Social Media

Twitter took down thousands of accounts linked to Egypt, Honduras, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Serbia on Thursday for either taking directions from the governments or promoting pro-government content. Twitter and other social media companies are under pressure to clean up misinformation and hateful content on their platforms, while abuse related …

President Trump has turned to a French virologist with a history of criticizing climate science to offer the world hope amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Last week, Trump tweeted that the combination of two medicines could dramatically alter the often deadly course of COVID-19. “HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have …

Turkey’s Education Ministry is investigating how animated footage of the execution of a former prime minister was shown to children as part of their home schooling during the coronavirus outbreak, Education Minister Ziya Selcuk said on Tuesday. Students started home classes on Monday after a week off school as part …

The Israeli government began deploying cellphone-monitoring technology against the coronavirus on Tuesday, and issued directives urging people not to leave home. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved emergency regulations that will enable the Shin Bet internal security service to tap into cellular data to retrace the movements of people infected …

Israel’s NSO Group is asking a California judge to sanction Facebook Inc for allegedly failing to abide by international law with regards to its lawsuit against the spyware maker. Facebook’s WhatsApp sued NSO in October after finding evidence that the hacking firm had abused a flaw in the popular chat …

Facebook Inc (FB.O) said on Monday it had removed two networks of fake accounts linked to digital marketing firms in Egypt and India which were pushing dueling narratives about countries in the Gulf on the Facebook and Instagram platforms. Facebook, in its first monthly report on information operations, said both …

University student Sophie Meehan was enjoying a family trip to the theater in London when pictures of a stranger’s genitals popped up on her mobile phone. The 20-year-old was about to board a train to return home to Kent in southeast England last year when an AirDrop file appeared on …

Julian Assange appeared before a British court on Monday to fight an extradition request from the United States which wants to put the 48-year-old on trial for hacking government computers and violating an espionage law. For the main story: Below are the main developments and quotes from the hearing. ** …

The Kremlin said on Friday that allegations from U.S. intelligence officials that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election campaign and trying to boost President Donald Trump’s re-election chances are false and the result of paranoia. A person familiar with the matter said on Thursday that U.S. intelligence officials had …

Saudi Aramco has seen an increase in attempted cyber attacks since the final quarter of 2019, which the company has so far successfully countered, the state oil giant’s chief information security officer told Reuters on Thursday. “Overall there is definitely an increase in the attempts of (cyber) attacks, and we …

Twitter said on Monday that it had discovered attempts by possible state actors to access the phone numbers associated with user accounts, after a security researcher unearthed a flaw in the company’s “contacts upload” feature. In a statement published on its privacy blog, Twitter said it had identified a “high …

The FBI is investigating the role of Israeli spyware vendor NSO Group Technologies in possible hacks on American residents and companies as well as suspected intelligence gathering on governments, according to four people familiar with the inquiry. The probe was underway by 2017, when Federal Bureau of Investigation officials were …

Israel foiled a major cyber attack on one of its power stations a few months ago, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Wednesday. “It was a very serious, sophisticated attempt trying to control and paralyze one of our power stations,” Steinitz told the CyberTech conference in Tel Aviv, without elaborating. …

The U.S. State Department removed a National Public Radio reporter from the press pool for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s upcoming foreign trip, a press association and NPR said on Monday, days after Pompeo angrily responded to another NPR journalist’s interview with him. The removal of NPR reporter Michele Kelemen, …

Two UN officials will report on Wednesday that there is enough evidence suggesting that Saudi Arabia had hacked Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos’ phone and both the kingdom and the United States should investigate, a person familiar with the matter said. The United Nations’ officials plan a public statement asserting …

The British government secretly funded Reuters in the 1960s and 1970s at the behest of an anti-Soviet propaganda unit linked to British intelligence and concealed the funding by using the BBC to make the payments, declassified government documents show. The money was used to expand Reuters coverage of the Middle …

Iran-backed Iraqi militia commander Qais al-Khazali said on Wednesday that Iran had made its initial response for the United States killing its top general, and it was now time for Iraq to do so as well. Iraq’s response will not be lesser than that of Iran’s tweeted Khazaili, who leads …

A retired professor, who was a prolific contributor to Quora on the topic of Palestinian history, alleged in a lawsuit that she was wrongly banned by the question-and-answer website and accused of posting hate speech. Rima Najjar Merriman, who is of Palestinian origin and lives in Indiana, says Quora warned …

Egypt will reinstate the country’s information ministry and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has put the prime minister directly in charge of the government’s investment portfolio, in a cabinet reshuffle approved by parliament on Sunday. Osama Haikal, who served as information minister from 2011 to 2012, will return as Ministry of …

Twitter has suspended thousands of accounts which it said on Friday were linked “to a significant state-backed information operation” originating in Saudi Arabia. In a public blog post, Twitter said it had removed about 5,929 accounts, which targeted discussions about Saudi Arabia, for violating its “platform manipulation policies”. It had …

Conflicts over water are likely to flare up in Iraq, Mali and India in the coming year, according to the developers of an app launched on Thursday which aims to help prevent violence by flagging up potential flashpoints. They said the “groundbreaking” early warning tool, which has also predicted risks …

Saudi Arabia will host the first ever international media forum next week in Riyadh. The Saudi Journalists Association (SJA), and the official organization the Saudi Media Forum expect to attract over 1000 media professionals from around the globe to attend. By Arthur Blok | The 2-days event in the Saudi …

