Racist Posts Target Asians Online as Coronavirus Spreads

As COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, spreads, Asians have become the target of hateful, racist and xenophobic remarks on social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. None of these companies seems fully prepared to handle the burst in bigotry, and all are struggling to balance their rules against hate speech with their support of free expression.

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Hackers Increasingly Target Health Care Organizations Amid Pandemic

Hackers targeting health care organizations have compromised computer networks and disrupted patient care — in one case hobbling the Czech Republic’s second-biggest hospital for almost two weeks — as the new coronavirus pandemic already tests the limits of health-care systems around the globe. The recent activity is targeting critical health care facilities and systems amid an unprecedented global health crisis, as the world tries to cope with the fallout of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Instagram to Stop Recommending Coronavirus-Related Content

Facebook Inc’s Instagram said it would remove coronavirus-related content and accounts from recommendations and its “explore” option, unless posted by or belonging to credible health organizations. “We will also start to downrank content in feed and Stories that has been rated false by third-party-fact checkers,” the photo-sharing platform added.

Justice Department Takes Action Against Website Selling Fake Vaccine Kits

The Justice Department announced that it has filed an enforcement action against a website fraudulently offering vaccine kits for the novel coronavirus and seeking to profit from the health crisis. The civil complaint against the operators of coronavirusmedicalkit.com says the website claims to sell World Health Organization vaccine kits, even though there is no vaccine for the virus.

Twitter Won't Delete Chinese Officials' Misleading Coronavirus Tweets

Misinformation about the coronavirus spread by Chinese government officials does not violate Twitter's policies, a spokesperson for the company told The Hill. In particular, tweets from Lijian Zhao, an official spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, insinuating that the U.S. military may have spread the coronavirus to Wuhan, China, will remain up.

U.S. Trade Officials Approve Apple's Request to Exempt Tariffs on Watch

U.S. trade officials removed tariffs on the Apple Watch, the latest Apple device to avoid the United States-China trade war that had once looked like a dire threat to the company’s business. The U.S. trade representative’s office said in a letter that it had granted Apple’s request that the Apple Watch, which is assembled in China, be exempt from tariffs.

Facebook Reduces Streaming Quality in Latin America, Europe

Facebook Inc. will lower video streaming quality on its platform and on Instagram in Latin America, replicating measures adopted in Europe, to ease network congestion in a region that is starting to feel the grip of the coronavirus. The world’s largest social network followed the steps of Netflix, Alphabet Inc’s YouTube, Amazon and Walt Disney in response to a call by the European Union to stave off internet gridlock as thousands of people work from home due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Microsoft Says Attackers Exploiting 'Critical' Security Flaw in Windows

Microsoft says attackers are exploiting a previously undisclosed security vulnerability found in all supported versions of Windows, including Windows 10. But the software giant said there is currently no patch for the vulnerability. The security flaw, which Microsoft deems “critical” — its highest severity rating — is found in how Windows handles and renders fonts, according to the advisory.

Appeals Court Won't Revisit Decision Against Trump Blocking Twitter Users

A federal appeals court in New York let stand a ruling that prevents President Trump from blocking critical voices from the Twitter account he uses to communicate with the public. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit denied the Trump administration’s request to revisit an earlier holding that Trump violated the First Amendment when he blocked individual Twitter users who were critical of the president or his polices.

Remote Working Creates New Cyber Risks, Experts Warn

As people disperse to their homes to work and study because of the coronavirus pandemic, taking their laptops and company data with them, cyber security experts say hackers will follow, seeking to take advantage and infiltrate corporations. Government officials in the United States, Britain and elsewhere have issued warnings about the dangers of a newly remote workforce, while tech companies are seeing surges in requests to help secure out-of-office employees.

Zoom Calls Disrupted by Internet Trolls Sharing Inappropriate Content

The trolls of the Internet are looking for Zooms to disrupt as millions of people connect with friends, family, students and colleagues while practicing social distancing during the new coronavirus pandemic. They are jumping into public Zoom calls and using the platform’s screen-sharing feature to project graphic content to unwitting conference participants, forcing hosts to shut down their events.

Facebook Employees Aware of Ad Inflation, Amended Lawsuit Says

Facebook Inc. employees were aware that the company was overestimating how many people advertisers could reach, according to an amended complaint filed this week in a nearly two-year-old lawsuit accusing the company of misrepresenting that data. “This is a lawsuit waiting to happen,” a Facebook product manager wrote to colleagues in October 2018, regarding the company’s alleged overstatements, according to the amended complaint.

Netflix to Reduce Traffic in Europe to Ease Demand from Coronavirus

Netflix Inc. said it will cut traffic by 25% on networks across Europe in a relief measure for Internet service providers (ISPs) experiencing a surge in usage due to government “shelter in place” orders aimed at slowing the coronavirus outbreak. The streaming giant, which has already deployed a way to reduce its traffic on networks in Italy and Spain by a quarter, said it would do the same for the rest of Europe in the next two days.

Facebook Bans Ads for High-Demand Coronavirus Products

Facebook will ban ads for certain high demand products during the coronavirus pandemic as a measure to protect against price inflations, a company official said. The social media platform will ban ads for hand sanitizer, surface disinfecting wipes and COVID-19 test kits in ads and commerce listings, Facebook director of product management Rob Leathern tweeted.

Ex-Google Engineer Pleads Guilty to Stealing Trade Secret for Uber

Anthony Levandowski, once one of Silicon Valley’s top autonomous-driving engineers, pleaded guilty to stealing a trade secret from Google, his former employer, according to a court filing. The guilty plea, which could lead to a prison sentence, is the latest twist in a years-long saga of conflict and courtroom drama for the 40-year-old entrepreneur.

European Commission Urges Streaming Companies to Limit HD

The European Commission is putting pressure on Netflix and other streaming platforms to switch to standard definition during periods of peak demand as the coronavirus crisis puts unprecedented load on Internet infrastructure. Across the European Union — a region with around 445M citizens — it’s likely many millions of office workers will switch to teleworking, as countries impose quarantine measures and instruct people to work from home wherever possible.

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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.