Wednesday, June 7, 2023
The Cipher Brief curates open source information from around the world that impacts national security. Here's a look at today's headlines, broken down by region of the world:
In the Americas
U.S. Had Intelligence of Ukraine Plot to Bomb Nord Stream Pipeline. Three months prior to the Nord Stream pipeline blasts, the Biden administration reportedly received intelligence from a close European ally that the Ukrainian military had planned a covert attack on the pipeline utilizing a small team of divers. According to an Ukrainian source who reportedly informed European intelligence, the plan involved six Ukrainian special operators utilizing false identities renting a boat to travel to the pipeline. The operators would then use a submersible vehicle to dive to the floor to damage or destroy the pipeline. Much of this scenario has been corroborated by evidence collected by German investigators. The CIA initially questioned the credibility of the intelligence as the Ukrainian source had not yet established a track record of producing reliable information. Details of the U.S. receiving intelligence on this planned Ukrainian plot were revealed in classified documents from the recent Discord Leaks. Russia has blamed the West for the attack on the pipeline. Russia’s Embassy in Washington dismissed the report of the intelligence on the Ukrainian plan, saying that it is part of a “coordinated campaign of the West” to “confuse” the world over the truth of the sabotage attack. Reuters Washington Post
U.S. Debt Ceiling Deal Could Complicate Future Ukraine Military Aid. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday that he had no immediate plans to pursue legislation to increase defense spending beyond the debt ceiling deal reached last week. These comments could signal challenges ahead when President Joe Biden asks for additional funds to support Ukraine in their war against Russia. The most recent Ukraine aid package of $48 billion is expected to last until September 30. Additional aid funding may still be possible as the debt ceiling deal technically allows supplemental legislation to increase defense spending. Reuters
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Iran Ballistic Missile Program. The U.S. imposed sanctions on seven people and six entities in China, Hong Kong and Iran accused of supporting Iran’s ballistic missile development. The sanctions target Iran’s defense attache in Beijing for his alleged role in coordinating military-related procurements from China for Iranian end-users, as well as companies accused of engaging in the sale of centrifuges, electronics and dual-use metals to Iranian firms. The sanctions came the day that Iran revealed its first domestically-made hypersonic missile. Associated Press Reuters U.S. Department of the Treasury
Mexico Foreign Minister Quits in Bid to Seek Presidency in Upcoming Election. Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Tuesday that he is resigning to focus on becoming the presidential nominee of the ruling party in the upcoming 2024 election. Ebrard seeks to succeed current Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who heads the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party. Experts say Mexico’s U.N. ambassador Juan Ramon de la Fuente and ambassador to the U.S. Esteban Moctezuma are possible choices to be the new foreign minister. Reuters
UN Elects Five New Countries to UN Security Council. The UN General Assembly on Tuesday elected Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, South Korea and Slovenia to the UN Security Council for two-year terms starting at the beginning of 2024. All five countries ran unopposed except for EU member Slovenia, which beat out Russia’s ally Belarus. The new members will replace Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates. Associated Press Reuters
Western Europe
UK Orders Closure of Chinese Police Sites. British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat on Tuesday told parliament that the UK government has directed China to close all secret police stations on British soil, after earlier condemning any kind of Chinese intimidation of foreign citizens. British police have made inquiries into claims by human rights group Safeguard Defenders that China was operating such police sites in three different locations in Britain. Tugendhat confirmed that police “have not, to date, identified any evidence of illegal activity on behalf of the Chinese state across these sites,” adding that “police and public scrutiny have had a suppressive impact on any administrative functions these sites may have had.” Tugendhat also said that the Chinese Embassy in London said any such stations have been closed. Britain claims to know of the existence of 100 such secret Chinese stations around the world. In April, U.S. authorities arrested two New Yorkers for reportedly running a clandestine police operation in Manhattan’s Chinatown. China has said that the US’s accusations of police stations are “slanders and smears,” and that any posts outside of the country are run by volunteers to offer Chinese nationals with document support. Al Jazeera
