The rapidly evolving war between Russia and Ukraine has moved us into uncharted digital waters with complicated alliances and offensive and defensive actions being taken on both sides. Risks are exacerbated by many factors, including that governments, businesses, cybergroups and individuals are quickly taking sides, bring their own agenda and tactics, and most critically, that there’s no clear oversight or way to assess what the consequences may be.

With regard to privacy, there are new tools being used to identify and control misinformation, but at the same time cyberwar tactics are putting personal data at risk. Here’s some of what is in the news:

1. Ukraine has started using Clearview AI for facial recognition. While Ukraine’s Defense Minister would not comment on plans for use, Clearview’s chief executive said they were being used to uncover Russian assailants, combat misinformation, and to identify the dead. Read More
2. Russia drops a digital iron curtain on its population to cut off citizens from outside news. Actions include blocking Instagram, and restricting access to Twitter and Facebook. Read More
3. Facebook and Twitter roll out new services to protect against misinformation. Facebook Protect is beginning to be offered globally, particularly to individuals deemed to need extra protection from bad actors. Twitter has launched a new version on Tor’s network to help bypass censorship imposed by Russia. Read More (Facebook) Read More (Twitter)
4. Hacktivist followers of @YourAnonNews answered Ukraine’s call for a globally sourced “IT Army” and declared their intent to fight Russia. Actions have included DDoS (denial of service) attacks, including on oil and infrastructure companies, and stealing Russian data and posting it to the public. Read More