US judge blocks Twitter’s bid to reveal government surveillance requests

Twitter | April 20, 2020

Twitter will not be able to reveal surveillance requests it received from the US government after a federal judge accepted government arguments that this was likely to harm national security after nearly six-years of legal battle. The social media company had sued the US Department of Justice in 2014 to be allowed to reveal, as part of its “Draft Transparency Report”, the surveillance requests it received. It argued its free-speech rights were being violated by not being allowed to reveal the details. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers granted the government’s request to dismiss Twitter’s lawsuit in an eleven page order filed in the US District Court for Northern California.

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Emerging Technology, Cybersecurity

Incode Technologies and Carahsoft Partner to Provide World Class Identity Verification Solutions to the Public Sector

PR Newswire | August 21, 2023

Incode Technologies Inc., the leading identity verification and authentication platform for global enterprises and Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, today announced a partnership. Under the agreement, Carahsoft will serve as Incode Technologies' Master Government Aggregator®, making the company's industry-leading identity verification solutions available to the Public Sector through Carahsoft's reseller partners and National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint, National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA) and OMNIA Partners contracts. "We are pleased to partner with Carahsoft and their reseller partners to expand access and simplify procurement for agencies who wish to leverage Incode's solutions to enhance transparency, accessibility and efficiency," said Ricardo Amper, CEO and founder of Incode. "This agreement will broaden access to our omnichannel biometric identity solutions through Carahsoft's vast network of contract vehicles to help eliminate identity fraud and improve equitable services access within the Public Sector." Incode's identification and authentication technology is an instantaneous, privacy centric identity verification solution designed for all demographics. It protects constituent data, safely manages remote identities at scale and ensures that all constituents can connect to the services they need. The Incode Omni platform offers remote identity verification and risk assessment during user onboarding, and authentication after onboarding through three core capabilities: Document authentication:Incode recognizes and classifies ID documents and performs tests to confirm authenticity. Passive liveness:Incode offers the first NIST-certified passive liveness in the world, which requires no user effort (i.e., no need to blink, move, connect dots, etc.). Facial recognition:As evaluated by NIST (June 2022, 1:1 Face Recognition Vendor Test report), Incode offers the best combination of facial recognition speed and accuracy for enterprise-grade solutions. Incode Omni's design emphasizes privacy, security and compliance while maintaining a frictionless user experience. Not only does Incode Omni provide enterprise-level scalability and real-time results, its accuracy is verified by NIST. By utlitizing machine learning and artificial intelligence, Incode's technology operates on the edge without requiring humans in the loop. "This new partnership with Incode aids our Government customers by quickly delivering identity verification solutions and ultimately facilitating public trust through ensuring the secure management of data," said Michael Shrader, Vice President of Innovative and Intelligence Solutions at Carahsoft. "Here at Carahsoft, we commit to leveraging our sales and marketing teams and our reseller partnerships to further the Public Sector fight against fraud and are honored to play a role in keeping Government resources safe and accessible through these vital solutions." Incode's solutions are available through Carahsoft's NASPO ValuePoint Master Agreement #AR2472, NCPA Contract NCPA01-86 and OMNIA Partners Contract #R191902. For more information, contact the Incode team at Carahsoft at (703) 871-8548 or Incode@carahsoft.com. The dedicated Cybersecurity team at Carahsoft specializes in providing Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare organizations with security solutions to safeguard their cyber ecosystem. To learn more about Carahsoft's Cybersecurity solutions, visit www.carahsoft.com/solve/cybersecurity. About Carahsoft Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator® for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, Customer Experience and Engagement, and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Visit us at www.carahsoft.com. About Incode Incode is the next generation platform for identity verification and authentication, which is reinventing the way humans verify their identity and interact with the world's largest companies, with a highly secure and enjoyable Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based experience. Incode's fully automated end-to-end platform enables seamless access across multiple channels with products focused on onboarding, authentication and payment verification that increase conversion and reduce fraud. With its mission to build trust and democratize access, Incode works with several of the world's largest banks, fintech, hotels, governments, and markets. Incode is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Europe and Latin America. https://incode.com/