France Resisting NATO Liaison Office in Tokyo. France is reportedly unenthusiastic about plans for NATO to open a liaison office in Tokyo. The liaison office would be the alliance’s first abroad and would aim to counter Chinese influence and bolster NATO cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners. One French official said Paris believes that NATO should limit its focus to the “North Atlantic” and that any offices abroad would detract from this, adding that if the alliance needs “situational awareness” in any region it should use “embassies designated as point of contact.” The official added that the office may also be detrimental specifically in regards to Ukraine as it could complicate efforts to stop China from militarily supporting Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron echoed opposition to the office last week, saying that an expansion of NATO beyond the north Atlantic would be a “big mistake.” Barron’s Financial Times
Central and Eastern Europe
Zelensky Says Waiting to Finalize Agreements on F-16s. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that he has received a “serious, powerful offer” by several European countries on transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. He said he is now waiting to finalize agreements with its partners, including a “joint agreement with the U.S. '' It is unclear how many F-16’s Kyiv will receive and which of its partners will supply the jets. The U.S. has previously said it will support training Ukrainian pilots in F-16s but has not committed to sending the jets to Ukraine. Zelensky’s comments came after Russia warned F-16s could “accommodate” nuclear weapons and that the war will only escalate if Ukraine acquires the jets. Reuters
Ukrainians in War Zone Forced to Flee from Kakhovka Dam Flooding. Thousands of Ukrainians have fled their homes due to flooding caused by the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine. Both Ukrainian-controlled and Russian-occupied areas are in flood zones. Satellite images taken on Thursday by Maxar Technologies showed at least 2,500 square kilometers (965 square miles) of land downstream from the dam flooded. Impacted areas are likely to suffer drinking water shortages, water-borne diseases and loss of agricultural land. Russia and Ukraine continue to blame each other for the destruction of the dam. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Ukraine sabotaged the dam to draw attention away from its “faltering counteroffensive.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Russia is using the dam’s collapse as an “environmental bomb of mass destruction,” adding that Ukraine has approached the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate the matter and asserting that the full liberation of occupied territory in Ukraine will be the only guarantee against future “terrorist attacks.” Al Jazeera CNN Reuters Washington Post
Russia Has Most to Gain From Kakhovka Dam Breach, Analysts Say. According to military officials and analysts, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and powerplant is likely to limit Ukraine’s options in its counteroffensive. Many military officials and analysts see the timing of the destruction as suspicious as it largely benefits Russia by complicating Kyiv’s plans in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces are expected to launch an assault in the the region to try and break through the land bridge connecting Russian-occupied areas in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson provinces with the Crimean peninsula. The connection is crucial for Russian logistics and supply and the interruption would be severely detrimental to Russian forces occupying the south. An analyst said the flooding will help make the southern frontlines smaller, which will make it easier to concentrate forces to prevent any breakthrough by Ukrainian troops. However, analysts note that the flooding from the dam’s collapse also impacts Russian forces as it disrupts the first Russian line of defense east of the Dnipro river in Kherson, though experts say a Ukrainian river crossing was always unlikely. Financial Times
U.S. Says Too Early to Say Cause of Kakhovka Dam Destruction. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday that the U.S. cannot say conclusively what caused the explosion that destroyed the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine, but it is assessing whether Russia was behind the blast. Kirby highlighted that Russia occupied the dam at the time of the explosion, but did not say that means Russia is to blame, adding that it is still unclear if the blast was an intentional act. Kirby said the U.S. is working with Ukraine, which has accused Russia of blowing up the dam, to gather more information about the matter. He also noted that it is too early to assess if flooding caused by the destruction of the dam will impact Ukraine’s long-anticipated counteroffensive, though he said it is clear the damage to the region will be significant. Reuters The White House
