NSO Group Closes Cyprus Office of Spy Firm
NSO recently closed the Cyprus office of phone network exploitation company Circles and fired a number of staff, according to two former NSO employees.
Controversial phone hacking company NSO Group has closed the Cyprus office of Circles, a surveillance firm that previously merged with NSO, and fired a number of staff, according to two former NSO employees.
Cyprus is a hotbed for surveillance companies that sometimes set up shop in the country and then sell their technology from the region.
"They fired all the Cyprus office," one of the former NSO employees told Motherboard.
"All Cyprus site was closed recently; all of the people fired," the second former employee added. Motherboard granted the sources anonymity as they weren't authorized to speak to the press about internal company issues, and to avoid retaliation from NSO.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ep48kp/nso-group-cyprus-circles-bulgaria-ss7
#Israel #Cyprus #NSO #spy #firm
NSO recently closed the Cyprus office of phone network exploitation company Circles and fired a number of staff, according to two former NSO employees.
Controversial phone hacking company NSO Group has closed the Cyprus office of Circles, a surveillance firm that previously merged with NSO, and fired a number of staff, according to two former NSO employees.
Cyprus is a hotbed for surveillance companies that sometimes set up shop in the country and then sell their technology from the region.
"They fired all the Cyprus office," one of the former NSO employees told Motherboard.
"All Cyprus site was closed recently; all of the people fired," the second former employee added. Motherboard granted the sources anonymity as they weren't authorized to speak to the press about internal company issues, and to avoid retaliation from NSO.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ep48kp/nso-group-cyprus-circles-bulgaria-ss7
#Israel #Cyprus #NSO #spy #firm
Vice
NSO Group Closes Cyprus Office of Spy Firm
NSO recently closed the Cyprus office of phone network exploitation company Circles and fired a number of staff, according to two former NSO employees.
CIA’s In-Q-Tel Among Backers of German Satellite-Thruster Startup
Morpheus Space’s small and simple electric thrusters could upend the satellite industry.
The Central Intelligence Agency’s venture capital firm is among a half-dozen investors in Morpheus Space, a German startup whose novel electric thrusters enable tiny satellites to maneuver and big ones to reduce complexity.
The Dresden-based company said it plans to use the capital to hire employees, increase production and expand its business to the United States. While the company won’t say how much money it raised, it listed In-Q-Tel along with other investors VSquared Ventures, Lavrock Ventures, Airbus Ventures, Pallas Ventures and TechStars. The startup’s leaders hope the money will allow it to enter the defense, civil, and commercial space markets.
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2020/08/cias-q-tel-among-backers-german-satellite-thruster-startup/167984/
#MorpheousSpace #CIA #German #satellite #firm #intelligence
Morpheus Space’s small and simple electric thrusters could upend the satellite industry.
The Central Intelligence Agency’s venture capital firm is among a half-dozen investors in Morpheus Space, a German startup whose novel electric thrusters enable tiny satellites to maneuver and big ones to reduce complexity.
The Dresden-based company said it plans to use the capital to hire employees, increase production and expand its business to the United States. While the company won’t say how much money it raised, it listed In-Q-Tel along with other investors VSquared Ventures, Lavrock Ventures, Airbus Ventures, Pallas Ventures and TechStars. The startup’s leaders hope the money will allow it to enter the defense, civil, and commercial space markets.
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2020/08/cias-q-tel-among-backers-german-satellite-thruster-startup/167984/
#MorpheousSpace #CIA #German #satellite #firm #intelligence
Defense One
CIA’s In-Q-Tel Among Backers of German Satellite-Thruster Startup
Morpheus Space’s small and simple electric thrusters could upend the satellite industry.
Private Intel Firm Buys Location Data to Track People to their 'Doorstep'
The data comes from hundreds of ordinary apps installed on peoples’ phones around the world.
A threat intelligence firm called HYAS, a private company that tries to prevent or investigates hacks against its clients, is buying location data harvested from ordinary apps installed on peoples' phones around the world, and using it to unmask hackers. The company is a business, not a law enforcement agency, and claims to be able to track people to their "doorstep."
The news highlights the complex supply chain and sale of location data, traveling from apps whose users are in some cases unaware that the software is selling their location, through to data brokers, and finally to end clients who use the data itself. The news also shows that while some location firms repeatedly reassure the public that their data is focused on the high level, aggregated, pseudonymous tracking of groups of people, some companies do buy and use location data from a largely unregulated market explicitly for the purpose of identifying specific individuals.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qj454d/private-intelligence-location-data-xmode-hyas
#intelligence #firm #HYAS #data #location #privacy
The data comes from hundreds of ordinary apps installed on peoples’ phones around the world.
A threat intelligence firm called HYAS, a private company that tries to prevent or investigates hacks against its clients, is buying location data harvested from ordinary apps installed on peoples' phones around the world, and using it to unmask hackers. The company is a business, not a law enforcement agency, and claims to be able to track people to their "doorstep."
