FTC Finalizes Settlement with YouTube for Children's Privacy Violations

The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a settlement with Google in its investigation into YouTube for violating federal data privacy laws for children, said two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss it on record. The settlement — backed by the agency’s three Republicans and opposed by its two Democrats — finds that Google inadequately protected kids who used its video-streaming service and improperly collected their data in breach of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which prohibits the tracking and targeting of users younger than 13, the people said.

White House Economic Adviser to Meet with Execs to Discuss Huawei Ban

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow will host a meeting with semiconductor and software executives to discuss the U.S. ban on sales to China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, two sources briefed on the meeting said. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will also attend the White House event, to which chipmakers Intel Corp and Qualcomm Inc have been invited, the people said.

Hackers Breach Contractor for Russia's National Intelligence Service

Hackers have breached SyTech, a contractor for FSB, Russia's national intelligence service, from where they stole information about internal projects the company was working on behalf of the agency -- including one for deanonymizing Tor traffic. The breach took place last weekend, on July 13, when a group of hackers going by the name of 0v1ru$ hacked into SyTech's Active Directory server from where they gained access to the company's entire IT network, including a JIRA instance.

Schumer Asks FBI, FTC, to Investigate FaceApp Over Russian Gov't Concerns

Warning of national security and privacy risks for millions of Americans, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate FaceApp, the viral age-defying photo program that has raised fresh concerns about facial recognition and data protection. In a letter, Schumer called on the FBI to assess whether personal data uploaded into FaceApp “may be finding its way into the hands of the Russian government” or groups associated with Moscow.

FTC Considering Ways to Expand Children's Privacy Protection Online

Federal regulators began considering ways to update and potentially expand enforcement of the country’s online children’s-privacy law, questioning whether swift advances in technology have outpaced rules meant to protect children younger than 13. The effort by the Federal Trade Commission is in its initial phases, but the agency’s reevaluation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, could eventually lead to tougher enforcement of the 1998 law against apps and websites that illegally collect personal information from younger users.

Lawmakers Say Facebook Can't Be Trusted to Develop Cryptocurrency

U.S. lawmakers bashed Facebook over its planned cryptocurrency, saying the company had not shown it could be trusted to safeguard the world financial system and consumers’ data. The social media company is fighting to get Washington on its side after it shocked regulators and lawmakers with its announcement on June 18 that it was hoping to launch a new digital coin called Libra in 2020.

EU Launches Antitrust Investigation of Amazon Over Merchants' Data

Amazon became the target of an antitrust investigation by the European Union over its use of merchants’ data, underlining the increasing regulatory scrutiny about how tech companies exploit customers’ information. U.S. tech giants Amazon, Google, and Facebook have been in the regulatory spotlight as antitrust enforcers examine how they use data to boost their market power.

Microsoft Detects 740 Infiltration Attempts Targeting U.S. Political Parties

Tech giant Microsoft says it has detected more than 740 infiltration attempts by nation-state actors in the past year targeting U.S.-based political parties, campaigns and other democracy-focused organizations including think tanks and other nonprofits. Microsoft did not say how many infiltration attempts were successful but noted in a blog post Wednesday that such targeting similarly occurred in the early stages of the 2016 and 2018 elections.

Germany Drops Antitrust Probe as Amazon Makes Changes for Merchants

Amazon has reached a deal with Germany’s antitrust authority to overhaul its terms of service for third-party merchants, acting to appease regulators as the European Union announced its own investigation of the e-commerce giant. Germany’s Federal Cartel Office said it was dropping its seven-month investigation after Amazon agreed to amend a Business Services Agreement that applies to hundreds of thousands of merchants trading on its platform.

Lawmakers Criticize Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google at Hearings

Lawmakers leveled stinging criticism and sharp questions at Big Tech executives, attacking Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google for their market power, their perceived bias as gatekeepers of communication and Facebook’s ambitions to reshape the financial industry. The criticisms came at three hearings on Capitol Hill that showcased Washington’s widening range of concerns with Silicon Valley.

At Senate Hearing, Facebook Executive Defends Plans to Create Digital Currency

Under sharp criticism from senators, a Facebook executive defended the social network’s ambitious plan to create a digital currency and pledged to work with regulators to achieve a system that protects the privacy of users’ data. “We know we need to take the time to get this right,” David Marcus, the Facebook executive leading the project, told the Senate Banking Committee at a hearing.

After Trump's Threat, Google Executive Denies Work with Chinese Military

A Google executive denied allegations that the company works with the Chinese military, one day after President Trump said that his administration would investigate claims of improper ties between China and Google. Karan Bhatia, Google's vice president of global government affairs and public policy, emphasized during a Senate hearing that Google has little business in China and denied the company has any ties to its military.

Sprint Says Hackers Broke Into Customer Accounts Via Samsung Website

U.S. mobile network operator Sprint said hackers broke into an unknown number of customer accounts via the Samsung.com "add a line" website. "On June 22, Sprint was informed of unauthorized access to your Sprint account using your account credentials via the Samsung.com 'add a line' website," Sprint said in a letter it is sending impacted customers.

Justice Department Asks Court to Pause Enforcement of Qualcomm Ruling

The U.S. Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to pause the enforcement of a sweeping antitrust ruling against mobile chip supplier Qualcomm Inc, citing support from the Energy Department and Defense Department. “For DoD, Qualcomm is a key player both in terms of its trusted supply chain and as a leader in innovation, and it would be impossible to replace Qualcomm’s critical role in 5G technology in the short term,” Ellen M. Lord, Under Secretary for Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, wrote in a filing made in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Facebook Says Libra Cryptocurrency Will Wait for Regulatory Concerns

Facebook Inc said it would not proceed with the launch of its Libra cryptocurrency until regulatory concerns are addressed, as the U.S. Treasury secretary took the unusual step on of saying he had serious concerns it could be used for illicit activity. David Marcus, who oversees Facebook’s blockchain efforts, planned to tell Congress that Libra is not being built to compete with traditional currencies or interfere with monetary policy.

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