DHS Terminates Probe of Chinese-Linked Hack of U.S. Telecoms

The Department of Homeland Security has terminated its advisory committees, wiping out decades of institutional experience and abruptly ending a sweeping investigation into the Chinese-linked hack of U.S. telecom companies, sources familiar with the move confirmed to CBS News. According to a memo signed by Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine C. Huffman, and obtained by CBS News, the decision to disband multiple advisory committees is being made "in alignment with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security."

OpenAI Tells Indian Court U.S. Obligations Prevent Removing Training Data

OpenAI has told an Indian court that any order to remove training data powering its ChatGPT service would be inconsistent with its legal obligations in the United States, according to a recent filing seen by Reuters. The Microsoft-backed AI firm also said that it was not within the jurisdiction of Indian courts to hear a copyright breach case brought by local news agency ANI as OpenAI had no presence in the country.

Indonesia's Antitrust Agency Fines Google for Play Store Payment System

Indonesia's antitrust agency ordered Google to pay fines of around 202 billion rupiah ($12.4 million) for unfair business practices related to its payment system services for Google Play Store, its software distribution platform. The agency launched an investigation into Alphabet Inc's Google in 2022 on suspicion it had abused its dominant position by requiring Indonesian app developers to use Google Play Billing, at higher rates than other payment systems, or face removal from the Google Play Store.

Trump Pardons Creator of Silk Road Drug Marketplace Serving Life Sentence

President Trump granted a pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road drug marketplace and a cult hero in the cryptocurrency and libertarian worlds. In doing so, Mr. Trump fulfilled a promise that he made repeatedly on the campaign trail as he courted political contributions from the crypto industry, which spent more than $100 million to influence the outcome of the election.

Trump Signs Executive Order Intended to Limit Restrictions on Social Media

President Donald Trump ordered that no federal officer, employee or agent may unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen, an early step toward his campaign promise to dismantle what he called government “censorship” of U.S. citizens. The president’s executive order, issued just hours after he was sworn in to a second term, comes after Trump and his supporters have accused the federal government of pressuring social media companies to take down lawful posts over concerns around misinformation.

Carr, New FCC Chair, Vows to Focus on 'Tech and Media Regulation'

Brendan Carr is now formally the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, giving him the power to set the agency’s agenda and usher through a host of regulations with major implications for the tech and media industries as soon as he has a Republican majority. In a statement, Carr named a few areas of focus: “issues ranging from tech and media regulation to unleashing new opportunities for jobs and growth through agency actions on spectrum, infrastructure, and the space economy.”

Trump Revokes Biden's Executive Order on Reducing Risks from AI

U.S. President Donald Trump revoked a 2023 executive order signed by Joe Biden that sought to reduce the risks that artificial intelligence poses to consumers, workers and national security. Biden's order required developers of AI systems that pose risks to U.S. national security, the economy, public health or safety to share the results of safety tests with the U.S. government, in line with the Defense Production Act, before they were released to the public.

Trump Signs Executive Order Delaying Ban on TikTok for 75 Days

President Trump signed an executive order to delay enforcing a federal ban of TikTok for 75 days, even though the law took effect and it is unclear that such a move could override it. The order, one of Mr. Trump’s first acts after taking office, instructs the attorney general not to take any action to enforce the law so that his administration has “an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward.”

U.S. Prosecutors Link Arrested Army Soldier to Records Theft at AT&T, Verizon

U.S. prosecutors have formally linked the arrest of a serving U.S. Army soldier in December to a massive theft of U.S. phone records from AT&T and Verizon last year. Authorities arrested Cameron John Wagenius, a U.S. Army communications specialist, in Texas on December 20 following a brief two-page grand jury indictment accusing the U.S. serviceperson of two counts of unlawfully transferring confidential phone records. Wagenius was later extradited to Washington state.

Outgoing FCC Head Warns of Chinese-Linked Cyber-Espionage Operation

The outgoing head of the Federal Communications Commission said a massive Chinese-linked cyber-espionage operation against U.S. telecoms firms known as "Salt Typhoon" is a "clarion call" to address significant telecommunications security issues. "Salt Typhoon is a clarion call that reminds us that the security of our networks is absolutely vital for our national and economic security," FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a Reuters interview.

After Supreme Court Rules Against TikTok, App Goes Dark, Trump Vows Help

President-elect Donald J. Trump said that he would issue an executive order to stall a federal ban of TikTok, just hours after major app stores removed the popular social media site and it stopped operating for U.S. users. In issuing an order, Mr. Trump would raise questions about the rule of law in the United States, as his action would constitute an attempt to temporarily neuter a law that passed with broad bipartisan support in Congress and that the Supreme Court unanimously upheld.

Supreme Court Embraces Texas Age-Verification Law for Viewing Porn

The Supreme Court weighed whether an explosion in online pornography requires repudiating the court’s precedents concerning sexual content as the justices heard arguments in a challenge to Texas’s age-verification law for porn websites. A majority of the justices suggested the concept of an age-verification requirement could survive First Amendment scrutiny even as the court seemed inclined to send the Texas law back to a lower panel to apply a higher standard of review.

Biden Issues Executive Order to Strengthen Federal Computer Networks

President Joe Biden has signed an order to strengthen federal computer networks in the wake of damaging espionage intrusions by the Chinese government. The 53-page order builds on steps taken by the White House and federal agencies over the past four years to impose cybersecurity regulations on rail, pipeline and other critical infrastructure sectors of the U.S. economy and develop federal standards for secure software.

Trump Considers Questionable Executive Order to Stop TikTok Ban

President-elect Donald Trump is considering an executive order once in office that would suspend enforcement of the TikTok ban-or-sale law for 60 to 90 days, buying the administration time to negotiate a sale or alternative solution — a legally questionable effort to win a brief reprieve for the Chinese-owned app now scheduled to be banned on Sunday nationwide. Trump has been mulling ways to save the day for the wildly popular video app, talking through unconventional dealmaking and legal maneuvers such as an executive order that would unravel the law passed by Congress last year with bipartisan support, according to two people familiar with the deliberations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.

GoDaddy to Implement Information-Security Programs in FTC Settlement

GoDaddy will implement new information-security programs to settle charges that the technology platform failed to secure its website-hosting services and protect its customers from attacks, the Federal Trade Commission said. The settlement agreement will prohibit the company from making misrepresentations about its security practices, as well as mandate it to hire an independent assessor to oversee the program, the FTC said.

Chinese State-Sponsored Hackers Accessed 3,000 Files at Treasury Dep't

Chinese state-sponsored hackers who breached the U.S. Treasury Department got into more than 400 laptop and desktop computers, taking particular interest in the machines of staff and senior leaders focused on sanctions, international affairs and intelligence, according to an agency report reviewed by Bloomberg News. The hackers accessed employee usernames and passwords, as well as more than 3,000 files on unclassified personal computers, the report said.

London Court Hears Arguments Over Apple's App Store Commissions

Apple has abused its dominant position by charging app developers an unfair 30% commission through its App Store, costing British consumers up to 1.5 billion pounds ($1.8 billion), a London tribunal heard. The U.S. tech company is facing a mass lawsuit brought on behalf of around 20 million iPhone and iPad users in the United Kingdom, who were allegedly overcharged for app purchases.

The GigaLaw Firm helps companies of all sizes protect their brands online, using domain name dispute policies – such as the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) – and other legal tools available to copyright and trademark owners on the Internet.