US Pushing Effort to Develop 5G Alternative to Huawei | A Bad App Plunged Iowa Into Chaos | Kenya’s High Court Delays National Biometric ID Program
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The White House is working with U.S. technology companies to create advanced software for next-generation 5G telecommunications networks. The plan would build on efforts by some U.S. telecom and technology companies to agree on common engineering standards that would reduce, if not eliminate, reliance on Huawei equipment. WSJ
Iowa’s Democratic Party is still unable to produce results in the wake of its state caucus. The app it developed for precisely this purpose seems to have crashed. The party was questioned before by experts about the wisdom of using a secretive app that would be deployed at a crucial juncture, but the concerns were brushed away. The Atlantic
Kenya’s High Court Delays National Biometric ID Program. The system was challenged in court over privacy concerns, and fears that it could exclude millions from accessing public services. NYT
ASPI ICPC
Hacking the headlines: the geopolitics of cybersecurity marketing
The Strategist
@elisethoma5
Two very high-profile hacking allegations with serious geopolitical implications have been made in recent weeks, but close inspection shows them to be based on thin and inconclusive evidence from private cybersecurity companies.
The World
Twitter admits 'bad actors' exploited phone number matching feature
Engadget
@mariella_moon
Twitter has revealed that it has discovered and suspended accounts abusing a feature that allowed users to match phone numbers with usernames. By announcing the privacy issue, it's also confirming the flaw discovered by security researcher Ibrahim Balic in December 2019.
Twitter bans deepfakes that are 'likely to cause harm'
Engadget
@cfisherwrites
Twitter just released its new rules for handling synthetic and manipulated media. The company says you can no longer "deceptively share" deepfakes that are "likely to cause harm," and it may label Tweets containing deepfakes to help people understand what's real and what's been altered.
Tool to Help Journalists Spot Doctored Images Is Unveiled by Jigsaw
NYT
@daveyalba
It is not always easy to tell the difference between real and fake photographs. But the pressure to get it right has never been more urgent as the amount of false political content online continues to rise. On Tuesday, Jigsaw, a company that develops cutting-edge tech and is owned by Google’s parent, unveiled a free tool that researchers said could help journalists spot doctored photographs — even ones created with the help of artificial intelligence.
Australia
Toll held to ransom as cyber-attack stalls deliveries
FR
@SaysSmithy
Logistics giant Toll Group has confirmed it has fallen victim to a ransomware cyberattack that has forced it to shut down online systems and manually process parcels since late last week.
China
China Marshals Its Surveillance Powers Against Coronavirus
WSJ
@liz_in_shanghai
Chinese officials have launched an unprecedented effort to track the fast-spreading coronavirus, using big data to trace the movements of infected individuals.
US
How a Bad App—Not the Russians—Plunged Iowa Into Chaos
The Atlantic
@zeynep
Don’t blame shadowy foreign hackers for the chaos in Iowa. Blame Shadow’s caucus app. The morning after caucus-goers filed into high-school gyms across Iowa, the state’s Democratic Party is still unable to produce results. The app it developed for precisely this purpose seems to have crashed. The party was questioned before by experts about the wisdom of using a secretive app that would be deployed at a crucial juncture, but the concerns were brushed away.
Social media was a cesspool of toxic Iowa conspiracy theories last night. It’s only going to get worse. Washington Post
U.S. Pushing Effort to Develop 5G Alternative to Huawei
WSJ
@bobdavis187 @drewfitzgerald
Seeking to blunt the dominance by China’s Huawei Technologies Co., the White House is working with U.S. technology companies to create advanced software for next-generation 5G telecommunications networks. The plan would build on efforts by some U.S. telecom and technology companies to agree on common engineering standards that would allow 5G software developers to run code atop machines that come from nearly any hardware manufacturer. That would reduce, if not eliminate, reliance on Huawei equipment.
Mark Warner Takes on Big Tech and Russian Spies
Wired
@vermontgmg
A former telecoms entrepreneur, the Virginia senator says that saving the industry (and democracy) might mean blowing up Big Tech as we know it.
No ‘deepfakes’ or ‘birther’ videos in 2020 election
AP
@ObsoleteDogma
Better late than never, YouTube is making clear there will be no “birtherism” on its platform during this year’s U.S. presidential election. The Google-owned video service is also reiterating that it won’t allow election-related “deepfake” videos and anything that aims to mislead viewers about voting procedures and how to participate in the 2020 census.
Ex-Obama official exits Israeli spyware firm amid press freedom row
The Guardian
@skirchy
A former Obama administration official who has faced criticism from press freedom groups for her role as a senior adviser at NSO Group has stepped down from the Israeli spyware company.
The Gap Between the Haves and Have-Nots of Tech Widens
NYT
@daiwaka @MatthewPhillips
With each passing quarter, tech’s wealthiest companies are building on their power, making it harder for smaller outfits to compete and for entrepreneurs to build the next Google or Facebook.
