HACKERS
Coronavirus Scams: Cybersecurity researchers at Google have uncovered more than a dozen state-sponsored hacking groups using the virus to craft phishing emails and to distribute malware. However, Google said it has not seen an increase in phishing attacks overall as a result of the pandemic. (Wired)
Iphone Flaw: ZecOps, a San Francisco-based mobile security forensics company, said it discovered a bug in Apple’s mail app that could have allowed hackers to break into iPhones and iPads. Apple acknowledged the flaw, and said it was rolling out a fix soon. (Reuters)
DISINFORMATION
China: Bowing to intense political pressure from Beijing, the European Union reportedly watered down its criticism of China’s propaganda efforts in its report on pandemic-related disinformation. “China has continued to run a global disinformation campaign to deflect blame for the outbreak of the pandemic and improve its international image,” an initial draft of the report said. That sentence was removed and other criticism of Beijing was toned down in a published version. (NYT, FT)
COURTS
Facebook: A federal court in Washington, DC, signed off on the company’s $5 billion settlement reached last summer with the Federal Trade Commission over privacy violations. However, the judge cautioned that the complaints from the privacy advocates “call into question the adequacy of laws governing how technology companies that collect and monetize Americans’ personal information must treat that information.” (WSJ)
ON THE HILL
Chinese Students: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) stoked some controversy over the weekend by suggesting that Chinese nationals should not be allowed to take advanced science and tech classes at American universities. It is a “scandal” that China’s “brightest minds” study in the U.S. only to return home “to compete for our jobs, to take our business, and ultimately to steal our property,” Cotton said on Fox News. (Bloomberg)
PRIVATE SECTOR
Palantir: The Silicon Valley company is likely to delay its long-awaited initial public offering, which was previously expected to come as early as this fall. Palantir is helping public health agencies around the world, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, model and analyze the coronavirus, but many of its corporate clients are likely to pare back spending amid the economic downturn. (WSJ)
Facebook: The social media giant is investing nearly $6 billion in Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries and a top provider of phone and internet services in India. It’s reportedly Facebook’s largest single investment in history. Hundreds of millions of users in India use Facebook and WhatsApp, its messaging service. (NYT)
THE WORLD
Singapore: The city-state is struggling to get residents to download its contact-tracing app, TraceTogether, which was launched a month ago. Authorities are said to need more than 4 million users for the app to help move the needle with case tracing. Thus far, just over 1 million have it. Many residents reportedly have privacy concerns or feel the app isn’t necessary because of the city’s lockdown. Analysts say Singapore’s experience holds lessons for other countries rolling out contact-tracing apps. (WSJ)
Morocco: In recent weeks, dozens of gay men have been outed in the North African country, where homosexuality is a crime, after their profile pictures on apps, like Grindr and Planet Romeo, were discovered and disseminated on social media. The events were triggered by a Moroccan transgender Instagram personality who, after being insulted about her sexual orientation, encouraged women to download the apps popular among gay men. She later said her intention was to show her attackers how many gay men were living in their neighborhoods, perhaps even in their own homes. As a result, some of the outed men, who were sheltering at home during the pandemic, were kicked out of their residences. (NYT)
