Suzanne Smalley
LightNews LightNews
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Suzanne Smalley
@suzannesmalley.bsky.social
5.1K followers 910 following 330 posts
Reporter covering digital privacy, disinformation and cybersecurity policy for The Record. Mom. Pub trivia queen. Crossword enthusiast. Literary fiction connoisseur. Idiosyncratic. Signal: Suzanne.236 Email: suzanne.smalley@therecord.media.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · Nov 8
I cover digital privacy and surveillance for The Record, a Washington DC-based news website covering cybersecurity and digital privacy exclusively. I can be reached on Signal at Suzanne.236 or via email at suzanne.smalley@therecord.media. Please be in touch with story ideas and tips.
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Former Trump official appointed exec chairman of spyware company NSO Group. David Friedman previously served as Trump's ambassador to Israel + before that was a bankruptcy lawyer for the president. NSO was recently acquired by investors led by a Hollywood producer therecord.media/former-trump...
Former Trump official named NSO Group executive chairman
NSO Group announced Friedman’s appointment on Sunday, saying that NSO’s three founders no longer have any stake in the firm.
therecord.media
November 10, 2025 at 6:14 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Security researchers on Friday revealed the discovery of “commercial grade” spyware used in a 9-month-long hacking campaign aimed at Samsung Galaxy phones likely concentrated in the Middle East.

therecord.media/landfall-spy...
Newly identified Android spyware appears to be from a commercial vendor
Researchers spotted a 9-month-long campaign involving previously undiscovered spyware they call LANDFALL, which leveraged a zero-day bug in Samsung Galaxy phones.
therecord.media
November 7, 2025 at 5:16 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Italian communications executive and political adviser is the latest victim of Paragon spying on the continent to come forward

therecord.media/italy-comms-...
Italian communications executive reveals he was targeted with Paragon spyware
A prominent Italian communications executive and political adviser has revealed that he was targeted with Paragon spyware, making him the fifth Italian to come forward in a scandal that has rocked the...
therecord.media
November 6, 2025 at 5:07 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
State-backed hackers are for the first time deploying malware that uses large language models during execution, allowing them to dynamically generate malicious scripts and evade detection, according to new research from Google Threat Intelligence Group

therecord.media/new-malware-...
New malware uses AI to adapt during attacks, report finds
Researchers at Google said Wednesday that they recently observed malware "that employed AI capabilities mid-execution to dynamically alter the malware's behavior."
therecord.media
November 5, 2025 at 2:07 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Senator unveils bill designed to protect privacy of health data not covered by HIPAA. Bill to create guardrails for data collected by smartwatches and health apps, senator says. Legislation introduced after period-tracking app Flo found to be sharing user data w/ Meta
therecord.media/health-priva...
Health privacy bill seeks protections for data collected by apps, smartwatches
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would add new privacy protections to health data gathered by smartwatches, health apps and other new technologies.
therecord.media
November 4, 2025 at 7:47 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
European news outlets find that data brokers are peddling locations of hundreds in European Commission and Parliament, including senior officials.
therecord.media/data-brokers...
Data brokers selling location info that can be used to track EU officials, report finds
A spokesperson for the European Commission told the journalists that officials are “concerned with the trade of geolocation data from citizens and Commission officials.“
therecord.media
November 4, 2025 at 7:38 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
CFPB ends probe into how Meta used financial data from third parties in targeted advertising
therecord.media/cfpb-meta-pr...
CFPB ends probe into Meta’s financial data advertising practices
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ended a probe into how Meta obtains and uses consumers’ financial data for targeted advertising, the company said on Thursday.
therecord.media
October 31, 2025 at 3:25 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Denmark has backed away from its Chat Control proposal which would have required the scanning of all messages, even on end-to-end encrypted platforms, for child sex abuse material

therecord.media/demark-repor...
Denmark reportedly withdraws Chat Control proposal following controversy
Earlier in its European Council presidency, Denmark had brought back a draft law which would have required scanning of electronic messages, sparking an intense backlash.
therecord.media
October 31, 2025 at 2:49 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
DEVELOPING Denmark has withdrawn controversial proposal for mandatory message scanning to fight child sexual abuse. Proposal would have included scanning of messages on end-to-end encrypted platforms like Signal
October 30, 2025 at 4:24 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Irish nonprofit files complaint with European Commission, seeking to have ex-Meta lobbyist removed from new post as key data protection regulator. EC says the matter is out of its hands.

therecord.media/meta-lobbyis...
Former Meta lobbyist’s appointment to Irish data commission ‘conflict of interest,’ complaint alleges
An Irish human rights group submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission alleging that Ireland’s appointment of a former Meta lobbyist to its Data Protection Commission is illegal.
therecord.media
October 29, 2025 at 4:03 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
If you're interested in the future of neural data privacy and brain hacking read my Q+A with expert Nita Farahany.

