Month: April 2024
DEA to reclassify marijuana as a lower-risk drug, reports say
Marijuana to move from Schedule 1, the most dangerous drug group, to Schedule 3.
Enlarge / Medical marijuana growing in a facility in Canada. (credit: Getty | Richard Lautens)
The US Drug Enforcement Administration is preparing to reclassify marijuana to a lower-risk drug category, a major federal policy change that is in line with recommendations from the US health department last year. The upcoming move was first reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday afternoon and has since been confirmed by several other outlets.
The DEA currently designates marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, defined as drugs “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” It puts marijuana in league with LSD and heroin. According to the reports today, the DEA is moving to reclassify it as a Schedule 3 drug, defined as having “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” The move would place marijuana in the ranks of ketamine, testosterone, and products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine.
Marijuana’s rescheduling would be a nod to its potential medical benefits and would shift federal policy in line with many states. To date, 38 states have already legalized medical marijuana.
FTC Fines Razer for Misrepresenting COVID Masks as N95s – CNET
The federal agency proposes a $1.1 million settlement to refund defrauded customers.
The federal agency proposes a $1.1 million settlement to refund defrauded customers.
Binance founder CZ sentenced to 4 months in prison for money laundering
Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao, commonly known as “CZ,” was sentenced to a four-month jail term by a Seattle federal court on Tuesday, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. This verdict, lighter than what prosecutors
The post Binance founder CZ sentenced to 4 months in prison for money laundering first appeared on Tech Startups.
Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao, commonly known as “CZ,” was sentenced to a four-month jail term by a Seattle federal court on Tuesday, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. This verdict, lighter than what prosecutors […]
The post Binance founder CZ sentenced to 4 months in prison for money laundering first appeared on Tech Startups.
Meet the Trash-Eating Robots Cleaning Lake Tahoe and Beyond – CNET
We got face-to-face with some of The Searial Cleaners’ trash-collecting robots patrolling Lake Tahoe to learn about how they work and how they’re helping battle pollution beyond just cleaning up.
We got face-to-face with some of The Searial Cleaners’ trash-collecting robots patrolling Lake Tahoe to learn about how they work and how they’re helping battle pollution beyond just cleaning up.
Change Healthcare Hackers Broke In Using Stolen Credentials, No MFA
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: The ransomware gang that hacked into U.S. health tech giant Change Healthcare used a set of stolen credentials to remotely access the company’s systems that weren’t protected by multifactor authentication (MFA), according to the chief executive of its parent company, UnitedHealth Group (UHG). UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty provided the written testimony ahead of a House subcommittee hearing on Wednesday into the February ransomware attack that caused months of disruption across the U.S. healthcare system. This is the first time the health insurance giant has given an assessment of how hackers broke into Change Healthcare’s systems, during which massive amounts of health data were exfiltrated from its systems. UnitedHealth said last week that the hackers stole health data on a “substantial proportion of people in America.”
According to Witty’s testimony, the criminal hackers “used compromised credentials to remotely access a Change Healthcare Citrix portal.” Organizations like Change use Citrix software to let employees access their work computers remotely on their internal networks. Witty did not elaborate on how the credentials were stolen. However, Witty did say the portal “did not have multifactor authentication,” which is a basic security feature that prevents the misuse of stolen passwords by requiring a second code sent to an employee’s trusted device, such as their phone. It’s not known why Change did not set up multifactor authentication on this system, but this will likely become a focus for investigators trying to understand potential deficiencies in the insurer’s systems. “Once the threat actor gained access, they moved laterally within the systems in more sophisticated ways and exfiltrated data,” said Witty. Witty said the hackers deployed ransomware nine days later on February 21, prompting the health giant to shut down its network to contain the breach. Last week, the medical firm admitted that it paid the ransomware hackers roughly $22 million via bitcoin.
