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Internet Archive is now a US federal depository library

The Internet Archive has become an official U.S. federal depository library, providing online users with access to archived congressional bills, laws, regulations, presidential documents, and other U.S. government documents. U.S. Senator Alex Padilla designated it as such in a July 24 letter to the Superintendent of Documents at the Government Publishing Office, which oversees the Federal Depository Library Program that coordinates a network of over 1,150 such libraries. "Through its Democracy

Microsoft to stop using China-based teams to support Department of Defense

Last week, Microsoft announced that it would no longer use China-based engineering teams to support the Defense Department’s cloud computing systems, following ProPublica’s investigation of the practice, which cybersecurity experts said could expose the government to hacking and espionage. But it turns out the Pentagon was not the only part of the government facing such a threat. For years, Microsoft has also used its global workforce, including China-based personnel, to maintain the cloud syst

Internet Archive is now an official US government document library

The US Senate has granted the Internet Archive federal depository status, making it officially part of an 1,100-library network that gives the public access to government documents, KQED reported. The designation was made official in a letter from California Senator Alex Padilla to the Government Publishing Office that oversees the network. "The Archive's digital-first approach makes it the perfect fit for a modern federal depository library, expanding access to federal government publications a

Trump says he won't 'destroy' Musk's companies by taking away subsidies

Elon Musk receives a golden key from U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard President Donald Trump on Thursday denied claims that he wants to wreck Elon Musk's companies and their work with the U.S. government. "Everyone is stating that I will destroy Elon's companies by taking away some, if not all, of the large scale subsidies he receives from the U.S. Government," he said in a post to Truth Social. "Th

New UK law would ban ransomware payments by publicly funded orgs

The British government has announced plans to move forward with a law that would bar public organizations from paying off ransomware attackers. The proposed legislation would add schools, town councils, National Health Service (NHS) hospitals and critical infrastructure managers to a ban which already applies to the national government. The logic behind banning payments is simple. If cybercriminals know a ransomware attack against a UK school or hospital won't get them paid, they'll look somewh

UK government wants ransomware victims to report breaches so it can carry out ‘targeted disruptions’ against hackers

The U.K. government wants to require victims of ransomware to report if they were breached with the goal of providing law enforcement with information that could help target the cybercriminals responsible. On Tuesday, the U.K.’s interior ministry, the Home Office, published a proposal with the aim of changing the British government’s strategy to counter ransomware. Among the three key proposals is a reporting requirement, which would aid authorities in identifying and disrupting hacking operati

$16.5B Apple tax windfall will pay for new electricity and water infrastructure in Ireland

With the last remaining part of the Apple tax windfall paid to the Irish government recently, we are today learning what the country plans to do with the €14.25B ($16.5B). The country’s prime minister has promised “unprecedented” investment in the country’s ailing infrastructure, with Apple’s money to be spent mostly on electricity and water projects … Irish government receives €14.25B ($16.5B) You can read a summary of the nine-year saga over whether or not Apple owed the Irish government bi

UK government wants ransomware victims to report cyberattacks so it can disrupt the hackers

The U.K. government wants to require victims of ransomware to report if they were breached with the goal of providing law enforcement with information that could help target the cybercriminals responsible. On Tuesday, the U.K.’s interior ministry, the Home Office, published a proposal with the aim of changing the British government’s strategy to counter ransomware. Among the three key proposals is a reporting requirement, which would aid authorities in identifying and disrupting hacking operati

After Fight With Musk, Trump Reportedly Ordered Review of Government SpaceX Contracts

Now that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and president Donald Trump are no longer seeing eye to eye, it sounds like the White House is working to undercut the richest man in the world's revenue from Washington. As the Wall Street Journal reports, Trump aides initiated a review of SpaceX contracts with the federal government to identify potential waste — pointed scrutiny not unlike the so-called Department of Government Efficiency helmed by Musk himself prior to his ousting from the Trump administration.

