all rich

Sowei 2025-01-12
all rich
all rich

A day of embarrassment ends with further indignity for Marnus and Australia

WASHINGTON — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China's hacking sophistication. The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals." Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed. Stay in the know on jobs, retail and all things business across Long Island. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but a “large number" were in the Washington-Virginia area. Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said. The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Zhangjiakou, China, on Feb. 2, 2022. A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Credit: AP/Kiichiro Sato The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are "primarily involved in government or political activity.” Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. “We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking.This isn’t a justification—it’s a reckoning. The CEO was no innocent bystander. He was a symbol of a system that denies life-saving treatments, delays settlements after disasters, and leaves accident victims without recourse. His actions were legal but devastating, his decisions measured in profit margins while people’s lives unraveled. Two murderers, standing on opposite ends of a scale—one wielding a gun, the other a pen. Both left blood in their wake. Modern capitalism has turned into a theater of despair, where profit is the only currency of morality. Once, capitalism promised prosperity for all. The baker baked better bread. The butcher sold better meat. The customer got the best sandwich. But that promise died decades ago, in the late 1970s, when Milton Friedman decreed that ethics no longer mattered, that the sole responsibility of business was to maximize profits. Since then, the rich have gotten richer, and the rest of us? We’ve been left to fend for ourselves. This is no accident. This is a betrayal. CEOs were supposed to be the leaders we trusted, the alphas who protected the tribe when danger struck. Instead, they became the danger. Mass layoffs to inflate stock prices. Drug prices hiked 5,000% overnight. Insurance policies that work only until you need them most. This isn’t leadership—it’s exploitation. And the cost is measured in lives, not dollars. Luigi Mangione’s crime must be condemned, but so must the quieter, systemic murders committed every day by those who weaponize power and greed. One man pulled a trigger. Another man pulled strings that left thousands dead. Neither act is justifiable. Both demand accountability. What do we do with this anger, this despair? Do we sharpen pitchforks and prepare for revolution? Or do we demand change before it’s too late? The choice isn’t between action and inaction—it’s between chaos and rebuilding. Between letting the fractures grow or forging a new system that values life over profit. The solution begins with ethical capitalism. Leaders must prioritize humanity, not quarterly earnings. Policies must close the loopholes that allow exploitation to thrive. And yes, AI can play a role, but only if it’s wielded ethically—to enhance fairness, streamline care, and restore trust, not deepen the divide. This is the moment we decide what kind of world we want to build. A world where CEOs sacrifice others to preserve their power? Or one where leadership is defined by courage, empathy, and accountability? The clock is ticking. Every day we wait, another life is lost, another tragedy unfolds. So, here’s the question: will we let this broken system define us? Or will we rise to reclaim capitalism’s promise? The time to act isn’t tomorrow. It’s not someday. It’s now. The pitchforks are already being sharpened. Let’s make sure they aren’t needed. Dragan This is a "Viewpoint" opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of The Helsinki Times. This column is not fact checked and HT is not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article.

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WH's 'Building a Better Future' Post With Pic of Kamala Harris Waving Goodbye Sends a MessageIt's the holiday shopping season, which likely means more use of your credit card. And with each swipe, a transaction fee follows. The fee is often paid by the retailer and may be passed onto the customer. A group of lawmakers are taking aim at lowering the rate of those transaction fees. Retailers currently pay around 2-3% on every transaction, totaling $224 billion in 2023, according to industry analysts CMSPI . Visa and Mastercard, two payment networks that dominate the market, argue the fees pay for a valued service for quick and secure transactions. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, says it's a problem that permeates every business accepting cards. "Visa and Mastercard don't bargain their charge on every single bill. They dictate how much they're going to charge," Durbin said. Durbin, who is pushing the Credit Card Competition Act, is advocating for more competition in the credit card market to help businesses play a hand in negotiating fees. "When you reduce the cost for retailers, whether they're restaurants or shops, they end up passing it along, and reduce prices for customers," Durbin said. But payment groups argue that there are already many payment options available that drive competition. "There's cash, check, Venmo, Zelle, credit card, debit card, the list goes on and on," Richard Hunt of the Electronic Payment Coalition said. "Millions of Americans use their credit card many times throughout the day. It is safe and it is secure and is very valuable to make ends meet." Hunt says the costs pay for services, protecting businesses and customers alike from fraud and stolen information. He says taking away the service could jeopardize not only private information but also take away benefits that customers rely on, like reward points or cash back. "[Customers] use that money to pay for groceries and gasoline prices and to buy gifts during the holidays. This move by Congress would jeopardize those reward points," Hunt said. But Sen. Durbin believes that increased competition will not harm rewards programs, which he says are a key factor in attracting customers to apply for credit cards in the first place. Earlier this year, Visa and Mastercard settled a lawsuit over the fees, resulting in lower costs over the next few years and allowing smaller merchants to collectively bargain for better rates. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week, both Republicans and Democrats questioned Visa and Mastercard's profit margins, which hover around 50 percent and are fueled in part by fees. Lawmakers argued that such high profit margins should not exist amid record-high credit card debt. Representatives for Visa and Mastercard defended the fees, stating they provide security from fraud, drive innovative payment technologies, and offer lifelines for customers, especially those who are low-income, relying on points and benefits. Sen. Durbin admits the bill is unlikely to pass in the current lame-duck session of Congress but notes there has been bipartisan interest in the proposal.

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