Ransomware Gangs Attack Three U.S. Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Ransomware gangs have silently hit three U.S. water and wastewater treatment facilities this year, in 2021, the U.S. government said in a joint cybersecurity advisory published by the FBI, NSA, CISA, and the EPA. The attacks — which had been previously unreported — took place in March, July, and August and hit facilities in Nevada, Maine, and California, respectively.

Ransomware Payments in U.S. on Track to Double in 2021, Treasury Dep't Says

The volume of suspected ransomware payments flagged by U.S. banks has surged this year, on pace to nearly double last year’s, the Treasury Department said, highlighting the scale of a problem that governments across the world have described as a critical national security threat. Nearly $600 million in transactions were linked to possible ransomware payments in so-called Suspicious Activity Reports financial services firms filed to the U.S. government in the first six months of this year, according to a Treasury Department report.

South Korea, Apple Clash Over New Requirements on App Payment Systems

Apple Inc. was on a collision course with South Korea over new requirements that it stop forcing app developers to use its payment systems, with a government official warning of a possible investigation into the iPhone maker's compliance. The development comes after South Korea amended the Telecommunication Business Act in August to try to curb the tech majors' market dominance and stop the big app store operators such as Apple and Alphabet Inc.'s Google from charging commissions on in-app purchases.

Iranian Hacking Group Still Waging Attacks Internationally, Google Says

An Iranian hacking group that targeted a U.S. presidential campaign in last year’s election has continued to wage widespread attacks, using an evolving list of tactics to dupe victims into clicking on malicious links. Known variously as APT35, Phosphorous, Charming Kitten and Ajax Security team, the hacking group has for years “hijacked accounts, deployed malware and used novel techniques to conduct espionage aligned with the interests of the Iranian government,” according to a blog by Google’s Threat Analysis Group.

YouTube's Stricter Policies Led to Less Misinformation Elsewhere, Report Says

YouTube’s stricter policies against election misinformation was followed by sharp drops in the prevalence of false and misleading videos on Facebook and Twitter, according to new research, underscoring the video service’s power across social media. Researchers at the Center for Social Media and Politics at New York University found a significant rise in election fraud YouTube videos shared on Twitter immediately after the Nov. 3 election.

Senators Plan Bill to Stop Tech Companies from 'Self-Preferencing'

A bipartisan group of senators plans to introduce a bill that they say would prevent tech platforms from using their power to disadvantage smaller rivals, signaling growing momentum in Congress to rein in Silicon Valley giants. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, and Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that they will introduce legislation making it illegal for Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google to engage in “self-preferencing,” the tech giants’ practice of giving their own products and services a boost over those of rivals on their platforms.

Lawyers for Facebook Whistleblower Share Documents with State Officials

Lawyers representing Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen are targeting attorneys general in states like California and Massachusetts in the hopes they could play a similar role in imposing limits on the social network. John Tye, a lawyer representing Haugen through the nonprofit Whistleblower Aid, said that his team has shared some of the documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with state attorneys general offices in California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Nebraska and Tennessee.

LinkedIn to Stop Offering Networking Services in China Due to Compliance

Microsoft Corp.’s LinkedIn said it would shut the version of its professional-networking site that operates in China, marking the end of the last major American social-media network operating openly in the country. LinkedIn, in a statement, said that it made the decision after “facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China.”

Facebook to Provide Bullying Protection for Activists, Journalists

Facebook Inc. will now count activists and journalists as "involuntary" public figures and so increase protections against harassment and bullying targeted at these groups, its global safety chief said in an interview this week. The social media company, which allows more critical commentary of public figures than of private individuals, is changing its approach on the harassment of journalists and "human rights defenders," who it says are in the public eye due to their work rather than their public personas.

Senator Wants Facebook to Preserve Documents in Whistleblower Testimony

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is calling on Facebook to preserve documents related to the congressional testimonies from a company whistleblower and the tech giant’s head of global safety, as Congress looks for ways to conduct oversight of the platform amid new damning allegations. Cantwell penned a letter to Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday requesting that the company “preserve and retain” documents, data and other information stored electronically that relates to the testimonies whistleblower Frances Haugen delivered on Oct. 5, and Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis on Sept. 30.

Senator Wants TikTok to Provide Information About Extremist Content

Senate Homeland Security Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) pressed video-sharing app TikTok for information about its efforts to curb violent extremist content before and after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, expanding the panel’s probe into how social media may have contributed to the violence. Peters expressed concern over reports that domestic extremists used the platform to “recruit, organize and communicate” in the days leading up to the riot, and that they “continue to spread their messages through content supporting white supremacists, extremists, and terrorist organizations.”

Facebook Whistleblower Accepts Invitation to Meet with Oversight Board

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen said that she will speak to the platform’s independent Oversight Board at its invitation. “I have accepted the invitation to brief the Facebook Oversight Board about what I learned while working there,” Haugen tweeted. “Facebook has lied to the board repeatedly, and I am looking forward to sharing the truth with them.”

Google Removes Ads for Apps That Encourage Spouses to Spy

Google has pulled several “stalkerware” ads that violated its policies by promoting apps that encouraged prospective users to spy on their spouses’ phone. These consumer-grade spyware apps are often marketed to parents wishing to monitor their child’s calls, messages, apps, photos and location, often under the guise of protecting against predators.

Poll Shows Serious Concerns About Cyberattacks from China, Russia

Most Americans across party lines have serious concerns about cyberattacks on U.S. computer systems and view China and Russia as major threats, according to a new poll. The poll by The Pearson Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that about 9 in 10 Americans are at least somewhat concerned about hacking that involves their personal information, financial institutions, government agencies or certain utilities.

Tech Body Creates Committee to Address Misinformation in Australia

A tech body backed by the Australian units of Facebook, Google and Twitter said it has set up a special committee to adjudicate complaints over misinformation, a day after the government threatened tougher laws over false and defamatory online posts. The issue of damaging social media posts has emerged as a second battlefront between Big Tech and Australia, which last year passed a law to make platforms pay licence fees for content, sparking a temporary Facebook blackout in February.

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The GigaLaw Firm helps companies of all sizes protect their brands online, using domain name dispute policies – such as the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) – and other legal tools available to copyright and trademark owners on the Internet.