News Briefs

Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Asked to Investigate Trump’s Cancelation of Privacy Rules

"Activists and academics are calling on Canada's privacy commissioner to investigate after an executive order from President Donald Trump last week stripped Canadians and other foreigners of the limited digital privacy protections they had enjoyed previously in the U.S," Daniel Tencer reporting in the Huffington Post. more

China’s First IPv6-Only Backbone Network Connecting 1,200 More Campuses

2016 marked the start of the third and final phase of the China Next Generation Internet (CNGI) IPv6 program. more

Trump to Sign Cybersecurity Executive Order on Tuesday

President Donald Trump expected to sign an executive order on cyber security on Tuesday. more

US Senator Al Franken Urges FCC Chairman Pai to Protect Freedom of Speech, Enforce Net Neutrality

In open letter issued today, Senator Al Franken has urged the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to join the fight to preserve net neutrality. more

Internet Society CEO: We are Deeply Troubled by Unprecedented U.S. Entry Bans

Internet Society President and CEO, Kathy Brown has released a public note today stating that the U.S. entry ban has places an unwarranted burden on people in the organization. more

US Law-Enforcement Agencies Reported to be at Risk in Foreign-Owned Buildings

US law-enforcement agencies are at risk of being spied on and hacked because some of their field offices are located in foreign-owned buildings without even knowing it. more

Executive Order and the New Date Privacy Rights of Non-US Citizens

"Last week, President Trump signed an executive order affecting the privacy rights of non-US citizens with respect to data residing in the US," Bruce Schneier writes in his security blog. more

Data Breaches Reported During 2016 Exposed Over 4.2 Billion Records

2016 broke the previous all-time high, set back in 2013, for the number of records exposed from reported data breaches. more

China Sets Up $14.6 Billion Internet Investment Fund

China's government has established a 100 billion yuan (US$14.5 billion) state fund to invest, nurture and support internet companies and spearhead the country's technological innovations and economic transformation into the so-called 'Internet Plus' era. more

CADNA Returns to Lobby for Stronger Cybersquatting Laws

Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse, the lobby group that campaigned for stronger cybersquatting laws and against new gTLDs, is back. more

Trump Expected to Name FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai as Chairman

"Pai, a Barack Obama nominee who has served as the senior FCC Republican for more than three years, could take the new role immediately and wouldn't require approval by the Senate because he was already confirmed to serve at the agency," Alex Byers and Tony Romm reporting in Politico. more

Outgoing FCC Chairman Warns Republicans Against Overturning Net Neutrality

"Outgoing U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler warned Republicans against dismantling the Obama administration's landmark 'net neutrality' protections," David Shepardson reporting in Reuters. more

New Study Highlights Growing Risk, Lack of Urgency with Mobile and IoT Application Security

Despite widespread concern about the security of mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, organizations are ill-prepared for the risks they pose, according to a research report issued today from Ponemon Institute, IBM Security, and Arxan Technologies. more

Canadian Energy Firms at Bigger Risk of Cyberattack

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is reported to have warned companies about an increasing risk of cyber espionage and attacks on pipelines, oil storage and shipment facilities. more

Ukraine’s Power Outage Due to Cyberattack, Says Country’s National Power Company

A power blackout in Ukraine's capital Kiev last month was caused by a cyber attack, according to Ukraine's National power company, Ukrenergo which hired investigators to help it determining the cause. more