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Cybersecurity

The Virtru Data Security Platform Achieves FedRAMP Authorization

Globenewswire | August 11, 2023

Virtru, the global leader in data-centric security and privacy, today announced that the Virtru Data Security Platform received Authorization to Operate (ATO) at the Moderate level under theFederal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP®). This authorization was sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TheVirtru Data Security Platformunderpins a holistic suite of data protection products that empower public- and private-sector organizations to scale data-centric security across sensitive data workflows. The Virtru platform first achieved FedRAMP ATO at the Moderate level in 2019, and since that time, Virtru has continued to expand the platform to provide the federal government and its contractors with secure encryption, access controls, and key management capabilities. This includes the addition ofVirtru Secure Share, an encrypted file-sharing solution that equips organizations to securely send and receive sensitive data while retaining complete, continuous control over that shared data, with data owners having the ability to revoke access at any time. “Federal organizations are realizing the urgent need for data-centric security, embracing strategies that enhance rather than impede the mission by prioritizing control and secure access to data at a granular level first, while also protecting the systems and networks that store and transmit it,” said Will Ackerly, co-founder and CTO, Virtru. “This includes the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which recently announced its intent toimplement a data-centric frameworkto address rapidly emerging cybersecurity challenges, highlighting the value and urgency of data-centric security to enable mission success.” Ackerly added, “Virtru’s Data Security Platform gives federal organizations the critical foundations needed to execute against advanced data-centric cybersecurity strategies. The ATO was sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which utilized our Data Security Platform to control and govern sensitive data both in motion and at rest. Virtru’s FedRAMP Moderate ATO could not have come at a more critical time for our nation, and we look forward to our continued technology deployments for our federal customers.” Virtru’s FedRAMP Moderate authorization expedites procurement and solution authorization for Virtru’s federal customers. Additionally, the authorization validates the strength and trustworthiness of Virtru’s commercial solutions, which are built on the same robust and secure platforms that safeguard sensitive data flowing through email, file-sharing platforms, and SaaS apps. Virtru applications arealso compliant with FIPS 140-2, an encryption security requirement for cryptographic modules used by federal government agencies and contractors. These organizations can additionally leverage the FedRAMP-authorized Virtru Data Security Platform and suite of applications to improve security and meet compliance requirements, such as those outlined by the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS), and more. About Virtru At Virtru, we empower organizations to easily unlock the power of data while maintaining control everywhere it’s stored and shared. More than 8,000 global customers trust Virtru to power their data-centric, Zero Trust strategies and safeguard their most sensitive data in accordance with the world’s strictest security standards. Creators of TDF (Trusted Data Format), the open industry standard for persistent data protection, Virtru provides encryption technology for data shared through email, collaboration tools, cloud environments, and enterprise SaaS applications.

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Emerging Technology

Quzara LLC's Cybertorch™ Selected for FedRAMP® Jab Prioritization

PR Newswire | August 08, 2023

Quzara LLC, a leading innovator in Managed Detection & Response (MDR) and Security Operations Center as a Service (SOCaaS), is thrilled to announce that its pioneering solution, Cybertorch™, has been selected by the GSA FedRAMP® PMO to pursue a Provisional Authority to Operate (P-ATO) from the Joint Authorization Board (JAB) at the High Impact Level. This milestone marks a significant advance in Quzara's unwavering commitment to providing state-of-the-art SOCaaS/MXDR solutions for both OT and IT to the government sector and their contractors. Saif Rahman, CEO of Quzara, expressed his enthusiasm about the achievement: "Being selected for the FedRAMP JAB prioritization is a testament to our team's hard work and dedication. This represents a significant step forward in our mission to bring our high-standard, 24/7, US Citizen Security Operations to the government sector. I want to extend my sincere thanks to our devoted team and partners whose tireless efforts have made this accomplishment possible." The importance of the FedRAMP JAB prioritization is substantial. This recognition places Quzara's Cybertorch™ in a position of enhanced trust and visibility within the federal government. Cybertorch™'s unique MDR approach, blending AI-driven insights with human expertise, ensures robust, around-the-clock security operations, all managed by US citizens has demonstrated government-wide demand as a Cloud Service Offering. Moving into the FedRAMP JAB process is another exposition of Quzara's commitment to stringent security standards and reflects the company's broader dedication to fortifying information security in today's complex digital landscape. As Quzara continues to evolve and expand its capabilities, its focus remains firm: to provide the most secure, compliant, and robust security solutions to its clients. Quzara, LLC wishes to underline that this achievement does not imply government endorsement of the company, its products, or its services. FedRAMP is a government-wide program that promotes the adoption of secure cloud services across the federal government by providing a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. About Quzara LLC Quzara LLC is a leader in Managed Detection & Response (MDR) and Security Operations Center as a Service (SOCaaS). Based in Reston, VA, Quzara is committed to providing top-tier security solutions to the government sector and their contractors for OT and IT. With its flagship solution, Cybertorch™, Quzara is setting new industry standards.

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