NSO was about to sell hacking tools to France. Now it’s in crisis.

How tackling tech's diversity challenges can spur innovation

Sponsored by Amazon Web Services The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology NSO's existential crisis 11.23.21 Good morning! Today: Israeli spyware company NSO Group has been sent into turmoil after losing out on a deal with France. Also: why tackling diversity challenges will help improve the future of technology. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. NSO was about to sell hacking tools to France. Now it’s in crisis.   Bad timing: In July, accusations emerged that spyware from NSO Group had targeted French president Emmanuel Macron. The company denied the claims—part of a string of allegations about use of the Israeli hacking group’s Pegasus software. Israel’s military officials, meanwhile, rushed to contain the resulting diplomatic crisis. At the exact same time, MIT Technology Review has learned, French government officials were in the final stages of contract negotiations to purchase Pegasus hacking tools from NSO. Negotiations broke off just a few days before the sale was set to take place. Growing pressure: Another important relationship fell apart earlier this month, when the United States sanctioned NSO Group by adding it to its entity list, thereby imposing rigorous rules and restrictions on Americans buying from or selling to the Israeli company. The US made the move because it said NSO’s spyware was being used by foreign governments for malicious purposes, including suppressing dissent. While Israel has since managed to calm the situation with France, the attempts to mend relations with the US have been far more difficult.  The inside view: Employees at the company, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, say the sanctions and scandals have left NSO facing an existential crisis. Read the full story. —Patrick Howell O’Neill  How tackling tech’s diversity challenges can spur innovation Nicki Washington could be mistaken for a social scientist. Washington has long argued that computer scientists like her should better understand how their own identities affect their work. She joined Duke University in June 2020 and launched a groundbreaking course that analyzes how race, gender, and class influence the way technologies get developed. We spoke about computing’s challenges around diversity, equity, and inclusion and how she found her way in the field. Read the full interview.  —Melba Newsome  And if this piece piques your interest, why not subscribe to read the whole magazine issue it’s from, all about computing? Subscription options start at just $50 a year. We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + Billie Jean but a) funny and b) played on the ukulele.   + I need this wrapping paper.   + I love artist Eliseo H. Zubiri’s dreamlike, eerily dystopian creations.    + These stretches could help to beat the worst effects of too much time in front of screens.   + How to make Hemingway’s favorite hamburger (thanks Stefan!)   + Retro Christmas presents.   + Remember the good old days in Korea, when tigers used to smoke pipes?   + Just a very accurate toddler meme.   + Love these photos of ladies in their 80s and 90s escaping from winter’s bite in sunny Miami Beach. Join MIT Technology Review's Global Insights Panel (membership is free).  Take part in original research and gain valuable business insights into today’s most important technology trends. Join our Global Insights Panel. Sponsor Message Machine learning in the cloud is helping businesses innovate The explosive growth of compute power in cloud data centers is facilitating new applications of machine learning to help companies better leverage their data. Listen to the podcast episode The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Covid cases are rapidly rising in the US once again Nearly 159,000 yesterday. (NYT $)   + Minnesota has had to call in the National Guard as its hospitals have become overwhelmed. (Gizmodo)   + Keep wearing your masks. (NYT $)   + It’s becoming increasingly clear that covid is a seasonal disease. (The Atlantic $)   + Hope is on the horizon for long covid sufferers. (The Economist $)   + US covid deaths in 2021 have surpassed 2020’s toll. (WSJ $)   + More than 90% of 3.5 million federal workers got at least their first vaccine dose before the mandatory deadline. (Axios)   + Cuba’s bet on home-grown vaccines is starting to pay off. (Nature)  2 China has unveiled strict new rules for what celebrities can do online Including “no showing off”... despite that kinda being the whole point. (South China Morning Post)   + The silencing of Peng Shuai shows what an iron grip the government has. (NYT $)  3 The Facebook Papers are set to be published  Don’t expect to be able to read them for a while yet, though. (Gizmodo)   + How fake news on Facebook helped to fuel the Belarus/Poland border crisis. (NYT $)  4 Could a digital twin of Earth help us to fight climate change? 🌎 These models could help provide more granular details about how climate change will affect local areas. (IEEE Spectrum)   + The same sort of technology is being used to tackle supply chain problems. (TR)  5 Violent sexism is all over TikTok Instead of learning from the mistakes of other platforms, TikTok is repeating them. (Vice)   + TikTok is gearing up to take on Facebook. (Wired $)  6 The trouble with starting your career remotely 🧑‍💻 Without proper support systems, it can be an unmoored, anxiety-producing experience. (NYT $)   + Why there’s such a vast disconnect between employees and execs when it comes to working arrangements. (Wired $)  7 Telehealth rollbacks are leaving patients stranded That’s particularly bad news for people in the middle of a course of mental health therapy or treatment. (WSJ $)   + People really need access to both in-person and remote options. (NPR)  8 El Salvador plans to build a bitcoin-based tax haven by the sea Powered by a volcano. What else?! (NBC)   9 The metaverse is a meaningless buzzword Execs raved about it on Q3 earnings calls, but no one could agree on what it actually is. (CNBC)   10 Adele got Spotify to take the shuffle option off albums 🎵 That’s power.  (BBC) Quote of the day “By the end of this winter, pretty much everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, recovered or dead.” —Germany’s health minister Jens Spahn makes a grim prediction as his country battles yet another wave of covid. Top image credit: MS TECH | GETTY, WELLCOME COLLECTION Please send pipe-smoking tigers to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up today Advancing the promise of technology Make MIT Technology Review your go-to resource for thought-provoking insights, analysis, and news about the world of technology. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. Subscribe now Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This message was sent to  Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally    Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142