Chinese Internet Police Pursue Critics of Government's Coronavirus Response

As China tries to reshape the narrative of its fumbled response to the coronavirus outbreak, it is turning to a new breed of police that carry out real-world reprisals for digital misdeeds. The Internet police, as they are known, have gained power as the Communist Party has worked to seize greater control over the thoughts, words, and even memories of China’s 800 million web users.

Federal Agencies Warn About Phishing Scams Related to Coronavirus

With workers across the country doing their jobs at home to comply with government coronavirus recommendations and employer policies, federal agencies warn that scammers are exploiting the outbreak to target both businesses and consumers. The U.S. Secret Service issued a bulletin warning that criminals have been employing email “phishing” scams against consumers.

To Ensure Reliability, Apple Limits Coronavirus Apps to 'Recognized Entities'

In a statement posted to its developer website, Apple said it would accept coronavirus-related apps only from "recognized entities such as government organizations, health-focused NGOs, companies deeply credentialed in health issues, and medical or educational institutions." The company said it wants to ensure "data sources are reputable."

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As Federal Workers Telecommute, Risks of Data Breaches Increase

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers and congressional staff may soon be asked to work remotely full time as the coronavirus spreads, putting reams of sensitive government data at higher risk of hacking and threatening to overwhelm outdated government computer systems. The surge in telework will mark a first-of-its-kind test for the government, which has struggled to update and secure its arcane technology systems after a string of damaging data breaches during the Obama administration.

Internet Companies Won't Disconnect Service for Unpaid Bills

AT&T, Comcast and dozens of other telecommunications firms have committed to not disconnecting service to residential and small business customers who can’t pay their bills because of the coronavirus outbreak, the Federal Communications Commission said. The pledge the companies plan to implement also calls for them to open public Wi-Fi hot spots and waive late fees for 60 days.

Facebook, Twitter Take Down Network of Russian-Linked Fake Accounts

Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. said they had taken down a network of Russian-linked fake accounts operated out of Ghana and Nigeria which targeted the United States. Facebook told reporters that the network, which it removed from Facebook and Instagram for engaging in foreign interference, was in the early stages of building audiences and was operated by local nationals, some wittingly and some unwittingly, on behalf of individuals in Russia.

Chinese Hackers Spreading Malware via Fake Coronavirus Documents

Chinese hackers have used fake documents about the coronavirus to deliver malicious software and steal sensitive user information, according to a report from researchers documenting a growing wave of cybercrime exploiting fears about the global pandemic. As the novel coronavirus has moved across the world, cybercriminals and spies have taken advantage of the growing demand for information by loading malicious software into tracking maps, government reports and health fact sheets in numerous languages.

French Consumer Watchdog Planning to Fine Apple Over Sales Practices

France’s competition watchdog is set to fine iPhone maker Apple Inc over anti-competitive behavior in its distribution and sales network, two sources close to the matter said. Apple mentioned in its latest annual report that France’s competition authority was alleging that aspects of the its sales and distribution practices were violating French competition law, which it denies.

EU Revives Alliance with U.S. Tech Companies to Combat Disinformation

The European Union is reviving an alliance formed last year with U.S. tech companies to combat online political disinformation, now focused on false information about the coronavirus. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive body, has renewed a rapid-alert system it created with Facebook Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Microsoft Corp., Twitter Inc. and Mozilla Corp. to ensure that measures against disinformation about the novel coronavirus are shared quickly with EU governments.

White House Asks for Help from Tech Companies to Fight Coronavirus

The White House sought help from Amazon, Google and other tech giants in the fight against coronavirus, hoping that Silicon Valley might augment the government’s efforts to track the outbreak, disseminate accurate information and assist Americans who are out of work or school. The requests came during a roughly two hour-long meeting between top Trump administration aides, leading federal health authorities and representatives from companies including Cisco, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft and Twitter, as Washington sought to leverage the tech industry’s powerful tools to connect workers and analyze data to combat an outbreak that’s already infected more than 1,000 in the United States.

Amazon Removing Coronavirus Books That Copy Information from Websites

At first glance, Richard J. Baily’s book, “Coronavirus: Everything You Need to Know About the Wuhan Corona Virus and How to Prevent It,” appears to be an authoritative deep dive on how to prepare for the pandemic. The book, however, isn’t what it appears to be. Each of the book’s chapters were directly plagiarized from other parts of the web.

Whisper App Allowed Open Access to Users' Confessions, Other Details

Whisper, the secret-sharing app that called itself the “safest place on the Internet,” left years of users’ most intimate confessions exposed on the Web tied to their age, location and other details, raising alarm among cybersecurity researchers that users could have been unmasked or blackmailed. The data exposure, discovered by independent researchers and shown to The Washington Post, allowed anyone to access all of the location data and other information tied to anonymous “whispers” posted to the popular social app, which has claimed hundreds of millions of users.

Senator Wants Justice Dep't to Investigate Porn Site for Sex Trafficking

GOP Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) is calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to launch an investigation into Pornhub, one of the most popular pornography websites in the world, over allegations that it is hosting videos of sex trafficking victims, including young women and children. In a letter to the DOJ, Sasse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked the DOJ to investigate Pornhub and its parent company, MindGeek Holding SARL, over "their involvement in this disturbing pipeline of exploiting children and other victims and survivors of sex trafficking."

Israeli Spyware Maker NSO Group Asks Judge to Sanction Facebook

An Israeli spyware maker is asking a judge to sanction Facebook Inc. for allegedly skirting international law and lying about it to a judge to gain advantage in a lawsuit. NSO Group claims Facebook failed to properly provide notice under the rules of the Hague Convention when it sued NSO Group in October, accusing the company of creating bogus WhatsApp accounts to send malware and hack into the phones of 1,400 people.

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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.