Technology

Anti-Censorship Group: China Behind Cyberattacks on US Sites

Published

9 years ago

March 31, 2015

Shanghai, China (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities have taken over computers both inside and outside the country to launch cyberattacks against the website of an anti-online censorship group and a U.S.-based web resource that hosts some of the group’s data, according to an analysis released by the group.

Greatfire.org said in a statement Monday that Chinese authorities carried out denial-of-service attacks that have intermittently shut down San Francisco-based Github over the past week. Greatfire.org said it had mirrored some of its content on Github repositories, and that the data were the targets of the attacks.

Greatfire.org said Chinese authorities carried out the attacks by installing malicious code on the computers of users visiting the popular Chinese search engine Baidu and related sites and using those computers to overwhelm Github and Greatfire.org websites with service requests.

The group said the attacks marked the first of their kind blamed on Chinese authorities and represented a dangerous escalation for a country that already tightly restricts what Chinese can see online. Greatfire.org said it was a direct target of similar denial-of-service attacks earlier in March.

Greatfire.org produces mirror websites that let Chinese users see information normally blocked by government censors. The group doesn’t reveal where it’s located or who runs it. The Open Technology Fund, a U.S. government-backed initiative to support Internet freedom, says on its website that it provided Greatfire.org with $114,000 in 2014.

The Cyberspace Administration of China didn’t respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

“Very clearly, the Cyberspace Administration of China is behind both of the recent (distributed denial-of-service) attacks,” Greatfire.org said in its statement. “Hijacking the computers of millions of innocent internet users around the world is particularly striking as it illustrates the utter disregard the Chinese authorities have for international as well as even Chinese internet governance norms.”

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California Black Media

U.S. DOT Awards California Nearly $150M for EV Charging and Fueling Infrastructure

The United States Department of Transportation has awarded $149.7 million to California to build its zero-emission vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced last week. “Decarbonizing the transportation and goods movement sectors is essential for fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health in communities along busy corridors,” said Padilla. The funding includes $100 million for medium and heavy-duty zero emissions vehicles. The funding is being managed by the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program under the Federal Highway Administration (FHA).

Published

6 days ago

September 11, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

“Decarbonizing the transportation and goods movement sectors is essential for fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health in communities along busy corridors,” said Padilla.

The funding includes $100 million for medium and heavy-duty zero emissions vehicles. The funding is being managed by the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program under the Federal Highway Administration (FHA).

The federal agency was created by the bipartisan infrastructure law to fund development projects. The state’s Department of Transportation will receive $102.4 million for its West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project. The charging and fueling stations will be developed for zero-emissions medium and heavy-duty vehicles along 2,500 miles of key freight corridors in California, Oregon, and Washington. The project aims to transport goods between major ports and freight centers and agricultural regions along the West Coast.

Several Democratic leaders urged U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to support the zero-emissions project. The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program also aims to deploy electric vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure in publicly accessible locations to help underserved and disadvantaged communities.

“To successfully meet California’s critical climate goals, we need to scale up our charging and fueling infrastructure up and down the state through transformative projects like the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project,” Padilla added.

Additional government agencies and organizations in California were awarded up to $15 million to invest in sustainable transportation infrastructure. They include the Fort Independence Indian Community, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.

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California Black Media

Nvidia Announces Partnership With California Black Media 

Nvidia, the tech leader in artificial intelligence and the third largest corporation in the world — valued at around $3.06 trillion – announced last week that it is partnering with California Black Media (CBM) to create a critical resource that will support Black-owned newspapers in the state.

Published

3 weeks ago

August 28, 2024

Oakland Post

File photo.

By Tanu Henry, California Black Media

Nvidia, the tech leader in artificial intelligence and the third largest corporation in the world — valued at around $3.06 trillion – announced last week that it is partnering with California Black Media (CBM) to create a critical resource that will support Black-owned newspapers in the state.

The same week, Nvidia, based in Santa Clara, also announced a partnership with the state that will train educators and students across California.

“The public-private collaboration supports the state’s goals in workforce training and economic development by giving universities, community colleges and adult education programs in California the resources to gain skills in generative AI,” the Nvidia statement read.

With CBM, Nvidia will “train a large language model on nearly a century of journalism by Black journalists in the state.”

“We are excited to collaborate with NVIDIA to empower publishers in our sector,” said Regina Wilson, Executive Director of CBM. “This partnership places the Black Press at the forefront of journalism and technology, unlocking innovative opportunities that will drive the future of our industry.”

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Bay Area

WestCAT to Replace Old Diesel Buses with New Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses

The Western Contra Costa Transit Authority (WestCAT) will receive $20,646,189 to buy hydrogen fuel cell buses to replace older diesel buses and expand its hydrogen fueling station and maintenance facilities, according to the transit agency.

Published

1 month ago

August 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo credit: WestCAT.

The Richmond Standard

The grant is part of $1.5 billion in federal funding to support 117 projects that aim to improve public transportation in 47 states. Over the last three years, the Federal Transit Administration has sent nearly $5 billion to replace and modernize transit buses, building new technology with American workers. U.S. factories will produce more than 3,650 new buses.

As part of the $20.6M in funding it was awarded, WestCAT said it will provide workforce training to support its transition to an entirely zero-emission fleet.