Tag Archive for: watchdog

Secret Service erased text messages from Jan. 6 and the day before, the Homeland Security watchdog says

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WASHINGTON — The Secret Service erased text messages from both Jan. 6 and the day before the attack on the Capitol after the Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog requested records of electronic communications tied to the insurrection, according to a letter sent to congressional committees that was obtained by NBC News.

The details about the erased messages were revealed in a letter to two congressional committees Wednesday, in which Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said he was informed that many of the messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021, had been erased “as part of a device-replacement program.”

The Intercept first reported the content of the letters.

A spokesperson for the House Homeland Security Committee confirmed the letter, which was also given to the Jan. 6 committee, a source familiar with the matter confirmed.

Cuffari’s letter was also addressed to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

“The USSS erased those text messages after OIG requested records of electronic communications from the USSS, as part of our evaluation of events at the Capitol on January 6,” Cuffari said in his letter.

He added that DHS personnel had repeatedly told inspectors that “they were not permitted to provide records directly” to the watchdog and that the records first needed to be reviewed by the agency’s attorneys.

“This review led to weeks-long delays in OIG obtaining records and created confusion over whether all records had been produced,” he said.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi insisted in a statement that the agency has fully cooperated with the inspector general’s review and that the text messages were lost before they were requested.

“The insinuation that the Secret Service maliciously deleted text messages following a request is false,” Guglielmi said. “In fact, the Secret Service has been fully cooperating with the OIG in every respect — whether it be interviews, documents, emails, or texts.”

According to Guglielmi, the Secret Service began a “pre-planned, three-month system migration” in January 2021 that included resetting its mobile phones to factory settings, resulting in the loss of data for some phones….

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China’s internet watchdog tightens mobile app rules for national security – South China Morning Post

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China’s internet watchdog tightens mobile app rules for national security  South China Morning Post

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UK watchdog seeks to make mobile browsers competitive • The Register

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The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Friday said it intends to launch an investigation of Apple’s and Google’s market power with respect to mobile browsers and cloud gaming, and to take enforcement action against Google for its app store payment practices.

“When it comes to how people use mobile phones, Apple and Google hold all the cards,” said Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive of the CMA, in a statement. “As good as many of their services and products are, their strong grip on mobile ecosystems allows them to shut out competitors, holding back the British tech sector and limiting choice.”

The decision to open a formal investigation follows the CMA’s year-long study of the mobile ecosystem. The competition watchdog’s findings have been published in a report that concludes Apple and Google have a duopoly that limits competition.

“We have found that Apple and Google have substantial and entrenched market power in mobile operating systems as there is limited effective competition between the two and rivals face significant barriers to entry and expansion,” the final report [PDF] says.

This is the third Google-oriented inquiry by the CMA this year. In March, the CMA and the EU announced an investigation of Google and Meta (Facebook) of an alleged ad collusion called Jedi Blue. And the CMA said it is looking into Google ad tech last month as well.

The CMA in March, 2021 opened competition law investigation into the terms and conditions governing Apple’s App Store.

Back in March, 2022 when the CMA was still accepting input from tech firms on how it should proceed, Apple urged the UK regulator to look past the “often self-serving complaints from a limited number of the largest market participants,” as Apple’s law firm Gibson Dunn put it.

Google also maintained that the status quo works well [PDF] while taking…

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Metro Watchdog Safety Report Flags Fatigued Train Operators – NBC4 Washington

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Metro’s train and bus operators could be coming to the job tired and physically unfit to perform their duties, according to a report issued Tuesday by the transit agency’s top safety watchdog. 

The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission flagged potential safety risks related to fatigued operators. Some of this could be because workers aren’t getting enough time off between shifts. 

In 2004, a Metro train at the Woodley Park station on the Red Line rolled backward thousands of feet. It crashed into another train, injuring 20 people. Video footage shows twisted, mangled wreckage. 

“It felt like an explosion. Everyone started running and screaming,” one man said. 

The train operator was found to have been tired and not alert, likely because of a lack of sleep. 

Almost 17 years later, the report issued Tuesday says Metro still isn’t doing enough to ensure that employees are rested and physically fit for the job.

“There are opportunities to improve the program to ensure that [operators] are as well rested as they can be. Again, this is a systemic audit – and we look at the systems, trying to give Metro every opportunity to prevent a safety event like a crash before it happens,” safety commission spokesman Max Smith said.

In addition to the 2004 crash, the safety commission pointed to lesser-known examples of train operator fatigue, including when workers have fallen asleep at the switch. 

Metro is reviewing the report and will respond with changes, a representative said. 

The transit agency has 30 days to address the issues.

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