Federal government
U.S. officials imposed the “first of its kind” ban arguing that Kaspersky threatens U.S. national security because of its links to Russia.
US says Russian hackers stole federal government emails during Microsoft cyberattack
CISA said the latest theft of government email — blamed on Russian government hackers — presents “a grave and unacceptable risk” to U.S. federal agencies.
US senator warns governments are spying on Apple and Google users via push notifications
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has warned in a letter to the Justice Department that unidentified governments are spying on Apple and Google phone users through their push notifications. The…
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A government watchdog spent $15,000 to crack a federal agency’s passwords in minutes
A government watchdog has published a scathing rebuke of the Department of the Interior’s cybersecurity posture, finding it was able to crack thousands of employee user accounts because the department’s security policies allow easily guessable passwords like ‘Password1234’. The report by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department…
Startups and VCs are increasingly embracing the federal government. Here’s why
Enterprise startups are increasingly turning their attention to landing the federal government as a customer — and VCs are all-in.
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What we learned when Twitter whistleblower Mudge testified to Congress
A ticking bomb of security vulnerabilities. Covering up security failures. Duping regulators and misleading lawmakers. These are just some of the allegations when Twitter’s ex-security lead turned whistleblower, Peiter Zatko, testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, less than a month after the release of his explosive whistleblower complaint…
Dear Sophie: What should we know about the H-1B lottery before we hire STEM OPTs?
What do I and my founding team at our early-stage startup need to be aware of so we can be on track for the next H-1B lottery for the STEM…
The DOJ is reportedly prepping an antitrust suit against Google over its ad business
The Department of Justice is preparing a second major antitrust suit against Google, according to new reporting by Bloomberg. The DOJ could sue Google “as soon as next month,” according…
The passage of the CHIPS Act could launch another US startup renaissance
Intel’s choice to build a $20 billion chip fabrication facility in Columbus, Ohio, along with the passage of the CHIPS Act, could set the stage for a startup ecosystem boost.
Regulators should address crypto ‘garbage’ first, former SEC Chairman Clayton says
Stablecoins, CFTC oversight are among the first issues the U.S. Senate hopes to tackle in a bipartisan crypto bill.
Facebook and Instagram are removing posts offering to mail abortion pills
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, some Facebook and Instagram users planning to help distribute legal abortion pills are finding themselves censored. According…
As markets go down, government tech spending stays steady: How can investors tap in?
Despite the gloom, doom and scramble for yield, one sector is often overlooked, where backing technology will produce returns no matter the state of the economy: government spending in tech.
Biden admin policy change could tip solar and wind projects into profitability
The Biden administration is hoping that the change will remove at least one roadblock to greater wind and solar development on federal land.
Judge tosses Trump’s lawsuit over his lifetime Twitter ban
A federal judge in California dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Twitter Friday, dimming at least one avenue the former president and prolific tweeter might have used to get back to…
GSA looks into facial recognition bias and improving accessibility in federal web services
The U.S. General Services Administration, which procures and investigates tech for things like government websites and online services, is making a two-pronged push for accessibility in its recently released Equity…
Microsoft says it will open up the Xbox store in light of the Activision Blizzard deal
Microsoft is working to warm lawmakers up to its plans to bring a collection of the world’s most popular video games under its wing. The company announced its intention to…
The IRS won’t make you verify your identity with facial recognition after all
The IRS announced plans Monday to back away from a third-party facial recognition system that collects biometric data from U.S. taxpayers who want to log in to the agency’s online…
Homeland Security establishes the Cyber Safety Review Board to learn the mistakes from past cyber incidents
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has assembled a review board that will be tasked with investigating major national cybersecurity incidents in an effort to “meaningfully improve” the nation’s cyber resilience.…
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US government agencies bought Chinese surveillance tech despite federal ban
This story was reported in partnership with video surveillance news site IPVM. At least three U.S. federal agencies, including the military, have purchased China-made video surveillance equipment banned from use in the federal government. Purchasing records seen by TechCrunch and video surveillance news site IPVM show the agencies collectively spent…
New antitrust suit from Phhhoto alleges Facebook copied and killed the competition
A former upstart Instagram rival is suing Meta, formerly known as Facebook, over allegations that the company violated antitrust laws by cloning a competing product and ultimately killing its business.…
It’s time for the VC community to stop overlooking the childcare industry
The revitalization of the childcare sector would benefit from an ambitious and galvanizing “moonshot” goal, like providing universal, free childcare for all Americans.
Suing your way to the stars
Hello friends, and welcome back to Week in Review! I’m back from a very fun and rehabilitative couple weeks away from my phone, my Twitter account and the news cycle.…
GSA blocks senator from reviewing documents used to approve Zoom for government use
The General Services Administration has denied a senator’s request to review documents Zoom submitted to have its software approved for use in the federal government. The denial was in response…
What the growing federal focus on ESG means for private markets
As regulations around ESG change, private players might not have to comply, but they should adapt to position themselves to effectively operate in a new regulatory environment.
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Biden’s sweeping executive order takes on Big Tech’s ‘bad mergers,’ ISPs and more
The Biden administration just introduced a sweeping, ambitious plan to forcibly inject competition into some consolidated sectors of the American economy — the tech sector prominent among them — through executive action. “Today President Biden is taking decisive action to reduce the trend of corporate consolidation, increase competition, and deliver…
Trump’s new lawsuits against social media companies are going nowhere fast
Trump’s spicy trio of lawsuits against the social media platforms that he believes wrongfully banned him have succeeded in showering the former president with a flurry of media attention, but…
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Opioid addiction treatment apps found sharing sensitive data with third parties
Several widely used opioid treatment recovery apps are accessing and sharing sensitive user data with third parties, a new investigation has found. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to reduce transmission in the U.S, telehealth services and apps offering opioid addiction treatment have surged in popularity. This…
Drata raises $25M Series A to expand its security compliance platform
Security compliance is precisely three things: incredibly boring, time consuming, and entirely necessary to run a business in the modern age. Compliance isn’t going away, but startups like Drata are…
Maryland and Montana are restricting police access to DNA databases
Maryland and Montana have become the first U.S. states to pass laws that make it tougher for law enforcement to access DNA databases. The new laws, which aim to safeguard…
CISA launches platform to let hackers report security bugs to US federal agencies
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has launched a vulnerability disclosure program allowing ethical hackers to report security flaws to federal agencies. The platform, launched with the help of cybersecurity…
