US in talks to use location data to slow COVID spread | Russian Media spreading Disinformation on COVID | Chinese researcher driven out of the US developed COVID test in China with results in 40min
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The U.S. government is in active talks with Facebook, Google and a wide array of tech companies and health experts about how they can use location data gleaned from Americans’ phones to combat the novel coronavirus. Public-health experts are interested in the possibility that private-sector companies could compile the data in anonymous, aggregated form, which they could then use to map the spread of the infection. The Washington Post
An EU monitoring team collected 80 examples of disinformation from Russian sources in nearly two months up to 16 March. Coronavirus was claimed to be a biological weapon deployed by China, the US or the UK. Other conspiracy theories contended the outbreak was caused by migrants or was a pure hoax. The Guardian
A federal crackdown on professors’ undisclosed outside activities is achieving what China has long struggled to do: spur Chinese scientists to return home. In this crisis, it’s costing the U.S. intellectual firepower. A researcher taught for a quarter century in Florida. In China, he teamed up with researchers to create a test that produces results in 40 minutes and can be performed in a doctor’s office or in non-medical settings like airport screening areas. ProPublica
ASPI ICPC
Technology and cybersecurity: a double-edged sword for women
ASPI Strategist
@GaiMBrodtmann
Women have made real gains in cybersecurity in recent years. These wins are important, and they should be celebrated. But we need to keep the pedal firmly to the metal. We need to continue to address pay gap, systemic bias, recruitment pool, workplace culture, role definition and work–life balance issues. And we need to continue to invest our energies in attracting, retaining and progressing women in STEM and the technical and non-technical fields of cybersecurity. This is not just an economic and national security imperative. It’s a human rights imperative—to ensure women are liberated by the innovation and technology of the future, not enslaved by it.
What are the United Nations Norms of Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace
@_JohannaWeaver
Did you know that all countries in the world have endorsed the 11 norms in this video? Providing practical advice and supporting implementation of these norms is a key Australian priority for UN Cybe OEWG and UN Cyber GGE.
The World
The 20 Leading Digital Predators of Press Freedom Around the World
Global Investigative Journalism Network
@gijn
The power of these enemies of press freedom takes many forms. They locate, identify, and spy on journalists who annoy people in positions of power and authority. They intimidate them by orchestrating online harassment. They reduce them to silence by censoring them in different ways. They even try to destabilize democratic countries by deliberately disseminating false information.
Facebook bug wrongly deleted authentic coronavirus news
The Associated Press
Facebook says a bug in its anti-spam system is blocking the publication of links to news stories about the coronavirus. Guy Rosen, Facebook's vice president of integrity, said on Twitter Tuesday that the company is working on fixing the problem.
COVID-19: With everyone working from home, VPN security has now become paramount
ZD Net
@campuscodi
With most employees working from home amid today's COVID-19 outbreak, enterprise VPN servers have now become paramount to a company's backbone, and their security and availability must be the focus going forward for IT teams.
Thousands of COVID-19 scam and malware sites are being created on a daily basis
ZD Net
@campuscodi
In the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic, hackers are not letting a disaster go to waste and have now automated their coronavirus-related scams to industrial levels.
Australia
WhatsApp to combat COVID-19 fake news
ABC RN Breakfast
@MatthewBevan
Fake news appears to be becoming more rampant across the internet as the coronavirus crisis worsens worldwide. Overnight, WhatsApp has announced that they will be taking measures to try and prevent the spread of fake news on their platform, but the question is whether it will be enough.
China
The Coronavirus Exposes Education’s Digital Divide
The New York Times
@zhonggg @wywapple
In China, many rural students lack the connections or hardware to learn remotely. More nations will confront the same reality as the outbreak spreads.
How China built facial recognition for people wearing masks
The Financial Times
Hanwang says its technology has reached 95% accuracy in identifying mask wearers.
