Two Sudanese brothers accused of launching a dangerous series of DDoS attacks

Newly unsealed grand jury documents revealed that two Sudanese nationals allegedly attempted to launch thousands of distributed denial of services (DDoS) attacks on systems across the world. The documents allege that these hacks aimed to cause serious financial and technical harm to government entities and companies and even physical harm in some cases.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) unsealed charges against Ahmed Salah Yousif Omer and Alaa Salah Yusuuf Omer that resulted in federal grand jury indictments. The two are allegedly connected to more than 35,000 DDoS attacks against hundreds of organizations, websites and networks as part of a “hacktivism” scheme as part of the cybercrime group Anonymous Sudan and a for-profit cyberattack service.

Even though Anonymous Sudan claimed to be an activist group, the pair also held some companies and entity’s systems for ransom for rates as high as $1,700 per month.

Both face indictments for their role in the coordinated cyberattacks including one count each of conspiracy to damage protected computers. Ahmed also faces three additional counts of damaging protected computers and could receive a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison, according to court records filed last June in the US Central District Court of California.

The brothers’ activities date back to early 2023. The two used a distributed cloud attack tool (DCAT) referred to as “Skynet Botnet” in order to “conduct destructive DDoS attacks and publicly claim credit for them,” according to a DoJ statement. Ahmed posted a message on Anonymous Sudan’s Telegram channel, “The United States must be prepared, it will be a very big attack, like what we did in Israel, we will do in the United States ‘soon.’”

One of the indictments listed 145 “overt acts” on organizations and entities in the US, the European Union, Israel, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Skynet Botnet attacks attempted to disrupt services and networks in airports, software networks and companies including Cloudflare, X, Paypal and Microsoft that caused outages for Outlook and OneDrive in June of last year. The attacks also targeted state and federal government agencies and websites including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Pentagon and the DoJ and even hospitals including one major attack on Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles causing a slowdown of health care services as patients were diverted to other hospitals. The hospital attack led to the hacking charges against Ahmed that carry potential life sentences.

“3 hours+ and still holding,” Ahmed posted on Telegram in February, “they're trying desperately to fix it but to no avail Bomb our hospitals in Gaza, we shut down yours too, eye for eye...”

FBI special agents gathered evidence of the pair’s illegal activities including logs showing that they sold access to Skynet Botnet to more than 100 customers to carry out attacks against various victims who worked with investigators including Cloudflare, Crowdstrike, Digital Ocean, Google, PayPal and others.

Several Amazon Web Services (AWS) clients were among Anonymous Sudan’s victims as part of the hacking-for-hire scheme, according to court records and an AWS statement. AWS security teams worked with FBI cybercrime investigators to track the attacks back to “an array of cloud-based servers," many of which were based in the US. The discovery helped the FBI determine that the Skynet Botnet attacks were coming from a DCAT instead of a botnet that forwarded the DDoS to its victims through cloud-based servers and open proxy resolvers.

Perhaps the group’s most brazen and dangerous attack took place in April of 2023 that targeted Israel’s rocket alert system called Red Alert. The mobile app provides real time updates for missile attacks and security threats. The DDoS attacks attempted to infiltrate some of Red Alert’s Internet domains. Ahmed claimed responsibility for the Red Alert attacks on Telegram along with similar DDoS strikes on Israeli utilities and the Jerusalem Post news website.

“This group’s attacks were callous and brazen — the defendants went so far as to attack hospitals providing emergency and urgent care to patients,” US Attorney Martin Estrada said in a released statement. “My office is committed to safeguarding our nation’s infrastructure and the people who use it, and we will hold cyber criminals accountable for the grave harm they cause.”

Update, October 16, 7:25PM ET: This article was modified after publish to make clear that AWS clients, rather than AWS, were the target of Anonymous Sudan.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/two-sudanese-brothers-accused-of-launching-a-dangerous-series-of-ddos-attacks-215638291.html?src=rss

FTX advisor and Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison gets two years in prison

A US district court judge sentenced Caroline Ellison, the former advisor and ex-girlfriend to the convicted crypto fraudster and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, to two years in prison.

