MOSCOW: The Russian founder of popular messaging app Telegram has warned that WhatsApp, the world’s top messaging app, will continue to be open to surveillance after the Facebook-owned platform had to tell users that their phones could be infected with spyware. Pavel Durov, a maverick programmer who created Telegram to offer securely encrypted communications, late Wednesday posted a blog titled “Why WhatsApp will never be secure.” Telegram has repeatedly come under fire from authorities in Russia over its strong encryption and it is officially blocked in the country. “WhatsApp has a consistent history — from zero encryption at its inception to a succession of security issues strangely suitable for surveillance purposes,“ Durov wrote. WhatsApp on Tuesday told more than 1.5 billion users around the world to upgrade the app to plug a security hole. The flaw allowed for the injection of sophisticated malware that could be used to spy on journalists, … [Read more...] about WhatsApp ‘will never be secure’: Russian rival
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Facebook removes more pages tied to Russian operators
Facebook on Monday said it removed more pages, groups and accounts that originated in Russia and were being deceptive about who was behind them and what they were up to. The takedown at Facebook and its image-centric social network Instagram was described as part of an ongoing battle against "coordinated inauthentic behavior" which has blocked numerous fake accounts from around the world. "We found two separate, unconnected operations that originated in Russia and used similar tactics, creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing," Facebook head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher said in a blog post. He added that the takedowns were based on the deceptive behavior of those behind accounts, and not the content posted. Ukraine was the focus of 97 Facebook accounts, pages, or groups removed from the social network, according to Gleicher. Fake accounts were used to operate pages and groups, spread their content and ramp up engagement, … [Read more...] about Facebook removes more pages tied to Russian operators
Russian interference goes beyond swaying elections: US report
It began as a crime story in June 2016 about the lewd behaviour of a seven-year-old refugee boy towards a five-year-old American girl in Twin Falls, Idaho. But the incident quickly morphed into fake news that the girl had been gang-raped at knifepoint by Syrian refugees, who exchanged high-fives with their fathers afterwards. Officials were slow to publicly correct the story and it took on a life of its own. The Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Kremlin-linked Russian group, fuelled anti-immigration and anti-Islam sentiment in the small community by creating false personas on social media to weigh in on the supposed gang-rape. This incident and other similar ones are examples of how Russia's disinformation campaigns go beyond trying to sway an election and are part of a broader drive to undermine democracy and public trust in America's justice system, said a new report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think-tank in Washington. The report, Beyond The Ballot: … [Read more...] about Russian interference goes beyond swaying elections: US report
Putin signs Russian internet bill into law
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed into law a bill on providing stable operation of a Russian national internet system in case of disconnection from the global network infrastructure. According to the law published on Russia's official legal information portal, Russian telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor is entitled to carry out "the centralised operation of the general communications network" if there are risks to the operation of the Russian internet. The measures include installing a national system for internet traffic routing through servers within the country and preventing external threats from cutting off the Russian part of the global network, Xinhua reported. The legislation has aroused controversy as many Russian social network users think it qualifies as one aimed at isolating the Russian internet. In response, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said previously that Russia has no plans to isolate the internet but must prepare for a possible … [Read more...] about Putin signs Russian internet bill into law
Putin signs controversial internet law
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (May 1) signed into law a "sovereign internet" bill which will allow Russian authorities to isolate the country's internet, a move decried by rights groups.Russian lawmakers insist the new law is necessary to ensure the security of Russia's online networks but critics say the vaguely worded bill gives new censorship powers to government monitors.The text of the law was published on Wednesday but it will not come into effect until November.The measures include creating technology to monitor internet routing and to steer Russian internet traffic away from foreign servers, ostensibly to prevent a foreign country from shutting it down.The authors of the initiative say Russia must ensure the security of its networks after US President Donald Trump unveiled a new American cybersecurity strategy last year that said Russia had carried out cyber attacks with impunity.Thousands of people recently rallied in Russia against this and other bills that … [Read more...] about Putin signs controversial internet law