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Suzanne Smalley

@suzannesmalley.bsky.social

5K followers 910 following 320 posts

Reporter covering digital privacy, disinformation and cybersecurity policy for The Record. Mom. Pub trivia queen. Crossword enthusiast. Literary fiction connoisseur. Idiosyncratic. Signal: Suzanne.236 Email: [email protected].

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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · Nov 8

I cover digital privacy and surveillance for The Record, a Washington DC-based news website covering cybersecurity and digital privacy exclusively. I can be reached on Signal at Suzanne.236 or via email at [email protected]. Please be in touch with story ideas and tips.

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 1d

Signal to leave EU rather than comply w/ Chat Control, which would scan all messages sent over end-to-end encrypted platforms. Vote on Chat Control's future Oct 14. Germany is the swing vote. Officials there opposed the measure in past but new govt silent re position
therecord.media/signal-calls...

Signal calls on Germany to vote against ‘Chat Control,’ saying it would leave EU market

The head of the Signal Foundation raised concerns around Germany now refusing to say whether it will support Chat Control in an upcoming vote.

therecord.media

Reposted by Suzanne Smalley

Tim Starks @timstarks.bsky.social · 5d

Android spyware disguised as legitimate messaging apps targets UAE victims, researchers reveal cyberscoop.com/android-spyw...

Android spyware disguised as legitimate messaging apps targets UAE victims, researchers reveal

Researchers have found two Android spyware families masquerading as messaging apps Signal and ToTok, apparently targeting residents of the United Arab Emirates.

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 4d

LinkedIn sues software company scraping data from millions of user accounts

therecord.media/linkedin-sue...

LinkedIn sues software company allegedly scraping data from millions of profiles

ProAPIs, a software company, and its CEO Rahmat Alam allegedly run an operation which LinkedIn says charges customers up to $15,000 per month for scraped user data taken from the social media platform...

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 5d

A Dutch judge ruled Thursday that Meta violated Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) by customizing users’ recommendation feeds based on their personal data and has given the tech giant two weeks to change its practices.

therecord.media/dutch-court-...

Dutch court rules Meta violated European law by pushing users to profiled feeds

The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the Dutch nonprofit Bits of Freedom, which argued that by controlling users’ feeds Meta has been improperly skewing what news consumers receive.

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 5d

39 members of Europe's Parliament on Monday sent EC leadership a letter decrying the fact that state $ has been used to fund mercenary commercial spyware companies (eg Cy4Gate and Intellexa). Letter follows investigation by @vaspanagiotopoulos.com for Follow the Money
therecord.media/european-par...

European parliamentarians implore EU leadership to stop funding spyware

A letter to European Commission officials demands answers about why European Union funding has reportedly gone towards subsidizing the spyware industry.

therecord.media

Reposted by Suzanne Smalley

Tim Starks @timstarks.bsky.social · 7d

DOJ, Georgia Tech affiliate company settle over alleged failure to meet DOD contract cyber requirements cyberscoop.com/doj-georgia-...

DOJ, Georgia Tech affiliate company settle over alleged failure to meet DOD contract cyber requirements

The company agreed to pay $875,000, with neither side conceding to the other as part of resolving the suit.

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 7d

DOJ suing Sendit messaging app operator for allegedly collecting data from kids under 13 w/o parental notice or consent. Data includes photos, social media accounts. Users allegedly duped into spending $9.99/week to see who sent them fake messages from made up people
therecord.media/ftc-alleges-...

FTC alleges messaging app violated child privacy law, duped users into subscriptions

A civil complaint filed by the federal government alleges that the Sendit app illegally collected data from users under 13 and tricked people into paying for subscriptions.

therecord.media

Reposted by Suzanne Smalley

Andrew Guthrie Ferguson @profferguson.bsky.social · 8d

This is a big story and the first I know of to investigate how AI will revolutionize prosection. Read it if you want to see the future. therecord.media/law-enforcem...

Law enforcement is using AI to synthesize evidence. Is the justice system ready for it?

Busy law enforcement agencies are trying out AI platforms that process large amounts of evidence to help officers build cases. Experts say there are potential dangers for everyone involved.

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 8d

3 companies are peddling AI products which synthesize evidence for police + prosecutors. Critics are alarmed by the new AI use case, cite potential for exculpatory evidence to be overlooked + errors to be introduced. AI shouldn't be used to put people in jail they say
therecord.media/law-enforcem...

Law enforcement is using AI to synthesize evidence. Is the justice system ready for it?

Busy law enforcement agencies are trying out AI platforms that process large amounts of evidence to help officers build cases. Experts say there are potential dangers for everyone involved.

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 14d

Secret Service: Secret comms network of 100,000 SIM cards, 300 servers discovered as world leaders gathered in NYC for annual U.N. General Assembly. Concern that network could take out entire NYC cell network, disrupt emergency services, threaten govt officials
therecord.media/secret-servi...

Secret Service says it disrupted illicit cellular network threatening UN conference

The Secret Service said it discovered a secret communications network of more than 100,000 SIM cards and 300 servers capable of carrying out “nefarious” attacks in the New York City area as leaders c...

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 15d

Research subjects w/ electrodes implanted to help advance understanding of paralysis want more data protections. Neuralink to begin implanting 20,000 a year, including for improved cognitive function. Scientists can now read BCI subjects' inner speech, raising stakes
therecord.media/neural-data-...

As scientists show they can read inner speech, brain implant ‘pioneers’ fight for neural data privacy, access rights

With scientists now demonstrating that they can decode attempted speech based on the neural data they collect from Brain Computer Interface (BCI) research subjects with implants, patients and advocate...

therecord.media

Reposted by Suzanne Smalley

Tim Starks @timstarks.bsky.social · 15d

By me, with lotsa previously unreported details: Cyber threat information law hurtles toward expiration, with poor prospects for renewal cyberscoop.com/cyber-threat...

