Twitter Launches Tools in EU to Promote Transparency Ahead of Elections

Twitter announced it will launch tools in the European Union (EU) aimed at promoting transparency around who pays for political ads on its platform and how those ads are promoted on users' feeds. The social media giant said in a blog post that it will extend the strategies it used during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections to the EU, as well as to India and Australia ahead of elections in both of those countries.

EU Antitrust Chief Eyeing Facebook Closely But Says No 'Open Case' Now

Facebook is not currently in EU regulators’ crosshairs but it may well be in future because of the crucial role played by data, Europe’s antitrust chief said. European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager’s comments came two weeks after the German cartel office ruled that the world’s largest social network abused its market dominance to gather information about users without their consent.

Emoji Arise in Legal Disputes, Sometimes Raising Interpretation Questions

Emoji are showing up as evidence in court more frequently with each passing year. Between 2004 and 2019, there was an exponential rise in emoji and emoticon references in US court opinions, with over 30 percent of all cases appearing in 2018, according to Santa Clara University law professor Eric Goldman, who has been tracking all of the references to “emoji” and “emoticon” that show up in U.S. court opinions.

Iranian, Chinese Hackers Targeting Dozens of U.S. Businesses, Governments

Businesses and government agencies in the United States have been targeted in aggressive attacks by Iranian and Chinese hackers who security experts believe have been energized by President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal last year and his trade conflicts with China. Recent Iranian attacks on American banks, businesses and government agencies have been more extensive than previously reported. Dozens of corporations and multiple United States agencies have been hit, according to seven people briefed on the episodes who were not authorized to discuss them publicly.

Israeli Government Lacks Coordinated Defense to Election Meddling Online

While Israeli engineers develop some of the world’s most sought-after online protection, the government has yet to come up with a coordinated defense to shield the April 9 vote against fake news and other malicious meddling. According to the Israel Democracy Institute research center, responsibility for protecting the vote is divided among at least nine entities.

Australian Prime Minister Says Political Parties Suffered Cyber Attacks

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed Australia's political parties suffered cyber attacks alongside the Parliament House computer network several weeks ago by a "sophisticated state actor". The announcement is likely to intensify speculation that China was behind the attacks, which come just three months before the federal election, though Mr Morrison said there was no evidence of election interference.

EU Rules Would Require Tech Firms to Tell Companies How They Rank Products

Google, Amazon and other tech firms will have to tell companies how they rank their own or rival products on their platforms under new rules agreed by EU negotiators aimed at stopping unfair practices by online platforms and app stores. Proposed by the European Commission in April last year, the platform-to-business (P2B) law is targeted at Google Play, Apple App Store, Microsoft Store, Amazon Marketplace, eBay and Fnac Marketplace.

British Lawmakers Accuse Facebook of Violating Privacy, Competition Laws

British lawmakers accused Facebook of having “intentionally and knowingly violated both data privacy and anti-competition laws” in the country, and they called for investigations into the social media giant’s business practices. The sharp rebuke came in a 108-page report written by members of Parliament, who in 2017 began a wide-ranging study of Facebook and the spread of malicious content online.

Lawsuits Over Website Access for Blind Users Reach Record Number

Businesses with websites that can’t be navigated by the blind are getting pummeled with lawsuits. The new frontier in federal disability litigation has accelerated dramatically in recent years, with some companies now getting hit by lawsuits for the second or third time even after they’ve reached settlements to upgrade their sites.

GAO Report Recommends Congress Create Internet Data Privacy Law

An independent report authored by a U.S. government auditing agency has recommended that Congress develop Internet data privacy legislation to enhance consumer protections, similar to the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The 56-page report was put together by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), a bi-partisan government agency that provides auditing, evaluation, and investigative services for Congress.

Twitter Removes Tweet Against Salman Rushdie, Citing 'Threats of Violence'

Twitter removed a tweet from an account that reportedly belongs to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei for appearing to call for the execution of noted novelist Salman Rushdie. A Twitter spokesperson said: “It's against our rules to make specific threats of violence or wish for the serious physical harm, death, or disease of an individual or group of people."

Facebook Negotiating Record Multi-Billion Dollar Privacy Fine with FTC

The Federal Trade Commission and Facebook are negotiating over a multi-billion dollar fine that would settle the agency’s investigation into the social media giant’s privacy practices, according to two people familiar with the probe. The fine would be the largest the agency has ever imposed on a technology company, but the two sides have not yet agreed on an exact amount.

Proposed Rules Would Let India Demand Removal of Online Content

India’s government has proposed giving itself vast new powers to suppress internet content, igniting a heated battle with global technology giants and prompting comparisons to censorship in China. Under the proposed rules, Indian officials could demand that Facebook, Google, Twitter, TikTok and others remove posts or videos that they deem libelous, invasive of privacy, hateful or deceptive.

Pirates Using Apple-Designed Technology to Distribute Hacked Apps

Software pirates have hijacked technology designed by Apple Inc. to distribute hacked versions of Spotify, Angry Birds, Pokemon Go, Minecraft and other popular apps on iPhones, Reuters has found. Illicit software distributors such as TutuApp, Panda Helper, AppValley and TweakBox have found ways to use digital certificates to get access to a program Apple introduced to let corporations distribute business apps to their employees without going through Apple’s tightly controlled App Store.

EU Negotiators Reach Agreement on Copyright Changes for Tech Era

The European Union is set to rewrite its two decades-old copyright rules to ensure a level playing field between its creative industries and tech giants such as Google and Facebook, after striking a deal on the issue. While the revamp is likely to result in more compensation for publishers, broadcasters and artists from online platforms, it could burden small start-ups with additional costs as they will be required to install upload filters.

India Pressing WhatsApp to Give Government Access to Encrypted Messages

Frustrated that Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp, the popular messaging service, has been used to incite violence and spread pornography, the Indian government is pressing WhatsApp to allow more official oversight of online discussions, even if that means giving officials access to protected, or encrypted, messages. Facebook has refused, risking punitive measures or even the possibility of a shutdown in its biggest market.

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.