Austrian Privacy Activist Sues Google Over 'Tracking IDs' for Advertisers

Google faces a data-protection complaint from Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems amid concerns it unlawfully monitors users and passes on the “tracking ID” to advertisers. Schrems’s campaign group Noyb filed a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority, accusing Google of tracking users of Android phones through a unique ID that “allows Google and countless third-parties to” monitor users.

Amazon Files Suit Over Tech Support Scam for Alexa Devices

Amazon is pushing back against an allegedly widespread tech support scam that the company says targeted its Alexa and Echo device customers through phony Alexa apps and websites. In a civil lawsuit Amazon filed in federal court in Seattle, the company said an international ring in Washington state and India developed a scheme to draw in people looking to set up their new Alexa devices.

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Bill Would Create Fund for College Students Who Need Internet Access

Democrats in both chambers introduced legislation aimed at ensuring that all college students have Internet access amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act allocates $1 billion for a fund at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration targeted for students lacking Internet access.

French Law Requires Content Providers to Remove Pedophile in One Hour

Social networks and other online content providers will have to remove pedophile and terrorism-related content from their platforms within the hour or face a fine of up to 4% of their global revenue under a French law. For other “manifestly illicit” content, companies such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat will have 24 hours to remove it, according to the law, which sets up a specialised digital prosecutor at the courts and a government unit to observe hate speech online.

Facebook Report Faults Response to Sri Lanka Abuse on Network

Facebook Inc.’s lack of a serious response to signs of abuse on its platform in Sri Lanka may have helped stoke deadly violence in the country in 2018, according to an investigation of the social network’s operations there. The company released a summary of the findings, along with other independent assessments of the service’s impact on human rights in Indonesia and Cambodia.

Facebook Agrees to Pay $52 Million to Workers Who Suffered PTSD

Facebook has agreed to pay $52 million to thousands of U.S. workers who suffer the psychological consequences of reviewing posts depicting acts of suicide, murder, child abuse and other disturbing content, attorneys for the workers said. The class-action settlement, in which Facebook did not admit or deny harms caused to these workers, is the first of its kind, the lawyers said.

Facebook Reports Spike in Deleted Posts Promoting Violence, Hate

Facebook Inc, reported a sharp increase in the number of posts it removed for promoting violence and hate speech across its apps, which it attributed to technology improvements for automatically identifying text and images. The world’s biggest social media company removed about 4.7 million posts connected to hate organizations on its flagship app in the first quarter, up from 1.6 million in the 2019 fourth quarter.

FTC Chair Says Agency 'Looking At' Privacy Complaints Against Zoom

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joseph Simons indicated that the agency was looking at privacy complaints regarding Zoom Video Communications Inc. Representative Jerry McNerney of California and others had written a letter to Zoom expressing concerns about information collected about registered and non-registered users and recordings made by Zoom subscribers which may be stored in the cloud.

Creator of Failed Kickstarter Project Agrees to Settlement with FTC

Doug Monahan, the creator of the failed iBackPack crowdfunding project, is settling with the Federal Trade Commission and has agreed to never crowdfund again. The agreement comes after more than a year of back-and-forth between the agency and Monahan, who the FTC said misused the nearly $800,000 he raised on Kickstarter and Indiegogo to bring the backpacks to life and instead spent the money on personal expenses and bitcoin.

Facebook Removes Michigan Group Promoting Violence Over Coronavirus

Dozens of angry Michiganders, fueled by conspiracy theories and disinformation about the coronavirus, are promoting violence and mobilizing armed rallies against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Facebook, in violation of the social media company’s policies. after being contacted by Metro Times, Facebook removed one of the groups, Michigan United for Liberty, and deleted posts on others for violating the company’s policy against inciting violence.

'ShinyHunters' Hacking Group Selling Database of 91 Million User Records

A hacker group going by the name of ShinyHunters claims to have breached ten companies and is currently selling their respective user databases on a dark web marketplace for illegal products. Hackers initially leaked 15 million user records online, for free, but later put the company's entire database of 91 million user records on sale for $5,000.

Cybersecurity Firms Offer Free Help to Hospitals During Pandemic

Cybersecurity companies and professionals are banding together to offer free digital defenses to hospitals that are being pummeled with digital attacks during the coronavirus pandemic. The group, which calls itself the Cyber Alliance to Defend our Healthcare, struck deals with 87 hospitals and four national health-care services in Europe over the past month.

EU Regulators Gathering Evidence of Large Tech Companies' Influence

U.S. tech giants such as Facebook and Amazon could face tougher rules as European Union regulators seek evidence to curb their role as gatekeepers to the internet and access to people, information and services, according to an EU tender seen by Reuters. The outcome could force Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple to separate their competing businesses, provide rivals access to their data and open up their standards to them.

Chinese Hackers Allegedly Trying to Steal U.S. Coronavirus Vaccine Research

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are preparing to issue a warning that China’s most skilled hackers and spies are working to steal American research in the crash effort to develop vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus. The efforts are part of a surge in cybertheft and attacks by nations seeking advantage in the pandemic.

Social Media Companies Remove 'Plandemic' Conspiracy Video

Social media companies including YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook are removing a viral conspiracy theory video because of its claims regarding the coronavirus pandemic. The roughly 26-minute video was presented as an extremely long “trailer” for a full-length film titled “Plandemic,” and features an extended interview with Judy Mikovits, a well-known figure in the anti-vaccine movement, who has made various discredited claims about the effects of vaccines.

WeChat Subjects International Users to Surveillance to Aid Censorship

WeChat, the Chinese do-everything app with more than one billion users world-wide, is subjecting its international users to surveillance to bolster the censorship machinery it employs to control users inside China, according to a new report. A mainstay of everyday life in China, WeChat is one of the country’s most popular apps, enabling people to chat with friends, order food delivery, exchange money, hail a car and even pay electricity bills.

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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.