A question awaiting resolution. Can clear language answer?
Graff paid £6m ransom fee to Russian hackers behind celebrity cyber attack
… Now it has been reported by Bloomberg that the jeweller paid $7.5 million (£6.3 million) by way of a ransom fee so that the data of its customers not be released.
Graff is also suing its insurance agency over the latter’s refusal to cover the ransom fee.
… On the topic of its legal case against its insurer, a Graff spokesperson was quoted by Mint as saying: “The criminals threatened targeted publication of our customers private purchases.
“We were determined to take all possible steps to protect their interests and so negotiated a payment which successfully neutralised that threat.
“We are extremely frustrated and disappointed by [insurer] Travelers’ attempt to avoid settlement of this insured risk.
“They have left us with no option but to bring these recovery proceedings at the High Court.”
Of course the RCMP is far more technologically advanced than our law enforcement agencies, so we have nothing to worry about.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/07/canada-police-spyware-admission-surveillance-experts
‘Asleep at the wheel’: Canada police’s spyware admission raises alarm
… During a parliamentary session in late June, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police submitted a document outlining how a special investigative team covertly infiltrates the mobile devices of Canadians. The tools, which have been used on at least 10 investigations between 2018 and 2020, give the police access to text messages, email, photos, videos, audio files, calendar entries and financial records. The software can also remotely turn on the camera and microphone of a suspect’s phone or laptop.
… The RCMP says it only uses the tools when less intrusive means have failed. In the document, the police force claims it needs to use spyware because new technologies, like end-to-end encryption, make it “exponentially more difficult for the RCMP to conduct court-authorized electronic surveillance”.
(Related)
DATA-DRIVEN DEPORTATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY
When you think about government surveillance in the United States, you likely think of the National Security Agency or the FBI. You might even think of a powerful police agency, such as the New York Police Department. But unless you or someone you love has been targeted for deportation, you probably don’t immediately think of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
This report argues that you should. Our two-year investigation, including hundreds of Freedom of Information Act requests and a comprehensive review of ICE’s contracting and procurement records, reveals that ICE now operates as a domestic surveillance agency.
DOWNLOAD IN ENGLISH https://americandragnet.org/report-english
To hack or not to hack? A true no brainer… Expect lawsuits every time a car is hit from the rear or side...
EU will require all new cars to include anti-speeding tech by 2024
Every new car sold in the European Union will soon include anti-speeding technology known as intelligent speed assistance, or ISA. The EU regulation (part of the broader General Vehicle Safety Regulation ) goes into effect today, and states that all new models and types of cars introduced to the European market must include an ISA system.
… For those unfamiliar with ISA, the term describes a whole raft of systems that can detect road speed limits via front-mounted cameras, GPS data or both. Depending on the specific ISA and how it's configured by the driver, the technology can provide reminder feedback about the speed limit, automatically adjust cruise control to match the road's speed or even reduce power to the motor to slow speeding vehicles.
… According to a projection by the EU-funded PROSPER, a scenario such as this one, where ISA becomes mandated, could result in between 26 and 50 percent fewer fatalities.
As Autocar notes, ISA technology still isn’t perfect. During one test, the ISA system was occasionally “slow to respond” and at one point set the speed limit at 60 mph while driving through a quiet English village.
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