1. Monthly archive
  2. November 2018

November 2018

DOJ charges Iranian hackers with attacks on US cities, companies

The Justice Department unsealed charges against two Iranian criminal hackers who allegedly used ransomware to hit American hospitals, universities, government agencies and the city of Atlanta (GA), causing tens of millions of dollars in damages. More than 200 victims were affected, more than $6 million in ransom was collected and damages exceeded $30 million, officials said. Ransomware encrypts data on affected systems, with an offer to decrypt if a ransom is paid.

The Federal Trade Commission will safeguard privacy in name only

If the American people and Congress are looking to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for leadership in the protection of personal privacy, they should prepare for disappointment. In a recent filing with the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the FTC walked away from giving consumers meaningful control of their private information. The bromides they espoused sound remarkably similar to the arguments of the companies that routinely exploit our privacy.

Sen Manchin submits challenge to FCC broadband map

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) submitted a formal challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's Mobility Fund Phase II initial eligible areas map, the only lawmaker to do so. He argued the map does not accurately show broadband coverage in West Virginia. “Rural areas were getting screwed, and all of West Virginia was getting screwed because these big-time carriers were showing, ‘Oh, this is our area. We’ve got it taken care of, don’t worry,'” he said. “They’re only going to go into areas where they know that they’re going to have a return on an investment.

A Hot Seat for Facebook, an Empty Chair for Zuckerberg and a Vow to Share Secret Files

Officials from nine countries examining Facebook’s business practices have spent weeks trying to get the company’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, to face questions at a hearing. Instead, Zuckerberg was represented by an empty chair. He skipped the session, which was organized by a British committee investigating Facebook and the spread of misinformation.

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