Meanwhile, UnitedHealth said the total costs associated with the ransomware attack amounted to $872 million. “The remediation efforts spent on the attack are ongoing, so the total costs related to business disruption and repairs are likely to exceed $1 billion over time, potentially including the reported $22 million payment made [to the hackers],” notes The Register.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: The ransomware gang that hacked into U.S. health tech giant Change Healthcare used a set of stolen credentials to remotely access the company’s systems that weren’t protected by multifactor authentication (MFA), according to the chief executive of its parent company, UnitedHealth Group (UHG). UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty provided the written testimony ahead of a House subcommittee hearing on Wednesday into the February ransomware attack that caused months of disruption across the U.S. healthcare system. This is the first time the health insurance giant has given an assessment of how hackers broke into Change Healthcare’s systems, during which massive amounts of health data were exfiltrated from its systems. UnitedHealth said last week that the hackers stole health data on a “substantial proportion of people in America.”
According to Witty’s testimony, the criminal hackers “used compromised credentials to remotely access a Change Healthcare Citrix portal.” Organizations like Change use Citrix software to let employees access their work computers remotely on their internal networks. Witty did not elaborate on how the credentials were stolen. However, Witty did say the portal “did not have multifactor authentication,” which is a basic security feature that prevents the misuse of stolen passwords by requiring a second code sent to an employee’s trusted device, such as their phone. It’s not known why Change did not set up multifactor authentication on this system, but this will likely become a focus for investigators trying to understand potential deficiencies in the insurer’s systems. “Once the threat actor gained access, they moved laterally within the systems in more sophisticated ways and exfiltrated data,” said Witty. Witty said the hackers deployed ransomware nine days later on February 21, prompting the health giant to shut down its network to contain the breach. Last week, the medical firm admitted that it paid the ransomware hackers roughly $22 million via bitcoin.
Meanwhile, UnitedHealth said the total costs associated with the ransomware attack amounted to $872 million. “The remediation efforts spent on the attack are ongoing, so the total costs related to business disruption and repairs are likely to exceed $1 billion over time, potentially including the reported $22 million payment made [to the hackers],” notes The Register.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao sentenced to four months in prison
A federal judge has sentenced Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (often known as “CZ”) to four months in prison, as first reported by The New York Times. Prosecutors had recommended three years. Zhao pleaded guilty in November to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to set up an anti-money-laundering program.
The DOJ accused Zhao of allowing criminal activity to flourish on the crypto exchange. “Binance turned a blind eye to its legal obligations in the pursuit of profit. Its willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in November.
The government accused Binance of refusing to comply with American sanctions and failing to report suspicious transactions related to drugs and child sexual abuse materials. Prosecutors said in court that Zhao had told Binance employees it was “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” while bragging that if Binance had obeyed the law, it wouldn’t be “as big as we are today.”
Under the plea deal’s terms, Binance agreed to forfeit $2.5 billion and pay a $1.8 billion fine. Zhao personally paid $50 million as part of the settlement.
Although the charges differed, Zhao’s sentence is dramatically shorter than the 25 years fellow crypto figurehead Sam Bankman-Fried received in March. SBF, as he’s often known, was convicted on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy for his role at the helm of the crypto platform FTX.
Zhao played an integral role in Bankman-Fried’s downfall — and the crypto industry’s broader decline in the last 18 months. The Binance founder tweeted in November 2022 that his company would liquidate its holdings in FTX’s de facto token. He said “recent revelations that have came[sic] to light” while citing “ethical concerns” and “regulatory risks.” The posts not only crushed FTX but the crypto world at large. (They likely helped attract the government’s attention as well.) When FTX’s wells dried up following the platform’s rapid collapse, Zhao briefly agreed to buy the company but quickly backed out.
Prosecutors said Zhao’s crime carried a standard federal sentence of 12 to 18 months but argued for a three-year term, describing his crimes as being “on an unprecedented scale.” But Judge Richard A. Jones saw it differently, sentencing him to a measly one-twelfth of the government’s suggested term.
