Reporter

Derek B. Johnson

CyberScoop

Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. Derek has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from Hofstra University in New York and a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia.

Articles by Author

The Grok app on an iPhone, against the backdrop of search results displayed on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on a laptop, in London. The Prime Minister has said X need to “get their act together” amid concerns about the creation of sexualised images of adults and children by AI embedded on the social media site. Sir Keir Starmer said he backed Ofcom, which is looking into X and xAI – the firm founded by Elon Musk which created Grok – to take action against the site, and that he had asked for “all options to be on the table”. It comes as a former minister urged the Government and the Labour Party to stop using the site entirely. Users of X appear to have prompted its artificial intelligence Grok, which is integrated into the platform, to generate deepfake images of children “in minimal clothing”. Picture date: Thursday January 8, 2026. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)

British regulator Ofcom opens investigation into X

Government

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden speaks at the rally to Say NO to Tax Breaks for Billionaires & Corporations at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2025. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Fair Share America)

Dems pressure Google, Apple to drop X app as international regulators turn up heat

Government

(Getty Images)

‘Elon Musk is playing with fire:’ All the legal risks that apply to Grok’s deepfake disaster

AI

DEK: The regulations, put in place after President Joe Biden’s voice was cloned, imposes $10,000 fines on telecoms that file false or late caller information. (Image Credit: Getty Images)

FCC finalizes new penalties for robocall violators

Government

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 5: Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a Federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by XNY/Star Max/GC Images)

AI, voting machine conspiracies fill information vacuum around Venezuela operation

Government

NIST, MITRE announce $20 million research effort on AI cybersecurity

Government

(Getty Images)

FBI says ‘ongoing’ deepfake impersonation of U.S. gov officials dates back to 2023

Government

Some lawmakers and executives say the era of AI-hacking has arrived, while other experts are pointing out the tools of today still fall short in important ways. (Photo credit: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Policymakers grapple with fallout from Chinese AI-enabled hack

Technology

The U.S. Sentencing Commission is seeking public comment on whether the sharing of nonconsensual deepfake porn should be classified under U.S. law as harassment, blackmail or sending obscene material to minors. (Image via Getty)

U.S. Sentencing Commission seeks input on criminal penalties for deepfakes

AI