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☆ FCC fines wireless carriers millions for sharing user locations without consent
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —The US government has issued millions of dollars in fines to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon after an investigation found the nation’s top wireless carriers had illegally shared customers’ personal data without their consent. The fines target a practice in which carriers shared user location information with data resellers, known in the industry as “location aggregators.” These aggregators passed the data onward to their own third-party customers. “Each carrier attempted to offload its obligations to obtain customer consent onto downstream recipients of location information, which in many instances meant that no valid customer consent was obtained,” the FCC said in a release. In response to the FCC fines, all of the wireless carriers said they expect to appeal the decision. We take our responsibility to keep customer data secure very seriously and have always supported the FCC’s commitment to protecting consumers, but this decision is wrong, and the fine is excessive.

Persons: Trump, perversely, ”, “, Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyden, ” Wyden Organizations: Washington CNN, Mobile, Verizon, Federal Communications Commission, FCC, Sprint, ” Verizon, Oregon Democratic Locations: Securus

☆ The NSA buys Americans’ internet data, newly released documents show
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —The National Security Agency has been buying Americans’ web browsing data from commercial data brokers without warrants, intelligence officials disclosed in documents made public by a US senator Thursday. The purchases involve what Nakasone described as netflow data, or the technical information generated by devices as they use the internet. Nakasone added that the NSA does not purchase cellphone location data of Americans or location data generated by automotive infotainment systems in the United States. “NSA purchases commercially available Netflow data for its cybersecurity mission, to include but not limited to inform the Agency’s collection, analysis, and dissemination of cyber threat intelligence,” an NSA official said. As part of Thursday’s announcement, Wyden wrote a letter to the Biden administration urging it to stop the warrantless surveillance of Americans through the purchases of internet data.

Persons: Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Biden, ”, Paul Nakasone, Wyden, Nakasone, “, Ronald Moultrie, Allison Nixon, ” Nixon, Timothy Haugh, ” Wyden, Avril Haines, Haines, Lina Khan, CNN’s Sean Lyngaas Organizations: Washington CNN, National Security Agency, Oregon Democratic, Pentagon, CNN, The New York Times, NSA, Defense Department, cyberattacks, Defense Intelligence Agency, Federal Trade Commission, InMarket Media, FTC Locations: Oregon, United States, U.S

☆ Apple knew AirDrop users could be identified and tracked as early as 2019, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Washington CNN —Security researchers warned Apple as early as 2019 about vulnerabilities in its AirDrop wireless sharing function that Chinese authorities claim they recently used to track down users of the feature, the researchers told CNN, in a case that experts say has sweeping implications for global privacy. AirDrop lets Apple users who are near each other share files using a proprietary mix of Bluetooth and other wireless connectivity without having to connect to the internet. A Chinese tech firm, Beijing-based Wangshendongjian Technology, was able to compromise AirDrop to identify users on the Beijing subway accused of sharing “inappropriate information,” judicial authorities in Beijing said this week. The Chinese tech firm, Wangshendongjian Technology, that claimed to have exploited AirDrop appeared to have used some of the same techniques first identified by the Darmstadt researchers in 2019, said Alexander Heinrich, one of the German researchers. “Now that Chinese security agencies are exploiting this vulnerability, it’s a tough political problem for Apple.”

Persons: Apple, “, ”, Benjamin Ismail, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio, ” Rubio, Milan Stute, Sascha Meinrath, Palmer, Alexander Heinrich, ” Heinrich, Kenn White, Heinrich et al, ” White, Sen, Ron Wyden, ” Wyden, “ Apple, Qi An Xin, Dakota Cary, SentinelOne, Ismail, would’ve, Matthew Green Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Apple, Bluetooth, Technology, Republican, Senate Intelligence Committee, Technical University of Darmstadt, Penn State University, Wangshendongjian Technology, ” Apple, Oregon Democrat, Beijing, Olympic, Xinhua, Johns Hopkins University, “ Locations: China, Washington, Hong Kong, Beijing, Florida, Germany, Darmstadt, Oregon, cyberattacks, Dakota

☆ US drug shortages are forcing ‘impossible choices’ for Americans, experts tell Senate committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Dr. Jason Westin regularly witnesses the power of lifesaving cancer drugs. But because generic cancer drugs are often in shortage in the United States, he says, he and his patients have been put in a terrible position. Makers of generic drugs don’t have to share information about the supply chain, so buyers currently choose based only on price. Hernandez told the Senate committee that of the top 50 generic drugs paid for by Medicare Part D, 16 were marked up 1,000% or higher. Until there is some kind of legislation that addresses drug shortages, Wosińska and the other experts agreed, they will continue.

