TGIF. Let’s jump straight in so you’re a little closer to the weekend.
1. Dozens of websites seized as part of global cyberattack-for-hire scheme
The U.S. Department of Justice took down 48 internet domains and charged six people who allegedly offered cyberattack-for-hire services. The defendants are each charged with allegedly offering booter services and operating at least one website that offered distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) services as well as subscriptions that varied in length and attack volume. The U.S. obtained a court order to seize the 48 websites, and the FBI is currently in the process of seizing the sites, according to the DOJ.
2. TikTok banned from US government devices
Staying in the U.S. for a second and their Senate passed legislation to ban TikTok from U.S. government devices, in a move designed to limit perceived information-security risks stemming from the social media app. Per a report from CNN, the vote by unanimous consent approved the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, a Bill that is the result of U.S. officials fearing that TikTok’s user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government due to that country’s influence over TikTok’s parent, ByteDance. When he was in power, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he had a “good look” at TikTok and there was no evidence to suggest the misuse of any person’s data.
3. Musk sells $3.6B in Tesla shares
Everyone’s favourite billionaire Elon Musk has sold another batch of his Tesla shares, 22 million shares in fact, worth $US3.58 billion (about $5.4 billion in Aussie terms). Per the BBC, the shares were sold on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. It brings the total of Tesla stocks sold by Musk over the past year to almost $US40 billion. Just this week, we reported that Musk wasn’t the richest person in the world anymore. According to Forbes, Musk is now worth about $US178 billion (about $260 billion). Meanwhile, LVMH chief Bernard Arnault has a value of $US188 billion.
4. Big Tech dragged on poor protection of minors
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has published a report which highlights “inadequate and inconsistent use of technology to detect child abuse material and grooming, and slow response times when this material is flagged by users” on social media and other Big Tech run platforms. “This report shows us that some companies are making an effort to tackle the scourge of online child sexual exploitation material, while others are doing very little,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said. The report considers what Apple, Meta, WhatsApp, Microsoft, Skype, Omegle and Snap are doing to make their platforms safer for kids.
5. Data breach scheme for WA
InnovationAus is reporting that Western Australia is gearing up to appoint its first-ever Privacy Commissioner and introduce a mandatory data breach notification scheme similar to that of New South Wales as part of proposed new public sector privacy laws. The report notes that Attorney General John Quigley and Innovation and Digital Economy minister Stephen Dawson committed to the “once-in-a-generation” privacy reforms on Wednesday, following three years of consultation on the long-awaited legislation.
BONUS ITEM: We think this is super neato.
Have a great weekend.