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The Silicon Hill
@thesiliconhill.bsky.social
A curated collection of news and opinions on DC's startup ecosystem, #DCtech, and all things technology-related affecting the DC metro area. Connect > https://about.me/TheSiliconHill
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Reposted by The Silicon Hill
New: Trump's proposed CISA budget would cut $425M and >1,000 positions, w/ deep cuts to partner engagement & risk analysis.

Cuts would affect vuln assessments, shared services, trainings, election security, intl affairs, & more.

My story w/ full details: www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/cisa-tr...
June 2, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
What it takes to build an innovation ecosystem, according to top mid-Atlantic organizers technical.ly/professional...
What it takes to build an innovation ecosystem, according to top mid-Atlantic organizers
A survey of 80 leaders on Technical.ly’s 2025 RealLIST Connectors reveals education trends, a focus on leadership — and the shared value of kindness.
technical.ly
May 7, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
"While Musk celebrated his first cuts, DOGE began going after entire offices and agencies it viewed as politically progressive or opposed to its goals. The GSA’s 18F office ... was one of the first targets."
Move fast and destroy things: 100 chaotic days of Elon Musk in the White House
From mass firings to unprecedented influence, Musk has left little of the federal government untouched in Doge role
www.theguardian.com
May 6, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
Donald Trump’s pick to be the Defense Department’s next digital policy chief on Tuesday said she would reassess policies for offensive cyber operations to ensure DOD is keeping pace with the “exponential” changes to the domain.

On @therecordmedia.bsky.social

therecord.media/dod-cyber-po...
DOD cyber policy nominee vows to ‘revaluate’ offensive cyber guardrails
Katie Sutton, nominated to serve as assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, told lawmakers that the U.S. needs to be able to effectively respond to cyberattacks.
therecord.media
May 6, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
As CISA's Stakeholder Engagement Division braces for big cuts, an official in SED says more than 60 employees are resigning, including >50% of those who work on international partnerships (one of the offices Trump's budget would cut). www.linkedin.com/posts/gregor... (h/t @samsabin.bsky.social )
May 6, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
Scoop: NIST's Computer Security Division — responsible for research & standards on cyber, privacy, cryptography, AI, etc. — has lost more than a dozen people, including its chief, to early retirements. www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/nist-cy...

The departures could imperil key work.
May 6, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
Data center leaders sound the alarm on energy concerns — and a better public narrative  technical.ly/civic-news/d...
Data center leaders sound the alarm on energy concerns — and a better public narrative 
The Data Center World global conference highlighted the views of local figureheads from Northern Virginia, a crucial region for relevant infrastructure.
technical.ly
May 6, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
RealLIST Connectors 2025: Meet 20 innovation trailblazers helping DC thrive technical.ly/professional...
RealLIST Connectors 2025: Meet 20 innovation trailblazers helping DC thrive
These meetup hosts, accelerator managers and conference organizers fuel the engine behind the region’s tech and startup scene.
technical.ly
May 5, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
President Donald Trump has nominated Kirsten Davies, an industry veteran who has held top cyber roles at companies including Unilever and ​​Estée Lauder, to fill the Pentagon’s top tech post.

On @therecordmedia.bsky.social

therecord.media/trump-picks-...
Trump picks private sector veteran for Pentagon CIO
Nominee Kirsten Davies was most recently the chief information security officer at Unilever — a role she previously held at Estee Lauder Companies.
therecord.media
May 7, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
18F was eliminated outright, so we aren’t in a position to ask ourselves #whywestay. But many of our colleagues and project partners are—and in the face of chaos, they’re still doing everything they can to serve the American people. To all our fellow public servants, #weseeyou.
April 29, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem backed the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Extension Act at the RSA Conference on Tuesday after "candid" conversations with cyber leaders

