Overnight Tech: US hits Russia with sanctions for cyberattacks, election meddling | FBI, DHS accuse Russia of hacking energy grid | Bitcoin launches 'Lightning Network'

View in your browser     U.S. HITS RUSSIANS OVER CYBERATTACKS: Today the Trump administration announced new economic sanctions against a group of Russian individuals and firms for their roles in major cyberattacks and meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The Treasury Department is sanctioning 19 people and five business entities for a wide range of actions that include the NotPetya cyberattack and "destabilizing efforts" during the 2016 campaign. Some in the group belong to the Internet Research Agency, a Russian "troll farm" that the special counsel's office indicted earlier this year for allegedly orchestrating a disinformation campaign on social media to sow discord in the electorate. "The Administration is confronting and countering malign Russian cyber activity, including their attempted interference in U.S. elections, destructive cyber-attacks, and intrusions targeting critical infrastructure," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. "These targeted sanctions are a part of a broader effort to address the ongoing nefarious attacks emanating from Russia," he added. Those hit with sanctions will have their U.S. assets frozen and Americans will be forbidden from doing business with them.   More: The sanctions come at a time of new tensions between the U.S. and Russia. On Thursday, Trump said it looked like Russia was behind the poisoning of an ex-spy.   Shortly after the sanctions announcement, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Russian hackers of targeting U.S. energy assets. Officials said that the "multi-stage intrusion campaign" was aimed at gaining remote access to energy sector networks by targeting small commercial facilities. "The initial victims are peripheral organizations such as trusted third-party suppliers with less secure networks, referred to as 'staging targets,'" according to an alert from the two agencies. "The threat actors used the staging targets' networks as pivot points and malware repositories when targeting their final intended victims." Hackers used the intrusions to collect data on critical infrastructure control systems, officials said.   Please send your tips, comments and top March Madness upset predictions to Ali Breland (abreland@thehill.com) and Harper Neidig (hneidig@thehill.com) and follow us on Twitter: @alibreland and @hneidig. We're also on Signal and WhatsApp. Email or DM us for our numbers.     BITCOIN'S 'LIGHTNING NETWORK' GOES LIVE: A highly anticipated software client that aims to make bitcoin payments faster and cheaper went live on Thursday. The Lightning Network Daemon creates a network on top of the bitcoin blockchain that expedites transactions, and launched in a beta form Thursday. Bitcoin supporters believe that the network has the potential to help the cryptocurrency achieve mass adoption. Bitcoin has struggled in recent months with slow and high-fee transactions, which make it harder for bitcoin to achieve mainstream popularity. Read more here.   BILL GATES CRITICIZES 'AMERICA FIRST RHETORIC' AHEAD OF TRUMP MEETING: Bill Gates criticized President Trump's foreign policy rhetoric hours before his meeting with the president on Thursday, promising to make the case for increased foreign aid. During a Q&A session at a Politico event, the Microsoft founder said that U.S. international aid has done a lot of good. "I don't agree with the America first rhetoric," he said. "We have made the world a stable, more richer place, and I think that's good just from a pure humanitarian point of view." Gates met with Trump and visited the Capitol around this time last year, arguing against proposed budget cuts to programs like those aimed at containing HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries. Read more here.   AMAZON RAIDED BY JAPANESE REGULATORS: Amazon Japan said on Thursday that its offices were raided by the country's fair trade regulators over antitrust concerns. The Seattle-based online retailer told The Hill it is cooperating with Japan's Fair Trade Commission, but did not reveal any further details of the investigation. Japanese media reported that Amazon is suspected of asking suppliers to help take on the costs that come from selling their products at discounted prices. According to those reports, the company is suspected of asking suppliers to pay a "collaboration fee" to sell products with Amazon. Read more here.   SPOTIFY SETS IPO DATE: Spotify's stock will hit the New York Stock Exchange on April 3, the music streaming service announced during an "investor day" presentation on Thursday. The company will go public through an unorthodox direct listing, which doesn't involve underwriters or require the company to sell any of its stock. Such a move is unusual for a company of Spotify's size. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in a speech Thursday that he doesn't plan to be on the trading floor when the company goes public. "For us, going public has never really been about the pomp or the circumstance of it all, so you won't see us ringing any bells or throwing any parties," Ek said. Read more here.   More: Venturebeat breaks down Spotify's 5 reasons for not going with a traditional IPO. Quartz looks at some of the challenges and worries with the approach.   TECH COMPANIES PUSH BACK ON NEW PRIVACY RULES: Tech companies are pushing back on plans by the organization that oversees internet domain names to strengthen privacy standards, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is considering limiting access to the information it collects when someone registers a website. Under the change, only basic information about a website would be shared, like its location. But the U.S. government and American technology companies say those rules will make it harder for them to crack down on malicious actors on their platforms. Read more here.   RIHANNA BLASTS SPOTIFY OVER AD FEATURING HER AND CHRIS BROWN: Rihanna condemned Snapchat on Thursday after the platform posted an advertisement that appeared to make light of her domestic abuse at the hands of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. The advertisement, which appears to be for a game, features pictures of the two, with captions asking users if they would rather "slap Rihanna" or "punch Chris Brown." Rihanna was hospitalized in 2009 after Brown assaulted her. "Now SNAPCHAT I know you already know you ain't my fav app out there! But I'm just trying to figure out what the point was with this mess! I'd love to call it ignorance, but I know you ain't that dumb!" Rihanna said in a statement on her Instagram. Read more here.   GOOGLE ADDS WHEELCHAIR FEATURE TO MAPS: Google on Thursday introduced a wheelchair-friendly navigation feature on its maps application that will provide optimal transit routes "to make getting around easier for those with mobility needs." The search giant announced that its widely used digital map program will now provide users with wheelchair accessible routes that list train and bus services that are the most accommodating for travelers or commuters in wheelchairs. Google users in Boston, London, Mexico City, New York, Sydney and Tokyo now have full access to the upgraded maps system, Google Maps project manager Rio Akasaka wrote in a company statement, adding that more routes in other cities are planned. Read more here.   LONGREAD OF THE DAY: Bloomberg Businessweek chronicles Amazon's ascent to dominance across industries. If you've ever wondered how Amazon is able to excel in the film industry, e-commerce, cloud computing and everything else all at the same time, this breaks it down. It also introduced us to a term we hadn't heard before: "getting Amazoned." Successful technology companies have earned verbs: "Google it," or "Xerox it." To get Amazoned though, is to have Amazon come into your market and threaten your business.   More Amazon: Reuters with an exclusive... a look at Amazon's internal numbers on the size of its video viewership.   ON TAP: The Hudson Institute will hold an event on FCC modernization at 12:30 p.m.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Morning Consult: Even though technology firms have become some of the most influential companies in the country, the public still largely isn't aware of the power that they hold. This tries to explain why. The Guardian: While many city governments are pushing for Amazon's HQ2 to come to them, some activists are wary of tax arrangements that Amazon is trying to establish. Stratechery: Ben Thompson breaks down the business considerations of Qualcomm, Broadcom and national security risk. Motherboard: How local law enforcement is using cheap technology to crack iPhones     Join The Hill on Wednesday, March 21, for Leadership in Action: The Hill's Newsmaker Series featuring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), and Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.). RSVP Here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Technology Newsletters     Forward Technology Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.