Cyber threat information law hurtles toward expiration, with poor prospects for renewal

Pessimism is mounting about the chances that Congress will reauthorize a cyber threat information-sharing law before it’s set to expire at the end of this month.

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 18d

An industry watchdog group found that the popular YouTuber MrBeast collected children’s data without obtaining consent from parents, prompting the influencer to overhaul his channel’s data collection and advertising practices.

therecord.media/watchdog-mrb...

Watchdog finds MrBeast improperly collected children’s data

An industry watchdog group found that the popular YouTuber MrBeast collected children’s data without obtaining consent from parents.

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 19d

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday signed a law requiring digital service providers to verify the ages of users and adhere to strict new data protection and privacy requirements for children and adolescents.

therecord.media/brazil-enact...

Brazil enacts sweeping bill requiring online age verification, safeguards for children’s data

The Digital ECA mandates that tech companies take “reasonable measures” to block young users from accessing content which features violence, porn, sexual exploitation, drugs or gambling, as well as co...

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 20d

Judge issues scathing order rejecting Meta bid to nuke jury verdict finding it broke CA wiretapping law by collecting sensitive data from period tracking app Flo. Meta’s contention that it had consent is “rank speculation that is completely untethered to the evidence"
therecord.media/judge-reject...

Judge rejects Meta attempt to overturn Flo privacy verdict

In refusing to overturn the decision or greenlight a new trial, U.S. District Judge James Donato shot down Meta’s claim that recordings of women’s data obtained from the period tracking app Flo were "...

therecord.media

Reposted by Suzanne Smalley

evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 21d

So how is OpenAI going to know that a user is under 18?

"We’re building an age-prediction system to estimate age based on how people use ChatGPT."

openai.com/index/teen-s...

Teen safety, freedom, and privacy

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 21d

OpenAI to begin predicting users ages and requiring ID when it cannot determine if a user is over 18. Users under 18 will have special settings which prevent discussion of self-harm, prompt company officials to try and contact parents if suicide is mentioned.
therecord.media/openai-age-p...

OpenAI to predict ages in bid to stop ChatGPT from discussing self harm with kids

The announcement comes weeks after the parents of a teenager who killed himself sued the tech giant for allegedly helping their son draft a suicide note and giving him tips for how to do so most effectively.

therecord.media

Reposted by Suzanne Smalley

Vas Panagiotopoulos @vaspanagiotopoulos.com · 22d

🚨🇪🇺 EU cash💰 and taxpayer money in countries such as 🇮🇹Italy and 🇪🇸Spain are flowing to commercial #spyware firms, yet this public funding is not well-known or analysed.

🧵My investigation for @ftm.eu.

👇👇👇
www.ftm.eu/articles/spy...

Spyware industry pockets EU subsidies while snooping on its citizens

The widespread use of commercial spyware for unlawful surveillance across Europe has raised alarm – but the funding of such tools has largely gone under the radar. Follow the Money can reveal how mill...

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 25d

CISA mismanaged multimillion dollar Cyber Retention Incentives program, didn't keep basics records of who it paid how much and paid ineligible people bonuses and back pay. Agency exploring how to recoup funds

therecord.media/cisa-cyberse...

DHS inspector general: CISA mismanaged multimillion-dollar employee incentives program

Auditors examined CISA's Cybersecurity Retention Incentive program and found that the agency did not “properly design, implement, comply with or manage” requirements for it.

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 26d

Legislation which forces browsers to accommodate universal data sharing opt out signals heads to Gavin Newsom's desk for a signature. He vetoed similar but broader legislation last year

therecord.media/california-l...

California legislature passes bill forcing web browsers to let consumers automatically opt out of data sharing

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed an earlier version of the bill which would also have applied to mobile operating systems last year.

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 26d

Digital freedoms advocates worldwide are alarmed by a Swiss government plan requiring service providers to get user ID at sign up, retain data for 6 months. The law, still under debate, also would require decryption. Proton moving infrastructure out of the country
therecord.media/switzerland-...

Swiss government looks to undercut privacy tech, stoking fears of mass surveillance

Switzerland-based providers of secure email, VPNs and other digital services say a pending government proposal would be catastrophic to their ability to protect the privacy of users.

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 27d

US investors in spyware companies nearly tripled in 2024 w/ 31 firms now bankrolling the manufacturers, per new Atlantic Council report. Examples include Integrity Partners, which recently invested in Candiru manufacturer despite company appearing on the Entity List.
therecord.media/us-investors...

US investors in spyware firms nearly tripled in 2024: report

The role American investors are playing in propping up spyware vendors is notable given the aggressive actions the U.S. government has taken to rein in the sector, including through sanctions, entity ...

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 27d

Forensic researchers @citizenlab.ca today confirmed FlexiSPY spyware was found on 2 Kenyan filmmakers' phones. Victims helped produce a documentary about youth uprisings in the increasingly autocratic country. Spyware was installed while phones were in police custody. therecord.media/researchers-...

Researchers find spyware on phones belonging to Kenyan filmmakers

FlexiSPY, which is commercially available, can be more easily detected than far more expensive mercenary spyware available to nation states but has similar capabilities once installed, said John Scott...

therecord.media

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · Sep 4

Texas sues PowerSchool for poor security practices which it says led to the hack of 72 million students and teachers data. Hacker obtained student bus stop locations for specific children, endangering kids, AG says.

therecord.media/powerschool-...

Texas sues PowerSchool for breach exposing the data of students and teachers

More than 880,000 Texans were affected by the breach at education tech provider PowerSchool, state Attorney General Ken Paxton noted in filing a lawsuit against the company.

therecord.media