The news highlights the complex supply chain and sale of location data, traveling from apps whose users are in some cases unaware that the software is selling their location, through to data brokers, and finally to end clients who use the data itself. The news also shows that while some location firms repeatedly reassure the public that their data is focused on the high level, aggregated, pseudonymous tracking of groups of people, some companies do buy and use location data from a largely unregulated market explicitly for the purpose of identifying specific individuals.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qj454d/private-intelligence-location-data-xmode-hyas
#intelligence #firm #HYAS #data #location #privacy
Vice
Private Intel Firm Buys Location Data to Track People to their 'Doorstep'
The data comes from hundreds of ordinary apps installed on peoples’ phones around the world.
Surveillance Company Explains How to Keep Facebook From Detecting Fake Accounts in Leaked Manual
A leaked manual from Blackdot Solutions, a British company that offers social media monitoring services, included a step-by-step guide on how to create fake profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn.
A company that markets an online investigations platform for government agencies, banks, and other businesses says publicly that it's based on open source intelligence. But a leaked user manual obtained by Motherboard shows that, in reality, the company teaches customers how to create fake Facebook and LinkedIn accounts to gather information about people that is normally protected by their privacy settings on those platforms.
The guide also explains how to avoid detection by Facebook.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jgxzvg/surveillance-company-explains-how-to-keep-facebook-from-detecting-fake-accounts-in-leaked-manual
#Facebook #fake #accounts #surveillance #firm
A leaked manual from Blackdot Solutions, a British company that offers social media monitoring services, included a step-by-step guide on how to create fake profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn.
A company that markets an online investigations platform for government agencies, banks, and other businesses says publicly that it's based on open source intelligence. But a leaked user manual obtained by Motherboard shows that, in reality, the company teaches customers how to create fake Facebook and LinkedIn accounts to gather information about people that is normally protected by their privacy settings on those platforms.
The guide also explains how to avoid detection by Facebook.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jgxzvg/surveillance-company-explains-how-to-keep-facebook-from-detecting-fake-accounts-in-leaked-manual
#Facebook #fake #accounts #surveillance #firm
Vice
Surveillance Company Explains How to Keep Facebook From Detecting Fake Accounts in Leaked Manual
A leaked manual from Blackdot Solutions, a British company that offers social media monitoring services, included a step-by-step guide on how to create fake profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Gig Economy Company Launches Uber, But for Evicting People
A company called Civvl says evicting people is the "FASTEST GROWING MONEY MAKING GIG DUE TO COVID-19."
"SINCE COVID-19 MANY AMERICANS FELL BEHIND IN ALL ASPECTS," reads the website copy. The button below this statement is not for a GoFundMe, or a petition for calling for rent relief. Instead, it is the following call to action, from a company called Civvl: "Be hired as eviction crew."
During a time of great economic and general hardship, Civvl aims to be, essentially, Uber, but for evicting people. Seizing on a pandemic-driven nosedive in employment and huge uptick in number-of-people-who-can't-pay-their-rent, Civvl aims to make it easy for landlords to hire process servers and eviction agents as gig workers.
Helena Duncan, a Chicago-based paralegal who also participates in housing activism, saw a Craigslist post from Civvl while searching for jobs. The ad alarmed her.
"It's fucked up that there will be struggling working-class people who will be drawn to gigs like furniture-hauling or process-serving for a company like Civvl, evicting fellow working-class people from their homes so they themselves can make rent," she told Motherboard.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ep435n/gig-economy-company-launches-uber-but-for-evicting-people
#US #Gig #economy #firm #civvl
A company called Civvl says evicting people is the "FASTEST GROWING MONEY MAKING GIG DUE TO COVID-19."
"SINCE COVID-19 MANY AMERICANS FELL BEHIND IN ALL ASPECTS," reads the website copy. The button below this statement is not for a GoFundMe, or a petition for calling for rent relief. Instead, it is the following call to action, from a company called Civvl: "Be hired as eviction crew."
During a time of great economic and general hardship, Civvl aims to be, essentially, Uber, but for evicting people. Seizing on a pandemic-driven nosedive in employment and huge uptick in number-of-people-who-can't-pay-their-rent, Civvl aims to make it easy for landlords to hire process servers and eviction agents as gig workers.
Helena Duncan, a Chicago-based paralegal who also participates in housing activism, saw a Craigslist post from Civvl while searching for jobs. The ad alarmed her.
"It's fucked up that there will be struggling working-class people who will be drawn to gigs like furniture-hauling or process-serving for a company like Civvl, evicting fellow working-class people from their homes so they themselves can make rent," she told Motherboard.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ep435n/gig-economy-company-launches-uber-but-for-evicting-people
#US #Gig #economy #firm #civvl
Vice
Gig Economy Company Launches Uber, But for Evicting People
A company called Civvl says evicting people is the "FASTEST GROWING MONEY MAKING GIG DUE TO COVID-19."