SEC Charges Five People with Promoting Unregistered Digital Asset Securities

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it has charged five individuals for promoting a global unregistered digital asset securities offering that raised over $2 billion from retail investors. BitConnect allegedly organized a global network of promoters through referral commissions and used the network to sell the securities without registering them as required by federal securities laws, the SEC said.

Amnesty International Says Kenyan Security Guard Targeted in Phishing Attack

A Kenyan security guard now facing charges in Qatar after writing compelling, anonymous accounts of being a low-paid worker there found himself targeted by a phishing attack that could have revealed his location just before his arrest, analysts say. While analysts from Amnesty International and Citizen Lab said they were unable to say who targeted Malcolm Bidali, the phishing attack mirrored others previously carried out by Gulf Arab sheikhdoms targeting dissidents and political opposition.

Google Hid Location Settings on Purpose, Lawsuit Alleges

Google made location settings harder to find in its Android phone software so people wouldn't turn them off, a move aimed at preserving the data collection efforts that power the tech giant's lucrative ad business, according to court documents. The decision came after Google conducted research that found a "substantial increase" in devices disabled the settings when they were presented with easily accessible options, the documents claim.

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Social Media Firms, But Not Twitter, Comply with India's New IT Rules

Google, Facebook, Telegram, LinkedIn and Tiger Global-backed Indian startups ShareChat and Koo have either fully or partially complied with the South Asian nation’s new IT rules, according to two people familiar with the matter and a government note obtained by TechCrunch. India’s new IT rules, unveiled in February this year, require firms to appoint and share contact details of representatives tasked with compliance, nodal point of reference and grievance redressals to address on-ground concerns.

Instagram Changes Algorithm for Reshared Posts After Palestinian Complaints

Instagram has confirmed to the Financial Times that it's changing its algorithm to rank reshared posts in Stories on an equal level to originals after Palestinians accused the company of censoring content. A Facebook spokesperson told Engadget there was no intended censorship, and that the tweak was a response to overall problems with the reach of reshared content, not just Palestinian material.

U.S. Soldiers in Europe May Have Exposed Nuclear Info via Flashcard Apps

U.S. soldiers stationed in Europe may have accidentally exposed information about the United States’ nuclear weapons stockpile when they used flashcard apps to help them remember details about the information, according to a report from open-source intelligence outlet Bellingcat. Foeke Postma, a researcher with Bellingcat, wrote that the soldiers used study apps such as Chegg, Cram, and Quizlet to create flashcards where they stored information about bases in Europe where US nuclear weapons were likely located, secret codes, passwords, and other details about security.

Newly Discovered Russian Hack Sought to Access Email of U.S. Agency

A newly disclosed effort by Russian intelligence to hijack the email system of a United States government agency prompted leading Democrats to urge stronger action against Moscow for accelerating cyberattacks ahead of President Biden’s summit next month with President Vladimir V. Putin. The latest hack, brought to light by Microsoft and other private firms, exposed how Russia’s S.V.R., the same intelligence agency that Washington has blamed for a range of cyberattacks on American networks over the past decade, infiltrated the communications company that distributes emails on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development.

Engagement with Disinformation on Twitter, Facebook Drops 60%

Engagement with disinformation on Twitter and Facebook dropped in the first three months of 2021 compared to historic highs the year before, according to an analysis released by the German Marshall Fund’s Digital New Deal initiative. The analysis found a 60 percent quarterly decline in the sharing of content from “deceptive sites” by verified accounts on Twitter, and a smaller 15 percent decline on user interactions with content from deceptive sites on Facebook.

Facebook to Stop Banning Posts Claiming Covid-19 Virus Man-Made

Facebook will no longer take down posts claiming that Covid-19 was man-made or manufactured, a company spokesperson told POLITICO on Wednesday, a move that acknowledges the renewed debate about the virus’ origins. Facebook’s policy tweak arrives as support surges in Washington for a fuller investigation into the origins of Covid-19 after the Wall Street Journal reported that three scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were hospitalized in late 2019 with symptoms consistent with the virus.

Google Nears Settlement of Undisclosed Antitrust Case in France

Alphabet Inc.’s Google is nearing a settlement of an antitrust case in France alleging the company has abused its power in online advertising, and is likely to pay a fine and make operational changes, people familiar with the matter said. The French case, which hasn’t been previously disclosed, is one of the most advanced in the world looking at Google’s dominance as a provider of tools for buying and selling ads across the web.

Twitter Criticizes India Police's 'Intimidation Tactics' Against Online Speech

Twitter pushed back against India’s increasingly heavy-handed efforts to control online speech, calling on the government to respect freedom of expression and criticizing what it called “intimidation tactics” by the country’s police. The statement comes as the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces mounting pressure for its handling of a devastating second wave of the coronavirus.

Two Tech Trade Groups Sue Florida Over Law Creating Fines for Social Media

Two tech trade groups filed a lawsuit against Florida over a new law that would fine social media companies that ban political candidates, which they said violated free speech rights. The lawsuit, which said the bill signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was unconstitutional, was filed by internet lobbying groups NetChoice and Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA).

Peloton, Echelon Didn't Strip Data from User Photos, Researchers Say

Security researchers say at-home exercise giant Peloton and its closest rival Echelon were not stripping user-uploaded profile photos of their metadata, in some cases exposing users’ real-world location data. Almost every file, photo or document contains metadata, which is data about the file itself, such as how big it is, when it was created and by whom.

European Union Close to Opening Formal Antitrust Probe of Facebook

The European Union is close to opening its first formal antitrust investigation into Facebook Inc., according to a person familiar with the matter, ramping up its competition enforcement of big tech companies. The EU’s top competition watchdog, the European Commission, is likely in coming weeks to open formal antitrust proceedings against Facebook, a key procedural step in one of its long-running investigations into the company, the person said, adding that the timing could still change.

Company Files Antitrust Suit Against Apple Over Watch Heart-Rate Monitoring

A Silicon Valley company has filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Apple Inc. of cornering the market for heart-rate monitoring technology for the Apple Watch, and endangering wearers' health. In a complaint, AliveCor Inc. said Apple shut out rivals by changing the heart-rate algorithm on its watch's operating system, making rival technology incompatible.

Facebook Calls Russia Largest Producer of Disinformation

A Facebook report says that Russia is still the largest producer of disinformation, a notable finding just five years after Russian operatives launched a far-reaching campaign to infiltrate social media during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Facebook says it has uncovered disinformation campaigns in more than 50 countries since 2017, when it began the cat-and-mouse game of cracking down on political actors seeking to manipulate public debate on its platform.

France's Government Praises Social Media Influencers in COVID Campaign

France's government offered strong praise to YouTubers and other social media influencers who resisted a mysterious effort to recruit them for a smear campaign to spread disinformation to their millions of young followers about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Multiple France-based influencers with sizable audiences on Twitter, Instagram and other platforms said they were contacted with offers of hush-hush payments to make bogus claims about supposed deadly Pfizer vaccine risks.

WhatsApp Sues Indian Government to Block Internet Tracing Rules

WhatsApp sued the Indian government to stop what it said were oppressive new Internet rules that would require it to make people’s messages “traceable” to outside parties for the first time. The lawsuit, filed by WhatsApp in the Delhi High Court, seeks to block the enforceability of the rules that were handed down by the government this year.

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