Regulators around the world are scrutinizing Grok over sexual deepfakes

Grok’s failure to block sexualized images of minors has turned a single “isolated lapse” into a global regulatory stress test for xAI’s ambitions. The response from lawmakers and regulators suggests this will not be solved with a quick apology and a hotfix. Last week we reported on Grok's apology...

Senators Warn the Pentagon: Get a Handle on China’s Telecom Hacking

In a letter to the Department of Defense, senators Ron Wyden and Eric Schmitt are calling for an investigation into fallout from the Salt Typhoon espionage campaign...

US senators ask FTC to investigate car makers’ privacy practices

An ongoing US Senate investigation indicated that connected car makers violate consumer privacy by sharing and selling drivers’ data, including their location, on a vast scale, and that the same car makers often obtain consumer consent through deception. Based on this investigation, senators have...

US Senators Secretly Work to Block Safeguards Against Surveillance Abuse

Senator Mark Warner is trying to pass new limits on when the government can wiretap Americans. At least two senators are quietly trying to stop him...

The US Congress Has Trust Issues. Generative AI Is Making It Worse

Senators are meeting with Silicon Valley's elite to learn how to deal with AI. But can Congress tackle the rapidly emerging tech before working on itself?...

The US Post Office Is Spying on the Mail. Senators Want to Stop It

The USPS carries out warrantless surveillance on thousands of parcels every year. Lawmakers want it to end—right now...

The Twitter Whistleblower’s Testimony Has Senators Out for Blood

Peiter “Mudge” Zatko’s allegations about the social media platform renewed a sense of urgency for lawmakers to rein in Big Tech...

Don’t Call the New Federal Gun Law a Gun Law

Democratic senators lacked actionable gun data for their negotiations—so they passed mental health reform instead...

US senators introduce the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)

US Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee have introduced the Kids Online Safety Act KOSA, legislation that aims to enhance childrens safety online. This follows the The Wall Street Journal WSJs reporting on the harm Instagram can inflict on teens, which was...

TikTok is being discouraged and the app may be banned

In recent news retail giant Amazon sent a memo to employees telling them to delete the popular social media app TikTok from their phones. In the memo it stated that the app would pose a security risk without going into details. Later the memo was withdrawn without an explanation except that it wa...

TikTok, Under Scrutiny, Distances Itself From China

Three senators have called for an investigation into the social media app, which is owned by the Chinese tech giant ByteDance...

U.S. Senators Urge VPN Ban for Federal Workers Over Spying

UPDATE Two U.S. senators are taking bipartisan aim at foreign-owned virtual private networks VPNs, which they say are often headquartered “in countries that do not share American interests or values” – specifically, China and Russia. Sens. Ron Wyden D-Ore. and Marco Rubio R-Fla. have signed a joi...

A week in security (July 03 – July 09)

Last week, we released our second quarter Cybercrime Tactics & Techniques report, where we revealed that ransomware outbreaks were dominant during this quarter. You can read the full report on the post below: Report: Second quarter dominated by ransomware outbreaks Our researchers continue to sha...

Hack Department of Homeland Security Act Would Bring Bug Bounty Program to DHS

Hackers will soon be able to poke holes in networks and systems belonging to the Department of Homeland Security if four senators get their way and a bill is passed that would institute a DHS bug bounty similar to programs recently implemented for the Army, Air Force and Pentagon. The bill, known...

Senators Question Intelligence Officials About Snowden, Domestic Surveillance

In a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee to discuss the public portions of a new national security threat assessment, top intelligence and law enforcement officials said that attacks against financial networks and the critical infrastructure are major threats to the United States’...

New Bill Would Declassify FISC Opinions

A group of eight senators from both parties have introduced a new bill that would require the attorney general to declassify as many of the rulings of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court as possible as a way of bringing into the sunlight much of the law and opinion that guides the...

Senators Press Google, Apple Execs on Privacy and Location Tracking

In a hearing on Tuesday about the amount of data that mobile device manufacturers, app developers and others collect about users’ location and activities, senators called on Apple, Google and other companies to be more open and clear with consumers about their data-collection and tracking...