The New York Times reported Ellison’s sentence for her role in the $8 billion in fraud committed by the FTX crypto exchange that sent Bankman-Fried to federal prison for 25 years back in March. Ellison will also have to serve three years of supervised release once she’s finished her prison sentence.

Ellison pled guilty at the end of 2022 to seven counts of fraud just as Bankman-Fried was being extradited to the US from the Bahamas. US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director of Enforcement Sanjay Wadhwa said following Ellison’s plea that she and Wang “were active participants in a scheme to conceal material information from FTX investors.”

Ellison was also the former chief executive officer of FTX’s sister company Alameda Research. Prosecutors said she diverted FTX customers’ funds onto Alameda’s books to hide risks from their clients. Ellison testified against Bankman-Fried, making her a key witness in his criminal fraud trial.

Prosecutors also got Bankman-Friend’s house arrest and bail revoked when a judge determined the FTX founder tried to hinder Ellison’s testimony last year. Bankman-Fried tried to message FTX’s general counsel on Signal and email in 2023 to influence Ellison’s testimony who was only identified as “Witness-1.”

Nine months later, Bankman-Fried showed a New York Times reporter personal writings from Ellison that prosecutors said were an attempt to damage her reputation especially amongst prospective jurors. The judge agreed both instances merited Bankman-Fried’s arrest and jailing while he awaited trial. Bankman-Fried is currently serving his 25-year sentence in a federal prison in Brooklyn awaiting appeal for his conviction.

Ellison issued a statement before her sentence apologizing for her crimes to the people she and her former firm defrauded. Prosecutors did not issue a recommended sentence and characterized her cooperation with investigators as “exemplary” in a memo to the judge.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of the people I hurt,” Ellison said in court. “I am deeply ashamed of what I have done.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ftx-advisor-and-alameda-ceo-caroline-ellison-gets-two-years-in-prison-214828333.html?src=rss

FTX advisor and Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison gets two years in prison

A US district court judge sentenced Caroline Ellison, the former advisor and ex-girlfriend to the convicted crypto fraudster and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, to two years in prison.

The New York Times reported Ellison’s sentence for her role in the $8 billion in fraud committed by the FTX crypto exchange that sent Bankman-Fried to federal prison for 25 years back in March. Ellison will also have to serve three years of supervised release once she’s finished her prison sentence.

Ellison pled guilty at the end of 2022 to seven counts of fraud just as Bankman-Fried was being extradited to the US from the Bahamas. US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director of Enforcement Sanjay Wadhwa said following Ellison’s plea that she and Wang “were active participants in a scheme to conceal material information from FTX investors.”

Ellison was also the former chief executive officer of FTX’s sister company Alameda Research. Prosecutors said she diverted FTX customers’ funds onto Alameda’s books to hide risks from their clients. Ellison testified against Bankman-Fried, making her a key witness in his criminal fraud trial.

Prosecutors also got Bankman-Friend’s house arrest and bail revoked when a judge determined the FTX founder tried to hinder Ellison’s testimony last year. Bankman-Fried tried to message FTX’s general counsel on Signal and email in 2023 to influence Ellison’s testimony who was only identified as “Witness-1.”

Nine months later, Bankman-Fried showed a New York Times reporter personal writings from Ellison that prosecutors said were an attempt to damage her reputation especially amongst prospective jurors. The judge agreed both instances merited Bankman-Fried’s arrest and jailing while he awaited trial. Bankman-Fried is currently serving his 25-year sentence in a federal prison in Brooklyn awaiting appeal for his conviction.

Ellison issued a statement before her sentence apologizing for her crimes to the people she and her former firm defrauded. Prosecutors did not issue a recommended sentence and characterized her cooperation with investigators as “exemplary” in a memo to the judge.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of the people I hurt,” Ellison said in court. “I am deeply ashamed of what I have done.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ftx-advisor-and-alameda-ceo-caroline-ellison-gets-two-years-in-prison-214828333.html?src=rss

Former MoviePass CEO reportedly pleads guilty to securities fraud

Mitch Lowe, one of two MoviePass leaders indicted by the Justice Department in 2022, has pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges. The former CEO admitted to conspiring to deceive the public and investors about the service’s sustainability. Variety reports that the details of Lowe’s plea agreement haven’t been made public.

