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US charges Huawei with stealing trade secrets and violating sanctions
The US has filed 10 trade secret-related charges and 13 linked to sanction violations against Chinese telecom Huawei. Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Homeland Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced the charges in a joint press conference Monday, which are likely to further deepen the tensions between the US and China.
US bills would ban exports to Chinese telecoms that violate sanctions
American politicians want to crack down further on Chinese telecoms like Huawei and ZTE. Members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate have introduced bills that would order the President to impose export bans on Chinese telecoms found to violate US export and sanctions laws. Companies like Huawei and ZTE are a "growing threat to American national security," according to co-sponsor Rep. Mike Gallagher, and they should face the same punishment that ZTE faced before its reprieves.
Slack apologizes for 'mistakenly' banning people who had visited Iran
On Wednesday a number of people noticed their Slack access had suddenly been revoked, and the company said it was due to complying with "U.S. trade embargoes and economic sanctions regulations." However, it had cut off people who weren't logging on from countries impacted by sanctions or embargoes, although as TechCrunch noted, some said they had traveled to countries like Iran, North Korea or Cuba. Late Friday Slack apologized for its far-too-wide-reaching bans, claiming that "we made a series of mistakes and inadvertently deactivated a number of accounts that we shouldn't have." Slack: We did not block any user based on their nationality or ethnicity. As is standard in the enterprise software industry, Slack uses location information principally derived from IP addresses to implement these required blocks. We do not collect, use, or possess any information about the nationality or ethnicity of our users. We have restored access to most of the mistakenly blocked accounts, and we are working hard to restore any remaining users whose access was blocked in error. If you think we've made a mistake in blocking your access, please reach out to feedback@slack.com and we'll review as soon as possible. Going forward, the company said it will "soon" block access to IP addresses from certain countries. While users who travel their may not have access while connected to those networks, they won't be banned and can log in when they're in another region that isn't under legal sanctions.
US Treasury sanctions Russians for hacking and election meddling
The US government isn't done taking action against Russians accused of hacking and interference campaigns. The Treasury Department has leveled sanctions against 16 current and former GRU intelligence officers (some of whom were targeted in earlier indictments) for their involvement in multiple campaigns against the US, including the Democratic National Committee hacks, World Anti-Doping Agency hacks and election meddling efforts.
Huawei CFO faces fraud accusations from US in Canadian bail hearing
Chinese tech manufacturer Huawei's chief financial officer is facing fraud charges in the United States and faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty, according to the New York Times. Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, is accused of "conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions" including breaking American sanctions on Iran. She was arrested in Canada earlier this week and faces extradition to the US.
Canada arrests Huawei CFO for violating Iran sanctions (updated)
Huawei's ongoing US troubles just got much worse. Canadian law enforcement has confirmed to the Globe and Mail that it arrested Huawei CFO Wanzhou Meng at the request of the US over claims she violated sanctions against Iran. Most details are under wraps due to a publication ban at Meng's request, but she was arrested on December 1st in Vancouver and will have a bail hearing on December 7th.
North Koreans have been hiding their identities to evade sanctions
The US Department of the Treasury recently warned IT companies and individuals that individuals from North Korea are using fake online information in order to win employment for technology projects. These individuals often hide behind businesses that are nominally Chinese owned, but often are completely controlled and managed by North Koreans. The Treasury Department specifically identified two guilty companies, China Silver Star and Volsys Silver Star. Doing business with North Korea, or any business that employs North Korean citizens is, of course, against US and UN sanctions.
US charges North Korean man linked to Sony hack and WannaCry
The US Treasury Department announced today that it has sanctioned one individual and one group connected to malicious cyber activities perpetuated by North Korea's government. Park Jin Hyok, a computer programmer, was sanctioned today along with Korea Expo Joint Venture, an agency he allegedly worked for. The Treasury Department claims Hyok is part of a conspiracy responsible for the 2014 Sony Pictures hack, the 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist and last year's WannaCry ransomware attack. The Department of Justice also confirmed to reporters that it has charged Hyok with extortion, wire fraud and hacking crimes, according to Motherboard.
DOJ will reportedly charge North Korean operative for Sony hack
The Justice Department will reportedly announce charges today against at least one North Korean operative connected to the 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures, the Washington Post reports. Officials told the publication that computer hacking charges would be brought against Park Jin Hyok, who is said to have worked with North Korea's military intelligence agency the Reconnaissance General Bureau. It's the first time these types of charges have been brought against an operative of North Korea.
Senate gives up on ZTE sanctions
Though a number of US senators have been seeking to block President Trump's deal with ZTE that lets the Chinese firm circumvent sanctions put into place by US officials earlier this year, they have now backed off on that effort. In June, the Senate passed a version of the National Defense Authorization Act that reinstated sanctions against ZTE and would effectively nullify the president's and Commerce Department's deal with the firm. However, the House of Representatives passed a version of the bill without such language and the two chambers have been working on a compromise bill that marries each of their versions. Senators have now decided to abandon the ZTE sanctions in exchange for more oversight for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS).