therecord.media/what-brain-p...
What brain privacy will look like in the age of neurotech
Nita Farahany spoke with Recorded Future News about whether brain data will be commodified and the role artificial intelligence plays in allowing internal speech to be decoded.
therecord.media
October 27, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Smalley
timstarks.bsky.social
Ex-L3Harris executive accused of selling trade secrets to Russia
@cyberscoop.bsky.social cyberscoop.com/ex-l3harris-...
Ex-L3Harris executive accused of selling trade secrets to Russia
Federal prosecutors have accused a former executive at L3Harris Technologies’ cyber division of stealing trade secrets and selling them to an undisclosed buyer in Russia.
cyberscoop.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:56 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Judge in WhatsApp/NSO case orders NSO to stop targeting WhatsApp users w/ spyware. NSO previously told judge such an injunction would "force NSO out of business." Spokesperson now says ruling "will not apply to NSO’s customers," raising questions about NSO intentions
therecord.media/judge-bars-n...
Judge bars NSO from targeting WhatsApp users with spyware, reduces damages in landmark case
Spyware manufacturer NSO Group will have to pay Meta $4 million instead of $168 million, but will also be barred from targeting the messaging platform in the future.
therecord.media
October 20, 2025 at 4:59 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Tech industry association sues to block Texas law that requires age verification for all app downloads. Law to take effect Jan 1. CCIA argues law violates 1st Amendment. It applies to most apps, incl those giving access to newspapers, the Bible and public libraries.

therecord.media/tech-industr...
Tech industry association sues to block Texas ‘censorship’ law age-gating access to apps
A leading technology industry association has sued Texas, seeking to block a state law that requires app stores to verify user ages to purchase and download apps.
therecord.media
October 17, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Smalley
lorenzofb.bsky.social
SCOOP: Spyware maker NSO Group confirmed to us that the company has been acquired by a U.S. investment group.

NSO's spokesperson said the group "has invested tens of millions of dollars in the company and has acquired controlling ownership," but declined to say who is behind the investment.
Spyware maker NSO Group confirms acquisition by US investors | TechCrunch
NSO Group confirmed to TechCrunch that an unnamed group of American investors has taken “controlling ownership” of the surveillance tech maker.
techcrunch.com
October 10, 2025 at 3:54 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
If you are a privacy compliance officer or a lawyer and have expertise on how the Google/Meta/Flo case may be changing business practices when it comes to the sharing of sensitive data I'd love to hear from you. I'm at suzanne.smalley@therecord.media
October 9, 2025 at 8:21 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Prominent law firm Williams & Connolly says attorney emails were hacked by nation state actor

therecord.media/us-law-firm-...
Major US law firm says hackers broke into attorneys’ emails accounts
While the firm did not specify which nation-state it believes the hacker is affiliated with, The New York Times reported that sources have said it is China.
therecord.media
October 8, 2025 at 4:53 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Germany will not support Chat Control - a law which proposes to scan all messages people send even on end-to-end encrypted platforms - Justice Minister said today. German stance likely dooms the measure. Signal had threatened to leave the EU if Chat Control became law
therecord.media/chat-control...
Germany will not support 'Chat Control' message scanning in the EU
“Random chat monitoring must be taboo in a constitutional state,” Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said as German officials signaled they will not vote for a controversial EU proposal known as ...
therecord.media
October 8, 2025 at 2:25 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
Signal to leave EU rather than comply w/ Chat Control, which would scan all messages sent over end-to-end encrypted platforms. Vote on Chat Control's future Oct 14. Germany is the swing vote. Officials there opposed the measure in past but new govt silent re position
therecord.media/signal-calls...
Signal calls on Germany to vote against ‘Chat Control,’ saying it would leave EU market
The head of the Signal Foundation raised concerns around Germany now refusing to say whether it will support Chat Control in an upcoming vote.
therecord.media
October 6, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Smalley
timstarks.bsky.social
Android spyware disguised as legitimate messaging apps targets UAE victims, researchers reveal cyberscoop.com/android-spyw...
Android spyware disguised as legitimate messaging apps targets UAE victims, researchers reveal
Researchers have found two Android spyware families masquerading as messaging apps Signal and ToTok, apparently targeting residents of the United Arab Emirates.
cyberscoop.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:02 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
LinkedIn sues software company scraping data from millions of user accounts

therecord.media/linkedin-sue...
LinkedIn sues software company allegedly scraping data from millions of profiles
ProAPIs, a software company, and its CEO Rahmat Alam allegedly run an operation which LinkedIn says charges customers up to $15,000 per month for scraped user data taken from the social media platform...
therecord.media
October 3, 2025 at 2:08 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
A Dutch judge ruled Thursday that Meta violated Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) by customizing users’ recommendation feeds based on their personal data and has given the tech giant two weeks to change its practices.

therecord.media/dutch-court-...
Dutch court rules Meta violated European law by pushing users to profiled feeds
The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the Dutch nonprofit Bits of Freedom, which argued that by controlling users’ feeds Meta has been improperly skewing what news consumers receive.
therecord.media
October 2, 2025 at 4:58 PM
suzannesmalley.bsky.social
39 members of Europe's Parliament on Monday sent EC leadership a letter decrying the fact that state $ has been used to fund mercenary commercial spyware companies (eg Cy4Gate and Intellexa). Letter follows investigation by @vaspanagiotopoulos.com for Follow the Money
therecord.media/european-par...
European parliamentarians implore EU leadership to stop funding spyware
A letter to European Commission officials demands answers about why European Union funding has reportedly gone towards subsidizing the spyware industry.
therecord.media
October 2, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Smalley
timstarks.bsky.social
DOJ, Georgia Tech affiliate company settle over alleged failure to meet DOD contract cyber requirements cyberscoop.com/doj-georgia-...
DOJ, Georgia Tech affiliate company settle over alleged failure to meet DOD contract cyber requirements
The company agreed to pay $875,000, with neither side conceding to the other as part of resolving the suit.
cyberscoop.com
September 30, 2025 at 6:11 PM