U.S. Cyber Command Takes Action Against Ransomware Groups

Cyber Command, the U.S. military's hacking unit, has taken offensive action to disrupt cybercriminal groups that have launched ransomware attacks on U.S. companies, a spokesperson for the command confirmed to CNN. The spokesperson declined to specify what actions the command had taken. But it's one of the first, unequivocal acknowledgements from Cyber Command since the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in May that the command has targeted criminal gangs that hold the computer systems of US businesses hostage.

  • Read the article: CNN

Pixel User Says Phone Hacked After Being Sent to Google for Repair

After game designer and author Jane McGonigal sent her Pixel 5a to Google for repair, someone allegedly took and hacked her device. This is at least the second report in as many weeks from someone claiming they sent a Google phone in for repair, only to have it used to leak their private data and photographs. McGonigal posted a detailed account of the situation on Twitter and advised other users not to send their phones in for repair with the company.

Twitter Mistakenly Suspended Accounts After Reports Against Researchers

Twitter said that it had mistakenly suspended accounts under a new policy following a flood of “coordinated and malicious reports” targeting anti-extremism researchers and journalists first reported by The Washington Post. The company said it had corrected the errors and launched an internal review to ensure that its new rule — which allows someone whose photo or video was tweeted without their consent to request its removal — was “used as intended.”

Apple Says iPhones Used by U.S. Diplomats Hacked by NSO's Spyware

Apple alerted 11 U.S. diplomats that their iPhones had been hacked in recent months by spyware from NSO Group, an Israel-based company that helps government clients in dozens of countries secretly steal files, eavesdrop on conversations and track the movements of its targets, according to people familiar with the notifications. The news, the first confirmed cases of Pegasus being used to target American officials, comes a month after U.S. officials blacklisted the NSO Group amid allegations that its foreign government clients had enabled hacking against embassy employees, political activists, human rights workers and others.

Two Men Charged in Music Royalty Scam Collecting $20M from YouTube

Two men have been charged with allegedly running a years-long music royalty scam, in which they collected more than $20 million in payments from YouTube by falsely claiming to hold the rights to 50,000 Spanish-language songs. Prosecutors say Jose “Chanel” Teran, 36, of Scottsdale, Ariz. and Webster “Yenddi” Batista, 38, of Doral, Fla. claimed their company, MediaMuv Inc., controlled the rights to a large back catalog of music.

TSA Issues Cybersecurity Mandates for 'Higher-Risk' Transit Systems

The federal government imposed two cybersecurity mandates on "higher-risk'' railroad and rail transit systems, despite industry efforts to beat back regulations. The directives, published by the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration, expand on pipeline regulations imposed earlier this year that are designed to shore up the nation's critical infrastructure, following a number of ransomware attacks.

White House to Unveil Group Working on Human Rights Tech Abuses

The White House will unveil a group of countries that have pledged to work together to curb exports of technology that can be used by bad actors and repressive governments to violate human rights, senior administration officials said. The announcement, which will be made as part of U.S. President Joe Biden's Summit for Democracy, is aimed at addressing "the misuse of certain dual-use technologies that can lead to human rights abuses" and ensuring "critical and emerging technologies work for and not against democratic societies," the officials told reporters in a briefing call.

Privacy Protections Push Companies to Gather Data in New Ways

New privacy protections put in place by tech giants and governments are threatening the flow of user data that companies rely on to target consumers with online ads. As a result, companies are taking matters into their own hands. Across nearly every sector, from brewers to fast-food chains to makers of consumer products, marketers are rushing to collect their own information on consumers, seeking to build millions of detailed customer profiles.

FTC Sues to Block Nvidia's $40 Billion Acquisition of Arm

The Federal Trade Commission sued to block Nvidia’s $40 billion acquisition of a fellow chip company, Arm, halting what would be the biggest semiconductor industry deal in history, as federal regulators push to rein in corporate consolidation. The FTC said the deal between Nvidia, which makes chips, and Arm, which licenses chip technology, would stifle competition and harm consumers.

House Lawmakers Indicate Support for Changes to Section 230 Protections

House lawmakers signaled they would press forward with legislation to make Internet platforms more accountable to online users, in what is expected to be a showdown between Washington and Silicon Valley. Legislators are seeking to scale back the legal protections that generally allow social-media platforms such as Twitter Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook to post user content without being liable for it.

Facebook Removes Disinformation Networks Linked to Hamas, China

Facebook said it took down disinformation networks tied to a broad swath of political actors and events around the world, including militant group Hamas, Chinese state groups and the immigration crisis along the Belarus-Poland border. The company also removed accounts run by anti-vaccine groups that were using evolving tactics to attack doctors in Europe.

FCC Nominee Opposes Government Regulation of Broadband Rates

President Joe Biden's pick for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission told a U.S. Senate Committee she does not back government regulation of broadband rates. Gigi Sohn, a former senior aide to Tom Wheeler who served as FCC chairman under former President Barack Obama, said it would take at least a year for the commission to reinstate landmark neutrality rules that were repealed in 2017 under then-President Donald Trump.

Hacker Gains Access to Information on 400,000 Planned Parenthood Patients

A hacker gained access to the personal information of hundreds of thousands of Planned Parenthood patients last month, the reproductive health-care group’s Los Angeles branch said. The breach is limited to the Los Angeles affiliate, and spokesperson John Erickson said there is no indication at this point that the information was “used for fraudulent purposes.”

Three Former Google Employees Sue Over 'Don't Be Evil' Motto

Three former Google employees have sued the company, alleging that Google's motto "Don't be evil" amounts to a contractual obligation that the tech giant has violated. At the time the company hired the three software engineers, Rebecca Rivers, Sophie Waldman and Paul Duke, they signed conduct rules that included a "Don't be evil" provision, according to the suit.

  • Read the article: NPR

Twitter to Remove Photos of People Posted Without Their Permission

A sweeping expansion of Twitter’s policy against posting private information was met with backlash shortly after the company announced it, as Twitter users questioned whether the policy would be practical to enforce. Twitter’s new policy states that photos or videos of private individuals that are posted without their permission will be taken down at their request.

Russia to Continue Slowing Twitter on Mobile Devices in Content Dispute

Russia will continue slowing down the speed of Twitter on mobile devices until all content deemed illegal is deleted, state communications regulator Roskomnadzor told Reuters, as Moscow continues to make demands of Big Tech. Russian authorities have taken steps recently to regulate technology giants more closely by imposing small fines for content violations, while also seeking to force foreign companies to have official representation in Russia and store Russians' personal data on its territory.

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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.