Verizon has apologized for the recent "civil emergency" alerts that were sent to cellphones used by New Jersey residents in several counties. The Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) had warned many users of a civil emergency "extreme alert" in their local counties. The warning was attributed to the US government and ordered individuals to "take shelter now."
Hacker group LulzSec has claimed responsibility for problems at the US government's CIA website, which was briefly unreachable before service was restored late in the day. The group is also credited with hacking into the Senate website over the weekend and downloading information, though Martina Bradford, the deputy Senate sergeant at arms, told Reuters "they're getting nothing."
Facebook has been asked to answer US Government questions regarding the way user data is handled through third-party apps. According to the Wall Street Journal, two members of the House Bipartisan Privacy Caucus have asked Facebook to explain the way that “third-party applications gathered and transmitted personally identifiable information about Facebook users and those users’ friends.”
US State Senator may have a trendy new gadget next year, as congress is considering the iPhone as its newest communication device. TheHill.com is reporting that Congress's Chief Administrative Office (CAO), the office in charge of congressional communications, is testing a set of iPhones among its ranks to see if the device will function within the needs of Capital Hill representatives and support staff.
