Hillicon Valley — Presented by Ericsson — Massive Chinese hacking attempt revealed

Security firm Cybereason released a report saying hackers connected to the Chinese government attempted to access sensitive information from global organizations.  

Meanwhile, Lyft’s stock plunged after the ride-share company revealed its quarterly report, and Vice President Harris is scheduled to meet with representatives from the Amazon Labor Union on Thursday.  

This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Send tips to The Hill’s Rebecca Klar, Chris Mills Rodrigo and Ines Kagubare. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Chinese hackers tied to cyber espionage 

Security researchers on Wednesday said that hackers connected to the Chinese government have attempted to access sensitive information from dozens of global organizations.  

Security firm Cybereason published research on a cyberattack believed to have had the goal of stealing sensitive proprietary information from technology and manufacturing companies mainly in East Asia, Western Europe and North America.   

The group said it had “medium-high confidence” that the attack was linked to Winnti APT group, which specializes in cyber espionage and intellectual property theft and is believed to work for Chinese state interests. 

In a statement, Cybereason CEO and co-founder Lior Div said the group made “intricate and extensive efforts” to garner information from the organizations. 

Read more here. 

Lyft stock plunges

Lyft’s stock plunged after the company shared its first-quarter earnings report Tuesday and told investors costs would remain up as it invests more in incentives to attract drivers. 

Lyft’s first-quarter performance and forecast for investors also led to rival company Uber’s stock falling Tuesday.  

This prompted Uber to push up the time of its own earnings report release from Wednesday afternoon to the morning, saying that it wanted to provide a more “timely update on the company’s performance and guidance before the market opens.” 

Read more here.  

HARRIS TO MEET WITH AMAZON ORGANIZERS 

Vice President Harris will meet with a collection of labor groups at the White House on Thursday, including representatives from the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) and Starbucks Workers United. 

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh will also be at the meeting featuring ALU President Christian Smalls and grassroots organizers at companies including: 

• Starbucks/Service Employees International Union
• United Paizo Workers/Communications Workers of America
• Titmouse Productions/International Union of Theatrical Stage Employees 
• Baltimore Public Library/International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
• REI/Retail
• Wholesale and Department Store Union

The officials and organizers will discuss “extraordinary efforts to organize unions in their workplaces, and how their efforts can inspire workers across the country to make the choice to join or organize a union.” 

Read more here.  

CALIFORNIA FORGES AHEAD ON KIDS’ SAFETY 

A California state panel advanced a proposal that would hold tech companies responsible for features that can be addictive and harmful, a measure that, if passed, could put California at the forefront of the fight for kids’ online safety as Washington stalls. 

All but one member of the California Assembly Judiciary Committee voted to advance the bill, A.B. 2408, with Republican Assemblymember Kevin Kiley, who is running for Congress, abstaining.  

The bill would impose a duty for tech companies not to hook users 17 and younger and would make them liable for damages and civil penalties if they knowingly or negligently addict children to their products or services. 

Read more here.  

BITS & PIECES

An op-ed to chew on: The US should embrace its role as the world’s armory against aggression 

Notable links from around the web: 

Tribal leaders are building a better internet from the ground up (Protocol / Karl Bode) 

Amazon’s Campaign to Derail a Second Staten Island Union Drive (The New Yorker / E. Tammy Kim) 

Mental health app privacy language opens up holes for user data (The Verge / Nicole Wetsman) 

One more thing: Musk says pay up

Elon Musk said on Tuesday that Twitter could start charging a “slight cost” for government and commercial users in comments that come just over a week since he reached a deal to buy the social media platform. 

“Ultimately, the downfall of the Freemasons was giving away their stonecutting services for nothing,” Musk tweeted initially. 

“Twitter will always be free for casual users, but maybe a slight cost for commercial/government users,” he added a few hours later. 

Read more here.  

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you tomorrow.

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