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The Wiretap: Russia Tried To Influence Germany’s Election With AI And Disinformation. It Mostly Failed.

Feb 25, 2025 - forbes.com
The article provides a digest of recent cybersecurity, internet privacy, and surveillance news. It highlights the election of Friedrich Merz as Germany's new chancellor amidst attempts to sway the vote through online disinformation campaigns, primarily supporting the far-right party AfD. Despite these efforts, there is no evidence that these influence operations significantly impacted the election outcome. Companies like Graphika and Cyabra tracked the disinformation activities, noting minimal traction among authentic audiences and a surge in online conversations about AfD, partly due to fake profiles. The article also discusses the role of AI in spreading disinformation and the challenges of making such operations convincing enough to influence public opinion.

Additionally, the article covers Apple's decision to cut its iCloud encryption service in the UK following a government demand for access to encrypted content, marking an unprecedented move in major democracies. Other notable stories include the infiltration of the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency by individuals with questionable backgrounds, Russia's targeting of Ukrainian military personnel's Signal accounts, and a Mississippi judge ruling against the constitutionality of "tower dumps." The article also highlights Dream, an AI cybersecurity company, as the "Winner of the Week" for raising significant funding, and North Korean hackers as the "Loser of the Week" for their involvement in a massive cryptocurrency heist.

Key takeaways:

  • Friedrich Merz was elected as Germany's new chancellor amid attempts to sway the vote through online disinformation campaigns, though there is no evidence these efforts impacted the election outcome.
  • Apple has decided to stop offering its Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK after the government demanded access to encrypted iCloud content, a move unprecedented in major democracies.
  • Dream, an AI cybersecurity company co-founded by Shalev Hulio and Sebastian Kurz, has raised $100 million in funding, reaching a $1.1 billion valuation.
  • North Korean hackers have been linked to the largest cryptocurrency heist ever, stealing $1.5 billion from Bybit's Ethereum stash, with customers promised refunds for any lost currency.
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