Ex-Google Engineer Charged With Espionage to Boost AI in China
Linwei Ding, who was indicted in March, now faces seven counts of economic espionage along with seven counts of theft of trade secrets under a revised indictment announced Tuesday.
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San Francisco Chronicle
14 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
China targets 2 Lithuanian banks in response to new EU sanctions
BEIJING (AP) — China imposed sanctions on two Lithuanian banks in what it said was retaliation for the European Union including two Chinese financial institutions in its latest round of sanctions against Russia. Lithuania's UAB Urbo Bankas and Mano Bankas AB are prohibited from having any cooperation with individuals or institutions in China, according to a statement Wednesday from the Ministry of Commerce. The European Union adopted a new round of sanctions against individuals and companies supporting Russia in its war with Ukraine in July, which went into effect August 9. Among them were multiple Chinese companies, although China's Ministry of Commerce did not name which financial institutions were affected. 'The EU, disregarding China's solemn position, insisted on adding two Chinese financial institutions to its sanctions list for alleged involvement in Russia, and formally implemented the sanctions on August 9," said the statement. It added the move "severely damages the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, and has a serious negative impact on China-EU economic and trade relations and financial cooperation." NATO has in the past called China a 'decisive enabler' of Russia's war effort as its companies sold tools, equipment and microelectronics.
Android Authority
14 minutes ago
- Android Authority
Google Messages now ensures you don't get flashed without your consent
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google Messages will now automatically blur NSFW photos that you receive or send. It will show warnings before opening any explicit media shared with you to ensure you approve of it. It will also warn you of the risks of sending such photos before you do. All processing takes place locally on your device, so none of the private media is sent to Google. The outpouring of multimedia junk, thanks to RCS, in Android's default Messages app has inspired Google to bolster it with extensive spam protection. Now, it is expanding its protection features to any NSFW (Not Safe For Work) media you might receive in your inbox, with or without soliciting. Google Messages is gaining 'Sensitive content warnings' that will notify you when you receive a picture of someone naked. The feature, first announced in late 2024 and then rolled out in beta earlier this year, is now available to all users, as noted by 9to5Google. When the feature is enabled, the images will be automatically blurred to save you from any public embarrassment, even if they were meant for you. It will give you another set of 'Yes' and 'No' options when you first tap the image to ensure you open it mindfully. If you are uncomfortable viewing the picture, you can also delete it without revealing its contents, or block and report the sender. Google says nudity in pictures will be identified with an Android system feature called SafetyCore. The analysis and processing happen locally, so you wouldn't have to worry about any private media being sent to Google. There is currently no protection for other media, such as GIFs or videos, possibly because of their larger sizes, although Google is already testing support for them. Don't want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a preferred source in Google Search to support us and make sure you never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. In addition to protecting you against any unwanted explicit images, Google will also warn you of the implications when you send a picture with nudity to another person. Google is adding a link to a resource that apprise you of the risks of voluntarily sharing nude images, which can later be used to harass you or cause anguish. Meanwhile, the resource also notes the repercussions of sharing anyone else's images without their consent. While the feature is going live for a broad set of users, you might have to ensure that it is turned on and that Android System SafetyCore is installed. To do that, head over to the Google Messages app and tap on your profile picture on the top right. Next, go to Message Settings > Protection & Safety and tap the area that says 'Manage sensitive content warnings.' On the page that opens, you might be asked to download SafetyCore before enabling the feature. Once installed, you can toggle these warnings on or tap the 'Visit resources' link at the bottom to view risks associated with sharing nude images through messages. In a dedicated support page, Google notes that the sensitive content warnings are turned on by default (once you set up SafetyCore). While adults (18+ in age) can turn it off, it can only be managed by parents for 'Supervised' teens who have their accounts managed by the Family Link app. Meanwhile, unsupervised teens (aged 13–17) will also have the option to turn it off themselves. While it's good to see Google Messages bring a crucial feature, it doesn't quite extend as far as the Sensitive Content Warnings on iOS, a feature that blocks every NSFW media (including videos) shared across multiple apps, such as Messages, Contact Cards, FaceTime, and even AirDrop. Follow
Forbes
15 minutes ago
- Forbes
Delete Any App On Your Smartphone If You See This On Screen
Even as Google and Apple make headlines with new security features for Android and iPhone, the mobile threat landscape has never been worse. Your phone is under attack from malicious texts and emails, malware-laced apps, even over-the-air threats. Some of this is hard to detect. But one message on screen is a glaring red flag. It's fairly straightforward to ensure your phone — the digital key to your life — is better protected. Do not click links or download unexpected attachments; do not install apps from outside official stores; and always run an updated version of the phone's OS. It should be that simple, but it's not. There are upwards of a billion smartphones that are running outdated operating systems that no longer receive security updates. Sideloading apps from emails, messages and third-party stores remains popular. And hardly a week goes by without news of new text or email attacks claiming victims. But there is one safeguard that really is simple. It stops attackers hijacking devices and taking control of your cameras and microphone. It prevents current threats such as LumaSpy and PlayPraetor from carrying out their worst. And it makes it immeasurably more difficult for bad actors to run riot on your device. We're talking accessibility services, permissions which grant wholesale access to a phone. 'Your app must use platform-level accessibility services only for the purpose of helping users with disabilities interact with your app,' Google says. But alas this is the golden ticket for malware developers. All they need to do is trick you into saying yes. The 'power' of these accessibility services is such that 'very few official apps will mess with it for fear of attracting the wrath of Google,' Bitdefender says. But unfortunately, 'malicious apps don't have the same qualms,' and 'many types of malware will try to gain access to this permission as a way to take over control and monitor devices.' Google has locked down accessibility services. But 'the security enhancements aimed at limiting abuse of Android's accessibility services have been systematically circumvented by sophisticated malware loaders. This has enabled a new generation of banking trojans, keyloggers, and remote access tools to persistently target users.' The screenshots above (courtesy of Zimperium) illustrate what you need to look for. Any app you have installed that asks for 'full control' is a serious risk. Unless you have downloaded an app that requires control of a device given your own personal needs, it's dangerous to grant these permissions. You should delete the app.
