Google, Mozilla move to stop Kazakhstan ‘snooping’

Nur-Sultan (GN):Google and Mozilla have moved to block the Kazakhstan government from intercepting internet traffic. It comes after reports internet services providers in the country have required people to install a government-issued certificate on all devices and in every browser. The government said the software was a security measure. But Google and Mozilla said it would allow the government to decrypt and read anything a user types or posts. The country has a poor human rights record by international standards. The Ministry of Digital Development in the former Soviet republic said telecoms operators in the capital, Nur-Sultan, were carrying out technical work to “enhance protection” from hackers, online fraud and other cyber-attacks. But Google and Mozilla are not convinced by the explanation and said they would deploy “a technical solution” to their browsers to block the certificates. “We will never tolerate any attempt, by any organisation - government or otherwise - to compromise Chrome users’ data,” said Chrome senior engineering director Parisa Tabriz. “We have implemented protections from this specific issue, and will always take action to secure our users around the world.” Mozilla senior director of trust and security Marshall Erwin said: “People around the world trust Firefox to protect them as they navigate the internet, especially when it comes to keeping them safe from attacks like this that undermine their security. “We don’t take actions like this lightly but protecting our users and the integrity of the web is the reason Firefox exists.”

4,000 photographers to attend Int’l Festival

Xinhua (TAIYUAN): More than 4,000 photographers from 31 countries and regions are expected to gather at Pingyao, one of China’s best-preserved ancient towns, in the northern province of Shanxi. The photographers will attend the 19th Pingyao International Photography Festival (PIP) from Sept. 19 to 25, which will see over 12,000 artworks from around the world, the organizing committee said Wednesday. There will be a total of 628 exhibitions held during the festival, featuring nearly 5,000 works from students around the globe. Russian photographer Vladimir Vyatkin, who has won multiple World Press Photo awards, will also attend the event. Launched in 2001, the annual PIP festival has been running for 19 years. Advocating diversity, internationalism and professionalism, it is considered an important stage for international photographers to display their talent.