How China's chip industry defied the coronavirus lockdown
Nikkei Asian Review
@dabieannie
Most high-speed trains have not stopped in Wuhan since Chinese authorities locked down the city on Jan. 23, in an attempt to control the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that originated there. Most, but not all. Some have kept special reserved carriages, occupied by experts heading into the middle of the quarantine zone -- not to its clinics or hospitals, but to Yangtze Memory Technologies, China's most high-profile memory chip project.
USA
U.S. government, tech industry discussing ways to use smartphone location data to combat coronavirus
The Washington Post
@tonyromm @lizzadwoskin @craigtimberg
The U.S. government is in active talks with Facebook, Google and a wide array of tech companies and health experts about how they can use location data gleaned from Americans’ phones to combat the novel coronavirus, including tracking whether people are keeping one another at safe distances to stem the outbreak. Public-health experts are interested in the possibility that private-sector companies could compile the data in anonymous, aggregated form, which they could then use to map the spread of the infection, according to three people familiar with the effort, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the project is in its early stages.
The Trump Administration Drove Him Back to China, Where He Invented a Fast Coronavirus Test
ProPublica
@DavidArmstrongX @AnnieWaldman @DanLGolden
A federal crackdown on professors’ undisclosed outside activities is achieving what China has long struggled to do: spur Chinese scientists to return home. In this crisis, it’s costing the U.S. intellectual firepower.. A star researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health, Tan taught for a quarter century at Florida and raised two sons in Gainesville. In China, he teamed up with researchers at two other universities in China and a biotechnology company to create a test that produces results in 40 minutes and can be performed in a doctor’s office or in non-medical settings like airport screening areas.
Pranksters or Foes? SMS-Based Crisis Disinformation
Graphika
As a viral SMS spread from one phone to another in the US, the National Security Council turned to Twitter, using its verified account and posting from the White House, to correct the record
Big Tech faces a ‘Big Brother’ trap on coronavirus
Politico
@nancyscola
For the tech giants, this plea represents a huge opportunity to get back in the public’s good graces, as an industry whose image has taken a beating is being asked, even urged, to step up in a moment of national emergency. But they also have a problem: Arguably the single most powerful tool at their disposal, their growing troves of data on every American user, is exactly the thing their customers have grown worried about.
Barr: FBI probing if foreign gov’t behind HHS cyber incident
The Associated Press
@MikeBalsamo1
Attorney General William Barr vowed in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that there would be swift and severe action if a foreign government is behind disinformation campaigns aimed at spreading fear in the U.S. amid the coronavirus pandemic or a denial of service attack on the networks of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Europe
Revealed: The Ukrainian Man Who Runs A Neo-Nazi Terrorist Telegram Channel
Bellingcat
@colbornemichael
Even by the low standards of Telegram, an online messaging service that is sometimes described as “a safe haven for pro-terror Nazis”, the Ukrainian-language Telegram channel devoted to praising the Christchurch shooter is an ugly spectacle.
EU warns of broadband strain as millions work from home
The Financial Times
Brussels tells streaming companies to limit services as Facebook says managing traffic is a “challenge”.
Russia
Russian media ‘spreading Covid-19 disinformation’
The Guardian
@JenniferMerode
An EU monitoring team collected 80 examples of disinformation from Russian sources in nearly two months up to 16 March. Coronavirus was claimed to be a biological weapon deployed by China, the US or the UK. Other conspiracy theories contended the outbreak was caused by migrants or was a pure hoax.
Misc
Hackers Hide Malware C2 Communication By Faking News Site Traffic
Bleeping Computer
@Ionut_Ilascu
A cyber-espionage group active since at least 2012 used a legitimate tool to shield their backdoor from analysis attempts to avoid detection. In their effort, the hackers also used a fake host header named after a known news site.
Research
Intersessional Consultations scheduled for 30-31 March cancelled.
UN OEWG
@jurglauber
In light of the latest developments it will not be possible to conduct the intersessional exchange as planned. Instead I invite delegations to submit written comments on the pre-draft. I would kindly ask to receive these written comments by April 3rd, 2020.