelli

In Episode 177, fresh from hiatus, we try to summarize the most interesting cyber stories to break in August. Paul Rosenzweig kicks things off with the Shunning of Kaspersky. I argue that the most significant – though unsupported – claim about Kaspersky is Sen. Shaheen’s assertion that all of the company’s servers are in Russia. If true, that’s certainly an objective reason not to let Kaspersky install sensors in non-Russian computers. The question that remains is how much due process companies like Kaspersky should get. That’s a question unlikely to go away, as DOD is now comprehensively shunning DJI drones, issuing guidance that sounds a lot like Edward Snowden demanding that users uninstall all DJI apps and remove all batteries and storage media.

Speaking of companies the US government can’t trust, Paul and I note that Apple has lost control of its secure enclave software. At the same time, Apple has pulled VPN apps from the Apple store at the direction of the Chinese government. Tim Cook explains that this makes perfect sense because Chinese law is on the Chinese government’s side but US law was not on the US government’s side. Right. Sounds like Tim is as good at lawyering as he is at coding, or at finding new breakthrough products for that matter.

Alan Cohn offers a potentially groundbreaking IOT security act.

Maury Shenk lays out the future of UK data protection law after Brexit.

And Paul and I look for ways in which DNA malware could be used.

To everyone’s surprise, election hacking is still making news. I use the item to tease our latest plan – an open house Election Day special where a panel of experts debates election security in front of a live Steptoe audience.

Finally, in our long interview, Alan and Maury talk bitcoin, blockchain, and distributed ledgers with Michael Mainelli, Co-Founder and Chairman of Z/Yen, a think tank and venture firm in the City of London; Emeritus Professor and Chairman at Gresham College; an alderman of the City of London; and a founder of Long Finance.

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The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not reflect the opinions of the firm.