US says ZTE can resume limited business while sanctions are debated
The Trump administration has handed ZTE another lifeline, Bloomberg reports, allowing it to resume certain business activities while US lawmakers decide how to deal with the company going forward. In April, the US Commerce Department banned ZTE from working with US companies after the company shipped US-made parts to Iran and North Korea -- in violation of US trade sanctions -- and then lied about giving the executives involved with those deals large bonuses. Though the Trump administration is looking to offer ZTE a reprieve, some members of Congress would like to see certain sanctions stay in place. And while the two sides try to work that out, ZTE will be allowed to keep providing some services.
Bipartisan Senate effort aims to override Trump’s deal to save ZTE
A bipartisan group of Senators has added language to the National Defense Authorization Act that would reinstate sanctions on Chinese firm ZTE, the Wall Street Journal reports. The legislation is set to be voted on this week. If it passes in the Senate -- and it's expected to -- it could override a deal that President Trump and the Commerce Department have put in place that would allow ZTE to once again purchase necessary components from US suppliers.
US extends sanctions against Russians over cyberattacks
The US Department of the Treasury has issued another round of sanctions against a handful of Russian groups and individuals. These latest sanctions have been placed against companies that are controlled by and/or have provided support to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) as well as some entities that are owned by or have acted on behalf of those that have allegedly supported the FSB. In all, the Treasury Department issued sanctions against five groups and three individuals.
ZTE will pay $1 billion fine to beat US export ban
Tensions between the US government and Chinese smartphone maker ZTE seem to have abated, at least temporarily. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC this morning that the government has "struck a deal" with ZTE to end trade sanctions. The deal includes a $1 billion penalty and a US-picked compliance department that will embed within the company and monitor it going forward. More than that, within the next 30 days, ZTE will have to install a new board of directors and executive suite, whom the compliance committee will report to directly.
US sanctions Russians for cyberattacks and election meddling
The US Department of the Treasury has instituted sanctions against five Russian entities and 19 individuals for their involvement in a number of cyberattacks and online efforts to interfere with the US presidential election. The sanctions prohibit US companies and individuals from conducting business with those named by the Treasury Department. "The Administration is confronting and countering malign Russian cyber activity, including their attempted interference in US elections, destructive cyberattacks and intrusions targeting critical infrastructure," Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement. "These targeted sanctions are a part of a broader effort to address the ongoing nefarious attacks emanating from Russia. Treasury intends to impose additional CAATSA sanctions, informed by our intelligence community, to hold Russian government officials and oligarchs accountable for their destabilizing activities by severing their access to the US financial system."
France to sue Apple and Google over 'abusive' developer practices
France is taking Google and Apple to court over "abusive" app developer practices and could impose millions of euros in penalties. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told RTL that the government has a problem with the onerous conditions the tech giants impose on French startups. "When developers want to sell apps with Google or Apple, they must pay a fee," he said. "But Google and Apple also gather data, and can unilaterally alter the contract terms. All of that is unacceptable."
Apple removes apps from Iran following US sanctions
Apple has been cracking down on Iranian apps over the last few weeks, removing those that offer food delivery, shopping and ride-hailing services, among others from its App Stores. Due to US sanctions on Iran, companies like Apple are limited in the sorts of business they can do in the country, which is why the iPhone isn't legally sold in Iran and why there's no Iranian App Store.
Senate alters sanctions to allow use of Russian rocket engines
Don't look now, but American spaceflight just dodged a bullet. Senators have passed an amendment to an Iran-Russia sanctions bill that, if gone unchecked, would have barred both NASA and private outfits from using Russian rocket engines. The original measure was supposed to prevent purchases from organizations that work with Russian defense and intelligence, but it would have effectively banned imports of the common RD-180 engine (found in ULA's Atlas 5) and RD-181 (used in Orbital ATK's Antares).
ZTE will pay $1.19 billion for violating US trade sanctions
ZTE is still feeling the pain from its alleged violation of US trade sanctions against Iran and North Korea. The Chinese tech giant has reached an agreement with the Commerce Department to both plead guilty to violation charges and pay a total of $1.19 billion ($892 million in the Iran case) as a penalty. That's a stiff cost, but ZTE didn't have much choice. The US' sanctions against the company, suspended while the two sides negotiated a deal, would have crippled its business by largely denying access to crucial American parts like Qualcomm's mobile processors.
China irate over US export sanctions against ZTE
The US government is slapping crippling sanctions on telecom manufacturer ZTE and the Chinese government is not happy about it. China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that "China is opposed to the US citing domestic laws to place sanctions on Chinese enterprises," according to Reuters. "We hope the US stops this erroneous action and avoids damaging Sino-US trade cooperation and bilateral relations." The US announced the restrictions yesterday, saying the company planned to sell US-made equipment to Iran's largest telecommunications provider in 2012, in violation of US export restrictions to the nation.
