Lawsuit Accuses University of Chicago, Google of Sharing Patients' Records

The University of Chicago, the medical center and Google were sued in a potential class-action lawsuit accusing the hospital of sharing hundreds of thousands of patients’ records with the technology giant without stripping identifiable date stamps or doctor’s notes. The suit, filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, demonstrates the difficulties technology companies face in handling health data as they forge ahead into one of the most promising — and potentially lucrative — areas of artificial intelligence: diagnosing medical problems.

Facebook to Disclose Identities of French Users Suspected of Hate Speech

In a world first, Facebook has agreed to hand over the identification data of French users suspected of hate speech on its platform to judges, France’s minister for digital affairs Cedric O said. O, whose father is South Korean, is one of French President Emmanuel Macron’s earliest followers, and has been influential in shaping the president’s thinking on Big Tech as an advisor at the Elysee palace in the first two years of Macron’s presidency.

Two Advocacy Groups Push FTC to Impose Child Privacy Penalties on YouTube

YouTube’s critics are pushing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to impose strict penalties for the streaming service's handling of children’s data after it was reported the agency was in the late stages of an investigation. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and a pair of advocacy groups — the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood and the Center for Digital Democracy — both sent letters to the FTC calling for severe penalties for what they see as years of children’s privacy law violations.

Hackers Backed by Chinese Government Attack Global Cellular Networks

Hackers believed to be backed by China’s government have infiltrated the cellular networks of at least 10 global carriers, swiping users’ whereabouts, text-messaging records and call logs, according to a new report, amid growing scrutiny of Beijing’s cyberoffensives. The multiyear campaign, which is continuing, targeted 20 military officials, dissidents, spies and law enforcement — all believed to be tied to China — and spanned Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, says Cybereason Inc., a Boston-based cybersecurity firm that first identified the attacks.

U.S. Chip Makers Find Way to Sell Millions to Huawei, Despite Ban

United States chip makers are still selling millions of dollars of products to Huawei despite a Trump administration ban on the sale of American technology to the Chinese telecommunications giant, according to four people with knowledge of the sales. Industry leaders including Intel and Micron have found ways to take advantage of a provision on labeling American-made goods, said the people, who spoke on the condition they not be named because they were not authorized to disclose the sales.

Intelligence Official Says U.S. Monitoring Social Media Influence by Russia, Iran

Officials are currently tracking efforts by nations including Russia and Iran to influence Americans through social media platforms on issues including the 2020 election, a senior intelligence official told reporters. The official said during a press conference that agencies are tracking efforts by Russia to “pit Americans against each other” through posting on social media, while China is using social media platforms to “influence the U.S. political environment.”

U.S. May Ban Domestic Use of 5G Technology Produced in China

The U.S. is considering a requirement that next-generation 5G cellular technology for domestic use be made outside of China, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. The shift could force telecom giants like Nokia and Ericsson to move production outside of China in order to continue providing equipment to the U.S., the world’s largest market for telecom equipment and services, the Journal said.

Facebook Official Says Company Supports Competition and Regulation

Facebook dismissed calls for a break-up of the world’s biggest social network and other big internet companies, saying this would not tackle issues such as privacy, attempts to influence elections or harmful content. “Just because it is difficult to regulate the internet doesn’t mean policy makers should jump to the alternative of wishing these companies away,” Nick Clegg, Facebook’s head of global affairs, said in a speech in Berlin.

Bill Would Require Sites to Disclose Value of Their Users' Data

Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) will introduce legislation to require Facebook, Google, Amazon and other major platforms to disclose the value of their users' data, as first reported on "Axios on HBO." The point of the bill is to help consumers understand what they may be giving up when they click on "I agree" and hold tech companies to a higher level of transparency.

Huawei Sues U.S. for Mishandling Equipment Seized in Export Probe

Chinese tech giant Huawei filed a civil lawsuit against the U.S., saying the Commerce Department mishandled equipment from the company it had seized in 2017. The complaint alleges the U.S. government took several pieces of equipment that were being shipped from an independent testing facility in the United States to China in an effort to figure out if the products were subject to export controls.

Commerce Department Bans Chinese Companies from Buying U.S. Parts

The U.S. Commerce Department said it was adding several Chinese companies and a government-owned institute involved in supercomputing with military applications to its national security “entity list” that bars them from buying U.S. parts and components without government approval. The export restriction announcement adding the firms to what is effectively a trade blacklist is the latest effort by the Trump administration to restrict the ability of Chinese firms to gain access to U.S. technology amid an ongoing trade war.

Hackers Accessed NASA's Network, Stealing Info on Mars Missions

A report published by the NASA Office of Inspector General reveals that in April 2018 hackers breached the agency's network and stole approximately 500 MB of data related to Mars missions. The point of entry was a Raspberry Pi device that was connected to the IT network of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) without authorization or going through the proper security review.

Trump Approves Offensive Cyberstrike to Disable Iranian Computer Systems

President Trump approved an offensive cyberstrike that disabled Iranian computer systems used to control rocket and missile launches, even as he backed away from a conventional military attack in response to its downing of an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone, according to people familiar with the matter. The cyberstrikes, launched Thursday night by personnel with U.S. Cyber Command, were in the works for weeks if not months, according to two of these people, who said the Pentagon proposed launching them after Iran’s alleged attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman earlier this month.

Small Tech Companies Fear Retaliation for Assisting Antitrust Probes

Small tech companies fear retaliation from big tech firms like Google and Facebook Inc if they assist in an investigation into allegations the companies misuse their massive market power, the head of the U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee leading the probe said. The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee opened an investigation into competition in digital markets early this month shortly after sources said the U.S. executive branch was gearing up for what could be an unprecedented, wide-ranging investigation of Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google.

U.S. Tells India It May Limit Work Visas for Countries Requiring Local Data Storage

The United States has told India it is considering caps on H-1B work visas for nations that force foreign companies to store data locally, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, widening the two countries’ row over tariffs and trade. The plan to restrict the popular H-1B visa program, under which skilled foreign workers are brought to the United States each year, comes days ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to New Delhi.

FTC in Late Stages of YouTube Probe for Violating Children's Privacy

The U.S. government is in the late stages of an investigation into YouTube for allegedly violating children’s privacy, according to four people familiar with the matter, in a probe that threatens the company with a potential fine and already has prompted the tech giant to reevaluate some of its business practices. The Federal Trade Commission launched its investigation after numerous complaints from consumer groups and privacy advocates, according to the four people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because such probes are supposed to be confidential.

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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.