“This wasn’t a mistake — it wasn’t a regulatory oops,” Kevin Mosley, a DOJ lawyer, reportedly said in court on Tuesday. “Breaking U.S. law was not incidental to his plan to make as much money as possible. Violating the law was integral to that endeavor.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/binance-founder-changpeng-zhao-sentenced-to-four-months-in-prison-205550299.html?src=rss
A federal judge has sentenced Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (often known as “CZ”) to four months in prison, as first reported by The New York Times. Prosecutors had recommended three years. Zhao pleaded guilty in November to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to set up an anti-money-laundering program.
The DOJ accused Zhao of allowing criminal activity to flourish on the crypto exchange. “Binance turned a blind eye to its legal obligations in the pursuit of profit. Its willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in November.
The government accused Binance of refusing to comply with American sanctions and failing to report suspicious transactions related to drugs and child sexual abuse materials. Prosecutors said in court that Zhao had told Binance employees it was “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” while bragging that if Binance had obeyed the law, it wouldn’t be “as big as we are today.”
Under the plea deal’s terms, Binance agreed to forfeit $2.5 billion and pay a $1.8 billion fine. Zhao personally paid $50 million as part of the settlement.
Although the charges differed, Zhao’s sentence is dramatically shorter than the 25 years fellow crypto figurehead Sam Bankman-Fried received in March. SBF, as he’s often known, was convicted on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy for his role at the helm of the crypto platform FTX.
Zhao played an integral role in Bankman-Fried’s downfall — and the crypto industry’s broader decline in the last 18 months. The Binance founder tweeted in November 2022 that his company would liquidate its holdings in FTX’s de facto token. He said “recent revelations that have came[sic] to light” while citing “ethical concerns” and “regulatory risks.” The posts not only crushed FTX but the crypto world at large. (They likely helped attract the government’s attention as well.) When FTX’s wells dried up following the platform’s rapid collapse, Zhao briefly agreed to buy the company but quickly backed out.
Prosecutors said Zhao’s crime carried a standard federal sentence of 12 to 18 months but argued for a three-year term, describing his crimes as being “on an unprecedented scale.” But Judge Richard A. Jones saw it differently, sentencing him to a measly one-twelfth of the government’s suggested term.
“This wasn’t a mistake — it wasn’t a regulatory oops,” Kevin Mosley, a DOJ lawyer, reportedly said in court on Tuesday. “Breaking U.S. law was not incidental to his plan to make as much money as possible. Violating the law was integral to that endeavor.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/binance-founder-changpeng-zhao-sentenced-to-four-months-in-prison-205550299.html?src=rss
TikTok May Be Breaking App Store Rules by Avoiding Commissions on Tips
TikTok appears to be quietly showing some users an option to purchase “coins” on the web instead of through in-app purchases, circumventing the commission that Apple receives on digital purchases.
As noted by David Tesler (via TechCrunch) TikTok has been offering a limited number of TikTok app users an option to purchase coins on TikTok.com instead of in the app. “Try recharging on tiktok.com to avoid in-app service fees,” reads the text. “You can save the service fee and get access to popular payment methods.”
TikTok might get banned from the app store next weekWhy? It looks like they’re circumventing apple fee by directing users to purchase coins via external payment methods pic.twitter.com/VG8ihvsRmv— David Tesler (@getdavenow) April 30, 2024
Following through and opting to purchase from TikTok.com brings up an interface for using payment options such as PayPal or a credit/debit card. “Save around 25% with a lower third-party service fee,” the app suggests. The purchase workflow can be completed entirely in the TikTok app with no requirement to use in-app purchase.
TikTok’s coins are used as a way for users to provide “Gifts” to creators. Users pay real money for a certain number of coins, and those coins are used for little gift emoji that can be provided to creators. TikTok says that gifts are used to determine the number of “diamonds” awarded to content creators, and diamonds can be redeemed for money. A TikTok coin is worth about half a diamond, and 100 diamonds is worth 50 cents, so TikTok is collecting quite a bit of money during the conversion.