Persons: Jason Westin, ” Westin, that’s, they’d, Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Mike Crapo, Generics, ” Crapo, “, ”, Crapo, Inmaculada Hernandez, ” Hernandez, Dr, Marta E, it’s, ” Wosińska, Ron Wyden, ” Wyden, Hernandez, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, Anderson Cancer Center, US, Finance, Vanderbilt, Tennessee Republican, Food and Drug Administration, Westin, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Centers, Medicare, Medicaid Services, Brookings Institution, CNN Health Locations: M.D, Houston, United States, Nashville, Idaho, China, India, San Diego, Oregon, generics

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up a case Tuesday over a Washington couple's $15,000 tax bill that is widely seen as a test of a never-enacted tax on wealth. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesThe Moores paid $15,000 in taxes based on Charles Moore’s investment in an Indian company. They argue that the tax violates the 16th Amendment, which allows the federal government to impose an income tax on Americans. “The Moore case could make it impossible to close those loopholes,” Wyden said. Public documents show that Charles Moore's involvement with the company, including serving as a director for five years, is far more extensive than court filings indicate.

Persons: Charles, Kathleen Moore, Paul Ryan, Donald Trump, ”, Moores, Charles Moore’s, Moore, Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, “, ” Wyden, Charles Moore's, Samuel Alito, David Rivkin, Alito, Rivkin, Fatima Hussein Organizations: WASHINGTON, Washington, Wisconsin Republican, Republican, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Democratic, Oregon, Moores, ___ Associated Locations: Redmond , Washington, Indian, ___

The tool, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, will expire at the end of December unless the White House and Congress can cut a deal and resolve an unusually vexing debate that has yielded unlikely alliances at the intersection of privacy and national security. Without the program, administration officials warn, the government won't be able to collect crucial intelligence overseas. National security officials have said that 59% of articles in the president’s daily brief contain Section 702 information. The White House has already dismissed as unworkable the one known legislative proposal that’s been advanced. Despite the clear challenges in reaching a compromise, the last-minute scramble between the White House and Congress has come to be expected each time the government’s surveillance powers are set to be renewed.

Persons: Biden, Matthew Olsen, Ayman al, Donald Trump, Trump, “, ”, Jamil Jaffer, George Mason University’s, That’s, Jim Jordan, Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyden, Andy Biggs, —, We’re, ” Wyden, “ We’ve, Farnoush Amiri Organizations: WASHINGTON, Foreign Intelligence, House, Department's, Hamas, Trump, White House, Congress, National Security Institute, George, White, Capitol, FBI, Republican Rep, Democratic, Republican, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Russia

☆ Researchers find sensitive personal data of US military personnel is for sale online
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Sensitive personal information like the apparent home addresses and health conditions of thousands of active-duty US military personnel can be bought cheaply online from so-called data brokers, according to a study published Monday by Duke University researchers. The researchers could shop for data on servicemembers based on geolocation, including whether they lived or work near Fort Bragg, Quantico or other sensitive military locations. The Federal Trade Commission is currently considering new regulations to crack down on data brokers. “However, we have repeatedly raised concerns about the practices of data brokers and their potential impact on consumer privacy. The Pentagon and US intelligence community have long been concerned about how foreign spies might exploit the market for personal data on Americans.

Persons: Scammers, ”, Justin Sherman, ” Sherman, Ron Wyden, “, ” Wyden Organizations: CNN, Duke University, Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy, Social, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, Fair, Oregon Democrat, Department of Defense’s, Pentagon Locations: Fort Bragg, Quantico, Oregon, United States

