University of Texas at Austin Permanently Blocks TikTok on Network
On Tuesday, January 17, 2023, the University of Texas at Austin announced that it has blocked TikTok access across the university’s networks. According to the announcement to its users, “You are...
South Dakota Governor Bans State Workers from Using TikTok
It is estimated that some 80 million Americans and more than one billion people use TikTok. It is well known that TikTok has a direct connection to the Chinese Communist Party,...
Chula Vista Policy to Protect Residents from Certain Surveillance Technology
The City Council of Chula Vista, California (in the San Diego metropolitan area), announced a new policy governing how city law enforcement can use technology to protect residents from data collected...
Texas Sues Google for Gathering Biometric Data
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Google for alleged “blatant defiance” of Texas’s biometric privacy law, which prohibits capturing biometric identifiers without prior consumer consent. The complaint alleges...
Killnet Takes Credit for Disabling State Websites
Killnet, a Russian-speaking hacking group that emerged shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, took responsibility last week for deploying a denial-of-service attack that temporarily took several U.S. states’ websites offline. Although reported...
Cyber-Attack Disrupts Public Services in Fremont County, Colorado
Government offices and public services in Freemont County, Colorado, have been disrupted since August 17, 2022, due to a “cybersecurity event affecting our county computer systems.” As of the official update...
Ohio City Considering Anti-Drone Voyeurism Law
Recently, the Hamilton City Council in Ohio proposed a new local ordinance that would specifically prohibit the use of drones to commit voyeurism in response to complaints from a resident that...
Hospital Continues to Divert Patients Over a Week After Ransomware Attack
Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis has been diverting emergency department patients arriving by ambulance to other area hospitals since it shut down its network following a ransomware attack on August 4, 2021....
Tulsa, OK Refuses to Pay Ransom to Attackers
The City of Tulsa, Oklahoma, announced on May 9, 2021, that it had been hit with a ransomware attack, but the Mayor is resolute in not paying the demanded ransom. Although...
Contact Tracing Vendor Loses State Contract Over Data Breach
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced this week that the Commonwealth will not continue to do business with its contact tracing vendor following a security incident that potentially exposed the personal information...