Apple requires in-app purchase to be used for digital goods and services, and TikTok’s “coins” presumably count as a digital good. If TikTok is indeed offering customers a way to purchase coins without in-app purchase as suggested by the screenshots from Tesler, then TikTok is breaking Apple’s App Store rules.
TikTok coins would likely be considered tips, and Apple has forced other major social networks like Facebook to use in-app purchase for a creator tipping feature. What TikTok is doing is actually similar to the direct purchase options that Epic Games added to the Fortnite app back in 2020, a move that ultimately led to the banning of the Fortnite app and a multi-year legal battle.
Most TikTok users are only able to purchase coins through the in-app purchase interface, and the option to purchase direct from TikTok with a credit or debit card is allegedly a feature showing up only for a small number of users. The option is perhaps being limited to those who have spent a lot of money on coins in the past.This article, “TikTok May Be Breaking App Store Rules by Avoiding Commissions on Tips” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
TikTok appears to be quietly showing some users an option to purchase “coins” on the web instead of through in-app purchases, circumventing the commission that Apple receives on digital purchases.
As noted by David Tesler (via TechCrunch) TikTok has been offering a limited number of TikTok app users an option to purchase coins on TikTok.com instead of in the app. “Try recharging on tiktok.com to avoid in-app service fees,” reads the text. “You can save the service fee and get access to popular payment methods.”
TikTok might get banned from the app store next week
Why? It looks like they’re circumventing apple fee by directing users to purchase coins via external payment methods pic.twitter.com/VG8ihvsRmv
— David Tesler (@getdavenow) April 30, 2024
Following through and opting to purchase from TikTok.com brings up an interface for using payment options such as PayPal or a credit/debit card. “Save around 25% with a lower third-party service fee,” the app suggests. The purchase workflow can be completed entirely in the TikTok app with no requirement to use in-app purchase.
TikTok’s coins are used as a way for users to provide “Gifts” to creators. Users pay real money for a certain number of coins, and those coins are used for little gift emoji that can be provided to creators. TikTok says that gifts are used to determine the number of “diamonds” awarded to content creators, and diamonds can be redeemed for money. A TikTok coin is worth about half a diamond, and 100 diamonds is worth 50 cents, so TikTok is collecting quite a bit of money during the conversion.
Apple requires in-app purchase to be used for digital goods and services, and TikTok’s “coins” presumably count as a digital good. If TikTok is indeed offering customers a way to purchase coins without in-app purchase as suggested by the screenshots from Tesler, then TikTok is breaking Apple’s App Store rules.
TikTok coins would likely be considered tips, and Apple has forced other major social networks like Facebook to use in-app purchase for a creator tipping feature. What TikTok is doing is actually similar to the direct purchase options that Epic Games added to the Fortnite app back in 2020, a move that ultimately led to the banning of the Fortnite app and a multi-year legal battle.
Most TikTok users are only able to purchase coins through the in-app purchase interface, and the option to purchase direct from TikTok with a credit or debit card is allegedly a feature showing up only for a small number of users. The option is perhaps being limited to those who have spent a lot of money on coins in the past.
This article, “TikTok May Be Breaking App Store Rules by Avoiding Commissions on Tips” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Binance’s billionaire founder gets 4 months for violating money laundering law
US prosecutors sought 3-year sentence for Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.
Enlarge / Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao arrives at federal court in Seattle for sentencing on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (credit: Getty Images | Changpeng Zhao)
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao was sentenced today to four months in prison after pleading guilty of failing to take effective measures against money laundering. The billionaire who formerly ran the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange previously agreed to a plea deal that also required him to pay a $50 million fine.
The US government’s sentencing request asked for three years in prison. Zhao’s sentencing memorandum asked for probation without any prison time.
Forbes estimates Zhao’s net worth at $33 billion. He pleaded guilty to failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program.