With a global pandemic currently playing out and curfews, quarantine and restrictions in place almost everywhere, it’s easy to forget that other big news stories are playing out too. This week, Adam and Jane are joined by IT Pro’s US editor, Justin Cupler, to discuss what will still be one of the most important events of the year: the 2020 US presidential election.
While Donald Trump has had a tumultuous relationship with the country’s tech sector, the two Democratic candidates – Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden – both have plans that won’t necessarily please the giants of Silicon Valley either.
Elsewhere, the COVID-19 outbreak continues to affect almost every aspect of life and business. Microsoft and Google have both announced they’re putting non-critical software updates on hold, while networks struggle to adjust to a sudden shift to mass remote working. Cybercriminals, meanwhile, have taken the ‘opportunity’ to target the World Health Organisation, as well as hospitals in Spain and the Czech Republic, attempting to disrupt research into the novel coronavirus and in the process extort money.
Footnotes
News
Software updates on hold
- Microsoft halts Edge browser updates in light of coronavirus pandemic
- Microsoft puts Windows development on lockdown
- Google bins Chrome 82 development amid coronavirus delays
Hackers target healthcare services
- KCL and NIHR launch symptom tracking app to slow the spread of COVID-19
- WHO collaborates with Big Tech for mega COVID-19 hackathon
- Critical NHS cyber security checks suspended due to coronavirus response
- Hackers target WHO as coronavirus spread surges
- Hackers target hospital computer systems
- NHSX urged to “follow ethical best practice” in developing coronavirus app
Networks struggle with home working traffic
- Australian minister mistakenly cries DDoS attack after citizens flock to welfare site
- Microsoft Teams goes down as the world starts mass remote working
- Microsoft Teams surpasses 44 million users after remote working surge
- YouTube fails to clarify whether reduced streaming quality will hit live events
- Microsoft prioritises extra Azure capacity for 'key customers'
- IBM dedicates supercomputing power to coronavirus research
- ThousandEyes launches live Global Internet Outages Map
In-depth
- Encryption under threat from EARN IT Act
- What is the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)?
- UK and US plead with Mark Zuckerberg to bin encryption plans
- The Story Behind Trump's Tech Tariffs
- Facebook bans deepfakes ahead of US election
- Net neutrality laws are now officially dead
- US officially accuses Russia of leaking DNC emails
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Bigger salaries, more burnout: Is the CISO role in crisis?In-depth CISOs are more stressed than ever before – but why is this and what can be done?
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Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25News Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
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Trump considers clemency for Silk Road kingpin Ross UlbrichtNews Ulbricht was originally given life without parole
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Trump's election defeat isn't going to get Huawei back in the UKOpinion The UK's decision to drop the Chinese firm from 5G networks was largely based on its competence
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The IT Pro Podcast: What does Joe Biden have in store for tech?IT Pro Podcast The president-elect faces a tough term ahead of him, and tech policy is sure to be on the agenda
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Politicians need to stop talking about technologyOpinion Half-baked political technobabble isn’t just embarrassing, it’s a sign of policy failure
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Rival messaging apps see download spike after WeChat banNews Sensor Tower data reveals leap in downloads for Signal and QQ after Trump signed executive order against WeChat
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Twitch suspends President Trump’s account for “hateful conduct”
News Twitch’s decision marks the first suspension of one of the president’s social media accounts
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What has Donald Trump done for the tech industry so far?
In-depth Trump’s tenure in the Oval Office has been turbulent for technology
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FCC to hand ISP oversight to FTC as net neutrality repeal loomsNews Internet pioneers protest against the FCC's effort to repeal net neutrality
