The Supreme Court said it would consider whether states can broadly require online retailers to collect sales taxes even if they lack a physical presence in the state, taking a case that could have a major impact on online commerce. The justices agreed to hear an appeal by the state of South Dakota, which has been pushing a test case with the goal of overturning a high-court precedent that limits states’ sales tax collections.
Some Chinese users of Apple Inc.’s products who have created Apple IDs overseas to circumvent a new law that requires their personal data to be stored within China say they have been warned by the tech giant that they risk losing the data. China introduced a new cyber security law on June 1 that imposes tougher controls over data than in Europe and the United States, including mandating that companies store all data within China and pass security reviews.
Mexico’s attorney general’s office is investigating an attempt to hack and rob Bancomext, the government-run export bank, an official said. The hackers were not successful in siphoning money from the bank’s accounts, said the official at the attorney general’s office, who declined to be named.
Netflix and Amazon joined with the major studios in a lawsuit against Dragon Box, as the studios continue their crackdown on streaming devices. The suit accuses Dragon Box of facilitating piracy by making it easy for customers to access illegal streams of movies and TV shows.
The FBI plans to alert U.S. companies and the public about efforts by Russia or other nations to use disinformation and social media manipulation to interfere in upcoming elections, while being careful not to upset free speech and constitutional rights, a top law enforcement official said. The direction that the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “foreign influence" task force is heading could dramatically reshape the relationship between government and social media companies in order to address vulnerabilities that enabled Russia to meddle in the 2016 election.
An Ohio man was charged in a 16-count indictment for allegedly using malware known as “Fruitfly” to surreptitiously record people by secretly taking over their computer cameras and microphones, the U.S. Justice Department said. The indictment said that from 2003 through early 2017, Phillip Durachinsky, 28, collected data from thousands of computers belonging to individuals, companies, schools, a police department and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Security researchers have revealed details of a vulnerability in WhatsApp’s security that could be used to compromise the secrecy of encrypted group chats on the messaging platform. The risk associated with the flaw is limited on account of attackers needing to have access to WhatsApp servers to be able to insert themselves into a group conversation.
Apple Inc. is facing new questions from government officials in the U.S. and France about its handling of battery-related performance issues on iPhones, a sign that controversy over the problem continues despite the technology giant’s apology last month. Sen. John Thune (R., S.D.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, pressed Apple for answers to a series of questions about how the company decided to throttle back iPhone processing performance in phones with older batteries.
Wag Labs Inc., the startup behind a popular dog-walking smartphone app, inadvertently exposed webpages showing customer information including addresses and lockbox codes that could have enabled thieves to break into homes. The information was on obscure pages on the company’s website that weren’t password-protected.
FBI Director Christopher A. Wray renewed a call for tech companies to help law enforcement officials gain access to encrypted smartphones, describing it as a “major public safety issue.” Wray said the bureau was unable to gain access to the content of 7,775 devices in fiscal 2017 — more than half of all the smartphones it tried to crack in that time period — despite having a warrant from a judge.
Apple said it plans new features to help parents control how children use its smartphones, responding to criticism from two shareholders about the entrancing qualities and potential mental health impact of the company’s iPhone. “Apple has always looked out for kids, and we work hard to create powerful products that inspire, entertain, and educate children while also helping parents protect them online,” a spokeswoman said in a statement.
U.S. Senate Democrats said they will force a vote later this year on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s reversal of landmark Obama administration net neutrality rules and will try to make it a key issue in the 2018 congressional elections. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the issue will be a major motivating factor for young voters the party is courting.
J.P. Morgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon is backpedaling a bit on his earlier criticisms on cryptocurrencies. In September, Dimon called bitcoin a fraud. "I regret making" that comment, he said on Fox Business.
Twitter’s advertising platform allowed a fraudulent website to purchase promoted tweets that directed users to what appears to be a phishing scam. The tweet, which is being promoted on users' Twitter feeds, claims to offer users "verified" blue checkmarks, which some see as a sign of status on the site.
A French prosecutor has launched an investigation of U.S. tech giant Apple over alleged deception and planned obsolescence of its products following a complaint by a consumer organization, a judicial source said.
VTech, the maker of smart toys whose poor security practices exposed data from millions of parents and children, has been slapped on the wrist by the FTC to the tune of $650,000 and probation. The Hong Kong company makes a variety of “smart” toys, like watches and cameras, and parents and children were encouraged to set up profiles on VTech’s site with pictures and personal details. In November of 2015 a security researcher found that millions of those profiles could be accessed via one of the company’s websites.
Intel has been hit with at least three class-action lawsuits over the major processor vulnerabilities revealed last week. The flaws, called Meltdown and Spectre, exist within virtually all modern processors and could allow hackers to steal sensitive data although no data breaches have been reported yet.
The Internet Association, a trade group representing companies such as Google parent Alphabet Inc. and Facebook Inc., said that it intends to join an expected lawsuit against a decision to roll back net neutrality rules. One of the group’s members, e-commerce site Etsy Inc. said that it would separately also join the legal effort.
Twitter doesn't want to get in the way of elected officials and political leaders communicating via the platform — no matter how "controversial" their tweets may be. "Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets, would hide important information people should be able to see and debate," the company wrote in a blog post. "It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions."
Border officers dramatically increased their searches last year of photos, social media messages, emails and private files kept on cellphones and other electronic devices carried by international travelers, including U.S. citizens, according to statistics. Although fewer than 1% of travelers have their devices screened, the increase alarmed privacy advocates who say U.S. citizens should not lose their protections against warrantless searches when crossing the border.
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