News Briefs

Microsoft Announces $5 Billion Investment in IoT Over the Next Four Years

Microsoft will invest $5 billion in the Internet of Things over the next four years, said Julia White, Corporate Vice President, via a blog post today. more

SpaceX Authorized by U.S. Federal Communications Commission to Provide Broadband Satellite Services

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved an application by Space Exploration Holdings (SpaceX) to provide broadband services using satellite technology in the United States and around the world. more

Boeing Says WannaCry Outbreak ‘Overstated and Inaccurate’

Various news outlets on Wednesday reported Boeing being hit by the WannaCry virus; the incident had initially triggered a widespread alarm within the company. more

ICANN’s GDPR Compliance Model for Whois Unlikely to Be Implemented in Time for May 25 Deadline

Domain name registries and registrars will not be able to implement ICANN's proposed overhaul of the Whois system in time for the EU's General Data Protection Regulation according to an estimated timetable from ICANN. more

Close to 20% VPN Providers Reported Leaking Customer IP Addresses via WebRTC Bug

Close to 20% of popular VPN services are reported to be leaking customer's IP address via a WebRTC bug known since January 2015, and which "some VPN providers have never heard of." more

Facebook Announces New Privacy and Security Settings Amid Outcry Over Data Collection Practices

In a blog post published today on its website, Facebook has announced it has adjusted its privacy settings in order to give its users more control over their information. more

ICANN Community Leader Stéphane Van Gelder Has Died

ICANN community leader and long-time CircleID participant Stéphane Van Gelder has died in a motorcycle accident. He was 51. more

Russian-Based Kaspersky Lab Planning on Swiss Data Center to Address Russian Exploit Concerns

Leading Moscow-based anti-virus software provider Kaspersky Lab is planning to open a data center in Switzerland to address Western government concerns that Russia exploits its anti-virus software to spy on customers, according to a report from Reuters on Wednesday. more

Berners-Lee Warns Rise of Dominant Platforms has Resulted in Weaponization of the Web at Scale

The World Wide Web turned 29 today and Sir Tim Berners-Lee, web inventor, has shared some stern warnings about the direction it is headed. more

Microsoft, Facebook and Others Demand ICANN Take a Closer Look at Questionable Registrars

Adobe, Facebook, Microsoft and eBay are among a group of leading companies demanding ICANN to take a closer look at an "immediate and urgent matter" involving a subset of questionable domain name registrars. more

FCC Announces Near $1 Billion Plan to Restore Broadband in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai today proposed close to $954 million toward restoring and expanding communications networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that were damaged and destroyed as a result of the 2017 hurricane. more

Women in Security Organize New Conference in Reaction to RSA’s Lack of Female Speaker Inclusion

RSA, one of the largest cybersecurity conferences, has been criticized for booking only one female keynote speaker this year who is Monica Lewinsky. more

Several Major Tech Companies File Suit Against FCC Over Net Neutrality Repeal

Several major tech companies, including Kickstarter, Foursquare and Etsy, filed a lawsuit today against the Federal Communications Commission in an effort to preserve net neutrality rules. more

1.3 Tbps DDoS Attack Against GitHub is Largest Attack Seen to Date, Says Akamai

According to Akamai, the incident was the largest attack seen to date, "more than twice the size of the September 2016 attacks that announced the Mirai botnet and possibly the largest DDoS attack publicly disclosed." more

Washington State Passes Country’s Toughest Net Neutrality Legislation

Washington may be the first state to approve a net neutrality law that applies to all wired and wireless Internet providers in the state. more