Category: iNews

Category: iNews

Trump Administration, Biden Voice New Alarm About Latest Cyberattack
12/17/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and President-elect Joe Biden both voiced new alarm Thursday about a wide intrusion into computer systems around the world that officials suspect was carried out by Russia. The cybersecurity unit of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the hack “poses a grave risk to the federal government and state,

Details
38 States Sue Google Over Antitrust Complaints
12/17/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The lawsuits against Alphabet Inc.’s Google continue to pile up.  On December 17, 38 states filed a joint antitrust complaint that accuses the tech giant of expanding its search monopoly through smart speakers, televisions and cars, according to Reuters. It is the third major lawsuit against the company.  The states are seeking to attach their

Details
US Says Recent Hacking Campaign Hit Government Networks
12/17/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. government confirmed on Wednesday that a recent hacking campaign affected its networks and said the attack was “significant and ongoing.” Hackers believed to be working for Russia have been monitoring internal email traffic at the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments, Reuters reported earlier this week, citing people who said they feared the hacks

Details
10 States Sue Google for ‘Anti-Competitive’ Online Ad Sales
12/17/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Ten states on Wednesday brought a lawsuit against Google, accusing the search giant of “anti-competitive conduct” in the online advertising industry, including a deal to manipulate sales with rival Facebook. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the suit, which was filed in a federal court in Texas, saying Google is using its “monopolistic power” to

Details
EU Unveils New Rules to Curb Technology Companies
12/16/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act have just been presented in Brussels. These proposed policies aim to revise all the principles that apply to digital services within the 27 member states — from the publication of illegal content on social networks to the sale of products online. Big Tech companies will not

Details
Hackers Used SolarWinds’ Dominance Against it in Sprawling Spy Campaign
12/16/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

On an earnings call two months ago, SolarWinds Chief Executive Kevin Thompson touted how far the company had gone during his 11 years at the helm.  There was not a database or an IT deployment model out there to which his Austin, Texas-based company did not provide some level of monitoring or management, he told

Details
Facebook’s Antitrust Fight in US Could Mean More Consumer Choice Worldwide
12/16/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. government’s suit against Facebook for illegally stifling competition and limiting consumer choice will be watched worldwide, particularly by the social network’s more than two billion users. Tina Trinh reports.  Produced by: Tina Trinh     …

Details
Britain to Introduce New Laws Over ‘Harmful’ Social Media Content 
12/15/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Lawmakers in Britain have proposed legislation that would fine social media companies if they do not quickly take action to remove illegal content like child pornography or terrorist materials.  U.S. based Facebook and Twitter and China-owned TikTok could be fined up to 10% of turnover, according to Reuters. CNBC reported that Ofcom, a British media

Details
Apple Adding Privacy Fact Labels to App Store Items
12/15/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Apple on Monday began adding labels that reveal what user data is gathered by games, chat or other software offered in the App Store for its popular mobile devices.  The iPhone maker announced plans for such privacy labels when it first unveiled the new version of its iOS mobile operating system, which it released in

Details
Google Suffers Widespread Outage of Gmail, YouTube and More
12/14/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

After nearly an hour of widespread global outages of Google services, most users were again able to access their Gmail, Google Drive and YouTube accounts Monday morning.   “Update — We’re back up and running! You should be able to access YouTube again and enjoy videos as normal,” YouTube tweeted once service was restored.  

Details
Can China Become Self-reliant in Semiconductors?
12/12/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. added China’s biggest computer chipmaker SMIC to a blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies last week, a move that will further widen the gap between China’s chip technology and the rest of the world. Despite its status as the world’s factory, China has never figured out how to make advanced chips. In recent

Details
EU Vaccine Agency Victim of Cyberattack
12/12/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The head of the European Union’s medical agency confirmed Friday it had been the subject of a cyberattack for the past two weeks but said it will not impact its ongoing evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines. The cyberattack was originally announced Wednesday, with the agency providing few details. During an online meeting with the European Parliament,

Details
EU Vaccine Agency Victim of Cyber-attack
12/11/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The head of the European Union’s medical agency confirmed Friday it had been the subject of a cyberattack for the past two weeks but said it will not impact its ongoing evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines. The cyberattack was originally announced Wednesday, with the agency providing few details. During an online meeting with the European Parliament,

Details
At-Home Kits Aim to Close COVID-19 Testing Gap
12/11/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Getting a COVID test can mean long lines and delayed results. Matt Dibble looks into recent breakthroughs that may have more of us performing a test at home. Camera: Matt Dibble       Producer: Matt Dibble …

Details
At-Home Test Kits: New Tools to Close the COVID-19 Testing Gap
12/11/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Getting a COVID test can mean long lines and delayed results. Matt Dibble looks into recent breakthroughs that may have more of us performing a test at home. Camera: Matt Dibble       Producer: Matt Dibble …

Details
SpaceX Starship Makes Highest Test Flight, Crashes on Landing
12/10/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

SpaceX launched its shiny, bullet-shaped, straight-out-of-science fiction Starship several miles into the air from a remote corner of Texas on Wednesday, but the 6 1/2-minute test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown. It was the highest and most elaborate flight yet for the rocket ship that Elon Musk says could carry people to

Details
Facebook Faces US Lawsuits That Could Force Sale of Instagram, WhatsApp
12/09/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and nearly every U.S. state sued Facebook Inc. Wednesday, saying it broke antitrust law and should potentially be broken up. With the filing of the twin lawsuits, Facebook becomes the second big tech company to face a major legal challenge this fall. The FTC said in a statement that it

Details
YouTube Will Remove New Videos That Falsely Claim Fraud Changed US Election Outcome
12/09/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

YouTube said on Wednesday it would start removing content that falsely allege widespread fraud changed the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, in a change to its more hands-off stance on videos making similar claims. The update, which applies to content uploaded from Wednesday, comes a day after “safe harbor,” a deadline set by U.S.

Details
Cybersecurity Firm FireEye Says Was Hacked by Nation State
12/09/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Prominent U.S. cybersecurity firm FireEye said Tuesday that foreign government hackers with “world-class capabilities” broke into its network and stole offensive tools it uses to probe the defenses of its thousands of customers, who include federal, state and local governments and top global corporations. The hackers “primarily sought information related to certain government customers,” FireEye

Details
Smartphone Glass Strength: The Quest To Make Glass Shatterproof
12/08/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. glassmaker Corning has become the dominant provider of glass covers for smartphones worldwide. Deana Mitchell has the story. …

Details
Australia Introducing Bill to Make Facebook and Google Pay Media Groups for Content
12/08/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Legislation to make Facebook and Google pay media organizations for news content will be introduced in the Australian parliament on Wednesday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Tuesday.   Frydenberg said the measure would be reviewed by a parliamentary committee after its introduction and before legislators vote on it next year.   If the measure becomes law,

Details
Despite Promise, Few in US Adopting COVID-19 Exposure Apps
12/07/2020 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Six months ago, Apple and Google introduced a new smartphone tool designed to notify people who might have been exposed to the coronavirus, without disclosing any personal information. But for the most part, Americans haven’t been all that interested. Fewer than half of U.S. states and territories — 18 in total — have made such

Details