The court just handed @WhatsApp a major win in the case against NSO Group ⚖️🎉

NSO was found liable under federal #CFAA & state law for #Pegasus hacking through WhatsApp's servers.

As a lawyer working on surveillance, let me break down the ruling🧵 1/ 2/ First, Court rules that NSO violated the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act by sending messages through WhatsApp servers to hack users w/ Pegasus.

NSO argued that because they had WhatsApp accounts, they were authorized to use them as they wanted (incl. hacking). Court did not buy it

НОВЫЙ ДОКЛАД 🚨

Совместно с @citizenlab, @DeptFirst и другими, мы раскрыли 2 фишинговые кампании, связанные с Россией!

Кампании были направлены на российские, беларуские и международные НКО, российские независимые СМИ и бывшего посла США! 1/ 🧵

accessnow.org/russian-phishi… 2/ Первой фишинговой целью, которую мы выявили в нашем докладе, стали сотрудники Первого Отдела @DeptFirst. Они подверглись атаке еще в 2022 году.

Первый Отдел также был отличным партнером в этом расследовании!

Они сняли очень крутое видео об этом:

‼️ Last night, Russia tested disconnecting itself from the global internet.

On June 5, around 2-4am Moscow time, 🇷🇺 authorities tested the Sovereign Internet system which led to disruptions of various websites & government infrastructure services 1/
rbc.ru/technology_and… 2/ Russian railroad services and food safety systems were reportedly disrupted after the Sovereign Internet testing on the morning of July 5

moscowtimes.ru/2023/07/05/sis…

‼️This is an extremely important point from @bellingcat.

Please do not put names, faces, and identities of people (especially people of color!) on the internet accusing them of war crimes, if their identity has not been independently verified & confirmed. 1/

https://twitter.com/arictoler/status/1552739770601807872

2/ As @AricToler said and as years of AI studies have shown, facial recognition tools are awful at recognizing non-white faces.

The same goes for a bunch of American & Slavic people online trying to identify people from Asian & Mongol origins who are fighting in Ukraine.

US @HouseIntel public hearing on Spyware is happening NOW!

@RepAdamSchiff is delivering a strong opening - commercial spyware like Pegasus is a threat to US National Security.

1/

Watch here: 2/ @jsrailton from @citizenlab is giving his testimony before the @HouseIntel.

Talks about the history of #NSO Pegasus deployment against US citizens and allies like the UK.

Spyware like #Pegasus & #Predator are threats to democracy and national security.

NEW: @ZelenskyyUa just gave a remarkable interview to Russian independent journalists from @meduzaproject @kommersant @novaya_gazeta & @tvraine, who defied Russian government orders not to release it.

Here are some highlights in English. 👇🏼🧵1/

2/ Zelensky: “[Russian government’s] refusal to see Ukraine as an independent state is a shared tragedy of Ukrainian & Russian people,” as he sees Russian people (народ) as separate from the Russian government (власть).

Surveillance firm @Cellebrite claims it ended business in #Russia & #Belarus.

@itempnews revealed that the firm’s tech still works even w/out a valid contract. 🇷🇺 & 🇧🇾 authorities are likely using @Cellebrite_UFED to hack into phones of those who protest #Ukraine war. /1 $CLBT

https://twitter.com/itempnews/status/1507371850120273933

2/ Russia’s notorious Investigative Committee bragged that they had used @Cellebrite devices 26,000+ times. Chances are, they are still using them as the firm makes no effort to disable the devices after the contract ends.

@theintercept
@MaraHvistendahl
theintercept.com/2021/08/26/cel…

My translation of #MarinaOvsyannikova's statement.

She was reportedly detained immediately after her brave on-air protest. 1/ 2/ Here's the video

https://twitter.com/kevinrothrock/status/1503453014643949576?s=21

Last fall, @Apple and @Google pulled the #Russian opposition voter guide app just before the election.

Now we know why: Russia sent FSB thugs to threaten executives with prison.

Three lessons, a THREAD:

by @gregpmiller @josephmenn @washingtonpost
washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/… 2/Lesson 1: #Putin will hold anyone who he can hostage to his whims. Instead of pushing back, Big Tech capitulated. Yet here we are only a few months later and he’s declared @Meta an extremist & is blocking everyone else…

aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/…

BREAKING: @Apple and @Google just simultaneously pulled Russian opposition voting guide app on election morning.

It gets worse. THREAD 1/

Reuters: reuters.com/world/europe/g… 2/ The app @Google & @Apple just shut down helped Russians that disagree with Putin find candidates to vote for.

The very definition of democratic process.

Both companies knew it.

For once, Putin was afraid too.

Story: @antontroian @INechepurenko
nytimes.com/2021/09/15/wor…

BREAKING: Bloomberg investigation confirms @Sandvine had been working with Belarus gov for more than a year & provided tech that is filtering about 40% of all internet traffic moving in and out of the country. bloomberg.com/news/articles/… .@Sandvine rep also met directly with officials in Belarus and later shipped the equipment, via a contractor, to be installed at data centers in Minsk. Senator @DickDurbin is concerned this might be a potential violation of US sanctions & is calling for @USTreasury to investigate