UK to ban public sector orgs from paying ransomware gangs

The United Kingdom's government is planning to ban public sector and critical infrastructure organizations from paying ransoms after ransomware attacks. The list of entities that would have to follow the new proposed legislation includes local councils, schools, and the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS). "Ransomware is estimated to cost the UK economy millions of pounds each year, with recent high-profile ransomware attacks highlighting the severe operational, financial, and even l

OpenAI and UK sign deal to use AI in public services

OpenAI and UK sign deal to use AI in public services 3 hours ago Share Save Mitchell Labiak & Imran Rahman-Jones Business & technology reporters Share Save Getty Images OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, has signed a deal to use artificial intelligence (AI) to increase productivity in the UK's public services, the government has announced. The agreement signed by the firm and the science department could give OpenAI access to government data and see its software used in education, defence, secu

Global hack on Microsoft Sharepoint hits U.S., state agencies, researchers say

Hackers exploited a major security flaw in widely used Microsoft server software to launch a global attack on government agencies and businesses in the past few days, breaching U.S. federal and state agencies, universities, energy companies and an Asian telecommunications company, according to state officials and private researchers. The U.S. government and partners in Canada and Australia are investigating the compromise of SharePoint servers, which provide a platform for sharing and managing d

Hackers exploiting SharePoint zero-day seen targeting government agencies

The hackers behind the initial wave of attacks exploiting a zero-day in Microsoft SharePoint servers have so far primarily targeted government organizations, according to researchers as well as news reports. Over the weekend U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA published an alert, warning that hackers were exploiting a previously unknown bug — known as a “zero-day” — in Microsoft’s enterprise data management product SharePoint. While it’s still early to draw definitive conclusions, it appears that th

UK backing down on Apple encryption backdoor after pressure from US

Sir Keir Starmer’s government is seeking a way out of a clash with the Trump administration over the UK’s demand that Apple provide it with access to secure customer data, two senior British officials have told the Financial Times. The officials both said the Home Office, which ordered the tech giant in January to grant access to its most secure cloud storage system, would probably have to retreat in the face of pressure from senior leaders in Washington, including Vice President JD Vance. “Th

UK backing down on Apple encryption backdoor after pressure from US

Sir Keir Starmer’s government is seeking a way out of a clash with the Trump administration over the UK’s demand that Apple provide it with access to secure customer data, two senior British officials have told the Financial Times. The officials both said the Home Office, which ordered the tech giant in January to grant access to its most secure cloud storage system, would probably have to retreat in the face of pressure from senior leaders in Washington, including Vice President JD Vance. “Th

British government set to back down on secret iCloud backdoor after US pressure

We learned earlier this year that the British government had secretly ordered Apple to create a backdoor into encrypted data for all iCloud users worldwide. Specifically, it wanted a way to see personal data protected by Apple’s introduction of Advanced Data Protection (ADP), which extended end-to-end encryption to almost all iCloud data, meaning not even the iPhone maker could access it. Apple has been fighting the secret order in secret court hearings, but it now appears that the US governmen

UK wants to weasel out of demand for Apple encryption back door

The UK government is reportedly set to back down from its battle with Apple to obtain back door access to secure user data protected by the company’s iCloud encryption. Victory hasn’t come through the courts, or government figures changing their minds on privacy matters, but thanks to ongoing pressure from the US during the two countries’ trade talks. Multiple unnamed UK officials told the Financial Times that the UK government is working on a way out. “The Home Office is basically going to hav

These are our favorite cyber books on hacking, espionage, crypto, surveillance, and more

In the last 30 years or so, cybersecurity has gone from being a niche specialty within the larger field of computer science, to an industry estimated to be worth more than $170 billion made of a globe-spanning community of hackers. In turn, the industry’s growth, and high-profile hacks such as the 2015 Sony breach, the 2016 U.S. election hack and leak operations, the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, and a seemingly endless list of Chinese government hacks, have made cybersecurity and hacking

Microsoft stops relying on Chinese engineers for Pentagon cloud support

Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella (L) returns to the stage after a pre-recorded interview during the Microsoft Build conference opening keynote in Seattle, Washington on May 19, 2025. Microsoft on Friday revised its practices to ensure that engineers in China no longer provide technical support to U.S. defense clients using the company's cloud services. The company implemented the changes in an effort to reduce national security and cybersecurity risks stemming from

We Finally Know How Much Martin Shkreli’s Wu-Tang Album Cost

The saga of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album that Martin “pharma bro” Shkreli bought for approximately $2 million in 2015, continues. The album’s contents have always been a highly guarded secret, and it was seized by the U.S. government in 2018 after Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud. For years, it was reported that the government had sold the album directly to PleaserDAO, a crypto collective that specializes in NFTs. However, Bloomberg now reports that