Prosecutors claim Lowe knew from the start that the company’s $9.95 “unlimited” plan was a short-term gimmick to attract subscribers and inflate stock. He’s also accused of making false statements in press releases, interviews and SEC filings about MoviePass’ long-term viability.

Those statements included allegedly lying about the company’s ability to become profitable on subscription fees alone and having tech that could generate revenue from customer data. He also claimed MoviePass was profiting from multiple revenue streams despite not having any income beyond subscriptions.

Prosecutors also accused Lowe and Ted Farnsworth, former CEO of MoviePass’ parent company Helios and Matheson, of preventing subscribers from getting what was promised from the “unlimited” subscription. The company settled with the FTC in 2021 over allegations that it intentionally invalidated subscriber passwords to freeze their accounts, blocking their ability to get the movie tickets the service promised. MoviePass and its parent company declared bankruptcy in 2020.

Although no sentencing date has been set, Lowe is free on bond and has a status conference court date scheduled in Miami for March 2025. The 72-year-old former executive faces a maximum of five years in federal prison.

“Mitch is a good man who is looking to move forward with his life,” Lowe’s attorneys, Margot Moss and David Oscar Markus, said in a statement to Variety. “He has accepted responsibility for his actions in this case and will continue to try to make things right.”

Meanwhile, Farnsworth is still in custody. He was initially freed on a $1 million bond that was revoked in August 2023 after the feds accused him of misusing nearly $300,000 in company funds. Farnsworth's former boyfriend, who he met on an escort site, was paid $147,000, and received a Cadillac worth $144,000; after the pair split up, the feds say he falsely accused his ex of stealing the vehicle.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/former-moviepass-ceo-reportedly-pleads-guilty-to-securities-fraud-201131284.html?src=rss

Telegram will allow users to report illegal content in private chats

Telegram has quietly edited its FAQs to remove language stating that it doesn't moderate private and group chats, as reported by CoinDesk. A section with the heading "There's illegal content on Telegram. How do I take it down?" previously stated that content in chats and group chats remains between participants. Now, though, the section says that "all Telegram apps have 'Report' buttons" that will give a way for users to flag illegal content for the app's moderators. Users only have to tap the message on Android, or press and hold it on iOS, and choose the Report option. They can also take note of links to the content they want to report and send an email to the service's takedown email address (abuse@telegram.org). 

The change comes after Telegram chief Pavel Durov published his first public comment following his arrest on his channel. Durov was arrested at an airport in France in late August as part of authorities' investigation into the lack of moderation on the app and its failure to curb criminal activities. He was already released from custody, but he was charged with "complicity in distributing child pornography, illegal drugs and hacking software" on the messaging app, as well as "refusing to cooperate with investigations into illegal activity on the Telegram."

French authorities apparently told Durov that he was arrested because they didn't receive any responses from Telegram about their investigation. That was surprising, the app's founder explained in his post, because Telegram has an official representative in the EU and an email address publicly available for anyone. He also said that French authorities had numerous ways to reach him for assistance and that he even previously helped them establish a Telegram hotline to address threats of terrorism in the country. In addition, he called the French authorities' decision to "charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform" they manage a "misguided approach." No innovators will build ever new tools, he said, he they can be held responsible for the potential abuse of those tools. 

Durov also talked about how Telegram defends the basic rights of people, especially in places they're violated. In Russia, for instance, Telegram got banned when the service refused to hand over encryption keys that will allow authorities to spy on users. He said the service takes down "millions of harmful posts and channels every day," publishes transparency reports and maintains direct hotlines with NGOs for urgent moderation requests. 