President Joe Biden’s Cabinet secretaries will be advocating for the foreign aid to a mostly friendly audience in the Senate, where majority Democrats and many Republicans support tying aid for the two countries together. Despite growing questions about the Ukraine aid within the Republican conference, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell has forcefully advocated tying the aid for Ukraine and Israel together. As they returned to Washington on Monday night, Senate Republicans who support the Ukraine aid were uncertain of the path forward. 2 Senate Republican, said it could complicate Democrats’ efforts to pass the two together if there were a bipartisan vote for the Israel aid alone in the House. In recent weeks, though, a growing group of Senate Republicans have joined the majority of House Republicans who are advocating to slow down or stop U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden’s, Mike Johnson, Biden, ”, Chuck Schumer, Vladimir Putin, Patty Murray, Maine Sen, Susan Collins, ” Murray, Mitch McConnell, Oksana Markarova, ” Markarova, embolden Putin, Sen, John Thune of, Thune, Republican Sen, Joni Ernst, Iowa, Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance, Putin, Johnson, Schumer, “ we're, Richard Neal, Ron Wyden, ” Wyden, Karine Jean, Pierre, ” “, —, Seung Min Kim, Fatima Hussein, Tara Copp Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Senate, Republican, Internal Revenue Service, Republicans, Hamas, Senate Republicans, House Republicans, Fox News, Democrat, New York Rep, White, Associated Press Locations: United States, Israel, Ukraine, America, Russia, Taiwan, China, U.S, Mexico, Ukrainian, Kentucky, Washington, John Thune of South Dakota, Ohio

☆ Billionaire Leon Black made a $158 million payment to Jeffrey Epstein. Senators want to know why
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —The Senate Finance Committee is looking into whether billionaire investor Leon Black’s $158 million payment to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was part of a greater strategy to avoid paying over $1 billion in federal gift and estate taxes. “The payments were inexplicably large; well in excess of what Black paid any other financial advisors and far higher than the median compensation of Fortune 500 CEOs at the time,” Wyden said in a statement released Tuesday. “At every stage of the committee’s investigation, Black has refused to answer questions or provide any documents that could demonstrate how Epstein’s compensation for tax and estate planning services was determined or justified,” Wyden said in the statement. Black has cooperated extensively with the Committee, providing detailed information about the matters under review,” Whit Clay, a spokesman for Black, said in a statement to CNN. An internal Apollo investigation that documented his $158 million payment to Epstein following the New York Times’ reporting, however, found no wrongdoing.

Persons: Leon Black’s, Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein, Ron Wyden, Wyden, Dechert, ” Wyden, “, Black, Mr, Whit Clay, ” Epstein, Dechert didn’t, Joanna Rose, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Finance, Apollo Global Management, Oregon Democrat, Dechert LLP, Apollo, Fortune, CNN, New York Times Locations: New York

☆ A bipartisan bill aims to protect journalists from being forced to reveal their sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Journalists could soon enjoy greater protections under federal law. A bipartisan group of US senators and congressmen united this week to reintroduce the Protect Reporters from Exploitive State Spying Act, or as it is more commonly known, the PRESS Act. First, it would prevent the government from compelling reporters from being forced to disclose their sources. “The PRESS Act is the strongest federal shield bill for journalists we’ve ever seen,” Seth Stern, director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement. The PRESS Act would solve for that by enshrining protections into federal law.

Persons: we’ve, ” Seth Stern, Donald Trump, General Merrick Garland, Republican Sen, Mike Lee, ” Lee, Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, ”, ” Wyden Organizations: CNN — Journalists, Exploitive, Press Foundation, News / Media Alliance, Radio Television Digital News Association, National Association of Broadcasters, American Civil Liberties Union, Department of Justice, CNN, Washington Post, The New York Times, DOJ, Republican, Democratic

☆ PGA Tour-Saudi deal scrutiny intensifies as Senate Finance Committee investigates
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The backlash to the proposed merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf intensified as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, opened an investigation into the deal on Thursday. The committee will probe the deal between the US-based PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund-backed LIV Golf and assess what the deal means for national security. The PGA Tour and LIV Golf did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. The surprise deal this month between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, competing tours locked in a legal battle before the merger announcement, has faced growing opposition from lawmakers. The US-based PGA Tour said the merger would “unify the game” and all pending litigation between the tours would be dropped under the new agreement.

