Twitter Deleted Tweets Useful to Investigators, Cybersecurity Officials Say

Twitter has deleted tweets and other user data of potentially irreplaceable value to investigators probing Russia’s suspected manipulation of the social media platform during the 2016 election, according to current and former government cybersecurity officials. One reason is Twitter’s aggressively pro-consumer privacy policies, which generally dictate that once any user revises or deletes their tweets, paid promotions or entire accounts, the company itself must do so as well.

Twitter CEO Vows Tougher Stance Against Abusive Speech

Twitter, facing pressure and an online boycott over its permissive attitude toward abusive and harassing speech, has decided to take a tougher stance, CEO Jack Dorsey said. In a series of tweets, Dorsey said the social media giant would announce new rules in the next few weeks restricting “unwanted sexual advances, nonconsensual nudity, hate symbols, violent groups” and any post that “glorifies violence.”

Twitter Suspends Actress's Account After Weinstein Post with Phone Number

The actress Rose McGowan said in an Instagram post overnight that her Twitter account had been temporarily locked after a series of posts about Harvey Weinstein’s misconduct, including toward her. In a statement, a Twitter representative said Ms. McGowan’s tweets had violated the company’s privacy policy because one of them included a phone number.

Russian-Linked Campaign Used Pokemon Go to Exploit Racial Tensions

One Russian-linked campaign posing as part of the Black Lives Matter movement used Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr and Pokémon Go and even contacted some reporters in an effort to exploit racial tensions and sow discord among Americans, CNN has learned. The campaign, titled "Don't Shoot Us," offers new insights into how Russian agents created a broad online ecosystem where divisive political messages were reinforced across multiple platforms, amplifying a campaign that appears to have been run from one source -- the shadowy, Kremlin-linked troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency.

  • Read the article: CNN

Sandberg Says Facebook Will Work with Congressional Investigators

Facebook Inc. Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said the company was committed to helping U.S. congressional investigators publicly release Russia-backed political ads that ran during the 2016 U.S. election. “Things happened on our platform in this election that should not have happened,” Sandberg said in an interview in Washington with Axios news that was broadcast on its website.

Lawmakers Plan to Release 3,000 Facebook Ads Linked to Russia

Leaders of the House Intelligence Committee said that they planned to make public the thousands of Facebook ads linked to Russia that appeared during the 2016 presidential election campaign, the first indication that the ads would be released. They said the 3,000 ads would probably be released after a Nov. 1 hearing on the role of social media platforms in Russia’s interference in the election.

Hacker Steals Information About Australia's Warplanes, Navy Ships

A mystery hacker who was given the alias of an Australian soap opera character has stolen sensitive information about Australia's warplanes and navy ships from a Defence subcontractor. About 30 gigabytes of data was stolen, including information on Australia's $17 billion Joint Strike Fighter program, and $4 billion P-8 surveillance plane project.

Russian Firms Acquire Microsoft Software Despite U.S. Sanctions

Software produced by Microsoft Corp has been acquired by state organizations and firms in Russia and Crimea despite sanctions barring U.S-based companies from doing business with them, official documents show. The acquisitions, registered on the Russian state procurement database, show the limitations in the way foreign governments and firms enforce the U.S. sanctions, imposed on Russia over its annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Twitter Reverses Decision to Block 'Inflammatory' Campaign Video

After Twitter blocked a campaign video ad from Rep. Marsha Blackburn, calling the ad “inflammatory” and claiming that it violated the company’s ad guidelines, the company has changed its mind. “While we initially determined that a small portion of the video used potentially inflammatory language, after reconsidering the ad in the context of the entire message, we believe that there is room to refine our policies around these issues. We have notified Rep. Blackburn's campaign of this decision," a Twitter spokesperson said.

'Malvertising' Attack Targeted Millions of Pornhub Users

Millions of Pornhub users were targeted with a malvertising attack that sought to trick them into installing malware on their PCs, according to infosec firm Proofpoint. By the time the attack was uncovered, it had been active “for more than a year”, Proofpoint said, having already “exposed millions of potential victims in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia” to malware by pretending to be software updates to popular browsers.

Supreme Court Wants White House Input on iPhone App Lawsuit

The Supreme Court asked the Trump administration for advice on a consumer lawsuit that accuses Apple Inc. of trying to monopolize the market for iPhone apps so it can charge excessive commissions. The company contends consumers can’t press the antitrust lawsuit because the 30 percent commission is levied on the app developers, not the purchasers.

Equifax Says 15.2 Million Client Records Compromised in Britain

Credit reporting agency Equifax Inc. said that 15.2 million client records in Britain were compromised in the massive cyber attack it disclosed last month, including sensitive information affecting nearly 700,000 consumers. The U.S.-based company said 14.5 million of the records breached, which dated from 2011 to 2016, did not contain information that put British consumers at risk.

S. Korean Lawmaker Says N. Korean Hackers Stole Military Documents

North Korean hackers allegedly stole classified military documents from a South Korean Defense Ministry database in September 2016, according to Rhee Cheol-hee, a member of South Korea's National Assembly. Rhee, who belongs to the ruling Democratic Party and sits on the Defense Committee, told CNN that he received information about the alleged hacking from the Defense Ministry.

  • Read the article: CNN

Deloitte Hackers Accessed Server with U.S. Government Information

The hack into the accountancy giant Deloitte compromised a server that contained the emails of an estimated 350 clients, including four US government departments, the United Nations and some of the world’s biggest multinationals, the Guardian has been told. Sources with knowledge of the hack say the incident was potentially more widespread than Deloitte has been prepared to acknowledge and that the company cannot be 100% sure what was taken.

Russian Central Bank Blocks Bitcoin as Putin Cites Links to Crime

President Vladimir Putin said crypto-currencies were risky and used for crime, as Russia’s central bank said it would block websites selling bitcoin and its rivals -- a change of tone from a month-old promise to legalize the market. Central Bank First Deputy Governor Sergei Shvetsov told a conference in Moscow that the currencies were “dubious” and investors needed to be protected.

Twitter Bars Senate Candidate from Promoting 'Inflammatory' Video

Twitter is barring a top Republican Senate candidate from advertising her campaign launch video on the service because a line about her efforts to investigate Planned Parenthood was deemed “inflammatory.” GOP Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who is running to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker, launched her campaign last week with a video proclaiming herself “a hard core, card-carrying Tennessee conservative.”

YouTube Bans Videos Showing How to Make Guns Fire More Rapidly

YouTube has banned videos that showed how to adapt guns to make them more deadly following the mass shooting in Las Vegas, which left 58 people dead. The video sharing site deleted content explaining how to make guns fire more rapidly using a device called a "bump stock" following the news that Stephen Paddock had converted his weapon in this way.

Amazon Merchants Face Deadline Over Collection of Sales Taxes

Right now, consumers pay tax on goods purchased directly from Amazon, but they don’t in many cases if they buy from third-party merchants on the e-commerce giant’s marketplace. That could change on Dec. 1, when some merchants are expected to start collecting taxes in exchange for partial amnesty from back taxes in about half of U.S. states -- among them Florida, New Jersey and Texas.

Google Says Russian Agents Bought Ads to Influence Election

Google has found evidence that Russian agents bought ads on its wide-ranging networks in an effort to interfere with the 2016 presidential campaign.Using accounts believed to be connected to the Russian government, the agents purchased $4,700 worth of search ads and more traditional display ads, according to a person familiar with the company’s ongoing internal investigation who was not allowed to speak about it publicly.

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