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East Coast sees gas shortages, price hikes following cyber attack on major fuel pipeline

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After Colonial Pipeline decided to shut down the country’s largest fuel pipeline over cybersecurity threats Friday, states all over the East Coast are experiencing a gas shortage. The pipeline stretches from New Jersey to east Texas.

This comes after ransomware hackers allegedly gained access to information to attack vulnerable parts of the pipeline. In a statement, Colonial Pipeline said it shut the pipeline down as a precaution.

The hackers behind the attack was the group known as DarkSide. It’s a relatively new group, that believes in “ransomware as a service” according to a statement. Their involvement was confirmed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

First, North Carolina declared a state of emergency Monday over the shortage. According to a press release, “The Colonial Pipeline is a primary fuel pipeline for North Carolina.” Governor Roy Cooper said he declared the state of emergency to help “ensure motorists are able to have access to fuel.” Alabama, Arkansas, Wasington D.C., Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia followed suit, all declaring states of emergency.

Next, gas prices jumped six cents nationally. AAA spokesperson Jeanette McGee said to expect regional impacts in a statement Monday. “Areas including Mississippi, Tennessee and the east coast from Georgia into Delaware are most likely to experience limited fuel availability and price increases, as early as this week,” McGee said. “These states may see prices increase three to seven cents this week.”

Then, in a press conference Monday, Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technology, discussed the situation with reporters. When asked if the ransomware attackers will receive a ransom, Neuberger said that will be a “private sector decision.”

Next, Colonial Pipeline’s website crashed. While many pointed to the hackers yet again, the company tweeted out that the crash was “unrelated to the ransomware.”

https://twitter.com/Colpipe/status/1392094505235537924

There is no word when the pipeline will be open.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

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Economy

House inquiry opened as to whether IRS is using artificial intelligence to invade Americans’ financial privacy

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An inquiry has been opened by the House Judiciary Committee as to whether the IRS is using artificial intelligence to invade Americans’ financial privacy. The inquiry comes after an agency employee was captured in an undercover tape suggesting there was a widespread surveillance operation underway that might not be constitutional, reports Just the News.

The inquiry was opened by Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., who sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen demanding documents, and answers as to how the agency is currently employing artificial intelligence to comb through bank records to look for possible tax cheats.

The House Judiciary Committee has been investigating why the FBI was obtaining Americans’ bank records, including those who partook in the January 6 Capitol riots, without using search warrants or subpoenas.

Jordan’s and Hageman’s letter said lawmakers have evidence and reason to believe that the IRS and Department of Justice (DOJ) are actively monitoring millions of Americans’ private transactions, bank accounts, and related financial information—without any legal process—using the AI-powered system.

“This kind of pervasive financial surveillance, carried out in coordination with federal law enforcement, into Americans’ private financial records raises serious doubts about the IRS’s—and the federal government’s—respect for Americans’ fundamental civil liberties,” the letter said.

“So one of the things that I have learned since I’ve been in Congress is that there are quite a few people in government who do not recognize our constitutional protections,” Hageman told Just the News. “They’ve kind of forgotten or at least ignored our Bill of Rights.”

Just the News also reported that the Treasury Department has since acknowledged it has “implemented an enhanced process using AI to mitigate check fraud in near real-time by strengthening and expediting processes to recover potentially fraudulent payments from financial institutions’ since late 2022.”

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