Texas legislation boots adversaries from critical infrastructure projects. China ramps up competition, data, critical infrastructure protections. TikTok back on the rocks?

Summary

By the CyberWire staff

At a glance.

Texas legislation boots adversaries from critical infrastructure projects.
China ramps up competition, data, critical infrastructure protections.
TikTok back on the rocks?

Texas legislation boots adversaries from critical infrastructure projects.

The US state of Texas’ Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act will bar certain critical infrastructure contracts with Chinese, Russian, Iranian, and North Korean companies as of next month, Government Technology reports. Texas reserves the right to expand the blacklist in the future. The law forbids Government or business contracts that would grant companies located in—or owned or controlled by citizens of—designated countries access to communications, cybersecurity, water, electricity, or hazardous waste infrastructure, excepting approved "product warranty and support purposes." Governor Abbott said the legislation "protects our critical infrastructure from hostile nations that seek to harm either the United States of America or the state of Texas."

The Lone Star State is also planning enhanced cloud vendor security measures as part of the Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program.

China ramps up competition, data, critical infrastructure protections.

Beijing is continuing to clip Chinese tech companies’ wings as well, according to Reuters. Draft rules released yesterday by the State Administration for Market Regulation take on anti-competitive practices and consumer data protections, and are expected to boost e-commerce platforms’ compliance costs. The regulations would ban firms from posting fake reviews, compensating reviewers, smearing rivals, harvesting rivals’ data, or manipulating traffic.

Starting next month, Beijing will also institute new critical infrastructure protections, including annual security and risk assessments, and increased vendor vetting.

TikTok back on the rocks?

Senator Marco Rubio (Republican of Florida), Reuters reports, has asked the Biden Administration to banish TikTok following the Chinese Government’s acquisition of an ownership stake in a subsidiary of the app’s parent company. TikTok claims the subsidiary in question “has no ownership” of the platform, while a spokesperson from China’s foreign ministry said antagonistic politicians are headed for “the waste dumps of history.” President Biden eased off President Trump’s TikTok crackdown, but the Commerce Department is reviewing the threat.

Rubio called for “a framework of standards that must be met before a high-risk, foreign-based app is allowed to operate on American telecommunications networks and devices."

Selected Reading

Taliban in power may find themselves fighting their own insurgents (the Guardian) Analysis: new regime may face enemy composed not of fighters loyal to former US-backed government but those who see new rulers as sellouts

Taliban announces ‘amnesty,’ urges women to join government (Military Times) While there were no major reports of abuses or fighting in the capital of Kabul as the Taliban now patrol its streets, many residents have stayed home and remain fearful after the insurgents’ takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted.

What’s at stake for women in Afghanistan (Quartz) Afghan women have the most to lose under Taliban rule, including their life and safety.

Intelligence Warned of Afghan Military Collapse, Despite Biden’s Assurances (NYTimes) Even as the president was telling the public that Kabul was unlikely to fall, intelligence assessments painted a grimmer picture.

‘Answer to Afghan people’ — Afghan journalist who survived the Taliban asks the Pentagon what happens now (Task & Purpose) Afghan journalist Nazira Karimi expressed her frustration at the Taliban’s swift return to power at a Pentagon press briefing on Monday.

‘There Is No Afghan Government’: NATO Stops Aid To Afghanistan As Taliban Take Over (Defense One) Stoltenberg says aid could resume to an “inclusive government." And at the White House: “We will have to take a hard look at how we proceed on any basis at all.”

EU: we'll have to talk to the Taliban even if we don't recognise them (Reuters) The European Union will have to engage with the Taliban to provide support to the Afghan people even if it does not recognise them as legitimate rulers of the country, the bloc's foreign policy chief said on Tuesday.

Biden Rattles U.K. With His Afghanistan Policy (NYTimes) Britain was the second-largest supplier of troops to Afghanistan, and the United States’ rapid withdrawal from the country has left some embittered.

Biden says Afghanistan war was a lost cause, vows to continue aid and diplomacy (CNBC) Biden's remarks came one day after Taliban insurgents pushed into Kabul after a rapid succession of victories over Afghan forces.

Analysis: Biden's botched Afghan exit is a disaster at home and abroad long in the making (CNN) The debacle of the US defeat and chaotic retreat in Afghanistan is a political disaster for Joe Biden, whose failure to orchestrate an urgent and orderly exit will further rock a presidency plagued by crises and stain his legacy.

China Steps Up Direct Involvement in Internet-Content Firms (WSJ) China is taking a more direct hand in managing internet content companies by acquiring stakes, filling board seats and sending dedicated regulators to police content at firms more frequently.

China Set to Pass One of the World’s Strictest Data-Privacy Laws (WSJ) The world’s leading practitioner of state surveillance is set to usher in a far-reaching new privacy regime with a law that resembles Europe’s robust framework for online privacy protections—up to a point.

Grid's 'town crier' separates cyber signal from noise (E&E News) An industry-run hub for warning U.S. power utilities about cyberthreats is coming under pressure as hackers ramp up attacks on electric utilities.

Hacks Rank Among Top Power Grid Risks, Watchdog Says (WSJ) Cybersecurity has become a core issue for the U.S. power system, as important as the supply of raw materials used to generate electricity, a senior official at the grid’s watchdog said, as government officials push to shore up critical infrastructure from hackers.

Is net neutrality legislation needed in South Africa? (TechCentral) The issue has reached prominence in Europe, the US and other markets, but where does South Africa stand on the subject of network neutrality? By Carmen Cupido.