Journalists from Independent Salvadoran News Site Targeted by Spyware

At least 22 journalists from the independent Salvadoran news site El Faro were targeted with telephone spyware, investigators announced, in one of the most extensive attacks yet discovered using the Pegasus software that human rights advocates say has been abused by governments around the world. The journalists were among at least 35 people in El Salvador whose iPhones were hacked with Pegasus between July 2020 and November 2021, according to an analysis by the Toronto-based Citizen Lab and other groups.

U.S. Cyber Command Links 'MuddyWater' Hackers to Iranian Intelligence

The Pentagon’s cybersecurity arm said it has tied a hacking group known as MuddyWater to Iranian intelligence. In doing so, U.S. Cyber Command also identified several open-source software tools being used by the hacking group and disclosed them in an effort to thwart further attacks. MuddyWater allegedly used the tools to gain access to global computer networks.

Nigeria Lifts Twitter Ban After Company Agrees to Open Local Office

Nigeria will lift a ban on Twitter after the social media platform agreed to open a local office, among other agreements with authorities in the West African country, a senior government official said. The Nigerian government suspended Twitter on June 4 after it removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists.

Fact-Checking Organizations Call YouTube 'Major Conduit' of Misinformation

A group of more than 80 fact-checking organizations from around the world has called YouTube "one of the major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide" and wants the platform to do more to address the problem. In an open letter to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki published Wednesday, the group said the platform's current measures to combat misinformation are "proving insufficient" and laid out a series of recommended steps to improve its approach, including providing more context and debunks, as well as reducing the ability for spreaders of misinformation to monetize their content on the platform.

  • Read the article: CNN

Apple to Allow Alternative Payment Systems for Apps in South Korea

Apple will allow alternative payment systems in South Korea in compliance with a new local law that bans app store operators from forcing their own in-app payment systems, the country's telecommunications regulator said. The move came as a new law went into effect in the country in September last year, restricting app store operators, such as Google and Apple, from forcing their in-app payment systems on developers.

Judge Allows FTC's Amended Antitrust Complaint Against Facebook to Proceed

A federal judge ruled that the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case against Facebook could proceed, in a reversal of fortune for the agency after its first complaint was thrown out last year. In a colorful order, United States District Judge James E. Boasberg wrote that the amended complaint that the agency filed in August offered “more robust and detailed” evidence showing that Facebook has an alleged monopoly.

Europol Forced to Delete Personal Data Found to be Illegally Collected

The EU’s police agency, Europol, will be forced to delete much of a vast store of personal data that it has been found to have amassed unlawfully by the bloc’s data protection watchdog. The unprecedented finding from the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) targets what privacy experts are calling a “big data ark” containing billions of points of information.

Lawmakers Seek Info on Enforcement of Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) are seeking information about enforcement of children's online safety regulations from six privacy compliance organizations. The Democrats said they sent a letter to the organizations with questions aimed at ensuring they are fulfilling their obligation to provide protection for children as tasked by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Safe Harbor program.

Intel Deletes References to Xinjiang in Letter to Suppliers After Backlash

U.S. chipmaker Intel has deleted references to Xinjiang from an annual letter to suppliers after the company faced a backlash in China for asking suppliers to avoid the sanctions-hit region. Last month, Intel was slammed on Chinese social media for a letter to suppliers published on its website saying that Intel had been "required to ensure that its supply chain does not use any labour or source goods or services from the Xinjiang region" following restrictions imposed by "multiple governments".

Despite Limited Cyberattacks, Concerns Linger About Impact of Log4j

Senior U.S. security officials said they hadn’t yet seen significant disruptive or destructive cyberattacks, such as ransomware attacks, linked to a massive internet flaw discovered one month ago, but warned that the bug could aid the nefarious activity of criminals and foreign governments for months or years to come. The Biden administration hasn’t identified any confirmed breaches of federal government agencies that relied on the flaw in the widely used software code known as Log4j, nor has it detected foreign governments developing attacks that exploit the bug to carry out a network intrusion, officials said during a press briefing.

Trump's Upstart Social Network Faces Delays, Limiting His Influence

Former president Donald Trump’s upstart social network is probably months away from being fully operational, potentially limiting his ability to influence the midterm elections, according to people familiar with the fledgling operation. The pace of development for Truth Social has at times frustrated Trump, who has discussed but ultimately turned down opportunities to work with other platforms in the fast-growing universe of right-wing social media sites, said three people familiar with the discussions, who like others in this article spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

FCC Positioning to Reestablish Obama-Era Net Neutrality Rules

A new chapter in the ongoing saga of net neutrality and who governs the internet will take shape over the next year thanks to another shift in power at the Federal Communications Commission. With new appointees from President Joe Biden firming up a Democratic majority at the agency, reinstating Obama-era net neutrality rules thrown out under the Trump administration will be a top priority for the agency.

  • Read the article: CNET

U.S. Warns Journalists, Dissidents About Commercial Surveillance Tools

The federal government warned the public about the risks of commercial surveillance tools that have been used to spy on journalists and political dissidents by infecting their phones with malware. The warning, issued by the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, came after the Biden administration’s actions in November against the NSO Group, an Israeli surveillance company, and other firms that have developed malware.

Domestic Extremists Changing Online Plans to Avoid Content Moderation

Domestic extremists are adapting their online strategies to push disinformation and conspiracies despite a crackdown by social media platforms in the year since the attack by a pro-Trump mob on the Capitol. Online extremist groups and far-right influencers are using more coded language to slip through gaps in mainstream content moderation enforcement and are still active on alternative platforms that have risen in popularity since the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

ITC Rules for Sonos in Audio Technology Patent Case Against Google

Google infringed on five audio technology patents held by the speaker manufacturer Sonos and is not allowed to import products that violate Sonos’s intellectual property into the United States, a trade court ruled. The final ruling by the United States International Trade Commission, a quasi-judicial body that decides trade cases and can block the import of goods that violate patents, closes a two-year investigation into the intellectual-property dispute.

Police in China Cite Walmart for Allegedly Violating Cybersecurity Law

China Quality News, the news website supported by the State Administration for Market Regulation, reported that the police in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen cited Walmart for allegedly violating the country’s cybersecurity law. Police had found 19 vulnerabilities in the company’s network system in November, and the company was slow to fix the loopholes, the media outlet reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Federal Security Guard's Sister Sues Meta Over Facebook's Role in Death

Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms, has been sued over the 2020 killing of a federal security guard, a move that aims to challenge a federal statute that shields websites and social media platforms from liability for what users post. The lawsuit, filed by Angela Underwood Jacobs, the guard’s sister, argued that Facebook was responsible for connecting individuals who sought to harm law enforcement officers and sow civil discord.

Snap Sues USPTO Over Refusal to Register 'Spectacles' as Trademark

Snap is suing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for rejecting its application to trademark the word “spectacles” for its digital eyewear camera device. But the USPTO has maintained that “spectacles” is a generic term for smart glasses and that Snap’s version “has not acquired distinctiveness,” as required for a trademark.

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