The CEO admits, however, that Telegram has room for improvement. Its "abrupt increase in user count" to 950 million "caused growing pains" that made it easier for criminals to abuse its platform. Telegram aims to "significantly improve things in this regard" and has already started the process internally. Presumably, this change in its rules is part of the messaging service's efforts to address authorities' accusations that it has failed to prevent criminals from using its app. To note, service reported earlier this year that it has 41 million users in the European Union, but officials believe it lied about its user numbers to avoid being regulated under the Digital Services Act (DSA). 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/telegram-will-allow-users-report-illegal-content-in-private-chats-130053441.html?src=rss

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been charged and released from police custody

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been formally charged by French prosecutors and is barred from leaving the country amid their investigation into the Russian billionaire. Durov was officially charged Wednesday with “complicity in distributing child pornography, illegal drugs and hacking software” on the messaging app he founded, as well as “refusing to cooperate with investigations into illegal activity on the Telegram,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

Durov, who was arrested outside of Paris on Saturday, was released from police custody after paying €5 million in bail. He is required to stay in France “under court monitoring” and check in at a police station twice a week while the investigation plays out. That could take months or possibly years, as The WSJ points out.

That means Durov, who is known for frequently moving around and working from other countries, will be stuck in France for the foreseeable future unless the charges against him are dropped. In an earlier statement, Telegram called the charges against its founder “absurd” and said that he should not be responsible for the actions of his app’s users.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-has-been-charged-and-released-from-police-custody-214333241.html?src=rss

Lyft is testing a new rider verification safety measure

Lyft is piloting its own rider verification program, much as Uber did earlier this year. This feature confirms to drivers that the person getting in their vehicle is who they say they are. The program is launching first in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Phoenix and Seattle.

Lyft will confirm riders' legal names using third-party databases, but has not disclosed which services it is using. If a rider is unable to be verified in one of those unspecified databases, they can also provide a government ID, such as a driver's license, passport or state ID card in order to be verified. Once a rider completes the process, drivers will see a verification badge on that person's profile.

For now, at least, the verification process isn't mandatory, although Lyft's FAQ says that "riders are highly encouraged to participate." If the program works as Lyft is expecting, then drivers may be more inclined to accept requests from verified riders (and unverified riders could see longer wait times.)

Ridesharing poses significant safety risks for drivers. Between 2017 and 2019, Lyft received more than 4,000 reports of sexual assault (though it did not differentiate between those allegedly committed against drivers vs passengers). Driving gig workers also face the risk of carjacking and other violent crimes. The hope is that verification programs like this one could make drivers feel more at ease when letting a stranger into their vehicle. One of Lyft's other recent measures to improve driver safety is the Women+ Connect feature, which was expanded to more cities in February.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyft-is-testing-a-new-rider-verification-safety-measure-201515898.html?src=rss

Kim Dotcom, roguish face of 2010s online piracy, will finally be extradited to the US

Kim Dotcom, the Megaupload founder and hard-partying face of early 2010s online piracy, is finally headed to the US. Reuters reports that New Zealand’s justice minister signed an extradition order on Thursday to end the entrepreneur’s nearly 13-year legal battle, paving the way for the German-born Dotcom to face charges from the US government.

“I considered all of the information carefully, and have decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the U.S. to face trial,” Goldsmith said in a statement. The decision came more than six years after a New Zealand court ruled Dotcom could be extradited to the US, paving the way for appeals that culminated in today’s decision.

Kim Dotcom partying, toasting glasses with various others in a club atmosphere. Still from music video.
YouTube / Kim Dotcom

Once the 13th most visited site online, the file-hosting hub Megaupload was a hotbed for pirated content. In early 2012, American authorities charged Dotcom and six others with racketeering, copyright infringement, money laundering and copyright distribution. The US indictment claimed Megaupload cost copyright holders $500 million in damages while making $175 million from ads and premium subscriptions.

The raid on Dotcom’s Auckland mansion was dramatic fare among 2012’s relatively tame headlines. The New York Times reported at the time that when he saw the police, Dotcom barricaded himself inside, activated several electronic locks and waited in a safe room. When officers cut their way inside, they saw Dotcom standing near “a firearm that they said looked like a sawed-off shotgun.”