Shelling Damages Russian Ammonia Pipeline in Ukraine. Shelling hit a crucial ammonia pipeline in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on Tuesday. The governor of Kharkiv, Oleh Sinehubovn, said there was no recorded leakage and blamed Russian forces for the shelling attack. Russia’s defense ministry says a “Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group” blew up a section of the pipeline. The pipeline is the longest ammonia pipeline in the world, stretching 1,534 miles between Russia’s Togliatti on the Volga River to three Black Sea ports. It has been closed since the start of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The pipeline may play a critical role in the extension of the Black Sea grain deal, as Russia has said it would only agree to extend the pact if Russian ammonia exports through the pipeline resumed. Barron’s Reuters
New Bulgarian Defense Minister Reaffirms Military Support for Ukraine. Bulgaria’s new defense minister Todor Tagarev said Tuesday that his country must support Ukraine to liberate Russian-occupied territories. Tagarev did not detail what this support will specifically look like, but he said Bulgaria must work to support regional stability and security, which will only be secured with Ukraine’s victory. Bulgaria is one of the few EU nations who has not sent military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022. Bulgaria’s legislature voted in November to militarily support Kyiv but has not officially started to do so, though Sofia has reportedly sent weapons to Ukraine through third-party countries. Kyiv Independent
Kosovo President Open to New Municipal Elections. Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani told Reuters that new municipal elections could be held in areas where 20 percent of the population sign a petition asking to hold them. Her comments come after weeks of unrest in northern Kosovo, where Serbs, which form a majority in the region, have been resisting the installation of ethnic Albanian mayors, who won a recent vote that most Serbs boycotted. Osmani described a petition approving new municipal elections as a “sort of referendum” and said it would be the “most democratic” way forward as it would “ensure the participation of Serbs.” She added that the petition process and second election could be completed in a few months. It is unclear if Serbs would participate in the petition. Osmani added that Kosovo needs guarantees that Serbia will not interfere in the petition or new elections, adding that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has been a “drama king” who has not tried to bring stability to the region. Regarding NATO peacekeeping troops in Kosovo, which have been reinforced amid the recent unrest, Osmani said she wanted them to remain until the country is admitted into the alliance. Reuters
Asia and Oceania
US, China Meetings in Beijing Appear Encouraging, But Tensions Persist. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu in Beijing this week. The discussions reportedly went well and were positive, especially amid ongoing tensions over Taiwan, recent negative military interactions in the South China Sea, and China’s snub of a proposed meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart. The U.S. State Department said such meetings underscore the intention to uphold “open lines of communication.” The Chinese foreign ministry echoed this, saying that "the two sides conducted candid, constructive and fruitful communication on promoting the improvement of Sino-U.S. relations and properly managing and controlling differences." However, Beijing reportedly remains wary of the US’s “provocative” measures and an apparent lack of sincerity in ameliorating ties, according to the government-backed Chinese paper Global Times. Reuters
China, Russia Conduct Joint Air Patrol, South Korea Scrambles Jets. China and Russia conducted a joint air patrol over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea on Tuesday. South Korea’s military said it scrambled fighter jets in response to the patrol when it detected four Russian and four Chinese military aircraft in its air defense zone in the south and east of the Korean peninsula. China’s defense ministry said the patrol was part of annual, regular military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow. It is the sixth such joint air patrol between China and Russia since 2019. Reuters
Japan, Australia, US Fund Micronesia Undersea Cable. Japan, the U.S. and Australia announced Tuesday they are collaboratively funding a $95 million undersea cable project to connect East Micronesian islands to improve network connections in the Indo-Pacific. Japan’s foreign ministry said the 1,400-mile cable will connect the state of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia, Tarawa in Kiribati, and Nauru to an existing cable landing point in Pohnpei in Micronesia. The project is projected to be completed by 2025. The project is part of efforts by the U.S. and its allies to counter Chinese influence and interference in the region. Associated Press
