Google Conducts Probe for Russian Ads Used During Election

Google is conducting a broad internal investigation to determine whether Russian-linked entities used its ads or services to try to manipulate voters ahead of the U.S. election, according to a person familiar with the matter, a move that comes after Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. said Russian actors used their sites. Google, part of Alphabet Inc., is also talking with congressional officials who are investigating Russian efforts to influence the election and plans to share its findings with them once completed, the person said.

Study Says Some Macs Vulnerable to Exploits Even After Updates

An alarming number of Macs remain vulnerable to known exploits that completely undermine their security and are almost impossible to detect or fix even after receiving all security updates available from Apple, a comprehensive study has concluded. The exposure results from known vulnerabilities that remain in the Extensible Firmware Interface, or EFI, which is the software located on a computer motherboard that runs first when a Mac is turned on.

Judge Says FBI Not Required to Disclose Price of iPhone Unlocking

A federal judge has ruled that the FBI does not have to make public how much it paid last year to unlock an iPhone used by one of the apparent perpetrators of a terrorist attack in California that killed 14 people. Three news organizations -- USA Today, The Associated Press and Vice Media -- sued under the Freedom of Information Act to try to force the FBI to reveal the amount of the payment and the identity of the company that received it, but U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that information is exempt from mandatory disclosure under the landmark transparency statute.

U.S. Cyber Command Targets Hackers in North Korea's Military Spy Agency

Early in his administration, President Trump signed a directive outlining a strategy of pressure against North Korea that involved actions across a broad spectrum of government agencies and led to the use of military cyber-capabilities, according to U.S. officials.As part of the campaign, U.S. Cyber Command targeted hackers in North Korea’s military spy agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, by barraging their computer servers with traffic that choked off Internet access.

Trump Lawyers Want Facebook to Disclose Info on Activists

Trump administration lawyers are demanding the private account information of potentially thousands of Facebook users in three separate search warrants served on the social media giant, according to court documents obtained by CNN. The warrants specifically target the accounts of three Facebook users who are described by their attorneys as "anti-administration activists who have spoken out at organized events, and who are generally very critical of this administration's policies."

  • Read the article: CNN

Apple Publishes New Privacy Site to Address Face ID Concerns

Apple released more details about the iPhone X's Face ID feature when it published a new privacy site, addressing some of the concerns that people have had since the face-scanning feature was announced. When Apple unveiled the feature, which can unlock phones and be used for payments, it spurred not only a thousand alarming think pieces, but also a letter from Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) asking how the company will protect the data.

Two States Dispute DHS Notice That Russians Targeted Election Systems

California and Wisconsin said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was incorrect when it notified them they were among 21 states whose election systems were targeted by Russian hackers during the 2016 election. DHS spokesman Scott McConnell said notifications to 21 states were “based on a variety of sources, including scanning detected from malicious IP addresses and intelligence information that cannot be publicly disclosed.”

Twitter Tells Congress It Took Action on 200 Russian-Linked Account

Twitter has informed Congress that it found and took action on roughly 200 accounts on its service after determining they were linked to Russia and sought to interfere in American politics. "Of the roughly 450 accounts that Facebook recently shared as a part of their review, we concluded that 22 had corresponding accounts on Twitter. All of those identified accounts had already been or immediately were suspended from Twitter for breaking our rules," Twitter announced in a blog post.

  • Read the article: CNN

Facebook Removed Fake Profiles During Germany's Elections

Facebook said its efforts to fight fake news during Germany’s national elections included taking down tens of thousands of fake profiles in the final month of the campaign. Richard Allan, Facebook’s vice president of public policy for Europe, Middle East Africa, said the Silicon Valley-based company mounted an array of efforts to ensure the social media network was not used as a platform to manipulate public opinion.

Senate Committee Wants Google Executives to Testify About Election

The Senate Intelligence Committee intends to call Google executives to Capitol Hill as part of the panel’s investigation into Russian election meddling, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The panel is seeking Google’s cooperation as it studies how Russia’s government might have exploited American social media and Internet companies during the 2016 campaign.

Homeland Security to Collect Social Media Info from All Immigrants

The Department of Homeland Security has moved to collect social media information on all immigrants, including permanent residents and naturalized citizens. A new rule published in the Federal Register last week calls to include "social media handles and aliases, associated identifiable information and search results" in the department's immigrant files.

SEC Told Cybersecurity Officials About Data Hack Last Year

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told government cybersecurity officials about a hack into its database of corporate filings soon after it happened last year, months before the agency’s new chairman made the breach public. Since disclosing the incident on Sept. 20, Jay Clayton has come under mounting pressure to provide additional details about the 2016 intrusion into the SEC’s Edgar system that may have led to illicit trades.

Google to Create Standalone Shopping Unit to Satisfy EU Concerns

Google will create a standalone unit for its shopping service and require it to bid against rivals for ads shown on the top of its search page, in an effort to satisfy European Union concerns over the display of product results, three people familiar with the investigation said. Google faces a deadline to comply with an EU antitrust order for it to give equal treatment in how the search engine shows competitors’ comparison-shopping sites, according to the people, who asked not to be named as the negotiations are private. While the shopping service will remain part of Google, it will operate separately and use its own revenues to bid for ads.

Russia Threatens to Block Facebook to Force Local Data Storage

Russia will block access to Facebook next year unless the social network complies with a law that requires websites which store the personal data of Russian citizens to do so on Russian servers, Russian news agencies reported. The threat was made by Russia’s communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, agencies said, the organization which blocked access to LinkedIn’s website last November in order to comply with a court ruling that found the social networking firm guilty of violating the same data storage law.

Facebook Unsure Whether Russian Ads Targeted European Elections

Facebook cannot say for certain whether profiles or pages connected to Russia purchased ads during the French and German election campaigns, a company official told BuzzFeed News. The official said Facebook has yet to dedicate substantial investigative resources to potential ad buys in those election campaigns because it has been focused on the effort in the United States.

China Fines Social Platforms Companies Over Banned Content

Chinese Internet regulators said they have hit operators of three of the country’s biggest social-media platforms with the maximum fine allowable under a new cybersecurity law for hosting fake news, pornography and other forms of banned content. The Cyberspace Administration of China didn’t disclose the amount of the fines handed down to the platforms, which are owned in whole or part by China’s three internet giants: Tencent Holdings Ltd., Baidu Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

Twitter Cites 'Newsworthiness' as Factor for Not Deleting Trump's Tweets

Twitter explained why it will not be deleting President Trump's tweet threatening North Korea, saying it did not violate the company's rules after weighing its "newsworthiness." "We hold all accounts to the same Rules, and consider a number of factors when assessing whether Tweets violate our Rules," Twitter's Policy account said in a six-part Twitter thread.

China Blocks Texting, in Addition to Video and Voice, on WhatsApp

China has largely blocked the WhatsApp messaging app, the latest move by Beijing to step up surveillance ahead of a big Communist Party gathering next month.The disabling in mainland China of the Facebook-owned app is a setback for the social media giant, whose chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, has been pushing to re-enter the Chinese market, and has been studying the Chinese language intensively. 

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