therecord.media/kristi-noem-...
Noem calls for reauthorization of cyberthreat information sharing law during RSA keynote
Noem also defended reducing the size of CISA, postponing the creation of a new headquarters for the agency and making other funding cuts or program changes at the organization.
therecord.media
April 30, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
The Trump admin's State Dept reorg envisions downgrading the cyber bureau and creating a new bureau with similar responsibilities. Experts say the proposed changes could weaken U.S. cyber diplomacy. www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/state-d...
April 23, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
The tech tax runs counter to Gov. Wes Moore’s priorities to make Maryland more business friendly and specifically to grow the cybersecurity industry here, which has been fostered by presence of the U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade.
New tech tax targets an industry Maryland wants to grow - MarylandReporter.com
The following column appears in the May issue of The Business Monthly, serving Howard and Anne Arundel counties. I got a phone call from an old friend in the tech industry a week before the legislatur...
marylandreporter.com
April 23, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
Former CISA Director Jen Easterly rebukes corporate cyber leaders for staying silent about Trump's actions in their realm: "Some moments in history demand character over calibration." Silence risks "diminishing the very institutions we are here to protect." www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-w...
April 25, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
I am so very glad that #GrantExec decided to join @refractioninc.bsky.social's ever-expanding startup community in NoVA!

Curious about how GrantExec is simplifying the complex world of grant funding for founders and changemakers?

Learn more here ➡️ grantexec.com/about

#TheCenterOfInNOVAtion
We are thrilled to welcome #GrantExec to Refraction's community of startup founders and innovators — and we cannot wait to see the impact your team will make from your new home in Tysons!

Learn more about GrantExec here ➡️ grantexec.com/about

#TheCenterOfInNOVAtion
#GrantFunding
April 25, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
Inside the GBC/UpSurge merger: A new economic model is forming, and Baltimore is again a pioneer technical.ly/civic-news/g...
Inside the GBC/UpSurge merger: A new economic model is forming, and Baltimore is again a pioneer
The region has been a leader in shaping US economic development strategy for at least 100 years.
technical.ly
April 23, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) on Wednesday said it had received nearly 860,000 complaints in the last year and recorded a “staggering” $16.6 billion in losses to businesses and individuals.

On @therecordmedia.bsky.social

therecord.media/over-16-bill...
Over $16 billion in losses reported to FBI in 2024 tied to computer crime
The FBI's IC3 said it recorded a “staggering” $16.6 billion in cybercrime losses to businesses and individuals in 2024, the highest for both figures since the hub’s establishment in 2000.
therecord.media
April 23, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
GOP FTC's Holyoak in Tuesday speech: Agency will not aggressively regulate AI. Under Chair Ferguson, FTC will "promote AI growth + innovation, not hamper it with misguided enforcement actions or excessive regulation," she said. A sharp departure from Khan's approach
therecord.media/ftc-ai-priva...
FTC’s Holyoak says agency will avoid ‘excessive regulation’ of AI companies
Melissa Holyoak, a Republican member of the Federal Trade Commission, says the agency "will promote AI growth and innovation, not hamper it with misguided enforcement actions or excessive regulation."
therecord.media
April 23, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
📢 In a career transition from a government or contracting role—or planning a near-term pivot?

You are not alone.

Join us today for #ResourceTuesdays at Refraction, a FREE coworking and career-support day.

You still have time to register > refraction.one/resourcetues
April 22, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
Some other major breaking antitrust news dropped while we're in the middle of day four of the Meta trial: www.theverge.com/news/650665/...
Google loses adtech monopoly case
A loss for Google.
www.theverge.com
April 17, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
In 2025, there is no such thing as a "slow news week" in DC — even during Spring Break ⬇️ #DCtech
April 17, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
The FTC and Meta agreed to make trial exhibits in their antitrust faceoff available to the public with a 2-day delay. Some of those are now live here in this hub: ftcvmeta.app.box.com/s/b8m39toze8...
Box
ftcvmeta.app.box.com
April 16, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
@thekrebscycle.bsky.social is resigning from @sentinelone.com so he can fight the Trump administration's revenge campaign against him.

"It’s a novel and expansive strategy they are taking on and it should concern everyone," Krebs told The Wall Street Journal.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
April 16, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Reposted by The Silicon Hill
Pulling the plug on one of the crown jewels of civic tech after firing many of the people who made it. They never had a plan to keep it.
BREAKING: The Trump administration plans to eliminate the IRS' Direct File program, an electronic system for filing your tax returns for free.
April 16, 2025 at 10:05 PM