Ryan Lovelace

Russian-speaking group ‘FIN12’ blamed for ransomware attacks on hospitals

Ransomware attacks on hospitals during the height of the coronavirus pandemic last year were launched by "FIN12," a group of suspected Russian-speaking criminals, cybersecurity company Mandiant said Thursday.

October 7, 2021

National Science Foundation watchdog overwhelmed by foreign influence caseload

National Science Foundation Inspector General Allison Lerner told Congress her office is struggling to manage the rapidly expanding caseload of allegations that China and other countries have co-opted government-funded scientists and researchers.

October 6, 2021

Whistleblower: Facebook increases audience by ‘hooking’ kids with an ‘addictive experience’

A key Democratic senator and a former Facebook employee on Tuesday argued that the social-media company knowingly harms children similar to the tobacco industry's alleged past exploitations.

October 5, 2021

Twitter gave researchers for Defense Department access to info for use in government programs

Twitter granted researchers working for the Defense Department access to information shared by its users for study on combating online influence operations, a defense research program manager says.

October 5, 2021

‘War of weaponized influence’: U.S. spending millions to hunt down foreign tweets, memes

The U.S. government is building expensive new tools to fight enemies that use tweets and memes instead of bullets and bombs.

October 4, 2021

Sen. Blumenthal’s office posed as teenage girl on Instagram to learn about potential harm

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat, disclosed his decision to masquerade as a female child online during a contentious Senate hearing with a Facebook executive over allegations that the company hurts kids.

September 30, 2021

Senators agree new privacy protections needed but can’t agree on details

The Senate has bipartisan momentum for creating a federal data privacy law but lacks a consensus on what to include.

September 29, 2021

Senators say Facebook ‘whistleblower’ to testify at hearing about protecting kids online

A Facebook "whistleblower" will testify before the Senate next week at a hearing about protecting children online, according to a bipartisan Senate duo.

September 29, 2021

Republican antitrust champion hammers Democrats’ approach as ‘baffling’

A key Republican voice on antitrust issues panned the proposed Democratic agenda, signaling diminished chances of bipartisan legislation to curb the power of giant U.S. tech and drug firms advancing during this Congress.

September 28, 2021

Facebook pulls plug on ‘Instagram Kids’ ahead of faceoff in Senate over harming teen girls

Facebook halted an Instagram product for children on Monday as the tech giant braced for a confrontation with Congress over allegations Instagram hurts girls' mental health and possibly contributes to suicidal thoughts.

September 27, 2021

Rep. Ted Lieu leads effort to scrap Department of Justice’s investigations into Chinese influence

Rep. Ted Lieu, California Democrat, is leading an effort to undermine the federal government's investigations of Chinese influence over scientists, researchers, and others engaged in alleged economic espionage.

September 24, 2021

Biden administration pushes for fines on companies withholding info about hacks, cyberattacks

The Biden administration said Thursday it wants the legal authority to fine companies that do not cooperate with the government on information-sharing to protect against cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.

September 23, 2021

Internet freedom declines in U.S. for 5th straight year: Freedom House report

Internet freedom declined in the U.S. for the fifth consecutive year, knocking America out of the top 10 countries in Freedom House's annual rankings of global internet freedom.

September 22, 2021

Biden administration sanctions cryptocurrency market to fight ransomware

The Biden administration cracked down on a cryptocurrency exchange on Tuesday to disrupt ransomware attackers using digital payments to facilitate the cyberattacks on America's critical infrastructure.

September 21, 2021

Facebook denies it withheld censorship under Trump to avoid regulation

Facebook is disputing the claim that it provided President Trump and his campaign more editorial leeway ahead of the 2020 election as part of a deal to avoid new federal regulation.

September 21, 2021

Twitter offers to settle class-action lawsuit for more than $800 million

Twitter on Monday offered to settle a class-action lawsuit for $809.5 million to avoid a trial beginning later this year involving allegations that the social network artificially inflated its stock price.

September 20, 2021

Cato Institute demands domestic investigation records in lawsuit against FBI, DOJ

The libertarian Cato Institute sued the FBI and Department of Justice on Thursday, vowing to unearth records about whether and when the FBI has overstepped its bounds in targeting and investigating American citizens.

September 16, 2021

Ransomware gangs’ methods match state-sponsored attackers as assaults get more sophisticated

Ransomware gangs are using methods akin to state-sponsored cyberattackers and have focused their targeting on more lucrative potential victims, according to cybersecurity researchers.

September 15, 2021

Apple issues security updates for iPhones, iPads, laptops after researchers find new hack

Apple issued new security updates Monday following the discovery of a new hack that does not require people to click anything to become a victim.

September 13, 2021

New Commerce committee to shape Biden’s moves on artificial intelligence affecting society

The Commerce Department is building a National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee to guide President Biden on artificial intelligence's effect on society, on a variety of issues such as economic sectors and racial-justice matters.