Antitrust Officials Studying Deal Between Internet Content-Recommendation Firms

Justice Department antitrust officials are looking to find out if a deal to combine the Internet’s two largest content-recommendation firms would suppress competition in a market that has provided a steady stream of revenue to online publishers. The department has been interviewing clients and rivals of Taboola Ltd. and Outbrain Inc., asking detailed questions about whether their combination could be harmful for publishers and online ad networks, according to people familiar with the matter.

EU Justice Chief Criticizes U.S. Tech Firms for Profits from Fake Virus News

EU justice chief Vera Jourova criticized U.S. tech giants such as Google and Facebook for making money off coronavirus-related fake news instead of putting in more efforts to stop the deluge. With millions of people confined to their homes due to lockdowns to counter the spread of the virus, social media and online platforms have seen the volume of news on their sites and user traffic soar.

Microsoft Warns Hospitals About VPN-Related Ransomware Threats

Roughly four out of five Americans are on government-mandated lockdowns, forcing many of them to work from home to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus. Many of these people use technology to access their work called virtual private networks, or VPNs. And now Microsoft says those companies -- specifically health care workers -- need to be on the lookout for a different breed of threats that come from VPNs.

  • Read the article: CNET

Class-Action Suit Accuses Zoom of Sharing Users' Data with Facebook

Zoom Video Communications, the popular online video conferencing platform, is facing a class-action lawsuit for allegedly sharing users' data with companies like Facebook without those individuals' consent. The suit, filed in federal court in California by a Zoom user, accuses the company of failing to "properly safeguard the personal information of the increasing millions of users" of its platform and disclosing that information without adequate notice or authorization to Facebook and possibly other third parties.

Twitter Removes 1,100 Misleading, Harmful Tweets About Coronavirus

Twitter has removed more than 1,100 misleading and potentially harmful tweets since March 18 when the company rolled out new guidance that barred content that could increase the spread of the novel coronavirus, the social network said. Twitter also said that its automated systems have challenged more than 1.5 million accounts using spammy or manipulative behavior to target discussions around COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus.

  • Read the article: CNET

Trump Administration Tightens Rules on China's Use of U.S. Technology

The Trump administration is tightening rules to prevent China from obtaining advanced U.S. technology for commercial purposes and then diverting it to military use, several sources told Reuters. Three measures agreed to by senior U.S. officials in a meeting, but not finalized, would introduce hurdles that could be used to stop Chinese companies from buying certain optical materials, radar equipment and semiconductors, among other things, from the United States.

Senators Question Verily About Privacy in Coronavirus Screening Website

A group of Democratic U.S. senators grilled Verily, the life sciences arm of Google parent Alphabet, over privacy issues related to the company's coronavirus screening website. The website, which launched two weeks ago, has people take a screener survey to see if they should go to testing stations for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

  • Read the article: CNET

FBI Issues Warning About Hijacking of Video Conferences

As video teleconferencing for work and school has become the norm, the FBI has seen a rise in reports of “Zoom-bombing” — the hijacking of conferences by disruptive outsiders. “The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language,” said a warning from the agency’s Boston division.

Marriott Says Breach Disclosed Data on 5.2 Million Hotel Guests

Marriott International Inc. said information of about 5.2 million hotel guests was breached, the second such incident for the hotel operator in less than two years. It said the breached information, including contact details, loyalty account information and additional personal details such as gender and birthdays, may have been accessed using the login credentials of two employees at a franchise property.

Trump Discusses Network Status with Internet, Mobile Phone Providers

President Donald Trump spoke with the biggest U.S. Internet and mobile phone providers to talk about how the networks are holding up as tens of millions of Americans work from home. The Federal Communications Commission has said U.S. networks are performing well and has granted temporary access to additional spectrum blocks to help providers manage traffic.

Report Questions Zoom's Claims of End-to-End Encryption

Zoom, the video conferencing service whose use has spiked amid the Covid-19 pandemic, claims to implement end-to-end encryption, widely understood as the most private form of internet communication, protecting conversations from all outside parties. In fact, Zoom is using its own definition of the term, one that lets Zoom itself access unencrypted video and audio from meetings.

Authors Criticize Internet Archive's Free Copies of Scanned Books

Internet Archive, a nonprofit group, announced that it would drop the access restrictions for its scanned books to make them widely available to readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Some early positive coverage of the project noted that it was filling a void, making books accessible at a time when many libraries and bookstores across the country have closed. But authors quickly began criticizing the effort, calling it piracy masquerading as public service.

N.Y. Attorney General Asks Zoom About Security Measures Amid High Demand

Zoom, the videoconferencing app whose traffic has surged during the coronavirus pandemic, is under scrutiny by the office of New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, for its data privacy and security practices. The office sent Zoom a letter asking what, if any, new security measures the company has put in place to handle increased traffic on its network and to detect hackers, according to a copy reviewed by The New York Times.

Google Bans Infowars App for Questioning Coronavirus Measures

Google has banned the Infowars Android app from the Google Play store, the company confirmed to Wired. The app was apparently removed because of a video posted by radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that, according to Wired, “disputed the need for social distancing, shelter in place, and quarantine efforts meant to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.”

Lawmaker Wants U.S. to Stop China from Spreading Coronavirus Misinformation

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) is urging Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to take steps to limit the spread of online Chinese misinformation around the coronavirus pandemic. McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Pompeo requesting that Pompeo intensify efforts to counter disinformation around the coronavirus spread by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

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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.