EU Antitrust Regulators Probing Apple Question Mobile Payment Systems

Apple faces more regulatory woes in Europe as EU antitrust regulators ask online sales companies whether they have been told to use its mobile payment service instead of rival services, an EU document seen by Reuters showed. In a questionnaire sent in August, the European Commission said it had information Apple may have restricted online payments for the purchase of goods and services made via merchant apps or websites, in breach of EU antitrust rules.

WhatsApp Sues Cybersurveillance Firm for Spying on Journalists, Activists

WhatsApp sued the Israeli cybersurveillance firm NSO Group in federal court, claiming the company used the popular messaging service in a wide-ranging spy campaign on journalists and human-rights activists. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, claims in the lawsuit that an NSO Group program used WhatsApp to spy on more than 1,400 targets in 20 countries, including 100 journalists and human rights activists.

Congressman Says Facebook Shouldn't Accept Political Ads with Lies

Rep. David Cicilline is working on legislation targeting Facebook’s policy of allowing politicians to lie in ads, insisting that Congress has a "responsibility to prohibit" the social media giant from making money off information it knows to be false. The Rhode Island Democrat at the helm of the House antitrust investigation into Big Tech says it's "not acceptable" for Facebook to insist it won't fact-check or remove politicians' ads even when they contain false information.

China's Parliament Passes Law on Cryptography as Digital Currency Looms

China’s largely rubber stamp parliament has passed a new law on cryptography as the country gears up to launch its own digital currency, state media reported. China’s central bank set up a research team in 2014 to explore launching its own digital currency to cut the costs of circulating traditional paper money and boost policymakers’ control of money supply.

Twitter's Dorsey Finds Fault in Zuckerberg's Free Speech Arguments

Twitter Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey called out his counterpart at Facebook Inc., saying Mark Zuckerberg has a “major gap and flaw” in his argument for free speech on social media. “We talk a lot about speech and expression and we don’t talk about reach enough, and we don’t talk about amplification,” Dorsey said at the Twitter News Summit in New York. “And reach and amplification was not represented in that speech.”

Senators Question Whether TikTok Poses National Security Risks

Two senior members of Congress, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), asked U.S. intelligence officials to determine whether the Chinese-owned social-networking app TikTok poses “national security risks.” In a letter to Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence, the lawmakers questioned TikTok’s data-collection practices and whether the app adheres to censorship rules directed by the Chinese government that could limit what U.S. users see.

Memo Warns White House Could Be 'Electronically Compromised'

An internal memo on cybersecurity, obtained by Axios, warns that "the White House is posturing itself to be electronically compromised once again." The state of play: That's after at least a dozen top- or high-level officials have resigned or been pushed out of a cybersecurity mission that was established under Barack Obama to protect the White House from Russian hacking and other threats, according to conversations with several current and former officials.

Justice Department Adds Attorney to Help Oversee Probe of Big Tech Firms

The Justice Department beefed up its online platform investigation team by adding Ryan Shores, formerly a partner with an international law firm, to help oversee its probe of Alphabet’s Google, Facebook and other big tech firms. Shores, who comes from the law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP, was named to join the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, which oversees the Antitrust Division, among others, the department said.

U.S. Trails China in Critical Technologies, Defense Department Official Says

The U.S. is trailing China in numerous critical technologies, making the role of the private tech sector more important than ever to American national and economic security, a Defense Department official said. Michael Brown, director of the Defense Innovation Unit, a branch of the Pentagon, said that while the U.S. has a lead in certain technologies, the list of tech where China has the edge is extensive, including: 5G cellular networks, drones, batteries, hypersonic systems, wind and solar energy, as well as cryptocurrency.

Lawmakers Criticize Facebook's Libra, Privacy, Diversity as Zuckerberg Testifies

Congressional lawmakers delivered a broad lashing of Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, sniping at his company’s plans to launch a digital currency, its pockmarked track record on privacy and diversity, and its struggles to prevent the spread of misinformation. The wide-ranging criticisms came largely from Democrats during a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee, which convened the session to probe Facebook’s plan to launch a cryptocurrency, called Libra.

House Committee Advances National Commission on Online Platforms Act

A House panel voted to advance a bill aimed at combating the scourge of extremist content online despite ongoing pushback from civil liberties groups and Republicans on the committee. The House Homeland Security Committee unanimously voted to advance the National Commission on Online Platforms and Homeland Security Act, greenlighting one of the first legislative efforts to address internet extremism and bigotry after a string of mass shooters were tied to white supremacist online footprints this year.

Senate Bill Would Create 'Cyber Benchmarks' for Internet-Connected Devices

Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced legislation to increase the security of internet-connected devices. The Cyber Shield Act, sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), would establish an “advisory committee” comprised of cyber experts from government, industry and academia to create “cyber benchmarks” for internet-connected devices, also known as Internet of Things (IOT) devices.

Intel Suit Alleges Softbank Investment Company Stockpiles Patents

Chipmaker Intel Corp has filed an antitrust lawsuit against a SoftBank Group Corp-owned investment company alleging the firm stockpiled patents to hold up technology companies with numerous lawsuits. The complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose alleged that Fortress Investment Group, which SoftBank bought in 2017 for $3.3 billion, acquired control of more than 1,000 U.S. technology patents.

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