Reuters reporter Dustin Volz writes that during an MIT event, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced that the U.S. will begin sending digital trade experts to foreign markets. Pritzker also “discussed the Privacy Shield and other issues facing the transatlantic digital economy with Andrus Ansip, vice president of the European Commission's digital single market.”
Christian Science Monitor reporter Jack Detsch writes about the “Cambridge 2 Cambridge” hackathon, which brought together students from MIT and Cambridge University to hack websites and discover built-in vulnerabilities. “It’s not a law of nature that machines are insecure,” says CSAIL’s Howard Shrobe. This hackathon “is the first step of piquing curiosity to fix it.”
Curt Nickisch reports for WBUR on the remarks Robert Hannigan, director of Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters, made at MIT on encryption and privacy. CSAIL’s Daniel Weitzner says that he feels that the fact that both Hannigan and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter spoke out against mandatory backdoors, is “a really significant shift in the debate.”
During his remarks at MIT, Robert Hannigan, director of Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters, called for greater collaboration between technology companies and governments, reports Tim Bradshaw for the Financial Times. Bradshaw writes that “Hannigan’s speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Monday came ahead of a proposed new public-private forum in the UK.”
In a talk at MIT, Robert Hannigan, director of Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters, expressed his hope that “technology companies and academic researchers will find ways to let government investigators get into encrypted devices without creating broad ‘back doors’ that undermine computer security,” writes Brian Bergstein for Technology Review.
Hiawatha Bray writes for The Boston Globe about the talk Robert Hannigan, director of Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters, delivered on encryption at MIT. Bray writes that Hannigan urged technology companies and governments to “develop a joint strategy that will provide police and intelligence agencies the data they need, while preserving the public’s right to digital privacy.”
Reuters reporter Svea Herbst-Bayliss writes that in her remarks at MIT, Madame Christine Lagarde, managing director of the IMF, spoke about steps that could be taken to tackle climate change. "If subsidies were removed and carbon prices set properly now and taxed that would go a long way in addressing the climate change issues the world is facing,” says Lagarde.
Boston Globe reporter Mark Feeney writes about the MIT Museum’s new show, “Imagining New Technology: Building MIT in Cambridge,” which honors the 100th anniversary of the Institute’s move to Cambridge. Feeney writes that the items on display “make up a very MIT blend of the majestic, even magnificent…with the cheerfully goofy.”
Huffington Post reporter Damon Beres writes about the 2016 MIT Tech Conference, which focused on the rise of artificial intelligence. During an address by Rob High, IBM’s chief technology officer, Beres writes that High urged the audience to “consider how artificial intelligence technology should improve -- rather than replace -- the human experience.”
MIT will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Institute’s move from Boston to Cambridge this May, reports Kristin Toussaint for Boston.com. Toussaint writes that MIT is hosting a "competition in which MIT alumni, students, staff, and faculty can create vessels that will make their own voyage across river."
The Boston Globe’s Steve Annear writes that MIT will host a parade to honor the 100th anniversary of the Institute’s move to Cambridge, and MIT community members are invited to create vehicles for the parade. “Who knows what students will come up with?” explains Prof. John Ochsendorf. “The idea is that they come by land or by sea.”
Bryanna Cappadona reports for Boston.com that Matt Damon will be MIT’s 2016 commencement speaker. “Damon joins a long list of notable MIT commencement speakers, including U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith in 2015, DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman in 2014, and Dropbox co-founder and CEO Drew Houston in 2013,” writes Cappadona.
Actor and Cambridge native Matt Damon will speak at MIT’s 2016 commencement, writes Steve Annear for The Boston Globe. In addition to his success in Hollywood, Annear writes that Damon “is one of the founders of Water.org, a non-profit dedicated to delivering access to clean drinking water in developing countries.”
Academy Award-winning actor, filmmaker and social activist Matt Damon will deliver the 2016 commencement address at MIT, reports the Associated Press.
Natalie Handy of The Cambridge Chronicle writes about the MIT Museum’s Chain Reaction event, during which teams of people came together to build a mega machine. “Getting people involved, getting people excited, and dreaming and thinking about what they can make is what it’s all about,” said Jennifer Novotney of the MIT Museum.