Afghan Provincial Governor Killed in Car Bombing. A suicide car bombing killed the acting governor of the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan on Tuesday. The driver of the car was also killed, and six other people were injured. ISIL claimed responsibility for the bombing, which was the first attack against an Afghan Taliban official in weeks. Al Jazeera
Middle East and Northern Africa
Blinken Meets with Saudi Crown Prince. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MbS. Blinken’s trip is set to focus on oil prices, countering Chinese and Russian influence in the region, and encouraging normalization of Saudi-Israeli ties. The visit, which is set to conclude on June 8th, is the second recent trip to Riyadh by a top US official following national security advisor Jake Sullivan’s visit in May. Blinken’s visit also comes days after the kingdom moved to cut oil production, which is likely to cause tensions with the U.S. Separately, U.S. citizens and residents with loved ones detained in the kingdom or remaining there under a travel ban have urged Blinken to demand their release. CNN Reuters
Sub Saharan Africa
Senegal Temporarily Closes Diplomatic Missions Abroad. Senegal has temporarily closed its consulates abroad following attacks on several of its diplomatic missions, including in Bordeaux, Milan, Paris, and New York. The closures come amid civil unrest sparked by the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, which will likely prevent him from running for president in upcoming elections. The Senegal mission in Milan was especially hard hit: approximately 40 Sonko supporters gathered outside the mission, ransacked the premises, attacked the consul general, and started a fire before police intervened. Reuters
Sudan Warring Parties to Restart Indirect Talks. Sudan’s warring factions are set to restart ceasefire talks brokered by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Riyadh confirmed Sudan’s army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces agreed to indirect talks but did not provide further details. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia had previously sponsored talks which had led to a semi-observed ceasefire to allow for the flow of much-needed humanitarian assistance into Sudan. However, talks collapsed last week and violence and looting continued across Sudan. Reuters
Cyber and Tech
Australian Think Tank Survey Shows China with ‘Convincing’ Lead in Defense Technologies. A think tank survey tracking 23 technology sectors finds China leading in 19 key areas, including hypersonics, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV’s), and electronic warfare. The ongoing survey conducted by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) deals with the second of two “pillars” used by the AUKUS alliance (Australia, UK, U.S.) to define its joint programs. Pillar 1 focuses on the AUKUS effort to support Australia’s development of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. Pillar 2 monitors technology sectors of significance for the alliance’s advanced defense capabilities, including critical emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and hypersonics and counter-hypersonics. The new survey results update ASPI research released in March and show “an even starker gap between countries than our original findings.” Based on analysis of two million research papers from leading scientific and technology centers, ASPI’s evaluation shows China with a “convincing lead” in 19 of the 23 monitored technologies. In addition to hypersonics, electronic warfare, and AUV’s, China boasts a clear lead in sonar and acoustic sensor research. Survey results demonstrate China’s output of high-impact research is at least three times greater than that of the U.S., with a comfortable lead when compared to all three AUKUS countries combined. China also holds an advantage in advanced cyber technologies, advanced robotics, post-quantum cryptography and quantum communications, although it is narrower. ASPI notes that the U.S. lead in quantum computing is holding steady, although other areas — advanced integrated circuit design, natural language processing, and quantum sensors – are in or near the “too close to call” category. ASPI reports that Chinese research centers collectively produce eight times more high-impact research papers than the second-ranked U.S., with Chinese defense universities featuring prominently in this output. ASPI allows for certain qualifications to its findings, including that the sample size for research related to emerging technologies is smaller than established technologies. Nevertheless, ASPI concludes that the results of its survey are “striking.” Of particular note is ASPI’s assessment that “the current concentration of expertise is likely to result in breakout capability and technology monopoly risk.” Consequently, there is urgent need for the AUKUS alliance “to rapidly deepen their collaboration to ensure future freedom of action, including through access to trusted, secure critical technology supply chains.” TheStrategist Reuters
