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Risk Management

WhatsApp sues India govt, says new media rules mean end to privacy -sources

The lawsuit, described to Reuters by people familiar with it, asks the Delhi High Court to declare that one of the new rules is a violation of privacy rights in India’s constitution since it requires social media companies to identify the “first originator of information” when authorities demand it.

While the law requires WhatsApp to unmask only people credibly accused of wrongdoing, the company says it cannot do that alone in practice. Because messages are end-to-end encrypted, to comply with the law WhatsApp says it would have break encryption for receivers, as well as “originators”, of messages.

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Africa Specialty Risks unveils Parametric Underwriting Division

Mikir Shah, CEO of ASR, commented: “The establishment of the parametric division demonstrates our commitment to de-risking investment and increasing resilience across the African continent. Our vision is to unlock greater and more streamlined protections for insureds, ensuring that inward investment in Africa continues to boost economic activity and growth on the continent, via the integration of innovative, technological solutions. 

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CNA Paid $40 Million in Ransom After March Cyber Attack

Ransomware attacks — and particularly payments — are rarely disclosed so it’s difficult to know what the biggest ransoms have been. The average payment in 2020 was $312,493, according to Palo Alto Networks, a 171% increase over the previous year. The $40 million payment is bigger than any previously disclosed payments to hackers, according to three people familiar with ransomware negotiations.

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Canada unprepared for facing climate change induced mega-hurricane-risk:Swiss-re-

But as ocean surfaces warm, the frequency, duration and intensity of storms increase. That’s extending their range and making Canada, where just one or two tropical cyclones make landfall each year, more vulnerable, according to the Zurich-based company, which provides reinsurance to 15% of the country’s insurance industry.

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Italy probes Allianz Direct, Zurich for alleged cartel among automobile insurers

In a statement, the Italian Competition Authority said the companies involved were able to charge consumers higher premiums for automobile insurance policies as a result of the insurers and price comparison companies regularly sharing reports, prepared by the price comparers, of “sensitive information” on the market for auto policies.The probe involves, among others, Allianz Direct, Admiral Intermediary Services, Linear, Genertel, Zurich and price comparison websites such as facile.it.

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Hackers offer decrypt key to Irish Health Service with a catch

While seeming to offer an olive branch — sharing a link to download the decryption key — the group reiterated its threats to disclose patient data unless Irish authorities paid the $20 million ransom demand.

“We are providing the decryption tool for your network for free,” the hackers said in the message posted on Thursday, which was reviewed by Bloomberg News. “But you should understand that we will sell or publish a lot of private data if you will not connect us and try to resolve the situation.”

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How long do Covid-19 vaccine protections last? Science can’t say for sure

The gap in knowledge and testing raises the prospect of heightened anxiety in the coming months for vaccine recipients wondering if they’re still protected — anxiety that could curb willingness to venture out in public. That in turn could put a renewed drag on the global economic recovery.
Scientists are racing to figure out the so-called correlates of protection against Covid; in other words, which test results assure immunity.

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