Rival Tells Irish Data Commissioner Google Undermining Privacy Policy

Google is secretly using hidden web pages that feed the personal data of its users to advertisers, undermining its own policies and circumventing EU privacy regulations that require consent and transparency, according to one of its smaller rivals. New evidence submitted to an investigation by the Irish data regulator, which oversees Google’s European business, accused the U.S. tech company of “exploiting personal data without sufficient control or concern over data protection”.

Big Businesses Lobbying Against Implementation of Calif. Privacy Law

Adopted last year, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants Web users the right to see the personal information that companies collect about them and stop it from being sold. But powerful business organizations — representing retailers, marketers and tech giants — have responded by seeking sweeping revisions to the law before it goes into effect.

YouTube Takes Down 100,000+ Videos Under New Hate Speech Policy

YouTube said that it has removed more than 100,000 videos marked as hate speech under the platform's new policy against bigoted and supremacist content. The video-sharing giant said it removed more than 17,000 channels and 100,000 videos for violating its hate speech policy between April and June — the month in which the policy was instituted — a five-time increase in the number of removals in the first three months of the year.

Huawei Accuses U.S. of Launching Cyberattacks on Its Networks

China’s Huawei Technologies Co. accused the U.S. of “using every tool at its disposal” to disrupt its business, including launching cyberattacks on its networks and instructing law enforcement to “menace” its employees. The telecommunications giant also said law enforcement in the U.S. have searched, detained and arrested Huawei employees and its business partners, and have sent FBI agents to the homes of its workers to pressure them to collect information on behalf of the U.S.

Senate Antitrust Panel Sets Date for Hearing on Big Technology Companies

The Senate’s antitrust panel will meet to discuss concerns that tech giants, such as Google or Amazon, seek to buy smaller rivals in order to head off competition. Senators Mike Lee and Amy Klobuchar, the chairman and top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel, said the hearing was scheduled for Sept. 24 but did not list witnesses.

Defense Department Launches Project to Fight Disinformation Attacks

Fake news and social media posts are such a threat to U.S. security that the Defense Department is launching a project to repel “large-scale, automated disinformation attacks,” as the top Republican in Congress blocks efforts to protect the integrity of elections. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants custom software that can unearth fakes hidden among more than 500,000 stories, photos, video and audio clips.

Hackers Take Over Twitter CEO's Twitter Account, Post Racist Messages

Hackers took over the Twitter account of Twitter’s chief executive, Jack Dorsey, and used the account to broadcast a string of racist messages and bomb threats. In the posts, the attackers claimed that Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters would be bombed, and used Mr. Dorsey’s account to retweet posts from several individuals appearing to claim responsibility for the hack.

Google Researchers Disclose Hacking Campaign Targeting iPhones

Security researchers at Google uncovered a “sustained” — at least two years — and indiscriminate campaign to hack iPhones through certain websites, allowing attackers to steal messages, files and track location data every 60 seconds. In a deep-dive blog post, Ian Beer, a security expert on Google’s Project Zero, detailed how hackers had been using malicious websites to exploit an iPhone software vulnerability. The post did not name the websites or say how many people were victimized.

Google May Pay Up to $200M to Resolve FTC Probe of YouTube Child Privacy

Google has agreed to pay between $150 and $200 million to resolve an FTC investigation into YouTube over alleged violations of a children’s privacy law, according to a person familiar with the matter. The FTC voted 3-2 along party lines to approve the settlement, sending it over to the Justice Department as part of the review process, the person confirmed. Details about other terms of the settlement were not immediately available.

Senators Question Bezos About Sale of Unsafe Items on Amazon

Three U.S. senators wrote a letter to Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos asking him to take action to stop the sale of unsafe items and to ensure accurate warning labels on his company’s giant sales platform. The letter, signed by Senate commerce committee members Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) and Ed Markey (D., Mass.), along with Bob Menendez (D., N.J.), detailed the findings from an article The Wall Street Journal published and asked for a response from Mr. Bezos.

Facebook Discusses Privacy Issues in 'Messenger Kids' App with FTC

Facebook Inc. said it had spoken to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which recently settled with the social media giant for $5 billion over allegations of privacy violations, about its Messenger Kids app that the company acknowledged had a flaw. “We are in regular contact with the FTC on many issues and products, including Messenger Kids,” Kevin Martin, the company’s vice president, U.S. public policy, wrote in a letter to Democratic Senators Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut dated Aug. 27.

U.S. Seeks to Block Undersea Internet Cable, Citing Security Concerns with China

U.S. officials are seeking to block an undersea cable backed by Google, Facebook Inc. and a Chinese partner, in a national security review that could rewrite the rules of Internet connectivity between the U.S. and China, according to people involved in the discussions. The Justice Department, which leads a multiagency panel that reviews telecommunications matters, has signaled staunch opposition to the project because of concerns over its Chinese investor, Beijing-based Dr. Peng Telecom & Media Group Co., and the direct link to Hong Kong the cable would provide, the people said.

Ring Partners with Police Departments to Provide Neighborhood Videos

The doorbell-camera company Ring has quietly forged video-sharing partnerships with more than 400 police forces across the United States, granting them access to homeowners’ camera footage and a powerful role in what the company calls the nation’s “new neighborhood watch.” The partnerships let police automatically request the video recorded by homeowners’ cameras within a specific time and area, helping officers see footage from the company’s millions of Internet-connected cameras installed nationwide, the company said.

Facebook to Require More Disclosures from Buyers of Political Ads

Facebook announced it would tighten some of its rules around political advertising ahead of the 2020 presidential election, requiring those who purchase ads touting candidates or promoting hot-button issues to provide more information about who actually paid for them. The changes seek to address a number of well-documented incidents where users placed misleading or inaccurate disclaimers on ads, effectively undermining a system for election transparency that the tech giant built after Russian agents spread disinformation on the site during the 2016 race.

Apple to Stop Listening to Siri Audio Without Users' Consent

Apple is making changes to the way that Siri audio review, or “grading,” works across all of its devices. It is making audio review an explicitly opt-in process in an upcoming software update, and only Apple employees, not contractors, will review any of this opt-in audio in an effort to bring closer to the company’s core processes any process that uses private data.

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.