USAToday

Obama cybersecurity czar: Russian hackers likely scanned election systems in all 50 states

Russian hackers likely scanned the election systems of all 50 states for vulnerabilities in 2016 — not just the 21 states confirmed as targets by homeland security officials in 2017, said Michael Daniel, the cybersecurity czar for former President Barack Obama, to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Daniel said that the federal government should invest more money in cybersecurity for state election systems.

News publishers protest Facebook's new political ad rules

Major news organizations raised objections to Facebook's plans to treat ads promoting political news coverage the same as political advocacy ads. Under changes Facebook will roll out May 22 aimed at combating the spread of political misinformation, all Facebook ads featuring political content will get a “Paid for by” label and would carry a disclaimer. Publishers say these new rules are too broad. These political messaging labels would also appear on "sponsored" posts that news organizations buy to amplify the reach of an article or video on the political news of the day.

Sinclair defends itself over uproar after local news anchors read anti 'false news' screed

Sinclair Broadcast Group is defending itself against criticism for a recent on-air promotional message many of its local news anchors were asked to read that warned viewers about "false news" on competing media outlets.  Sinclair produced the spots to express concern about the spread of such false media reports such as the "Pope Endorses Trump" fake news story that quickly spread across social media, said Scott Livingston, Sinclair's senior vice president of news. “Some other false stories, like the fake ‘Pizzagate’ story, can result in dangerous consequences,” he said.

Your smart TV may be prey for hackers and collecting more info than you realize, 'Consumer Reports' warns

If you’ve snapped up a smart TV, with built-in Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and other Web connections, heads up on this warning — your smart TV could make you vulnerable to hackers and is probably monitoring more of your viewing than you realize. Consumer Reports just analyzed smart TVs from five big U.S. TV brands — Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL and Vizio — and found several problems. All can track what consumers watch, and two of the brands failed a basic security test. 

NJ Gov Signs Net Neutrality Executive Order

New Jersey will join nearly two dozen other states in a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration's contentious repeal of network neutrality rules, said Gov Phil Murphy (D-NJ). Gov Murphy also signed an executive order requiring internet providers hired by the state adhere to the principles of net neutrality.

Supreme Court will decide if online retailers must collect sales tax

The Supreme Court agreed to reconsider one of the most contentious issues in the business world: whether online retailers must collect sales taxes. By taking on a law passed by South Dakota's legislature for the express purpose of testing its legality, the court will return to an issue it addressed 25 and 50 years ago, before consumers did nearly 10% of their shopping on the internet.