Spyware and Pegasus: How Democracies Spy on Their Citizens
Writing for the New Yorker, Ronan Farrow reports on Pegasus, "a spyware technology designed by NSO Group, an Israeli firm, which can extract the contents of a phone, giving access to its texts and photographs, or activate its camera and microphone to.....»»
Report shows how billionaires including Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk pay little to no taxes
Using Internal Revenue Service data on the tax returns of some of America’s wealthiest citizens, ProPublica found that the 25 richest people in the US were worth $1.1 trillion as of 2018 and had a combined personal tax bill of $1.9 billion. It woul.....»»
Nigeria Suspends Twitter Indefinitely After President"s Tweet is Deleted
The Nigerian government suspended all Twitter operations in the country on Friday. From a report: Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Nigerian minister of information and culture, said the decision stemmed from citizens using the platform for activities "capabl.....»»
Europe wants to go its own way on digital identity
In its latest ambitious digital policy announcement, the European Union has proposed creating a framework for a “trusted and secure European e-ID” (aka digital identity) — which it said today it wants to be available to all citizens.....»»
After Joint Debt, EU Seeks More Integration With Digital ID Card
The European Commission will on Thursday propose the introduction of so-called digital wallets that will offer access to a range of services across the EU for the bloc's 450 million citizens, in a further step toward closer integration in the afterma.....»»
EU Set To Unveil Plans For Bloc-Wide Digital Wallet
The European Union (EU) is set to unveil plans for a bloc-wide digital wallet on Wednesday, following requests from member states to find a safe way for citizens to access public and private services online, the Financial Times reported. Reuters repo.....»»
Belarus Bans Most Citizens from Going Abroad
Belarus has temporarily banned most of its citizens from leaving, including many foreign residency permit holders. From a report: There are some exceptions, such as for Belarusian civil servants on official trips and state transport staff. The State.....»»
How flood protection can paradoxically put people at risk
Governments who build defences against rising seas can actually increase their citizens' risk of being flooded—if they fail to take account of the 'safe development paradox," according to a flood defence expert......»»
The DoD is using GPS data purchased from mobile apps for warrantless surveillance, says senator
A US senator is accusing the Department of Defense (DoD) of surveilling US citizens without a warrant. According to Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), a branch of the DoD, has allegedly been purchasing cellphone location.....»»
Report: Facebook Loophole "Lets World Leaders Deceive and Harass Their Citizens"
"Facebook has repeatedly allowed world leaders and politicians to use its platform to deceive the public or harass opponents despite being alerted to evidence of the wrongdoing," reports the Guardian: The Guardian has seen extensive internal documen.....»»
FCC to Broadband Subscribers: Use Our Speed Test App
FCC to Broadband Subscribers: Use Our Speed Test App The FCC is encouraging citizens to download and use its Speed Test app, which is part of the commission’s broadband data collection initiative. Currently, the app is used to collect speed te.....»»
France Is Giving Citizens $3,000 To Get Rid of Their Car and Get an Electric Bike
France is offering residents $2,975 to trade in their gas-powered vehicle for an electric bicycle. The Next Web reports: Earlier this week, lawmakers in France approved the measure in a preliminary vote. The French Federation of Bicycle Users claims.....»»
China Launches Hotline To Report Online Comments That "Distort" History or "Deny" Its Cultural Excellence
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Variety: China's internet regulator has launched a hotline for citizens to report online comments that defame the ruling Communist Party and its approved description of history ahead of the Party's upcoming 10.....»»
NGK Spark Plugs launches $100M corporate venture fund, will seek M&A opportunities
NGK Spark Plug, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of automative spark plugs, announced a new $100 million fund to invest in startups and find potential merger and acquisition deals. The fund was launched with Pegasus Tech Ventures, the ̶.....»»
Colorado Denied Its Citizens the Right-To-Repair After Riveting Testimony
A right-to-repair bill died in the Colorado state legislature on March 25, 2021. After almost three hours of testimony from business leaders, disabled advocates, and a 9-year-old activist, legislators said there were too many unanswered questions and.....»»
Image: Hubble spots a galaxy with a peculiar arm
This image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features NGC 7678—a galaxy with one particularly prominent arm, located approximately 164 million light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus (the Winged Horse)......»»
Daily Crunch: Amazon makes PR push ahead of union vote
Amazon pushes back against unionization, WeWork eyes the SPAC route and there’s new spyware on Android. This is your Daily Crunch for March 26, 2021. The big story: Amazon makes PR push ahead of union vote Workers at Amazon’s fulfillment.....»»
A New Android Spyware Masquerades as a "System Update"
Security researchers say a powerful new Android malware masquerading as a critical system update can take complete control of a victim's device and steal their data. From a report: The malware was found bundled in an app called "System Update" that h.....»»
A new Android spyware masquerades as a ‘system update’
Security researchers say a powerful new Android malware masquerading as a critical system update can take complete control of a victim’s device and steal their data. The malware was found bundled in an app that had to be installed outside of Go.....»»
Myanmar Citizens Find Ways Around Crackdown on Internet
Sidestepping a crackdown on internet use since the military seized power almost two months ago, hundreds of thousands of protesters and citizens in Myanmar are finding different ways to communicate online, downloading tools to bypass censorship restr.....»»
Bill Gates wants Western countries to eat “synthetic meat”; Meatable has raised $47 million to make it
In a recent interview discussing Bill Gates’ recent book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster“, the Microsoft and Breakthrough Energy founder (and the world’s third wealthiest man) advocated for citizens of the richest countries i.....»»