House Antitrust Subcommittee Reschedules Hearing with Top Tech CEOs

A congressional hearing on digital marketplace competition featuring the chief executives of four of the largest American tech companies has been rescheduled after it was postponed for the lying in state at the Capitol Building of the late Representative John Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement. The CEOs of Facebook, Amazon.com, Alphabet’s Google and Apple are to appear virtually, the House Antitrust Subcommittee said.

Multiple States Investigating Apple for Deceiving Consumers

Multiple U.S. states are investigating Apple Inc. for potentially deceiving consumers, according to a March document obtained by a tech watchdog group. The Texas attorney general may sue Apple for violating the state’s deceptive trade practices law in connection with the multi-state investigation, according to the document, which was obtained by the Tech Transparency Project.

Wozniak Sues Google Over YouTube Cryptocurrency Scam Using His Image

Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder and tech entrepreneur, filed a lawsuit against Google over a YouTube scam that allegedly used his name and likeness to convince viewers to send cryptocurrency during a fake bitcoin giveaway event. The fraudsters also apparently used images and video of other celebrities, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

  • Read the article: CNET

Garmin Shuts Down Some Services to Deal with Ransomware Attack

Smartwatch and wearables maker Garmin has shut down several of its services to deal with a ransomware attack that has encrypted its internal network and some production systems. The company is currently planning a multi-day maintenance window to deal with the attack's aftermath, which includes shutting down its official website, the Garmin Connect user data-syncing service, and even some production lines in Asia.

Appeals Court Won't Unseal Ruling Letting Facebook Avoid Wiretap

A federal appeals court declined to unseal a ruling that let Facebook avoid wiretapping a criminal suspect who was using one of the company’s encrypted services. The three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the request by American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and others that it direct a lower court judge to publish his ruling.

Republican Wants to Include Twitter's Dorsey at Hearing with Tech CEOs

Representative Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, wants to invite Twitter Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey to a hearing featuring four top tech CEOs. Jordan, in a letter to Democratic committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, asked that Dorsey also attend the July 27 hearing by the panel’s antitrust subcommittee along with the heads of Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc., Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc.

Twitter Removes Thousands of Accounts Linked to QAnon Conspiracies

Twitter said that it had removed thousands of accounts that spread messages about the conspiracy theories known as QAnon, saying their messages could lead to harm and violated Twitter policy. Twitter said it would also block trends related to the loose network of QAnon conspiracy theories from appearing in its trending topics and search, and would not allow users to post links affiliated with the theories on its platform.

Microsoft President Discusses Concerns About Apple with U.S. Lawmakers

Microsoft Corp. President Brad Smith raised concerns to U.S. lawmakers about what the company regards as Apple Inc.’s anti-competitive behavior around its app store, according to a person familiar with the matter. Smith, who is also chief legal officer, was invited by the House of Representatives’s antitrust subcommittee to share his experiences around Microsoft’s own antitrust battle with the U.S. government in the late 1990s.

U.S. Indicts Two Chinese Nationals for Hacking Related to Covid-19 Vaccine

The Department of Justice accused two Chinese nationals, who it said were working on behalf of the Chinese government, of stealing trade secrets and hacking into computer systems of firms working on the Covid-19 vaccine. According to the 11-count indictment, Li Xiaoyu, 34, and Dong Jiazhi, 33, conducted a global hacking campaign for more than a decade.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Army's Ban on Critical Users on Twitch Raises First Amendment Concerns

The Army’s official video gaming team is battling criticism of its online conduct, traced back to a single emoji-laden tweet. The military, recognizing the enormous appeal of video game streaming, has a team that plays popular games like “Call of Duty” and “Valorant” to showcase a slice of Army life and to reach potential recruits.

Coinbase Blocked 1,100 Customers from Sending Funds in Twitter Scam

The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said that it stopped around 1,100 customers from sending bitcoin to hackers who gained access to high-profile Twitter accounts. More than 100 Twitter accounts, some belonging to major companies like Apple and high-profile people like Vice President Joe Biden and Bill Gates, were hacked as part of a massive coordinated bitcoin scam.

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