FTC Investigators Interview Small Businesses Selling on Amazon

A team of Federal Trade Commission investigators has begun interviewing small businesses that sell products on Amazon.com Inc. to determine whether the e-commerce giant is using its market power to hurt competition. Several attorneys and at least one economist have been conducting interviews that typically last about 90 minutes and cover a range of topics, according to three merchants.

Senate Panel to Hear from Google, Facebook, Twitter About Terrorism

Alphabet Inc’s Google, Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc will testify before a U.S. Senate panel on efforts by social media firms to remove violent content from online platforms, the panel said in a statement. The Sept. 18 hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee follows growing concern in Congress about the use of social media by people committing mass shootings and other violent acts.

Cloudflare Says It May Have Violated U.S. Economic, Trade Sanctions

Cloudflare Inc., a provider of cloud-based networking and cybersecurity services, may have violated U.S. economic and trade sanctions regulations, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing. The San Francisco-based technology company, which is expected to go public as early as this week, has voluntarily disclosed potential economic and trade sanctions violations to the Treasury Department, the company said in documents that declared the company’s intention to go public.

Australia Takes Lead in Denying Terrorists an Online Platform

Australia, spurred to act after one of its citizens was charged in the Christchurch attacks, has gone further than almost any other country in ways to stem the loathsome tide of conspiracy theorists and racist manifestos online.The government is now using the threat of fines and jail time to pressure platforms like Facebook to be more responsible, and it is moving to identify and block entire websites that hold even a single piece of illegal content.

Consumer Watchdog Files FTC Complaint Over YouTube Channel Ryan ToysReview

The mega-popular kids YouTube channel Ryan ToysReview has been accused of tricking preschoolers into watching ads in a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission by a consumer watchdog. The channel stars Ryan, a 7-year-old who has been YouTubing since 2015. His account is run by his parents, who began filming their son playing with and unboxing toys when he was a toddler.

Internet Groups Push Lawmakers to Pass Updated N. American Trade Pact

The U.S. tech industry is pushing Congress to pass President Trump's revised North American trade pact, arguing the stalled legislation would modernize trade law to accommodate the digital economy. A broad coalition of tech trade groups in a letter argued the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) rewrite includes language that would "set a new, global standard for rules that will benefit digital trade and e-commerce."

Business Roundtable Asks Congress for Federal Privacy Legislation

In a letter signed by more than 50 CEOs, including Amazon's Jeff Bezos and AT&T's Randall Stephenson, the industry leaders called for federal privacy legislation that would "strengthen consumer trust and establish a stable policy environment." The letter came from the CEO group Business Roundtable, and was sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

  • Read the article: CNET

EU's Vestager to Take Lead Role on Digital Affairs, in Addition to Antitrust

Margrethe Vestager was picked by EU Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen to be her executive vice president in charge of the bloc’s digital affairs –- a post that will hand the Dane oversight of issues relating to artificial intelligence, big data, innovation and cybersecurity. Even more concerning for those hoping to avoid billion-dollar fines, Vestager, 51, will also keep her job as one of the most feared antitrust regulators.

Report Accuses Apple, Foxconn of Labor Violations in China

A report released by China Labor Watch, a nonprofit advocacy group, accused Apple and its manufacturing partner Foxconn of a litany of labor violations, including withholding bonus payments, rolling back safety training and employing more temporary workers than China’s laws allow. The report was based on observations and documents gathered by undercover investigators working at China’s biggest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou.

U.S. Charges Chinese Professor in Texas Accused of Stealing for Huawei

The U.S. has filed criminal charges against a Chinese professor in Texas who had earlier been accused in a civil suit of stealing a U.S. startup’s technology for China’s Huawei Technologies Co., marking an escalation of the Justice Department investigations into issues related to the telecom giant. The criminal complaint against Bo Mao doesn’t mention Huawei by name, but the case it lays out closely parallels a civil suit filed by Silicon Valley’s CNEX Labs Inc. against Huawei.

State Attorneys General Announce Investigations of Google, Facebook

The state attorneys general from four dozen states officially declared that they were beginning investigations into the market power and corporate behavior of big tech companies. The formal declaration, delivered from the steps of the United States Supreme Court by a bipartisan group of state officials, adds investigative muscle and political momentum to the intensifying scrutiny of the tech giants by federal watchdog agencies and Congress.

Judge Orders Facebook to Face Lawsuit Over Third-Party Data Viewing

A federal judge ordered Facebook to face most of a nationwide lawsuit seeking damages for letting third parties such as Cambridge Analytica access users’ private data, calling the social media company’s views on privacy “so wrong.” While dismissing some claims, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco said users could try to hold Facebook liable under various federal and state laws for letting app developers and business partners harvest their personal data without their consent on a “widespread” basis.

Russia Says Google, Facebook Allowed Political Ads Despite Ban

Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said tech giants Google and Facebook had allowed political advertising during regional elections despite being asked to ban such publicity. “Such actions can be seen as interference in Russia’s sovereign affairs and hindering the conduct of democratic elections in the Russian Federation”, the watchdog said on its website.

Apple Accuses Google of 'Stoking Fear Among all iPhone Users'

Apple says that the iPhone vulnerabilities disclosed by Google were targeted at the Uighur ethnic group, an oppressed minority in China, and were not as widespread as the Internet search giant had claimed. Apple criticized its rival Google for “stoking fear among all iPhone users that their devices had been compromised,” noting that the revelation came six months after Apple had patched its software.

Eight States, D.C. Disclose Antitrust Investigation of Facebook

Facebook is under antitrust investigation by the attorneys general of eight states and Washington, D.C., the second such probe it is facing amid a growing backlash against U.S. tech giants — and likely among the first in a wave of upcoming announcements about similar actions. New York Attorney General Letitia James said that she is leading the investigation.

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