Google Removes Apps from Play Store That Secretly Harvested Data

Google has yanked dozens of apps from its Google Play store after determining that they include a software element that surreptitiously harvests data. The Panamanian company that wrote the code, Measurement Systems S. de R.L., is linked through corporate records and web registrations to a Virginia defense contractor that does cyberintelligence, network-defense and intelligence-intercept work for U.S. national-security agencies.

Microsoft Says It Disrupted Hacking Attempts by Russian Military Spies

Microsoft Corp said it had disrupted hacking attempts by Russian military spies aimed at breaking into Ukrainian, European Union, and American targets. In a blog post, the tech firm said a group it nicknamed "Strontium" was using seven internet domains as part of an effort to spy on government bodies and think tanks in the EU and the United States, as well as Ukrainian institutions such as media organizations.

U.S. Government, Energy Companies on Alert for Russian Cyberattacks

With President Biden warning of evolving intelligence that Russia is exploring possible cyberattacks against American critical industries, companies such as Berkshire Hathaway Energy and the U.S. government are on high alert. After years of what critics saw as lip service, cybersecurity collaboration between the federal government and some critical industries has taken root, officials and industry leaders say, and it could be put to the test as Russian government hackers probe the defenses of American power plants, banks and telecommunications networks.

Intel Suspends All Business Operations in Russia to Condemn War in Ukraine

A month after stopping shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus, Intel has now suspended all business operations in Russia. In a statement, the company said, “Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace,” adding that it will support its 1,200 employees in Russia and “[implement] business continuity measures to minimize disruption to our global operations.”

German Authorities Shut Down Servers for Russian Darknet Marketplace Hydra

German authorities shut down the server infrastructure for the Russian darknet marketplace Hydra, seizing €23 million (~$25.2 million USD) worth of Bitcoin in the process, Germany’s Federal Crime Police Office (BKA) announced. Hydra is a large marketplace on the dark web that serves as a hub for drugs, stolen credit card information, counterfeit bills, fake documents, and other illegal goods or services.

Nonprofit Organization Endorses Meta's Plan to Expand Encryption

A nonprofit association that promotes social responsibility among corporations has concluded in a new report that Meta’s planned expansion of strong encryption to its Messenger and Instagram services will do more good than harm for human rights, giving the company more ammunition as it fights efforts in the United Kingdom and other countries to carve out exceptions to make police work easier. Business for Social Responsibility, whose work on the subject was paid for by Facebook parent Meta but whose reputation is for independence in its published reports, recommended that the company continue to promote end-to-end encryption, which prevents anyone without direct access to the devices of the sender or the receiver from viewing messages.

Canada Proposes Law to Force Payments to News Providers for Online Content

Canada laid out details of a proposed legislation that would compel platforms like Facebook and Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content, in a move similar to Australia's ground-breaking law passed last year. "The news sector in Canada is in crisis," Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said at a news conference, introducing the bill put forward by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government.

Hackers Spread Fake News of Ukrainian Surrender to Erode Confidence in Media

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in late February, hackers have repeatedly broken into the social media accounts and broadcasting systems of trusted information sources in Ukraine, like government officials and prominent media outlets. The hackers are most likely trying to erode confidence in Ukrainian institutions and show that the government and news media cannot be relied upon for information or to keep hackers out of their systems.

Bitdefender CEO Warns of New Era of Cyber Warfare Created by Russia

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ushered in a new era of cyber warfare, raising the risks of spillover from conventional conflicts, according to the chief executive officer of Bitdefender Holding BV. Florin Talpes, whose Romania-based cybersecurity software company has filed for an initial public offering in the U.S., said that the ongoing war has split the hacking community, with Anonymous attacking Russian institutions and some ransomware groups backing Moscow.

Canadian Agency Reports 'Numerous Russia-Backed Disinformation Campaigns'

A Canadian agency said that it had observed “numerous Russia-backed disinformation campaigns” that were meant to support Moscow’s actions in Ukraine. Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) said in a Twitter thread that among the observations noted in its classified reporting were allegations that Russia coordinated efforts to spread the idea that organs of dead soldiers, women and children were being harvested by Ukraine, while using “mobile cremators to dispose of the evidence.”

EU Antitrust Regulators Probing Microsoft's Cloud Business, Licensing Deals

EU antitrust regulators are quizzing Microsoft's rivals and customers about its cloud business and licensing deals, a questionnaire seen by Reuters showed, in a move that could lead to a formal investigation and renewed scrutiny of the U.S. software company. The European Commission has fined Microsoft a total 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in the previous decade for breaching EU antitrust rules and for not complying with its order to halt anti-competitive practices.

Russian Mass Media Regulator Accuses Wikipedia of 'Inaccurate Information'

Russian mass media regulator Roskomnadzor has threatened to fine Russian-language Wikipedia over an article it claims contains “inaccurate information” about the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Roskomnadzor, in a stern notice, warned that it had notified the administration of Wikipedia to immediately remove the “inaccurate information” on the subject, which it said is aimed at misinforming Russian users, according to a translation of the Russian notice.

Meta Chooses to 'Err On the Side of an Adult' When Uncertain About Images

Facebook is a leader among tech companies in detecting child sexual abuse content, which has exploded on social media and across the internet in recent years. But concerns about mistakenly accusing people of posting illegal imagery have resulted in a policy that could allow photos and videos of abuse to go unreported. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, has instructed content moderators for its platforms to “err on the side of an adult” when they are uncertain about the age of a person in a photo or video, according to a corporate training document.

Russian Oligarchs Using Data Privacy Laws to Protect Their Online Images

Russian oligarchs and other powerful individuals are turning to an unusual method to protect their online images: data privacy laws. Those laws, which were intended to prevent ads from tracking consumers too closely around the Internet, are now being used in the United Kingdom to sue anyone holding undesirable information on their devices.

Senators Express Concerns to FTC About Microsoft's Activision Acquisition

Four U.S. senators sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission citing concern about Microsoft Corp.’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., saying the deal could undermine employees’ calls for accountability over alleged misconduct at the videogame company. In the letter, viewed by The Wall Street Journal, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), Cory Booker (D., N.J.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.) urge FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan to assess whether the planned transaction could exacerbate the flurry of sexual-abuse, harassment and retaliation allegations at Activision stemming from recent federal and state investigations.

Attorneys General Want Snap, TikTok to Work with Parents to Protect Children

A group of attorneys general asked Snap and TikTok to work more closely with parental control apps and to apply more scrutiny to inappropriate content on their platforms, the latest salvo in a growing fight over child protection between governments and social media companies. Attorneys general from 43 states and territories said in a letter to executives at the two apps that they were worried the companies were “not taking appropriate steps to allow parents to protect their kids on your platforms.”

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