On Tuesday, January 17, 2023, the University of Texas at Austin announced that it has blocked TikTok access across the university’s networks. According to the announcement to its users, “You are no longer able to access TikTok on any device if you are connected to the university via its wired or WIFI networks.” The measure
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South Dakota Governor Bans State Workers from Using TikTok
It is estimated that some 80 million Americans and more than one billion people use TikTok. It is well known that TikTok has a direct connection to the Chinese Communist Party, which is a foreign adversary of the U.S. This week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed an executive order banning all state workers or…
Chula Vista Policy to Protect Residents from Certain Surveillance Technology
The City Council of Chula Vista, California (in the San Diego metropolitan area), announced a new policy governing how city law enforcement can use technology to protect residents from data collected by surveillance equipment. The policy was developed by a city task force after the police department began using Automated License Plate Readers in 2020…
Texas Sues Google for Gathering Biometric Data
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Google for alleged “blatant defiance” of Texas’s biometric privacy law, which prohibits capturing biometric identifiers without prior consumer consent. The complaint alleges that several Google products, including Google Home, Nest, and Google Photos, collect and catalog biometric identifiers such as facial structure and voice print.
Texas…
Killnet Takes Credit for Disabling State Websites
Killnet, a Russian-speaking hacking group that emerged shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, took responsibility last week for deploying a denial-of-service attack that temporarily took several U.S. states’ websites offline.
Although reported as unsophisticated, the attacks managed to affect the websites of Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Mississippi. The group’s goal is reportedly to disrupt U.S. state…
Cyber-Attack Disrupts Public Services in Fremont County, Colorado
Government offices and public services in Fremont County, Colorado, have been disrupted since August 17, 2022, due to a “cybersecurity event affecting our county computer systems.”
As of the official update issued August 24, 2022, “all of the county’s buildings remain closed. This includes administration and public health buildings.”
The update reveals how difficult it…
Ohio City Considering Anti-Drone Voyeurism Law
Recently, the Hamilton City Council in Ohio proposed a new local ordinance that would specifically prohibit the use of drones to commit voyeurism in response to complaints from a resident that someone in his neighborhood was harassing individuals with a drone by recording images. The complainant explained to the Council that a man was operating…
Hospital Continues to Divert Patients Over a Week After Ransomware Attack
Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis has been diverting emergency department patients arriving by ambulance to other area hospitals since it shut down its network following a ransomware attack on August 4, 2021. The diversion is “out of an abundance of caution and to maintain the safety and integrity of our patient care” according to a hospital…
Florida Unemployment Benefit Site Breached
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) recently announced that it discovered on July 16, 2021 that its online unemployment benefit system, CONNECT was compromised, potentially affecting personal information of 57,000 accounts.
The information that may have been accessed in the incident includes individuals’ “personal details” including “social security number, driver’s license number, bank account…
Tulsa, OK Refuses to Pay Ransom to Attackers
The City of Tulsa, Oklahoma, announced on May 9, 2021, that it had been hit with a ransomware attack, but the Mayor is resolute in not paying the demanded ransom. Although “all of our computer systems—with a few exceptions—are down right now,” the Mayor has stated that he will “not pay a nickel” to the…