Apple Reverses Policy, Allows Apps That Limit Children's Time on Devices

Over the past year, Apple purged iPhone apps that helped people limit the amount of time they and their children spent on Apple devices, drawing accusations of anticompetitive behavior. As news broke that federal officials were stepping up antitrust scrutiny of Apple and its peers, the Silicon Valley giant abruptly reversed its policy and quietly disclosed that the apps’ practices were allowed.

Leaders of Big Tech Companies Asked to Testify on Market Power

Leaders of big tech companies will be asked to testify as part of an investigation into whether the companies misuse their massive market power, the head of the U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee leading the probe said. The comments came a day after sources said the U.S. executive branch is gearing up for a similar probe of Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google, setting up what could be an unprecedented, wide-ranging investigation of some of the world’s largest companies.

Russian Authorities Order Tinder to Share User Data with Government

Russian authorities have ordered dating app Tinder to share user data and messages with government and intelligence agencies, the latest sign of Moscow’s tightening grip over online activities in the country and the Kremlin’s infringement on privacy. Russia’s communications censor, Roskomnadzor, has put Tinder on a list of services required to store user data and communication and hand it over to the government, the agency said.

Apple Included in Justice Department's Possible Antitrust Investigation

The U.S. Justice Department has jurisdiction for a potential probe of Apple Inc. as part of a broader review of whether technology giants are using their size to act in an anti-competitive manner, two sources told Reuters. Streaming music leader Spotify Technology SA and others have criticized the iPhone maker’s practices, describing the company as anti-competitive in a complaint to the European Union’s antitrust regulators.

House Democrats Plan Antitrust Review of Facebook, Google, Others

House Democrats plan a sweeping review of Facebook, Google and other technology giants to determine if they’ve become so large and powerful that they stifle competition and harm consumers, marking a new, unprecedented antitrust threat for an industry that’s increasingly under siege by Congress, the White House and 2020 presidential candidates. The probe, announced by Rep. David Cicilline (R.I.), the leader of the House’s top competition panel, is expected to be far reaching and comes at a moment when Democrats and Republicans find themselves in rare alignment on the idea that the tech industry has been too unregulated for too long.

Judge Orders Facebook to Give Data Privacy Information to Shareholders

A U.S. judge ordered Facebook Inc. to give shareholders emails and other records concerning how the social media company handles data privacy, after data for 87 million users was accessed by the British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. In a 57-page decision, which followed a one-day trial in March, Vice Chancellor Joseph Slights of the Delaware Chancery Court said shareholders demonstrated a “credible basis” to believe Facebook board members may have committed wrongdoing related to data privacy breaches.

Trump Administration to Require Social Media Info from Visa Applicants

The Trump administration will implement a new policy asking most applicants for U.S. visas to provide information on their use of social media, a U.S. Department of State official tells Hill.TV. Most visa applicants, including temporary visitors, will be required to list their social media identifiers in a drop down menu along with other personal information.

FTC Could Increase Antitrust Scrutiny of Amazon Under New Agreement

Amazon could face heightened antitrust scrutiny under a new agreement between U.S. regulators that puts it under closer watch by the Federal Trade Commission, three people familiar with the matter said. The move is the result of the FTC and the Department of Justice, the U.S. government’s leading antitrust enforcement agencies, quietly divvying up competition oversight of two of the country’s top tech companies, according to those people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the government’s work is confidential.

Congressman Says NSA Denies Its Hacking Tool Was Used in Baltimore Attack

A Maryland congressman said that the National Security Agency had denied that one of its hacking tools, stolen in 2017, was used in a ransomware attack on Baltimore’s government that had disrupted city services for more than three weeks. The statement, made by Representative C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, came in response to an article in The New York Times.

Justice Department Preparing to Open Antitrust Investigation of Google

The Justice Department has taken early steps toward opening a federal antitrust investigation into Google, according to three people familiar with the matter, marking a new chapter in the tech giant’s troubles with regulators around the world who contend the company is too large and threatens rivals and consumers. The move thrusts Google back under the regulatory microscope in the United States roughly six years after another federal agency probed the search and advertising behemoth on grounds that its business practices threatened competitors — though the government spared the company from major punishment at the time.

N.Y. Education Department Orders School District to Stop Facial Recognition

The New York State Education Department instructed a school district to delay its plans to implement the use of facial recognition technology. "We have made it clear, the Department has not approved the testing of the system planned for next week and we told the District not to commence the testing of the technology until we receive information that assures us that student information will be properly protected," a spokesperson for the department told The Hill.

Tech Firms Oppose British Proposal for Spying on Encrypted Communications

Tech giants, civil society groups and Ivy League security experts have condemned a proposal from Britain’s eavesdropping agency as a “serious threat” to digital security and fundamental human rights. In an open letter to GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters), 47 signatories including Apple, Google and WhatsApp have jointly urged the U.K. cybersecurity agency to abandon its plans for a so-called “ghost protocol.”

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Salesforce Tells Retailers It Can't Use Its Software to Sell Military-Style Rifles

Behind the scenes in recent weeks, Silicon Valley tech giant Salesforce.com has delivered a message to gun-selling retailers such as Camping World: Stop selling military-style rifles, or stop using our software. The change in Salesforce’s acceptable-use policy shows how a technology giant that is mostly unknown to the public is trying to influence what retailers in America sell and alter the dynamics of a charged social issue.

Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Reports Malware on Payment Card Readers

Tampa-based fast food chain Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc. announced a data breach that affected an unknown number of customers' payment card information. According to the company, malware on some payment card readers at just over 100 Checkers and Rally's locations siphoned information including cardholder names, payment card numbers, card expiration dates and card verification codes.

Pelosi Criticizes Facebook for Refusing to Delete Altered Videos of Her

Speaker Nancy Pelosi strongly rebuked Facebook, saying the company’s refusal to take down altered videos of her demonstrated how the social network contributed to misinformation and enabled Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. “We have said all along, poor Facebook, they were unwittingly exploited by the Russians,” Ms. Pelosi said in an interview with the public radio station KQED.

Apple Defends App Store from Criticism About How It Treats Rivals

Apple Inc. publicly defended its App Store from mounting criticism over its treatment of rivals in a new blog post detailing its functions and guidelines. Companies like music streaming leader Spotify Technology SA have criticized the iPhone maker’s practices, describing it as anti-competitive behavior in a complaint to the European Union’s antitrust regulators.

Google Announces New App Developer Policies to Protect Children

Google announced a new set of developer policies aimed at providing additional protections for children and families seeking kid-friendly apps on Google Play. The new policies require that developers ensure their apps are meeting all the necessary policy and regulatory requirements for apps that target children in terms of their content, ads and how they handle personally identifiable information.

Flipboard Tells Users Hackers Had Access to Internal Systems for 9 Months

Flipboard, a news aggregator service and mobile news app, has started notifying users of a security incident during which hackers had access to internal systems for more than nine months. In a series of emails seen by ZDNet that the company sent out to impacted users, Flipboard said hackers gained access to databases the company was using to store customer information.

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