Good morning! Today: the internet is changing drastically for Hong Kong's citizens thanks to a new Chinese security law, and criminal charges reveal the identity of the "invisible god" hacker. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day.
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The internet is changing drastically for Hong Kong’s citizens
What sort of powers? Hong Kong police can censor internet content and track citizens online. They can now conduct searches without a warrant, force web platforms to take down or block posts, seize electronic records, and conduct surveillance of suspects without court oversight. Companies who don’t comply with these orders can be fined up to HK$100,000 ($12,903), and employees can face jail terms of up to six months.
The fallout: Effectively, this brings Hong Kong into China’s Great Firewall, a tightly controlled and censored version of the internet that blocks most foreign internet tools and mobile apps. Foreign companies are only permitted to operate if they comply.
Taking a stand: Facebook, Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Zoom, and WhatsApp all pledged to refuse to comply with government orders to hand over data in Hong Kong on July 6. Apple has said it is “assessing” the situation. On July 7, TikTok said it will withdraw from the region completely. It’s likely that any tech company that refuses to follow local laws will end up being blocked in Hong Kong. Read the full story.
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Criminal charges reveal the identity of the “invisible god” hacker
Who is he? Andrey Turchin, a hacker known as Fxmsp, became famous in 2019 when he advertised access and source code for leading cybersecurity companies, amid claims that he could make a customer “ the invisible god of networks.” US officials say victims lost tens of millions of dollars to the malware, unauthorized access, and network damage. He now faces five felony charges, after an investigation that involved the FBI, the UK’s National Crime Agency, and private-sector security companies.
What happens now? Kazakhstan does not extradite nationals, and because Turchin is a Kazakh citizen, the case will likely be prosecuted in that country. Read the full story.
—Patrick Howell O’Neill
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We can still have nice things
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The top ten must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Why covid-19 is so successful
It constantly adapts, while we struggle to make even basic changes to our lives. ( Wired $)
+ Deaths are rising in Florida, Texas, and Arizona, even as they trend down nationally. ( Axios)
+ Dubai reopened to tourists yesterday. ( AP)
+ But Melbourne in Australia has gone back into lockdown as cases surge. ( NPR)
2 Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro says he has coronavirus
The country has the second-worst outbreak in the world. ( WP $)
3 Pandemic experts are burning out
Physical exhaustion, combined with seeing the worst-case scenarios play out over and over, is taking a huge toll. ( The Atlantic)
+ Countries need to prepare for a huge influx of people needing mental health care. ( Quartz)
+ How to stay sane when the world’s going mad. ( TR)
4 The US is going ahead with withdrawing from the World Health Organization
It will go into effect next July (unless Joe Biden wins the election—he’s pledged to cancel the decision.) ( CNN)
5 We’ll need horseshoe crab blood to make a covid-19 vaccine 🦀
Their milky blue blood can detect contaminants, but demand for it is threatening the East Coast ecosystem. ( National Geographic)
+ The US will pay $1.6 billion for 100 million doses of Novavax’s vaccine. ( Axios)
+ Scientists are sceptical about India’s claim it can have a vaccine ready next month. ( Science)
6 Are face shields a satisfactory substitute for masks?
They can be, but neither are as important as keeping your distance. ( NBC)
7 Google’s commercial internet balloon program has launched in Kenya
It will extend online access to tens of thousands of people. ( NYT $)
8 ICE will deny foreign students visas to study online in the US this fall
Utterly self-defeating. ( Slate)
9 People are taking gaming extra seriously during the pandemic 🎮
And if it helps keep them grounded, that’s no bad thing. ( OneZero)
+ Real sports have scrambled to keep fans happy with electronic versions. ( TR)
10 Inside a mathematician’s quest to make US ballots secret and secure 🗳️
Unauditable technology and democracy can form a particularly dangerous mix. ( New Yorker $)
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“What was crystal clear is that drunk people can't/won't socially distance.”
—John Apter, chairman of the UK’s police union, on what he’s learned from the decision to reopen pubs.
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