White House Launches Tool to Report Fraudulent Social Media Violations

The White House launched a new tool for people to use if they feel they’ve been wrongly censored, banned, or suspended on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. “Too many Americans have seen their accounts suspended, banned, or fraudulently reported for unclear ‘violations’ of user policies,” the site reads. “No matter your views, if you suspect political bias caused such an action to be taken against you, share your story with President Trump.”

Trump Administration Refuses to Sign International Accord on Online Extremism

The Trump administration said that it would not sign an international accord intended to pressure the largest internet platforms to eradicate violent and extremist content, highlighting a broader divide between the United States and other countries over government’s role in determining what content is acceptable online. Citing free speech protections, the administration said in a statement that “the United States is not currently in a position to join the endorsement.”

WhatsApp Urges Users to Update After Reports of Hacking Attempts

WhatsApp is urging its 1.5 billion users to update their app after the company detected sophisticated hacking attempts that might have targeted human rights activists. The Facebook subsidiary said “an advanced cyber actor” exploited a security flaw and installed the malware by targeting users’ mobile phones through WhatsApp’s call function, potentially allowing hackers to access private messages, location data and other information.

Trump Signs Executive Order Aimed at Banning Huawei's Telecom Tech

President Trump signed an executive order declaring a "national emergency" that would empower his administration to block foreign tech companies from doing business in the U.S. if they are deemed a national security threat. The order does not name any countries or companies, but the administration has launched a global campaign to keep the Chinese telecom Huawei from helping U.S. allies develop next-generation wireless infrastructures.

San Francisco Bans City from Using Facial Recognition Surveillance Technology

San Francisco became the first city in the country to ban city use of facial recognition surveillance technology — a groundbreaking move that privacy advocates applaud, but others say may go too far. The legislation will also force city departments to disclose what surveillance technology they currently use — and also seek approval from the Board of Supervisors on any new technology that either collects or stores someone’s data.

Google's Chief Legal Officer Emphasizes Anonymous Search Queries

Google’s main search business uses mostly anonymous queries to make money, the company’s chief legal officer said. In search ads, where the Alphabet Inc. unit makes most of its profit, more than 90% of the value is in the search itself “because it provides such a strong signal," Kent Walker told journalists in Munich during the unveiling of a security center in the German city.

Security Researchers Say WhatsApp Flaw Allowed Access to Phones

An Israeli firm accused of supplying tools for spying on human-rights activists and journalists now faces claims that its technology can use a security hole in WhatsApp, the messaging app used by 1.5 billion people, to break into the digital communications of iPhone and Android phone users. Security researchers said they had found so-called spyware — designed to take advantage of the WhatsApp flaw — that bears the characteristics of technology from the company, the NSO Group.

U.S. National Security Concerns Require Chinese Owner of Grindr to Sell App

The Chinese owner of Grindr is required to sell the popular gay-dating app by June 2020 under an agreement with U.S. officials who raised national security concerns about the app’s ownership. Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. said in a statement Monday that it reached a May 9 agreement that prohibits the company from accessing information about Grindr’s users and requires the sale of the app before June 30, 2020.

Zuckerberg Praises France's Efforts to Regulate Hateful Content Online

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg hailed France’s efforts to regulate hateful content online as a model for the European Union after meeting President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. His comments come after the U.S. social media giant was heavily criticized by politicians and the public for its failure to more rapidly remove footage of the March shooting attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, from its network.

Accounts Linked to Russia Spreading Disinformation Online Before EU Elections

Less than two weeks before pivotal elections for the European Parliament, a constellation of websites and social media accounts linked to Russia or far-right groups is spreading disinformation, encouraging discord and amplifying distrust in the centrist parties that have governed for decades. European Union investigators, academics and advocacy groups say the new disinformation efforts share many of the same digital fingerprints or tactics used in previous Russian attacks, including the Kremlin’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.

India Investigating Google for Using Android to Block Competitors

India’s antitrust watchdog is investigating whether Alphabet Inc.’s Google used its Android platform to block rivals, New Delhi’s latest move to try to tamp down American tech behemoths. The investigation launched by the Competition Commission of India resembles a case last year in which the European Union fined Google $4.87 billion for what it said was abuse of its dominant Android mobile operating system to boost its own business, according to an Indian government official with knowledge of the matter.

Hospitals Push Medical-Device Makers for Better Protections Against Cyberattacks

Hospitals are pushing medical-device makers to improve cyber defenses of their Internet-connected infusion pumps, biopsy imaging tables and other health-care products as reports of attacks rise. Rattled by recent global cyberattacks, U.S. hospitals are conducting tests to detect weaknesses in specific devices, and asking manufacturers to reveal the proprietary software running the products in order to identify vulnerabilities.

Facebook Sues South Korean Analytics Firm for Mishandling User Data

Facebook said it had filed a lawsuit against a South Korean analytics company that may have mishandled users’ personal information, a legal salvo that the social media giant described as a “message” meant to demonstrate its heightened vigilance over privacy. The lawsuit filed in a San Mateo, Calif., court targets Rankwave, a South Korean firm that had offered at least 30 apps to consumers and business.

Grand Jury Charges Chinese National in 2015 Attack on Anthem, Others

A federal grand jury charged a Chinese national in a 2015 hacking campaign that affected large U.S. businesses including insurer Anthem Inc, where the breach affected a computer system containing data on nearly 80 million people, according to an indictment. Fujie Wang, 32, and others including one individual charged as John Doe, conducted intrusions into Anthem and three other American businesses, according to the four-count indictment in federal court in Indianapolis, where Anthem is based.

Facebook Rejects Co-Founder's Op-Ed Urging Three-Way Company Split

Facebook quickly rejected a call from co-founder Chris Hughes to split the world’s largest social media company in three, while lawmakers urged the U.S. Justice Department to launch an antitrust investigation. “We are a nation with a tradition of reining in monopolies, no matter how well intentioned the leaders of these companies may be. Mark’s power is unprecedented and un-American,” Hughes, a former college roommate of Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, wrote in a lengthy New York Times opinion piece.

Groups File Complaint with FTC Alleging Echo Dot Kids Edition Violates Privacy

Two groups — the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and the Center for Digital Democracy — joined more than a dozen others in lodging a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. The groups say that Amazon’s practices with the Echo Dot Kids Edition violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a federal law protecting the personal information of people under 13.

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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.