U.S. accuses Google of abusing monopoly in ad technology - Pakistani authorities investigating if cyberattack caused nationwide blackout - China has the potential to spy on millions of people in UK
The Justice Department and a group of eight states sued Google on Tuesday, accusing it of illegally abusing a monopoly over the technology that powers online advertising, in the agency’s first antitrust lawsuit against a tech giant under President Biden and an escalation in legal pressure on one of the world’s biggest internet companies. The New York Times
Pakistani authorities are investigating whether a nationwide blackout which left millions of people without power on Monday was caused by a cyberattack. The Record by Recorded Future
China has the potential to spy on millions of people in Britain via microchips in cars, household appliances and lightbulbs, according to a report sent to the government by a former diplomat. The report warns that small modules, known as cellular IoTs (Internet of Things), gather data and transmit it via the 5G network, which gives the Chinese authorities intelligence and the ability to track people and businesses. The Times
World
Assessing the likelihood of a ‘catastrophic’ cyberattack The Wall Street Journal David Breg A “catastrophic cyber event” is likely in the next two years, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2023, released last week at the annual WEF meeting in Davos. The survey found that 86% of business leaders expected such an event and 93% of cybersecurity leaders.
Australia
Scam posts target Australians with fake financial aid offer AFP Kate Tan Australian government officials have warned against scam Facebook posts impersonating "agents" from the national government services platform and tax office to offer financial aid to citizens. Representatives for myGov and the Australian Taxation Office said they do not perform financial transactions over social media.
China
China is the world’s biggest face recognition dealer WIRED Will Knight Early last year, the government of Bangladesh began weighing an offer from an unnamed Chinese company to build a smart city on the Bay of Bengal with infrastructure enhanced by artificial intelligence. Construction of the high-tech metropolis has yet to begin, but if it proceeds it may include face recognition software that can use public cameras to identify missing persons or track criminals in a crowd—capabilities already standard in many Chinese cities.
China leads global patent race but needs ‘breakthrough’ to close gap with West in AI, chips South China Morning Post Salina Li China’s patent-intensive industry, a key engine of economic growth and technological advancement, produces more intellectual property than any country in the world, but its contribution to the economy still lags behind the US and Europe, according to official figures and analysts.
China NFT platforms expand into Hong Kong in face of compliance risks on mainland South China Morning Post Non-fungible token platforms in China are expanding into Hong Kong to offset compliance risk for an industry that remains in a legal grey area on the mainland. It helps that the city has thrown out a welcome mat for digital asset industries.
USA
U.S. accuses Google of abusing monopoly in ad technology The New York Times David McCabe and Nico Grant The Justice Department and a group of eight states sued Google on Tuesday, accusing it of illegally abusing a monopoly over the technology that powers online advertising, in the agency’s first antitrust lawsuit against a tech giant under President Biden and an escalation in legal pressure on one of the world’s biggest internet companies.
Google to stop exempting campaign email from automated spam detection The Washington Post Isaac Stanley-Becker Google plans to discontinue a pilot program that allows political campaigns to evade its email spam filters, the latest round in the technology giant’s tussle with the GOP over online fundraising.
Ticketmaster says cyberattack disrupted Taylor Swift ticket sales POLITICO Josh Sisco and Maggie Miller Ticketmaster was hit by a cyberattack in November that led to the problems with ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s upcoming U.S. tour, the president of its parent company plans to tell a congressional committee Tuesday.
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley wants to ban TikTok nationwide Reuters Diane Bartz U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican and China hawk, said on Tuesday that he would introduce a bill to ban the short video app TikTok in the United States.
South & Central Asia
Pakistani authorities investigating if cyberattack caused nationwide blackout The Record by Recorded Future Alexander Martin Pakistani authorities are investigating whether a nationwide blackout which left millions of people without power on Monday was caused by a cyberattack.
Ukraine - Russia
The unrelenting menace of the LockBit ransomware gang WIRED Matt Burgess and Lily Hay Newman High profile ransomware attacks have become a fact of life in recent years, and it’s not unusual to hear about major monthly attacks perpetrated by Russia-based gangs and their affiliates. The LockBit ransomware gang may not be the most wildly unhinged of these criminal groups, but its callous persistence, effectiveness, and professionalism make it sinister in its own way.
The software giant warning Ukraine where Russia plans to strike The Sydney Morning Herald Peter Hartcher The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Centre monitors 24 trillion signals daily, received from devices and cloud services worldwide, according to the company. It decided to offer Ukraine the benefit of this trove.
UK
China ‘can spy on us via smart bulbs and fridges’ The Times Nadeem Badshah China has the potential to spy on millions of people in Britain via microchips in cars, household appliances and lightbulbs, according to a report sent to the government by a former diplomat. The report warns that small modules, known as cellular IoTs (Internet of Things), gather data and transmit it via the 5G network, which gives the Chinese authorities intelligence and the ability to track people and businesses.
Big Tech
Ex-Twitter engineer tells FTC security violations persist after Musk The Washington Post Joseph Menn A new Twitter whistleblower has emerged, supporting last year’s surprising testimony about the dismal state of the company’s privacy protections and saying the company continues to violate its legal obligations under new owner Elon Musk.
The hidden trackers inside your Telegram, Signal, Whatsapp apps Australian Financial Review Max Mason Encrypted messaging app Telegram contains a Huawei tracker in its Android version, according to analysis by an Australian cybersecurity firm that has broken down the source code of popular mobile apps, with researchers questioning the safety of the program.
Misc
Learning to lie: AI tools adept at creating disinformation Associated Press David Klepper Artificial intelligence is writing fiction, making images inspired by Van Gogh and fighting wildfires. Now it’s competing in another endeavor once limited to humans — creating propaganda and disinformation.
For tech companies, years of easy money yield to hard times The New York Times David Streitfeld Eighteen months ago, the online used car retailer Carvana had such great prospects that it was worth $80 billion. Now it is valued at less than $1.5 billion, a 98 percent plunge, and is struggling to survive. Many other tech companies are also seeing their fortunes reverse and their dreams dim. They are shedding employees, cutting back, watching their financial valuations shrivel — even as the larger economy chugs along with a low unemployment rate and a 3.2 percent annualized growth rate in the third quarter.