Saudi Arabia has detained at least eight people, mostly intellectuals and writers, two sources including London-based Saudi rights group ALQST said, amid a two-year crackdown on free expression in the kingdom. They were taken from their homes in the capital Riyadh and the Red Sea port city of Jeddah last …

Iran on Thursday began restoring internet access in the capital Tehran and a number of provinces, local news agencies and residents said, after a days-long nationwide shutdown meant to help stifle unrest over fuel price hikes. The Revolutionary Guards said calm had returned across Iran, state TV reported, after protests …

A former Twitter Inc employee accused of spying for Saudi Arabia pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in San Francisco, where he remains in custody. Ahmad Abouammo earlier this month was indicted on spying charges along with Ali Alzabarah, another former Twitter employee, and Ahmed Almutairi, who worked for the Saudi …

Russia on Wednesday accused Washington of hunting its citizens across the world and said it had made a formal diplomatic protest after Israel extradited a Russian man to the United States where he faces a slew of serious cyber crime charges. The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement …

Two former employees of Twitter and a third man from Saudi Arabia face U.S. charges of spying for the kingdom by digging up private user data and giving it to Saudi officials in exchange for payment, a complaint from the Department of Justice shows. Ali Alzabarah and Ahmad Abouammo, who …

WhatsApp sued Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group on Tuesday, accusing it of helping government spies break into the phones of roughly 1,400 users across four continents in a hacking spree whose targets included diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and senior government officials. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in San …

Lebanon’s finance minister said on Saturday following a meeting with Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri that they had agreed on a final budget that did not include any additional taxes or fees in a bid to appease nationwide protests. Lebanon President Michel Aoun said in a tweet that there would be …

In yet another milestone in the 5G journey, Etisalat successfully completed the first end-to-end 5G Standalone,SA, call in the UAE and has become the first operator in the MENA region to achieve this milestone. Keeping in line with its overall strategy and vision of ‘Driving the Digital Future to Empower …

Demonstrators and police clashed in Lebanon on Thursday as thousands of people rallied against the government’s handling of an economic crisis, in one of the biggest protests the country has seen in years. The government backed down from plans, announced hours earlier, to tax voice calls made through the Facebook-owned …

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum today opened Insomnia Dubai, a three-day gaming extravaganza being held for the first time in Dubai. The event, taking place from 17-19 October at the Meydan Grandstand, mirrors the Insomnia Gaming Festival, the UK’s largest event for gamers. Attracting major …

The United States carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the Sept. 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, two U.S. officials have told Reuters. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the operation took place …

Dr. Noureddine Salmi, Tunisian Minister of Equipment, Housing and Territorial Development, stated that the UAE’s experience in creating smart and sustainable urban cities is inspiring for many countries because of its unique model of integrated infrastructure. In an interview with the Emirates News Agency, WAM, Dr. Salmi said that Tunisia …

Invest India, Kerala Start-Up Mission and Startup Reseau, have teamed up with DP World to harness digital technologies like block chain, artificial intelligence, robotics, simulators and Internet of Things, IoT, to identify logistics-focused technology start-ups in India. The result of their joint efforts, Log-X, a national technology accelerator platform for …

Dubai Electronic Security Centre announced its strategic partnership with the region’s largest international forum, Hack in the Box+ (HITB) CyberWeek. The event will take place 12 – 17 October and will be hosted at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi. This fifth edition of HITB CyberWeek will include a three-day conference, …

H.H. Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman and Chairman of Ajman Executive Council, launched ‘Ajman Pay’, a smart digital payment portal that is designed to keep up with the latest technologies in the areas of payment and government revenue control securely and speedily. Ajman Pay aims …

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy today outlined how it is adapting and maintaining its world-class defense against evolving global cybersecurity threats. “Cyberattacks aimed at disrupting critical infrastructures are becoming more nuanced, advanced and difficult to spot. There can be no compromise when it comes to our defensive posture and we …

Evoteq, a digital transformation catalyst in the Middle East, and Khazna, the UAE’s largest data centre wholesale providers, are collaborating to jointly develop Sharjah’s first Tier 3 Data Centre, which will enable a faster and more efficient digital transformation of the emirate, and its development into a smart city. Data …

Turkey summoned a top U.S. diplomat to its foreign ministry on Sunday, a day after the U.S. Embassy’s Twitter account liked a tweet regarding Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the nationalist party who has recently fallen ill. The tweet said Turkey should be ready for a political realm without Bahceli, …

A hacking group that appears to be linked to the Iranian government has carried out a campaign against a U.S. presidential campaign, Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) said on Friday. Microsoft saw “significant” cyber activity by the group that also targeted current and former U.S. government officials, journalists covering global politics and …

Facebook Inc has announced it removed hundreds of pages, groups and accounts on its platforms for “coordinated inauthentic behavior” linked to three operations in Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Nigeria. The operation in Indonesia involved a network of over 100 fake accounts on Facebook and Instagram posting content …

Turkish authorities have fined Facebook Inc (FB.O) 1.6 million lira ($282,000) for violation of data protection laws which affected nearly 300,000 people, the Personal Data Protection Board (KVKK) said on Thursday. Facebook has been facing a lawsuit in the United States from users seeking to hold the company liable for …

Etisalat today announced it was recognised as ‘Best Regional Wholesale Carrier’ at the prestigious Telecoms World Middle East Awards gala event in Dubai. This marks a record sixth year that Etisalat has won this award. Etisalat was shortlisted among top telecom companies for its success in the wholesale business as …