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Beyond the “kill switch”: How modern vehicles are already tracking drivers
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Beyond the “kill switch”: How modern vehicles are already tracking drivers

By Maria Orms | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Many people are talking about the “car surveillance” provision in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which directs regulators to develop technology that can monitor driver impairment—such as passively detecting blood alcohol levels. This has led to claims about a government “kill switch.” But what’s less widely discussed is that forms of remote connectivity and control have already been built into vehicles for over a decade. Since the 2010s, automakers have steadily integrated cellular connectivity—first 3G, then 4G LTE, and now 5G—into modern vehicles. Systems like OnStar and similar platforms allow cars to communicate with external networks. These connections enable features like emergency assistance, navigation up...
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Is Election Integrity Possible in the Digital Age?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Is Election Integrity Possible in the Digital Age?

By Maria Orms | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice It often feels like people in the United States fall into three broad perspectives when it comes to election integrity: Those who believe election tampering is happening Those who suspect there may be issues but are too scared to speak up Those who trust that elections are secure, as presented by mainstream narratives Regardless of where someone stands, there is a growing concern shared across these groups: a sense that individual liberty is eroding, that government accountability is weakening, and that large institutions—both political and corporate—are exerting increasing influence over the direction of the country. When people ask me which of these perspectives I align with, my answer is consistent: I come from a c...
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When systems fail: A contested Colorado convention raises broader questions about your digital life
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

When systems fail: A contested Colorado convention raises broader questions about your digital life

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice A hospital cancels surgeries. Not because of a storm. Not because of a staffing shortage. Because a cyberattack forced it to. “They had to block Stryker from coming into their network and cancel all of the surgeries that required that robotic device,” said Maria Orms, a cybersecurity professional who was a gubernatorial candidate at the April 11 assembly.  “That could cause someone to die.” This wasn’t just a what-if. In March, there was a cyberattack tied to an Iran-linked hacking group that hit companies in the medical technology space, including Stryker and Intuitive Surgical. What that meant in practice wasn’t always clear in the moment. But hospitals rely on those systems every day—robotic platforms, connected net...
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Election Integrity and Cybersecurity Failures at the Colorado GOP Convention
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Election Integrity and Cybersecurity Failures at the Colorado GOP Convention

By Maria Orms | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I attended this past weekend’s Colorado Republican State Convention in Pueblo as a gubernatorial candidate seeking ballot access. I was there not only as a candidate, but as a cybersecurity professional. What I witnessed—and what was reported by multiple credible participants—was not simply disorganization. It was a series of failures that demand a full, independent investigation. Confidence in any election process—whether internal to a party or statewide—depends on security, transparency, and adherence to procedure. In Pueblo, those standards were not met. Start with the delegate database. Multiple individuals reported that the system had been corrupted or compromised just days before the convention. That alone should hav...
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FCC Bans Foreign Routers Over Chinese Cyber Threat Concerns
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Just The News, Approved, National

FCC Bans Foreign Routers Over Chinese Cyber Threat Concerns

By Steven Richards | Just the News The Intelligence Community previously assessed that Chinese hackers were burrowing into U.S. network infrastructure to lie in wait for future attacks. The problem might be found in the countries of origin were routers are manufactured. The Federal Communications Commission took radical action this week to ban the import of internet routers manufactured in foreign countries, citing the unacceptable security risks posed by Chinese hackers to U.S. critical infrastructure. Internet routers connect computers, cellphones, and other electronic devices to the internet. In the modern, digital economy, routers are everywhere, used by citizens, businesses, schools, utility providers, emergency services, and the U.S. military. More than 90% of ...
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The hidden impact of two Colorado bills: Privacy risks few are talking about
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

The hidden impact of two Colorado bills: Privacy risks few are talking about

By Maria Orms | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice When I heard about two bills recently proposed in the Colorado State Legislature, I don’t want to sound overly dramatic—but I felt a real chill. Right now, our Constitution and modern technology are on a collision course. We’re being forced to decide how to embrace powerful tools without sacrificing privacy and the rights those tools were never meant to undermine. Consider the debate over Flock cameras in Denver: 400 to 800 people showed up to a community meeting in November, and another 24,000 watched online. People are paying attention—and they’re concerned. Yet these new bills are moving forward with little fanfare and even less public scrutiny. Because they deal with technology, they’re easy to overlook—but their poten...
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Intelligence Community Knew in 2020 China Had Access to Voter Data
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Just The News, Approved, National

Intelligence Community Knew in 2020 China Had Access to Voter Data

By John Solomon and Jerry Dunleavy | Just the News Hidden from lawmakers, new evidence emerges that the Biden White House knew that China accessed voter registration data as far back as 2020. But as a vote comes up on election security laws, legislators have been kept in the dark. The United States expressed outrage when Great Britain revealed two years ago that its voter registration databases were hacked by China in what became a global scandal. But it turns out the U.S. intelligence harbored its own secret at the time, knowing since 2020 that Beijing also gained access to American voter registration data, according to documents reviewed by Just the News and interviews with officials with direct knowledge. “[Redacted] Chinese intellige...
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Griswold Makes Contingency Plans for “A Bunch of Election Deniers” Interfering in Colorado Elections
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Griswold Makes Contingency Plans for “A Bunch of Election Deniers” Interfering in Colorado Elections

By: Jessica Porter | Denver7 The relationship between state elections officials and the Trump Administration is strained. DENVER — The FBI has invited state election officials to an unexpected meeting about the midterm elections, but Colorado officials are skeptical of the federal government’s intentions. "To prepare for the 2026 US midterm elections, your election partners at the FBI, DOJ, DHS, USPIS, and the EAC would like to invite you to a call where we can discuss our preparations for the cycle, as well as updates and resources we can provide to you and your staff… We look forward to speaking with you in support of the 2026 midterm elections,” wrote FBI staffer Kellie Hardiman in the email obtained by ABC News. The invitation, sent last week, comes as the...
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Data Breach Fallout Leaves Douglas County Without Full Emergency Alert Coverage As Fire Danger Rises
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Data Breach Fallout Leaves Douglas County Without Full Emergency Alert Coverage As Fire Danger Rises

By Maggie Bryan | Denver7 The Douglas County Sheriff says his office is switching to Rave Alert to notify residents about local emergencies. The sheriff's office ended its contract with CodeRED last month after a data breach. CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — As high fire danger and strong winds are expected along the Front Range on Wednesday, a critical resource used to alert Douglas County residents to emergencies, such as fire evacuations, is in the midst of a transition. Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said his office signed a new contract to provide emergency alerts through Rave Alert, an emergency alert system owned by Motorola. In November, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) terminated its contract with CodeRED, an emergency alert system, after the company ex...
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Hacked Denver Signs Flash Anti-Car Messages as Transportation Debate Heats Up
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Hacked Denver Signs Flash Anti-Car Messages as Transportation Debate Heats Up

By Daniel Boniface | The Denver Gazette Denver transportation officials said an anti-car message that was displayed on traffic signs in Denver on Friday was the result of a hack. One sign, photographed by The Denver Gazette on Friday evening at E. Colfax Avenue and Lincoln Street near the Colorado Capitol, shared the message “Cars ruin cities.” “Yes, the sign was hacked,” Nancy Kuhn, a spokeswoman for the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, told The Denver Gazette in an email Sunday. “We heard about it last night and sent someone out to address it.” A second sign was apparently hacked on 14th Street in Denver, displaying the same message, and a photo of it was posted on various social media accounts, including The Denver Urbanist an...
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