Groups Urge Congress to Prioritize Civil Rights in Data Privacy Legislation

A coalition of more than 40 advocacy groups is urging Congress to prioritize civil rights as lawmakers launch into a long debate over potential data privacy legislation. The open letter from the 43 groups was released shortly after the House and Senate Commerce committees announced hearings later this month on establishing federal internet privacy regulations.

Experts Suspect Data Stolen from Equifax Used by Governments to Recruit Spies

As investigations continue, a consensus is starting to emerge to explain why sensitive personal information from more than 140 million people stolen from Equifax has disappeared from sight. Most experts familiar with the case now believe that the thieves were working for a foreign government, and are using the information not for financial gain, but to try and identify and recruit spies.

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Senator Wants Apple, Google to Ban App Allowing Saudis to Track Women

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is asking the chief executives of Apple and Google to immediately stop offering a Saudi e-government app that allows men in Saudi Arabia to track and control the movement of women. In a letter sent to the tech giants, Wyden urged them to prevent their app stores from being used by the Saudi government to continue the “abhorrent surveillance and control of women.”

Judge Refuses to Release Documents in Facebook Decryption Case

A U.S. judge rejected a bid by two civil rights groups that had sought to force the release of documents describing a secret U.S. government effort to compel Facebook to decrypt voice conversations between users on its Messenger app. The issue arose in a joint federal and state investigation into activities of the MS-13 gang in Fresno, revolving around the end-to-end encryption Facebook uses to protect calls on its Messenger service from interception.

Porn, Gambling Apps Evade Apple's App Store Screening Process

A TechCrunch investigation uncovered a dozen hardcore pornography apps and a dozen real-money gambling apps that escaped Apple’s oversight. The developers passed Apple’s weak Enterprise Certificate screening process or piggybacked on a legitimate approval, allowing them to sidestep the App Store and Cupertino’s traditional safeguards designed to keep iOS family-friendly.

Canadian Writer Sues Twitter for Criticism of Transgender Rights

A Canadian writer filed a lawsuit against Twitter Inc., saying the social-media platform unfairly banned her because her criticism of transgender rights doesn’t line up with the company’s politics. Meghan Murphy, a gender-politics blogger, alleges that Twitter violated unfair-competition law when it changed its hateful-conduct policy late last year.

Trump Signs Executive Order to Encourage AI Development, Regulation

President Trump signed an executive order meant to spur the development and regulation of artificial intelligence, technology that many experts believe will define the future of everything from consumer products to health care to warfare. A.I. experts across industry, academia and government have long called on the Trump administration to make the development of artificial intelligence a major priority.

Pompeo Cautions U.S. Allies Against Using Equipment from Huawei

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cautioned U.S. allies against deploying equipment from Chinese telecoms giant Huawei on their soil, saying it would make it more difficult for Washington to “partner alongside them”. The United States and its Western allies believe Huawei Technologies’ apparatus could be used for espionage, and see its expansion into central Europe as a way to gain a foothold in the EU market.

Lobbying Could Water Down Landmark California Privacy Law

A landmark law adopted in California last year to rein in the data-collection practices of Facebook, Google and other tech giants has touched off a lobbying blitz that could water it down, potentially undermining new protections that might apply to Internet users across the country. The fight between regulation-wary businesses and privacy watchdogs centers on the Golden State’s first-in-the-nation online privacy rules, known as the California Consumer Privacy Act.

Texas Bill Would Ban Throttling Internet Speeds in Declared Disaster Areas

A member of the Texas state legislature introduced a bill that would make it a crime for a telecommunications company, like Verizon or AT&T, to throttle Internet service in declared disaster areas, according to KUT News. This Texas bill, HB 1426, doesn’t go any further to codify net neutrality rules, only prohibiting carriers from restricting internet access in disaster areas.

Huawei Threatens Legal Action Against Czech Republic Over Security Warning

In an attempt to push back against attempts to limit its reach in Europe, the Chinese technology giant Huawei threatened legal action against the Czech Republic if its cybersecurity agency did not rescind its warning about the risk the company poses to the nation’s critical infrastructure. As nations across Europe take the first steps to reconfigure the systems that control the internet, Huawei’s threat was the latest salvo in the escalating war over who will control the hardware that will underpin the new 5G, or fifth-generation, networks.

EU Negotiators Reach Agreements on Rewriting Copyright Laws

The European Union’s effort to rewrite two-decade old copyright rules to take into account online platforms such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google moved a step forward when a majority of member countries agreed on a common position for talks with lawmakers. Negotiations stalled last month after EU countries failed to bridge their differences, among them whether small companies should be subjected to the rules, which critics blamed on lobbying by Google and others.

Apple Tells Developers to Remove or Disclose Recording in Apps

Apple is telling app developers to remove or properly disclose their use of analytics code that allows them to record how a user interacts with their iPhone apps — or face removal from the app store, TechCrunch can confirm. In an email, an Apple spokesperson said: “Protecting user privacy is paramount in the Apple ecosystem. Our App Store Review Guidelines require that apps request explicit user consent and provide a clear visual indication when recording, logging, or otherwise making a record of user activity.”

Lawmakers Seek Bipartisan Replacement for Net Neutrality Rules

Lawmakers are signaling the possibility of a bipartisan bill to replace the Obama-era net neutrality rules repealed in 2017 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), though broad disagreement between the parties appears to remain an obstacle. Top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee suggested during a hearing that they were open to working with Republicans on open Internet legislation.

British Doctors Say Excessive Tech Interferes with 'Important, Healthy Activities'

With even Silicon Valley worrying about the effect of technology exposure on young people, Britain’s top doctors issued advice to families about social media and screen use. Their prescriptions: Leave phones outside the bedroom. Screen-free meals are a good idea. When in doubt, don’t upload. And get more exercise.

Germany Restricts Facebook from Combining User Data Across Platforms

Germany’s competition authority has ruled that Facebook cannot gather personal data across platforms and websites unless users give permission from each individual site, a decision that could have wide-ranging implications on the company’s ability to target advertising. “In future, Facebook will no longer be allowed to force its users to agree to the practically unrestricted collection and assigning of non-Facebook data to their Facebook user accounts,” Andreas Mundt, president of the Federal Cartel Office, said in a statement.

White House Promises Action to Ensure Leading Role in Artificial Intelligence

The White House will take “executive action” in the coming weeks to make sure the United States keeps its research and development advantage in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, quantum computing and next generation wireless networks, known as 5G, a White House official said. President Donald Trump discussed investing in what he called “industries of the future” as part of expanded infrastructure investment in his State of the Union address.

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