Last week, the UK began requiring residents to verify their age in the name of protecting all children before accessing online porn and other adult content. Almost immediately, things weren't going as planned, but they went as expected.
As experts have predicted, UK residents can start downloading large quantities of virtual private networks (VPNs), avoiding age verification. This will require the user to upload a government ID by making the user appear like a different country. The UK's online safety laws are just part of a wave of ageing efforts around the world. These laws also may prevent some children from accessing adult content, but some experts warn everyone that they also create security and privacy risks.
The Russian state-backed hacking group Turla is known for its bold and creative attacks, including masking communications through satellites in attacks from other hackers to avoid detection. A group, part of Russia's FSB Intelligence Agency, is currently using access to the country's internet providers to download spyware that tricks foreign officials into breaking encryption, allowing Turla hackers to access their personal information.
And that's not all. Each week we compile security and privacy news that we didn't cover ourselves in depth. Click on the heading to read the complete story. And stay safe there.
Google is deploying an AI-driven age estimation system to apply content protection to search and YouTube, even for non-age users. The system is launched in the EU, and digital safety regulations require the platform to take steps to protect minors from potentially harmful content.
Instead of relying solely on user input data, Google says it uses “various signals” and other metadata to estimate age to determine whether to display user-restricted results. Privacy advocates say the move risks inaccuracy and raises questions about transparency and consent.
Google claims that the changes are in line with regulatory expectations, helping to protect young users from inappropriate content. Still, the idea that platforms can algorithmically infer personal characteristics like age and limit content based solely on those assumptions gives new wrinkles to long-standing debates about moderation, censorship and digital privacy.
Just 24 hours after naming Jen Easter the prominent chair in the social sciences at West Point, the Army rescinded its appointment after criticism from the far right. The former Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and academy alumni were praised for her decades of service. But the backlash broke out online after activist Laura Rumer claimed Easterly had ties to the Biden-era Disformation Governance Committee.
Nina Jankowich, executive director of the board, denied working with Easterly in a Blueski post, calling yet another example of how she lives in a “silly timeline.”
Nevertheless, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll cancelled Easterly's contract and ordered a full review of West Point's employment policy. The Army also stopped practices that allow outside groups to assist in teacher selection. This reversal marks the second famous clash that involves political pressure with former CISA leaders after Donald Trump cancelled Chris Krebs' security clearance earlier this year.
A bipartisan bill from U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Ted Cruz could force lawmakers to request that they remove online posts showing their home addresses and travel plans, Rolling Stone reports. The proposal could be passed by unanimous consent, but it is framed in response to the growing threat to civil servants, particularly after the assassination of Minnesota Legislature Melissa Hortman.
Watchdog has joined dozens of media outlets to warn that the bill could cool reports and allow for selective censorship. The law includes nominal exemptions for journalists, but critics say it remains ambiguous enough to allow Congressional members to sue or request takedowns of legitimate news stories.