Kim Dotcom on a comfortable water vehicle.
YouTube / Kim Dotcom

Dotcom (born Kim Schmitz) had several brushes with the law before that. He at least claimed to have spent three months in a Munich jail in 1994 for “breaking into Pentagon computers and observing real-time satellite photos of Saddam Hussein’s palaces.” Soon after, he received a suspended two-year sentence for a scam involving stolen phone card numbers.

In 2001, he was accused in the largest insider-trading case in German history. He reportedly fled Germany to escape those charges, was captured in Thailand, extradited (this week isn’t his first go-round) and convicted in 2002. At some point after that, he moved to New Zealand, holing up in a luxurious mansion.

You can see that mansion — and a taste of his larger-than-life persona — in his music video “Good Life.”

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith signed the extradition order on Thursday and followed standard practice in giving Dotcom “a short period of time to consider and take advice” on his decision.

Dotcom, never one to mince words, posted a message on X that “the obedient US colony in the South Pacific just decided to extradite me for what users uploaded to Megaupload.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/kim-dotcom-roguish-face-of-2010s-online-piracy-will-finally-be-extradited-to-the-us-172100627.html?src=rss

Hack and payback Instagram scammer gets nabbed after bragging about it on a podcast

A guest who appeared on the No Jumper podcast to boast about a hack and payback scheme involving his victims’ social media accounts could face federal charges. Idriss Qibaa, also known as “Dani” and “Unlocked” who authorities allege ran the social media hacking site Unlocked4Life.com, faces two criminal felony counts filed by the US Attorney's Office in Nevada for allegedly violating interstate communications laws for threats he issued in text messages to two victims and members of their families, according to documents obtained by 404 Media.

Investigators filed the sealed complaint against Qibaa on July 25 and issued a warrant the following Monday when also made his first initial appearance in court, according to federal court records.

The criminal complaint states that the FBI received a tip about Qibaa’s alleged extortion scheme on April 1 pointing to an appearance he made on the No Jumper podcast hosted by Adam22, also known as Adam Grandmaison, back in January under his pseudonym “Dani.” Qibaa outlined a financial scheme using over 200 victims’ social media accounts in which he would lock them out of their pages and charge them to regain access.

He also boasted that he made about $600,000 a month from his activities and hired two security guards to follow him.

“You’re making $2 million a month off your Instagram and Telegraph,” Qibaa says on the podcast. “I come and I take it away and make you pay for it back and I make it public and I post it and I expose you.”

Qibaa even said on the podcast episode that he pulled the scheme on celebrities who unknowingly kept paying him to get their social media back. He later noted “I’m very petty” followed by a menacing laugh.

“I’ve talked to stars who have told me that they’ve paid to get it back 20 times over and over and over they just have to keep paying to get it back,” Qibaa says, “and I’m like you realize what’s happening to you right like the same that’s getting you it back is…you’re getting extorted.”

The criminal complaint tells the story of eight victims’ encounters with Qibaa and his services. One identified as “J.T.” operated two Instagram accounts: a cannabis news aggregate account called “theblacklistxyz” and a cannabis merchandising store under “caliplug,” both of which are currently set to private. J.T. reached out to Qibaa asking if he could obtain a username. Qibaa quoted a price back between $4,000-$5,000. J.T. refused to take Qibaa up on the offer and Qibaa responded with threats.

“Qibba told J.T. that J.T. had wasted Qibaa’s time, blocked J.T.’s Instagram pages and demanded $10,000 to reinstate it,” the complaint reads. “J.T. offered Qibaa $8,500 to reinstate the account, an offer Qibaa accepted.”

The complaint asserts that Qibba reached out to J.T. two more times. The first time, Qibba asked if J.T. would promote his Instagram page under the username “unlocked4life” that’s since been taken down. J.T. agreed but when he learned Qibaa had been threatening and extorting other victims, he confronted Qibaa and “Qibaa was irate.”

A few months later, Qibaa apparently increased the scope of his threats to J.T. and members of his family. He sent threats to call the victim’s ex-wife’s lawyer and child protective services on his kids. Screenshots of the victims’ phone show Qibaa allegedly identifying the address and phone number of the victim’s sister. He texted another family member and introduced himself as “The guy that’s gonna murder your drug dealer brother. Tell him Unlocked says hi though. We have your entire family’s info.”

