WeChat censors Scott Morrison's post | North Korea-linked hackers targeted J&J, Novavax in hunt for COVID research | Journalists struggle through information blackout in Ethiopia
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A message by Prime Minister Scott Morrison that was directed at the Chinese community and critical of an inflammatory post by a Beijing bureaucrat has been censored by a Chinese tech giant. The statement on social media platform WeChat was published on Tuesday night. However, it has now been blocked because it "violates" the company's regulations. ABC News
Suspected North Korean hackers have recently tried to break into at least nine health organizations, including pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and vaccine developer Novavax Inc, revealing a broader effort to target key players in the race to develop treatments for COVID-19. Reuters
As fighting erupted in the Ethiopian region of Tigray in early November, the northern part of the country was cut from internet, mobile phone and landline communications. Journalists say the government-imposed blackout made it virtually impossible to get accurate information about the conflict. Voice of America
ASPI ICPC
Australia
Social media platform WeChat censors Scott Morrison's post directed at Chinese community
ABC News
@MattDoran91 @stephendziedzic and Iris Zhao
A message by Prime Minister Scott Morrison that was directed at the Chinese community and critical of an inflammatory post by a Beijing bureaucrat has been censored by a Chinese tech giant. The statement on social media platform WeChat was published on Tuesday night. However, it has now been blocked because it "violates" the company's regulations.
Beijing controls Chinese-language media agencies in Australia, says intel agency
The Sydney Morning Herald
@Ageinvestigates @CharlotteGriev1 and Kate Wong
The Office of National Intelligence has confidentially briefed the government that many of Australia's most popular Chinese-language news outlets have been co-opted by Beijing to advance China's strategic interests. The briefings also highlight that hugely popular WeChat news sites in Australia are subject to complete control and censorship by Beijing, with some accounts directly managed by the Communist Party.
COVIDSafe update aims for almost perfect logging of contacts, but tech experts say app's technology is outdated
ABC News
@JamesPurtill
The Federal Government has overhauled the COVIDSafe contact tracing app, saying the new version logs "encounters" almost perfectly, whether or not the device is locked or the app is running in the background. But the announcement has drawn a mixture of surprise and despair from the tech community, which says the update ignores the fact that COVIDSafe is outdated and other countries are rapidly shifting to a tried-and-tested contact tracing technology developed by Google and Apple.
Takeover accounts: Federal police to get powers to tackle the dark web
The Sydney Morning Herald
@Gallo_Ways
Federal police will be able to take over the online accounts of international pedophile rings, terrorists and drug-traffickers operating on the "dark web" under new laws.
China
For China's Overburdened Delivery Workers, The Customer -And App - Is Always Right
NPR
@EmilyZFeng
The delivery workers described grueling routines: 12-hour days, six days a week, under the automated and watchful eye of mobile apps that track how and when they deliver hundreds of packages a day. Delivery workers are a critical link in China's on-demand courier services, which ship more than 60 billion packages a year and generate nearly 1% of the country's annual economic activity.
USA
To boost voter-fraud claims, Trump advocate Sidney Powell turns to unusual source: The longtime operator of QAnon's Internet home
The Washington Post
@drewharwell
In her legal quest to reverse the reality of last month’s election, President Trump’s recently disavowed attorney Sidney Powell has gained a strange new ally: the longtime administrator of the message board 8kun, the QAnon conspiracy theory’s Internet home.
Why the Biden administration needs a National Cyber Director more than ever
Cyberscoop
@CamilleEsq
As the Biden-Harris administration thinks about cyber appointments and cyber strategy for the first 100 days of the administration, appointing a National Cyber Director role requiring Senate confirmation is critical.
Police in Jackson, Mississippi, want access to live home security video, alarming privacy advocates
NBC News
@BraceyHarris @jonschuppe
Strapped for cash and facing a sharp rise in homicides, city leaders here are expanding police surveillance powers to allow residents and business owners to send live feeds from many types of security cameras - including popular doorbell cameras - directly to the city’s real-time command center.
North Asia
North Korea-linked hackers targeted J&J, Novavax in hunt for COVID research
Reuters
@razhael @jc_stubbs
Suspected North Korean hackers have recently tried to break into at least nine health organizations, including pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and vaccine developer Novavax Inc, revealing a broader effort to target key players in the race to develop treatments for COVID-19.
Southeast Asia
Indonesia considers digital tax even without world consensus
Reuters
Indonesia may still pursue a plan to tax technology companies on the income they generate from the country even if G20 nations and the OECD cannot reach a deal on digital taxes, its finance minister said on Tuesday.
Europe
Europe will push to work with the US on tech governance, post-Trump
TechCrunch
@riptari
The European Union said today that it wants to work with US counterparts on a common approach to tech governance - including pushing to standardize rules for applications of technologies like AI and pushing big tech to be more responsible for what their platforms amplify.
Spain's Biggest Union Is Suing Amazon for Spying on Striking Workers
VICE
@bigblackjacobin
Actions by Amazon and Castor & Polux, the Workers Commission alleges, violate not only the right to strike and freedom of association, but also the right to privacy, protection of data of the workers, and of union delegates of the company.
Africa
Journalists Struggle Through Information Blackout in Ethiopia
Voice of America
@Salem_Solomon
As fighting erupted in the Ethiopian region of Tigray in early November, the northern part of the country was cut from internet, mobile phone and landline communications. Journalists say the government-imposed blackout made it virtually impossible to get accurate information about the conflict.
More African countries are relying on an Israeli surveillance tool to snoop on private citizens
Quartz Africa
Tawanda Karombo
As African governments crack down on protestors and opposition leaders in countries such as Nigeria and Uganda, it is emerging that state security agencies in seven regional countries are among 25 around the world using an Israeli surveillance platform to snoop on private communications of citizens.
Misc
Facebook-backed digital coin Libra renamed Diem in quest for approval
Reuters
@annairrera
Facebook-backed cryptocurrency Libra has been rebranded “Diem” in a renewed effort to gain regulatory approval by stressing the project’s independence.
The Dangerous Faux 'Miracle Mineral Solution' Is Back on Facebook
VICE
@annamerlan
The dangerous pseudo-treatment known as chlorine dioxide, “Miracle Mineral Solution,” or MMS has made a return to Facebook, a Motherboard investigation shows, and its use is being advocated for in several private groups. A few years after Facebook shut down a group run by Kerri Rivera, one of MMS's biggest promoters, she, too, has made a return to the platform and is dispensing advice in at least one of those groups. Motherboard viewed posts that show Rivera claiming that chlorine dioxide can cure “pre-cancer” as well as typhoid, autism, parasites, and a variety of other serious illnesses and disorders.
Twitter now supports hardware security keys for iPhones and Android
TechCrunch
@zackwhittaker
Twitter said Wednesday that accounts protected with a hardware security key can now log in from their iPhone or Android device.