Twitter starts aggressively fact-checking tweets linking 5G to COVID-19
Twitter is now fact-checking tweets that link 5G and the COVID-19 pandemic by adding a label that promises to get users “the facts about COVID-19,” Business Insider reports. Clicking the label takes you to a Twitter page titled “No, 5G isn’t causing coronavirus” that includes links to news reports, fact-checking organizations, and government agencies debunking the conspiracy theory. Twitter confirmed the move in a statement given to Business Insider. “Last month, we announced that we are introducing new labels and warning messages to provide additional context and information on some Tweets containing disputed or misleading information related to COVID-19.”
Obscure Indian cyber firm spied on politicians, investors worldwide
New Delhi-based BellTroX InfoTech Services targeted government officials in Europe, gambling tycoons in the Bahamas, and well-known investors in the United States including private equity giant KKR and short seller Muddy Waters, according to three former employees, outside researchers, and a trail of online evidence. Aspects of BellTroX’s hacking spree aimed at American targets are currently under investigation by U.S. law enforcement, five people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment. Reuters does not know the identity of BellTroX’s clients. In a telephone interview, the company’s owner, Sumit Gupta, declined to disclose who had hired him and denied any wrongdoing.
Twitter, Square to make June 19 a holiday to support racial diversity
Jack Dorsey, the chief executive of Square Inc and Twitter Inc, said June 19, popularly known as ‘Juneteenth’, would be a permanent company-wide holiday in the United States to show support for racial diversity. June 19 commemorates the U.S. abolition of slavery by President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which was belatedly announced in the state of Texas on June 19, 1865, after the end of the Civil War. The move, announced on Twitter here late Tuesday, comes as the death of African American George Floyd in police custody triggered widespread protests against racism and police brutality, while also reigniting the debate on diversity and inclusion among corporate companies.
Facebook Helped the FBI Hack a Child Predator
Buster Hernandez, who was known as “Brian Kil” online, was such a persistent threat and was so adept at hiding his real identity that Facebook took the unprecedented step of helping the FBI hack him to gather evidence that led to his arrest and conviction, Motherboard has learned. Facebook worked with a third-party company to develop the exploit and did not directly hand the exploit to the FBI; it is unclear whether the FBI even knew that Facebook was involved in developing the exploit. According to sources within the company, this is the first and only time Facebook has ever helped law enforcement hack a target.
Amazon bans police use of facial recognition technology for one year
Amazon said on Wednesday that it’s banning use of its facial recognition software by police for one year, as pressure on tech companies builds to respond to the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. “We’ve advocated that governments should put in place stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology, and in recent days, Congress appears ready to take on this challenge,” Amazon said in a statement. “We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested.”
Fake SpaceX YouTube channels scam viewers out of $150K in bitcoin
Scammers have hijacked three YouTube channels to display bitcoin scams impersonating Elon Musk’s SpaceX channel. So far, these scams have raked in close to $150,000 in bitcoins in two days. For years, scammers have been impersonating Elon Musk and SpaceX to perform cryptocurrency giveaways and other scams promising you significant returns if you send them a little bitcoin. Since yesterday, three YouTube channels that were previously known as ‘Juice TV,’ ‘Right Human,’ and ‘MaximSakulevich’ have been hijacked and renamed to ‘SpaceX Live’ or ‘SpaceX.’ One of these channels has 230,000 subscribers, and another has 131,000 subscribers. The legitimate SpaceX YouTube channel has 4.33 million subscribers.
