Get tomorrow's brief in your inbox
Today: The Supreme Court blocked Trump administration mail-in voting restrictions with only Alito and Thomas dissenting, federal judge orders bar DHS from using citizenship database to verify voters after finding the system error-laden and threatening to millions of Americans, and law enforcement agencies in Norway launch criminal investigations into telecom giant Telenor for allegedly aiding Myanmar junta crimes against humanity and violating sanctions by selling surveillance equipment.
Norway Launches Criminal Investigations into Telenor for Myanmar Junta Support
Norway's Police Security Service and National Criminal Investigation Service announced separate investigations into telecommunications giant Telenor for complicity in crimes against humanity and sanctions violations. The investigations stem from Telenor's repeated handover of customer traffic data to Myanmar's military regime between February 1, 2021 and March 25, 2022, during which the regime committed extensive abuses against civilians. The company also sold its Myanmar subsidiary including sanctioned surveillance equipment without permission from Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Norwegian officials raided Telenor's Oslo headquarters. The sale ultimately transferred historical call data of more than 18 million people to entities with ties to the military dictatorship.
$590M PFAS Settlement Between DuPont, Chemours, Corteva and North Carolina
DuPont, Chemours and Corteva agreed to pay $590 million to settle North Carolina's claims that the companies contaminated the state's environment with PFAS chemicals. The settlement resolves state enforcement claims over forever chemical contamination.
$3.1M Palomar Health Data Breach Class Action Settlement
Palomar Health agreed to pay $3.1 million to resolve a class action lawsuit over a data breach affecting patient information. Individuals affected by the Palomar Health data breach may qualify for cash payments from the settlement fund.
$117M Pork Price-Fixing Class Action Settlement
Pork producers agreed to pay $117 million to resolve antitrust claims alleging conspiracy to artificially raise prices of pork products. Eligible class members may submit claims for payment from the settlement fund.
Wix Faces Class Action Over Subscription Terms
Website platform Wix was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging the company unilaterally increases subscription prices without customer consent and denies refunds despite representations that customers can cancel at any time. The lawsuit challenges Wix's subscription practices as deceptive.
Minneapolis ICE Observer Sues DHS Over Global Entry Revocation
Michael Khalili filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security alleging federal officials illegally retaliated against him and violated his First Amendment rights by revoking his Global Entry status after he observed immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis. Discovery revealed his license plate was searched 55 times by law enforcement following his observer activities, compared to only twice prior to this year. Multiple other observers who lost Global Entry privileges after documenting ICE operations have filed similar lawsuits. DHS restored Khalili's privileges shortly after media inquiries about the revocation basis.
Supreme Court Denies Stay of USPS Mail-In Voting Rule Injunctions
The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's emergency request to implement portions of a U.S. Postal Service rule tightening mail-in voting requirements, leaving preliminary injunctions in place from Massachusetts and D.C. federal courts. Justice Kavanaugh concurred that implementing the rule before the 2026 midterms would be arbitrary and capricious under the APA because state and local election officials lack sufficient time to implement it. Justice Alito, joined by Justice Thomas, dissented. The lower court rulings found USPS exceeded its statutory authority under the Postal Reorganization Act and that the rule would increase risk that legitimate mail-in ballots would not be counted.
Groups Urge Supreme Court to Maintain Block on DHS Voter Database
The League of Women Voters and Electronic Privacy Information Center urged the Supreme Court to leave in place a D.C. federal court ruling barring the federal government from using the SAVE database to verify voters' citizenship. U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan blocked the Trump administration's modifications to DHS's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database, finding violations of federal privacy laws, the Social Security Act, and the APA. The court found the federal government "knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote" and that states using the database are "actively removing United States citizens from voter rolls based on inaccurate information." The D.C. Circuit rejected the government's stay request by 2-1 vote and fast-tracked the appeal.
UK, US, Dutch Agencies Warn of Iranian CHOSEN BRICK Spyware
The UK National Cyber Security Centre, FBI, and Netherlands AIVD issued a joint advisory warning that Iranian state-sponsored hackers are using CHOSEN BRICK malware to target dissidents, activists and journalists perceived as threats to the Iranian regime. The malware harvests contacts, email, social media messages, screen content and microphone audio to create pattern-of-life intelligence that increases physical risk to victims. Personal details stolen through the campaigns have surfaced on pro-Iranian leak sites. Attackers use extensive social engineering via WhatsApp and Telegram, often impersonating known contacts or technical support, before delivering malicious files disguised as legitimate products. The FBI attributed the activity to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
China Intelligence Chief Names US AI Models as Cybersecurity Risks
Chen Yixin, head of China's Ministry of State Security, identified Anthropic's Claude Mythos and OpenAI's GPT-5.5-Cyber as signs of what he called disruptive upgrades in cyber capabilities that threaten China's critical information infrastructure. Chen warned the models enable vulnerability industrialization, fully automated attack and defense, and AI-versus-AI cyber operations. The warning came days after Anthropic published a threat report describing a Chinese-speaking group using Claude to conduct autonomous vulnerability research. The Cyberspace Administration of China separately released a new AI governance framework focusing on autonomous agents and embodied AI with loss of control identified as a core risk.