Another victim identified as a journalist and comedian with the initials “E.H.” learned they were a target of Qibaa’s illegal services. Qibaa blocked their Instagram account, the name of which was redacted, at the request of a dentist in California who treated them. E.H. reached out to the Unlocked4Life account and received a reply that read, “Yo its Idriss.” He then told E.H. to pull up the No Jumper podcast episode featuring his interview. Qibaa not only took the victim’s Instagram account access away but also threatened to take their Social Security number and “blast it out” if they didn’t pay him $20,000.

According to the complaint, not even restraining orders could make Qibaa leave his victims alone. One named “R.B.” received a restraining order from Los Angeles County Superior Court in July but “Unblocked” responded, “Cute restraining order..last I checked you’re still gonna die.” Then “UNLOCKED UNCENSORED” posted on Telegram, “$50,000 reward for whoever sleeps BO this week.”

Perhaps the most disturbing threats happened to several victims in which Qibaa claimed he’d happily go to jail if payments weren’t made to him. Screenshots of the text chains show a person named “Dani” and “Daniel” telling his victims, “I will come and shoot you myself,” “I’m going to bury you for this shit” and “D., L., J., T., Children-Main Targets” referring to the victims’ children.

Another text chain shows Qibaa allegedly threatening someone that he would “rather take a life sentence for murdering you then this,” “Idc if I have to shoot you my self [sic]” and “I’ll go to jail happily.” He follows the text with the threat “Here’s the last guy that came to take photos / came near my home” and sends three pictures of an unidentified bearded man, his car and a photo of his badly bruised and bloodied on the ground.”

Adam22 concluded his podcast interview with “Dani” saying he was “very excited to see the fallout from this” and “I respect the hustle even though I can’t justify it on a moral level.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hack-and-payback-instagram-scammer-gets-nabbed-after-bragging-about-it-on-a-podcast-202509349.html?src=rss

The Justice Department sues TikTok for breaking child privacy laws

The US Department of Justice is suing TikTok for violating a child privacy law and violating a 2019 agreement with the Federal Trade Commission for previous privacy violations. The lawsuit stems from an earlier investigation into the company by the Federal Trade Commission, which referred its privacy case to the DoJ earlier this year.

The FTC had been looking into whether TikTok had violated the terms of an earlier privacy settlement with Musical.ly, which was acquired by ByteDance prior to the launch of TikTok. According to the FTC, the investigation found that TikTok had “flagrantly” violated both the 2019 settlement and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

In a statement, the Justice Department also cited TikTok’s collection of personal information about children on its platform and its failure to comply with the requests for the information to be deleted.

From 2019 to the present, TikTok knowingly permitted children to create regular TikTok accounts and to create, view, and share short-form videos and messages with adults and others on the regular TikTok platform. The defendants collected and retained a wide variety of personal information from these children without notifying or obtaining consent from their parents. Even for accounts that were created in “Kids Mode” (a pared-back version of TikTok intended for children under 13), the defendants unlawfully collected and retained children’s email addresses and other types of personal information. Further, when parents discovered their children’s accounts and asked the defendants to delete the accounts and information in them, the defendants frequently failed to honor those requests. The defendants also had deficient and ineffectual internal policies and processes for identifying and deleting TikTok accounts created by children.

In a statement, TikTok said it took issue with the allegations, saying it had previously addressed some of the conduct described by the Justice Department. “We disagree with these allegations, many of which relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed,” the company said. “We are proud of our efforts to protect children, and we will continue to update and improve the platform. To that end, we offer age-appropriate experiences with stringent safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched features such as default screentime limits, Family Pairing, and additional privacy protections for minors.”

The lawsuit comes at a particularly inconvenient time for TikTok, which is set to face off with the Justice Department in federal court next month over a law that aims to force ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban in the United States.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-justice-department-sues-tiktok-for-breaking-child-privacy-laws-190456433.html?src=rss