Persons: LIV Golf, Ron Wyden, ” Wyden, Wyden, Mohammed bin Salman, Bin Salman, Jamal Khashoggi, Elizabeth Warren, LIV, “ Organizations: CNN, PGA, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Saudi, of Justice, PGA Tour, DOJ, Democratic, Senate, LIV Locations: Oregon, United States, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, U.S

☆ New bipartisan bill in Senate could address TikTok security concerns without a ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Much of the existing legislation addressing TikTok at the federal and state level has focused on bans of the app. Wednesday’s legislation, known as the Protecting Americans’ Data From Foreign Surveillance Act, does not identify TikTok by name. TikTok has faced criticism from US officials who say the company’s links to China pose a national security risk. Congress has made several attempts in recent months to address data transfers to foreign adversaries. In February, House lawmakers advanced a bill that would all but require the Biden administration to ban TikTok over national security concerns about the app.

Persons: Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyoming Republican Sen, Cynthia Lummis, —, ” Wyden, Wyden, TikTok, ByteDance, Biden, Justin Sherman, ” Sherman, Rhode Island Democratic Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee Republican Sen, Bill Hagerty, New Mexico Democratic Sen, Martin Heinrich, Florida Republican Sen, Marco Rubio, Warren Davidson, Anna Eshoo Organizations: CNN, Oregon Democratic, Wyoming Republican, ByteDance, Commerce Department, Oracle, Texas, Commerce, Duke University’s Sanford School of Public, Rhode, Rhode Island Democratic, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee Republican, New Mexico Democratic, Florida Republican, Ohio Republican, California Democratic Locations: China, United States, Russia, Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee, New Mexico, Florida

Does Section 230 apply to generative A.I.? search engines? Typically, search engines are considered vehicles for information rather than content creators, and search companies have benefited from Section 230 protection. Generative A.I. And hallucinations — the falsehoods that generative A.I.

Persons: drafters, ”, Ron Wyden, don’t, Chris Cox, ” Wyden, Eric Goldman Organizations: Democrat, Republican, Microsoft, Google, Santa Clara University Locations: Oregon, California

CNN —The FBI improperly searched an intelligence database for information on suspects in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot and people arrested at 2020 protests after the police killing of George Floyd, according to a court opinion that was unsealed and released Friday. The new details about the database misuse are likely to complicate the Biden administration’s efforts to renew a key foreign surveillance program. The FBI searches were not “reasonably likely” to retrieve foreign intelligence information or evidence of a crime, Justice Department officials who reviewed the searches concluded, according to the opinion from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which oversees US spy agencies. Analysts at the FBI and other agencies can then search the data gathered for leads related to foreign intelligence missions. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said Friday that congressional action was needed to curb the privacy violations of Americans revealed by the court opinion.

☆ Senator calls for investigation after Reuters facial recognition report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Lena Masri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Ron Wyden has called for the Biden administration to carry out an investigation after a Reuters report showed how Russian authorities are using facial recognition to curb dissent with the aid of U.S. technology. Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said that "American technology shouldn’t be a linchpin in Russia’s authoritarian surveillance machine." His comments came in response to Reuters reporting last month that showed that surveillance and facial recognition have played an important role in the arrests of hundreds of protesters in Moscow -- and that after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, authorities began using facial recognition to prevent people from protesting. The facial recognition system in Moscow is powered by algorithms produced by one Belarusian company and three Russian firms. Russian customs records showed the companies' technologies were still arriving in Russia via third parties between April 1, 2022, and Oct. 31 2022.

☆ Credit Suisse is still helping ultra-wealthy Americans evade taxes, Senate panel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Senate investigation also found that former senior bankers at Credit Suisse were involved in the management of these large and undeclared offshore accounts. In a statement to CNN on Wednesday, a Credit Suisse spokesperson said the bank does not tolerate tax evasion. Credit Suisse said its new leadership has cooperated with the Senate inquiry. In 2014, Credit Suisse pled guilty to federal charges that it illegally allowed some US clients evade their taxes for decades. The latest allegations come just days after Credit Suisse reached an emergency deal to be acquired by rival UBS.

Come next year, Democrats will have unilateral subpoena power in many committees to compel investigative targets to provide documents and testimony — without needing GOP support. “Our committees will have greater oversight ability, subpoena power. Subpoena power can deal with corporate corruption and inequities, and other problems throughout the country,” he said. “And if using subpoena power becomes necessary, then that’s something we can do.”Other Democrats floated industries that could be the targets of the party's subpoena powers. “But having subpoena power for CEOs and billionaires who think they don’t have to come to Congress to explain themselves will be very valuable.”

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