EFF Analysis Reveals Widespread ALPR Abuse by Law Enforcement
EFF analysis of Flock Safety ALPR search logs shows officers across the country are accessing sensitive location data using nonsensical justifications including "LOL," "LMAO," "sexy," "idk," and keyboard mashing rather than legitimate investigative reasons. One Goshen Police Department officer searched 82,413 cameras representing 6,474 ALPR networks on May 7, 2025 with the reason field stating only "idk." The analysis documents systemic misuse including stalking romantic partners, surveilling protests, targeting abortion seekers, and profiling Romani people using ethnic slurs. Flock Safety's dropdown menu requirement for search reasons does not require proof the stated reason matches the actual search purpose. With no warrant requirements and deficient audit processes, ALPR databases have created unrestricted access to location information.
LG TVs Conduct Extensive Local Network Surveillance and Audio Recording
Security researchers using Wireshark analysis and firmware inspection found LG televisions identify user IP addresses, geographic location, all nearby Wi-Fi network names and signal strengths, channel numbers, other devices on the network even if not connected to the TV, and internal IP addresses of network devices. The TVs also record audio and store it locally in plaintext even when unplugged from the network, creating risk the data will be transmitted to LG if the TV later reconnects online. LG defended the collection as necessary for device connectivity and smart home functionality but the unencrypted storage and extensive data collection creates significant breach risk.
CenterPoint Energy Reports Data Breach After Dark Web Post
Texas electric and gas utility CenterPoint Energy filed an 8-K with the SEC confirming hackers obtained personal information from its external-facing systems after a dark web post claimed to offer approximately 7.5 million customer records including names, account information, last four digits of Social Security numbers, and billing information. The company said electric and gas service delivery was not impacted. CenterPoint Energy is conducting an investigation to determine the full scope of affected customers and personal information and will notify affected customers and regulators as required by law. The company reported the incident to law enforcement.
Schneier and Cohn: 25 Years of Mass Surveillance Is Enough
In a Lawfare essay, Bruce Schneier and Cindy Cohn argued the post-9/11 shift from targeted to mass surveillance has expanded far beyond national security to become a routine law enforcement and private security tool. The surveillance capitalism business model creates a pipeline from private collection to government access, increasingly through data broker purchases rather than legal process. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the agency is purchasing information on Americans from data brokers and intends to continue. The authors note the national security community has never provided full cost-benefit analysis of mass surveillance programs or demonstrated they stopped attacks that targeted surveillance could not have prevented, and there has been no analysis of whether domestic law enforcement use makes people safer.
California Federal Funding Deal Would Prohibit Enforcement of Net Neutrality and Affordability Laws
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's $1.4 billion broadband expansion award to California includes a provision requiring the state to not enforce any law, order, or policy imposing restrictions on ISPs receiving the funding for 14 years. The provision would prevent enforcement of California's net neutrality law prohibiting blocking, throttling, zero rating, and paid prioritization, as well as state affordability protections including the $20 internet plan requirement for low-income Californians imposed in the Verizon-Frontier merger approval. The net neutrality law also bans throttling of first responders during emergencies, a protection enacted after Verizon throttled firefighters' service during the 2018 wildfires.
Ukraine Appoints Former Police Chief to Lead Cybersecurity Coordination Center
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed former National Police chief and interior minister Ihor Klymenko to lead the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center, which operates under the National Security and Defense Council and coordinates government agency responses to major cyberthreats. The appointment comes amid broader security leadership reshuffles including the appointments of new acting defense minister, acting SBU head, and dismissal of the Prosecutor General amid allegations officials accepted bribes to protect scam call centers.
Trump DOJ Cites "Become Ungovernable" as Antifa Evidence Despite Trump Convention Using Same Slogan
The Justice Department cited a Facebook post stating "become ungovernable" as key evidence in indicting alleged antifa members in Minnesota, with the U.S. Attorney highlighting the phrase in his press conference. However, Donald Trump spoke at both the 2024 Libertarian Party convention and the 2026 GOP midterms convention in front of "Become Ungovernable" banners, and Ross Ulbricht used the same backdrop when speaking at Trump's rally after receiving a presidential pardon. The contradiction highlights inconsistent application of evidence standards depending on political alignment.
Telecommunications companies with operations in authoritarian jurisdictions must implement human rights due diligence procedures for government data requests and verify sanctions compliance before asset sales involving surveillance technology under Norway's investigation of Telenor for Myanmar crimes against humanity.
State and local election officials should continue existing mail-in ballot procedures and suspend SAVE database use for voter verification after Supreme Court maintained injunctions blocking Trump administration voting restrictions pending appeals.
Organizations operating ALPR systems must implement warrant requirements, mandatory audit procedures, and technical controls preventing unsupported searches after EFF documented widespread law enforcement abuse including searches justified as "LOL" and "idk."
Privacy officers must inventory IoT device data collection after researchers found LG TVs harvest local network device information and record audio stored in plaintext even when unplugged from networks.
California officials must evaluate whether $1.4 billion federal broadband funding justifies 14-year prohibition on enforcing net neutrality and consumer affordability protections given long-term costs may exceed infrastructure benefits.