Hillicon Valley — DC residents warned against using unsecure apps

Washington, D.C.’s attorney general is warning residents to stay away from Facebook messenger and certain other apps when discussing abortion plans.

Meanwhile, Google will allow its users to personalize the ads they receive. 

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 and Ines Kagubare. 

DC official issues tech warning over abortion

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine (D) urged city residents to not use Facebook Messenger and other unencrypted services for abortion planning purposes.

In a news release on Thursday, Racine said that city residents should use secure, encrypted messaging apps to discuss private conversations, pointing to a story earlier this year about a Nebraska woman facing multiple felony charges for allegedly helping her teenage daughter illegally abort her pregnancy. 

Facebook messages are a key piece of evidence in that case, according to an NPR report. Authorities allege the woman, 41, helped coach her 17-year-old daughter to take abortion pills even though she was 23 weeks into her pregnancy. 

“Stories like these confirm the importance of data privacy. While abortion remains fully legal in the District, consumers and those seeking abortions should be aware of how others may use their data, and they should take steps to protect themselves and their data and privacy as much as possible,” Racine added.  

Racine suggested using messaging apps such as Signal and WhatsApp that offer secure end-to-end encryption and to opt-in to create end-to-end encrypted messages for the Facebook chats — so messages can be seen only by the recipient. 

Read more here. 

Google users given option to personalize ads 

Google users will be able to choose if they want to see more or fewer ads based on specific categories and decide what personal data is used to target ads to them, the tech giant announced Thursday.  

The new control settings are part of Google’s “My Ad Center,” which will roll out globally to users starting this week. 

With the new settings, users will be able to filter ads based on topics, such as “beauty and personal care” or “hybrid alternative vehicles.” Users will be able to choose if they want to see fewer or more of those ads across Google search and YouTube.  

The new setting will also let users choose if they want to see fewer or more ads based on specific brands.  

The launch also expands on Google’s ability to let users limit ads on “sensitive” categories. 

Read more here. 

UBER TO INCREASE ADS IN APPS 

Uber users can expect to start seeing more ads while digitally hailing rides, ordering food or even while en route to their destination. 

In a news release Thursday, the San Francisco, Calif.-based company announced Journey Ads, which will show app users ads from more than 40 brands such as NBCUniversal, Heineken and United Artists. 

Brands and advertisers can also buy sponsored listings through its food delivery service, Uber Eats, and sponsor email campaigns through the ride and delivery company. 

Another pilot will allow companies to post their ads on in-car tablets, initially only in the Los Angeles and San Francisco markets. 

Read more here. 

BITS & PIECES

An op-ed to chew on: The future of national security and space is on display in Florida 

Notable links from around the web: 

How Disinformation Splintered and Became More Intractable (The New York Times / Steven Lee Myers and Sheera Frenkel) 

Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Pentagon to Deepen Ties Despite Dispute on Starlink Funding in Ukraine (The Wall Street Journal / Micah Maidenberg)  

The quantum computing threat is real. Now we need to act. (CyberScoop / Susan Gordon, John Richardson and Mike Rogers) 

One more thing: Companies push to defend DACA

More than 80 major businesses and trade associations sent a letter to congressional leaders on Thursday urging them to pass legislation protecting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program as it faces an uncertain future in the courts. 

The program, which was established by the Obama administration in 2012 to prevent deportations of those brought into the U.S. illegally as children, has long been the subject of legal battles, with the case widely expected to land at the Supreme Court again. 

“The worker shortage will get worse for the United States if hundreds of thousands of critical workers are stripped of their legal ability to support themselves and their families,” the companies wrote in the letter. “That is the situation we currently face if this ruling becomes final, and it is the reason for our request today.” 

The letter — first reported by NBC News and endorsed by major firms like Apple, Amazon, Target and Chipotle — was addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). 

The letter suggests an end to DACA would mean 1,000 job losses per business day for two years, with business leaders suggesting such a decline would exacerbate struggles to maintain staffing levels in the tight labor market. 

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!