Television ‘Deepfake’ of Putin Announcing Mobilization Broadcast in Russian Border Regions. A “deepfake” video depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin declaring martial law was broadcast on Russian television and radio in border regions on Monday. Hackers posted the “emergency appeal” announcing a full-scale mobilization in the wake of a purported Ukrainian incursion into Russia from Ukraine. The announcement also urged Russian citizens to evacuate and seek refuge deeper inside Russia. Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a televised address by the president “definitely didn’t happen” and said that Russian security services were investigating. Peskov acknowledged “there was a hack in some regions. In particular, I know that there was a hack on Mir radio and in some networks.” He added that the government has taken control of the affected networks. No group has claimed responsibility for the hack and resulting broadcast. Politico Semafor Reuters
China Builds World’s Most Powerful Hypersonic Wind Tunnel, Capable of Wind Speeds Up to Mach 30. China has completed construction of the world’s most powerful wind tunnel at a facility near Beijing after a 5-year development project. The JF-22 wind tunnel facility reportedly will be essential to China’s R&D into hypersonic technologies. The facility manager, the Institute of Mechanics, says “the wind tunnel is capable of simulating hypersonic flight conditions up to Mach 30.” The tunnel is intended to be used in China’s programs for space transport systems and hypersonic aircraft. The 13-foot diameter of the tunnel will allow it to be used in flight data tests for larger aircraft as well as entire weapons systems. A 16-member expert team conducted evaluations of the JF—22 tunnel in several areas, including “effective testing time, total temperature, total pressure and nozzle flow field size.” Their analysis concluded that the tunnel achieved “world-leading” performance, which when combined with the smaller JF-12 tunnel, “forms the only ground-based experimental platform that covers all flight corridors for near-space vehicles.” South China Morning Post
Senate Leader Schedules AI Briefing Series, Including Classified Session on Defense. Citing the need to deepen their understanding of artificial intelligence, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has scheduled three AI briefings for senators, including a classified one. Schumer noted that experts have repeatedly stress the “profound impact” AI will have on a wide range of national life, from security to education to employment. A general overview of the technology will lead off the three-briefing set, with the second devoted to attaining U.S. leadership in AI, and the third a closed-door presentation on defense and intelligence implications. Dates and times have not been announced. Congress and the White House still need to approve a plan Schumer announced in April to develop rules for generative AI use in national security and education. Reuters
North Korean Hackers Add Venture Capital Firms to Spoofing Campaign in Asia, U.S. North Korea-based hackers are spoofing financial institutions in the U.S., Vietnam, and Japan, with a new focus on venture capital firms. The Insikt Group, the threat research arm of the Recorded Future firm, attributed the spoofing campaign to APT38, a well-known hacking group specializing in attacks on cryptocurrency and other organizations. Insikt noted that North Korean hacking groups have long been linked to financially motivated intrusion campaigns against cryptocurrency exchanges, commercial banks, and e-commerce networks. An Insikt researcher highlighted the targeting of venture capital firms in the most recent campaign. In the past, APT38 also has targeted the international financial transactions cooperative, SWIFT. As has been noted in previous North Korean hacking campaigns, the motivation is tied to generating revenues for the Pyongyang regime, “which remains under significant international sanctions.” The Record
SpaceX Satellite Launch Sets Up Deliberate Hacking Target During DefCon Exercise. SpaceX and NASA launched a low-earth orbit satellite on Monday with the clear hope that it will be hacked during the DefCon conference in Las Vegas in August. A “cubesat” called Moonlighter, one of several satellites carried aloft on the SpaceX rocket, will serve as a “hacking sandbox” for teams attempting to breach it in an effort to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities in orbiting satellites. The Air Force has hosted satellite hacking contests since 2020, but earlier exercises were simulations. Aaron Myrick, a senior project engineer at The Aerospace Corporation – which sponsors the event along with the Air Force Research Laboratory and US. Space Systems Command – explained that this year “we’re really trying to wrap our heads around cybersecurity operations and how do we do cyber operations on a system that is starting to have a lot more commoditized hardware and software, but it’s also extremely remote.” Myrick noted the complexity of the operation, commenting “we can’t just go up there and flip the power switch or change a hard drive … it’s quite a challenging problem.” Experts in government and industry have become increasingly concerned over vulnerabilities of space-based systems, especially “new commercial off-the-shelf products.” CyberScoop
