Today’s Tech Sightings:
FILE – Logo of Israeli software provider NICE Systems is seen at their headquarters in Raanana, Israel. (Reuters)
Millions of Verizon Customer Records Exposed in Security Lapse
Up to 14 million Verizon subscriber records were left unprotected on an Amazon storage server in Israel. An employee of Israel-based NICE Systems left the information unsecured on the server and available for download with little difficulty. The leak includes sensitive records of customers who called Verizon in the past six months. Privacy advocates caution that NICE Systems works closely with several government intelligence agencies and phone-hacking groups. Cybersecurity experts warn potential consequences could lead to phone hijacking and account takeovers.
Apple Sets Up China Data Center to Meet New Cybersecurity Rules
Apple is setting up its first data center in China’s southern province of Guizhou in collaboration with local internet providers to comply with the latest, tough cybersecurity rules Beijing introduced in June. The center’s cloud data storage services will be operated by Chinese companies, but Apple said no backdoors will be allowed in the system that might compromise privacy and security. The latest cybersecurity laws subject foreign companies moving more than 1,000 gigabytes of data out of the country to annual security reviews.
Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Spotify Among Firms Pushing Net Neutrality Day of Action
Up to 40 technology companies launched a Day of Action Wednesday to encourage internet users to voice their concerns this week before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rolls back Obama-era internet protections. Apple is noticeably missing from the group. Net neutrality rules required internet providers to treat all traffic equally without selectively controlling content and speed to prioritize their own paid material, for example, or throttle traffic.
More:
- US Government Removes Kaspersky From Approved Vendors List
- Kaspersky Lab Says It Has Become Pawn in US-Russia Geopolitical Game
- Mom and Dad Are to Blame for the Robot Parent Uprising
- Alphabet Wants User-generated Content on Google Earth to Showcase Amazon Rainforest
- Facebook Messenger Home Screen Ads Rolling Out Worldwide
- Biased Algorithms Are Everywhere, and No One Seems to Care
- Blocked Internet Users Sue US President Trump
- Apple Will Now Let You Pay for Apps, Music, Movies and More with PayPal
- Windows Phone 8.1 Is Dead
- How to Monitor, Measure, and Manage Your Broadband Consumption