IBM, Marriott and Mickey Mouse Take On Tech’s Favorite Law
NYT
@dmccabe
A motley group of powerful companies have their knives out for Section 230, which shields platforms from lawsuits over content posted by users.
UK
Algorithms on social media need regulation, says UK's AI adviser
The Guardian
@alexhern
New regulations should be passed to control the algorithms that promote content such as posts, videos and adverts on social networks, the UK government’s advisory body on AI ethics has recommended.
Sorry Boris, France shows there is an alternative to Huawei after all
The Telegraph
@telegraphnews
‘What is the alternative?” Boris Johnson asked when justifying the decision to let Chinese telecoms giant Huawei build part of our 5G network. France, we’ve discovered, has a simple answer: Ericsson and Nokia. Yesterday, the French announced that they have chosen those two companies to build their 5G network...Most sensible people in this country trust our security services, but we likewise trust the security services of our close allies. Here is what a former senior official at the Australian Signals Directorate, Simeon Gilding, thinks: “No number of impressive-sounding mitigation measures or cybersecurity standards can provide confidence.” Letting Huawei into our 5G means “the threat is inside your network”.
Why UK's Huawei decision leaves the fate of global 5G wireless in US hands
ZDNetBritain has chosen a 4G solution for a 5G system. That’s not going to work
The Globe and Mail
Europe
Poland wants to go beyond EU on 5G security, says minister
Politico
Poland plans to restrict “high-risk” 5G telecom vendors in ways that go beyond a series of security controls proposed by the European Union, a minister told POLITICO. The EU last week spelled out a range of options for countries to secure their future networks amid a transatlantic debate about 5G security and Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE.
A Journalist’s Perspective on Global Cyber Threats: Podcast
Recorded Future
Hakan Tanriverdi is a journalist covering cybersecurity for Germany’s public broadcasting network. In our conversation this week, we discuss the challenges of reporting on a highly technical subject area, making your stories accessible to the general public, and having the courage to ask the obvious questions. We’ll get his insights on being a good consumer of news, as well as his thoughts on where journalism is headed.
The Americas
Uber temporarily suspends 240 accounts in Mexico over coronavirus fears
The Verge
@andyjayhawk
Uber temporarily deactivated 240 customer accounts in Mexico to prevent the possible spread of the coronavirus. The company suspended customers who had travelled with two drivers who had suspected contact with the coronavirus.
Africa
Kenya’s High Court Delays National Biometric ID Program
NYT
@Lattif @CarlosMureithi
The biometric system was challenged in court over privacy concerns, and fears that it could exclude millions from accessing public services.
Misc
An Op-Ed From the Future on Election Security
Lawfare
@alexstamos
Below is a potential Lawfare piece from New Year’s Day 2021, following a not-quite-worst-case scenario of election interference using real vulnerabilities in U.S. electoral systems, as well as social media, traditional media and the political sphere.
Superyacht Industry is Falling Behind on Cyber Security
Boat International
@MirandaBlazeby
The superyacht industry is ill-prepared in the fight against cybercrime and has fallen behind other industries, a panel of security experts has said.
Jobs
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre has an outstanding opportunity for a talented and passionate technically-focused analyst to join its growing centre. We are looking for a creative and passionate individual who can contribute unique technical skills to work across a range of projects in the centre. This individual may possess skills and experience in one or more of the following areas including malware analysis, reverse-engineering, data analysis and web scraping (for work on online disinformation for example) and/or a deep technical knowledge of critical technologies. The successful candidate will be offered a remuneration package at a level aligned with their demonstrated skills and expertise. This is a contract position for an initial 1 year term with the option of extension. At any one time ASPI has multiple people working at the institute who are on secondments or unpaid leave from the Australian Public Service (APS). Similar arrangements - including secondments - can be negotiated in this instance pending approval from the APS department/agency.
Researcher – Cyber, Technology, Asia-Pacific
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre has an outstanding opportunity for an emerging researcher to join its growing centre and work directly with the ICPC Director. Staff in the centre have diverse backgrounds and are usually involved in several projects at once. We are looking for a team member with a flexible, entrepreneurial approach, who is a self-starter, has the ability to deliver to deadlines and enjoys working in a collaborative team environment. Foreign languages (particularly Asian languages) and social media analysis skills are desirable but not essential. We are looking for a creative and passionate individual who can work collaboratively in a team environment to support the centre’s program of work. This will include working with a variety of centre staff to conduct research on a range of priority projects, on project coordination and administration, working to facilitate international fellowships, supporting public and private events and engaging with key stakeholders.
Policy Advisor (Electorate Officer)
Tim Watts MP
I'm now accepting applications for a Policy Advisor based in my Footscray electorate office (6kms from the Melbourne CBD).