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Cyber Daily: Omicron Variant Reignites Privacy Debate in Contact Tracing
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Hello. We've talked a lot since the Covid-19 pandemic began in early 2020 about the line between surveillance for public good and potential privacy violations related to individuals. The debate, like the virus, rages on.
Countries around the world reported their first cases of the Omicron variant over the weekend and some imposed new travel restrictions, racing to protect themselves against the potentially more contagious strain.
Part of the response in some locations is stepped-up contact-tracing efforts, which critics say verge on invading privacy. After detecting one case of the new strain on Friday, Israel reinstated a controversial contact-tracing surveillance program with help from a security service whose main mission is fighting terrorism. More below.
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Travelers at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Sunday, the day Israel imposed new travel restrictions in response to the Omicron variant. PHOTO: ARIEL SCHALIT/ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Israel’s cabinet voted to allow the country’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, to renew the use of contact tracing through cellular location services for cases related to the Omicron Covid-19 variant. Israeli civil- and human-rights groups have condemned the involvement of the Shin Bet, whose mandate is to fight terrorism, as a violation of privacy.
Contact tracing—whether through telephone calls and paper forms or apps and databases—is a useful tool for understanding the prevalence and patterns of the virus. Outside of southern Africa and Israel, the variant has been detected in travelers to the U.K., Italy, Australia, Belgium and Hong Kong. Scotland has identified six cases, at least two of which have no recent links to travel in southern Africa. This suggests that the variant might be transmitting within the community. The other cases are still being contact traced.
👉 Read up on contact tracing and privacy:
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PHOTO: ANDRE M. CHANG/ZUMA PRESS
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Clearview, which bills itself as "the world's largest facial network," was found in early November to have committed similar infractions by Australia's privacy regulator.
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The privacy offices said Clearview should delete or destroy images collected from the U.K. and Australia.
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Clearview can now provide further information to the U.K. regulator to respond to specific accusations. A final decision is expected in mid-2022.
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PHOTO: LUKE SHARRETT/BLOOMBERG NEWS
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Toyotetsu North America discloses security incident. After detecting "unusual" activity on its network on Oct. 7, the auto parts maker determined that personal data might have been accessed or taken, related to 12,453 individuals. Toyotetsu, in Somerset, Ky., said it notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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Boeing credit union breached in skimming scheme. Sensitive financial information for 657 members of the Boeing Employees' Credit Union in Tukwila, Wash., was compromised through card-skimming devices attached to four of the credit union's ATMs. The credit union disabled the affected cards after receiving reports of fraudulent transactions in October.
Wind turbine maker restored most systems 10 days after attack. Vestas Wind Systems AS said Monday it is conducting "close to normal operations" after a ransomware attack Nov. 19. Data was exposed, the company said, adding that it is still investigating.
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ILLUSTRATION: MICHAEL PARKIN
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Covid-19 pandemic changed employee training. Immersive Labs, a U.K.-based company that offers cybersecurity training, uses frequent short exercises instead of traditional programs in which users might gather in a room for a day. In the 30- to 40-minute exercises, users manage a fictional crisis online—modeled on real-world events like this year’s Colonial Pipeline hack—from wherever they are. (WSJ)
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Clearlake Capital to buy Quest Software from Francisco Partners. The deal values Quest at $5.4 billion including debt, according to people familiar with the matter. Based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., Quest makes software that corporate IT departments use for internal systems management, data protection and security. Quest was formerly part of the software business of Dell Technologies Inc., most of which Francisco Partners carved out of the computer giant in 2016 in a $2.4 billion deal.
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The price Clearlake is paying amounts to 10.9 times Quest’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the past 12 months, according to a person familiar with the firm’s strategy.
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In October, Quest bought identity access-management business OneLogin for an undisclosed price.
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