New Secretary of State Says U.S. 'Will Secure Our Leadership in Technology'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed that the U.S. will prioritize positioning itself as a global leader on technology to shore up its national security defenses, particularly following the recent breach of the federal government known as the SolarWinds hack. “We will secure our leadership in technology,” Blinken said as part of his first major speech as the country's top diplomat.

Arizona House OKs Bill Requiring Outside Payment Vendors in App Stores

The Arizona House of Representatives voted 31-29 to pass a bill that will require app stores to allow app makers to use their own payment processing software, avoiding fees charged by Apple and Google. The vote is a setback for Apple, which opposed it, and a victory for the Coalition for App Fairness, a group representing app makers upset with the app stores, which backed the bill.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Virginia Becomes Second State with Consumer Data Protection Law

Virginia became the second state in the nation to enact a consumer data protection law, after Gov. Ralph Northam signed Virginia’s newly passed Consumer Data Protection Act. California was the first state to enforce data protection. The act, which was passed by the General Assembly last month, lets consumers receive copies of their online data, amend or delete that data, and opt out of allowing big businesses to use the data for marketing or other purposes.

FBI Director Indicates, But Won't Disclose, U.S. Response to SolarWinds Hack

FBI Director Christopher Wray hinted at the planned federal response to what has become known as the SolarWinds hack, stressing that confronting foreign attacks in cyberspace would be “a long, hard slog.” During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Wray was questioned about how to respond to the breach, which involved likely Russian hackers targeting software from IT group SolarWinds and other vectors to infiltrate at least nine federal agencies and 100 private sector groups.

Microsoft Says Hacking Campaign Linked to China Targets Exchange Servers

A China-linked cyberespionage group has been remotely plundering email inboxes using freshly discovered flaws in Microsoft mail server software, the company and outside researchers said — an example of how commonly used programs can be exploited to cast a wide net online. In a blog post, Microsoft said the hacking campaign made use of four previously undetected vulnerabilities in different versions of the software and was the work of a group it dubs HAFNIUM, which it described as a state-sponsored entity operating out of China.

Justice Dep't Seeks Detailed Search Data from Google in Antitrust Probe

The U.S. government asked Google to fork over granular information on how its search engine works and makes money, seeking to prove that the Internet giant is a monopoly. The U.S. Department of Justice and several state attorneys general are seeking comparable data on U.S. search results and related ads from Feb. 2, 2015 to Feb. 8, 2015 and from Feb. 3, 2020 to Feb. 9, 2020, according to a legal filing.

U.S. 'Unprepared' to Defend Against Artificial Intelligence Threats, Report Says

The federal government is "unprepared" to defend the nation against new threats posed by the increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies, according to a report. The report, compiled by the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, recommended that the U.S. implement a “significant change” to keep up with countries such as China and Russia in the field of AI to address national security concerns.

Russia Accuses Twitter of Violating Law by Not Deleting Banned Content

Russia’s communications watchdog accused Twitter Inc. of violating Russian law by failing to delete banned content for the past several years, putting more pressure on a platform used by Kremlin opposition activists and exposing it to potential fines. The federal communications regulator, which has been increasingly cracking down on the Russian internet, said that the U.S. social-media company failed to delete 2,862 posts since 2017 with content linked to suicide, pornography and drugs.

Facebook Apologizes to Lawmaker for Removing Transgender Post

Facebook apologized to Rep. Marie Newman after the Illinois Democrat said a video of her putting a transgender pride flag outside her congressional office had been removed and labeled as "hate speech." Newman, a first-term lawmaker, tweeted about the removal of her Facebook post, drawing a response and apology from Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesperson.

Judge Approves Facebook's $650 Million Class-Action Privacy Settlement

A federal judge gave final approval to a $650 million Facebook class action privacy settlement and ordered the 1.6 million members of the class in Illinois who submitted claims to be paid “as expeditiously as possible.” Chicago attorney Jay Edelson sued Facebook in Cook County Circuit Court back in 2015, alleging that the platform’s use of facial recognition tagging was not allowed under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.

Hospitals Facing New Risks From Cyberattacks on Top of Pandemic

Hospitals say cyberattacks are complicating their operations and hurting profits, adding to pressure on a $1.2 trillion sector that is under heavy strain from the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals have increasingly become targets for ransomware scammers betting that executives will make swift payouts to restore lifesaving technology, cybersecurity experts said.

Biden Administration to Allow Trump Rule Targeting Chinese Tech Firms

The Biden administration plans to allow a Trump-era rule targeting Chinese technology firms deemed to pose a threat to the United States to go into effect despite objections from U.S. businesses, the U.S. Commerce Department said. The department issued an interim final rule in the final days of the Trump administration aimed at addressing information and communications technology supply chain concerns and said it would become effective after a 60-day period of public comment.

SolarWinds Executives Blame Intern for Choosing 'solarwinds123' Password

Current and former top executives at SolarWinds are blaming a company intern for a critical lapse in password security that apparently went undiagnosed for years. The password in question, "solarwinds123," was discovered in 2019 on the public internet by an independent security researcher who warned the company that the leak had exposed a SolarWinds file server.

  • Read the article: CNN

India's New Guidelines Require Social Media to Address Grievances

India announced new rules to regulate social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, requiring them to set up fresh avenues to address complaints. In a press release from India's Ministry of Electronics and IT, the guidelines stipulate that social media companies must set up a "grievance redressal mechanism" and appoint a chief compliance officer, nodal contact person and resident grievance officer — all of whom will be tasked with making sure companies are adhering to the new rules.

At House Judiciary Hearing on Tech, Lawmaker Says, 'Change is Coming'

The dominance of Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon was again in the congressional spotlight, as lawmakers discussed ways to reform antitrust laws to rein in Big Tech. At a hearing before a House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, the lawmakers examined the "gatekeeper power" of giant Silicon Valley companies -- the first in a series of three hearings aimed at modernizing antitrust laws in the digital era.

  • Read the article: CNET

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