First North American Targets of MOVEit Transfer Tool Vulnerability Identified. The Nova Scotia government and the University of Rochester are the first North American organizations to report data thefts stemming from compromise of the MOVEit file transfer tool. Nova Scotia announced on Sunday that personal information of some residents was accessed due to a “security issue” with MOVEit. Government officials are trying to determine the number of people whose personal data may have been extracted. Progress, the company that operates MOVEit, took Nova Scotia’s systems offline on June 1 and installed a security update but the problem was still being investigated the following day. Separately, the University of Rochester reported on June 2 that it is investigating a cybersecurity incident that “resulted from a software vulnerability” in a file-transfer product. The university announced that it was working with the FBI and a commercial forensics team to identify the information compromised and further steps to resolve the breach. A university spokesperson said, “We believe faculty, staff, and students could be impacted, but we do not yet know the full scope of the impact.” The school has urged students and faculty to change passwords, use multifactor authentication, and check credit cards for suspicious activity. The Record
Outlook Email Services Suffer 2nd Day of Outages After ‘Anonymous Sudan’ Claim. Conflicting explanations for disruptions to the worldwide Outlook email service are being offered as users report a series of outages Tuesday after multiple interruptions on Monday. The hacktivist group, Anonymous Sudan, claims to be conducting distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Outlook while Microsoft reports the outages are triggered by “a technical issue.” Anonymous Sudan says its disruptive actions are a protest against U.S. involvement in Sudan’s internal affairs. The group posted a message to its Telegram channel taunting Microsoft, saying “the fate of your services, which is used by hundreds of millions of people every day, is under our dominion and choice." For its part, Microsoft posted a series of updates to its Twitter account that have alternated between announcements that they have mitigated the issues and acknowledgements that the problem is recurring. The hacktivist group has addressed Outlook users in its Telegram messages, stating "we can target any U.S. company we want. Americans, do not blame us, blame your government for thinking about intervening in Sudanese internal affairs.” BleepingComputer
French Digital Minister Warns Against Over-Regulation of European Generative AI. As EU bodies and authorities continue work on both voluntary “codes of conduct” and binding legislation governing AI research and development, France’s Digital Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has expressed caution against over-regulation: “The European Parliament's position seems excessive at a time when we have a pressing obligation to develop generative AI models in Europe over the coming months.” While he supports the overall direction of the draft EU “AI Act,” Barrot said it cannot solve all issues raised by the technology, including privacy and intellectual property rights. Barrot believes multilateral organizations like the G7 are appropriate forums to discuss topics that extend "beyond the EU." Last month, G7 countries created a working group on generative AI to address multiple related issues, including governance, transparency, and responses to foreign information manipulation. Previously, France has advocated strict rules on U.S. cloud services providers, but generative AI has brought a different French approach, one that encourages domestic companies to develop rivals to ChatGPT and similar AI tools. Politico notes that a French startup, Mistral AI, is raising 100 million euros to develop ChatGPT-like models. Politico
Island of Martinique Continues To Experience Disruptions from Cyberattacks. The island of Martinique in the Caribbean continues to experience disruptions to Internet access and to government and other digital systems. In an attack that began in mid-May, networks as varied as education and financial services have been impacted. Workarounds are being implemented by affected organizations and authorities. A government notice published on Friday said that “several cyber attacks have targeted local communities and paralyzed their computer systems.” France’s National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI) has recommended that island organizations provide guides to employees about cyber hygiene and increase the use of firewalls, antivirus software and intrusion detection programs. The cybersecurity firm Databreaches.net reported Sunday that the Rhysida ransomware group has taken credit for the cyberattacks and has leaked stolen files, largely government data. The Record
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