Chinese hackers breached National Guard to steal network configurations

The Chinese state-sponsored hacking group known as Salt Typhoon breached and remained undetected in a U.S. Army National Guard network for nine months in 2024, stealing network configuration files and administrator credentials that could be used to compromise other government networks. Salt Typhoon is a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group that is believed to be affiliated with China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) intelligence agency. The hacking group has gained notoriety over the past tw

Some Cities in China Are Advertising Exclusive Subsidies for Huawei-Powered Cars

In some parts of China, local governments are offering cash subsidies to people who buy electric or plug-in hybrid cars powered by Huawei software. Experts say the deals are fairly unusual. Since May, at least 10 Chinese provincial and municipal governments have announced consumer subsidies ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 RMB (about $280 to $700) per car, according to social media posts collected by WIRED. The exact amount and conditions vary, but they all have one thing in common: The rebates can

DHS Faces New Pressure Over DNA Taken From Immigrant Children

United States Senator Ron Wyden is pressing the United States departments of Homeland Security and Justice to explain how and why they are collecting DNA from immigrants, including children, on a massive scale. Wyden confronted the agencies with demands this week to explain the scope, legality, and oversight of the government’s DNA collection. In letters to DOJ and DHS, the Oregon Democrat also criticized what he described as a “chilling expansion” of a sprawling and opaque system, accusing Tru

Apple has now fully paid $16.5B to Ireland in back taxes, closing the matter

The nine-year saga between Apple, the Irish government, and the EU ended last year when the final appeal ordered the iPhone maker to pay €13B ($15B) in back tax to the Irish government. That money sat in an escrow account for many years, increasing in value to €14.25B ($16.5B), but has now been paid … The end of a nine-year saga Apple funneled the revenue from all its sales throughout the EU through its European HQ in Ireland. Apple likely chose the location because the country already had an

US Government announces $200M Grok contract a week after 'MechaHitler'

A week after Elon Musk’s Grok dubbed itself “MechaHitler” and spewed antisemitic stereotypes, the US government has announced a new contract granting the chatbot’s creator, xAI, up to $200 million to modernize the Defense Department. xAI is one of several leading AI companies to receive the award, alongside Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. But the timing of the announcement is striking given Grok’s recent high-profile spiral, which drew congressional ire and public pushback. The use of technology

Chinese firms rush for Nvidia chips as US prepares to lift ban

Chinese firms have begun rushing to order Nvidia's H20 AI chips as the company plans to resume sales to mainland China, Reuters reports. The chip giant expects to receive US government licenses soon so that it can restart shipments of the restricted processors just days after CEO Jensen Huang met with President Donald Trump, potentially generating $15 billion to $20 billion in additional revenue this year. Nvidia said in a statement that it is filing applications with the US government to resum

Nvidia to resume China AI chip sales after Huang meets Trump

Chinese firms have begun rushing to order Nvidia's H20 AI chips as the company plans to resume sales to mainland China, Reuters reports. The chip giant expects to receive US government licenses soon so that it can restart shipments of the restricted processors just days after CEO Jensen Huang met with President Donald Trump, potentially generating $15 billion to $20 billion in additional revenue this year. Nvidia said in a statement that it is filing applications with the US government to resum

A Little-Known Microsoft Program Could Expose the Defense Department to Hackers

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Reporting Highlights Chinese Tech Support: Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel. Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel. Skills Gap: Digital escorts of

Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and XAI Granted Up to $200M from Defense Department

A view of the Pentagon on December 13, 2024, in Washington, DC. Home to the US Defense Department, the Pentagon is one of the world's largest office buildings. The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday said it's granting contract awards of up to $200 million for artificial intelligence development at Anthropic, Google , OpenAI and xAI. The DoD's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office said the awards will help the agency accelerate its adoption of "advanced AI capabilities to address c

Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and xAI granted up to $200 million for AI work from Defense Department

A view of the Pentagon on December 13, 2024, in Washington, DC. Home to the US Defense Department, the Pentagon is one of the world's largest office buildings. The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday said it's granting contract awards of up to $200 million for artificial intelligence development at Anthropic, Google , OpenAI and xAI. The DoD's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office said the awards will help the agency accelerate its adoption of "advanced AI capabilities to address c