New York Times Victim of Four-Month Long Chinese Hack

The New York Times reported that its reporters and editors have been the target of a semi-successful, four-month-long cyber attack and the paper suspects Chinese hackers are to blame. In a report published Wednesday, the news outlet said hackers managed to steal passwords and gain access to the personal computers of 53 employees, including those belonging to its Shanghai bureau chief, before a private cyber security firm helped oust the infiltrators. The Times said the hacking campaign coincided with the paper’s investigation into the relatives of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who have accumulated multi-billion-dollar fortunes through business deals. However, Jill Abramson, executive editor of the Times, said that no sensitive emails or documents related to that reporting effort “were accessed, downloaded or copied.”

Read the full story at ABC News.

Facebook Launches ‘Ask Our Chief Privacy Officer’

There’s no denying that Facebook’s voting system for privacy policies is flawed — when halting any measure requires enough votes to populate a large country, the attempt at democracy is more of a token gesture. As proposed, the company has launched an Ask Our Chief Privacy Officer page that’s a tad more engaging. Fill out a short form and CPO Erin Egan just might offer a direct answer as to why Facebook chose a given privacy path, and possibly tackle any outstanding concerns head-on. Those curious users whose questions are picked will have to wait for a monthly public response to get their answers, so don’t consider the page a personal hotline. It might, however, help make better sense of a company whose attitude towards our information is in constant flux.

Read the full story at Engadget.