Apple's Future in China Uncertain as It Removes Apps from Chinese App Store

As tensions rise between the U.S. and China, Apple’s Chinese operations — which include millions of Apple customers and much of the company’s manufacturing operation — could be at risk. A new report in The Information argues that China may already be closing the loopholes exploited by Apple in previous years, starting with the recent removal of thousands of apps from the Chinese App Store. That could potentially spell trouble for the company’s future in the country.

Anti-Vaccination Group Sues Facebook for Rejecting Ads About 5G Networks

A prominent anti-vaccination group filed a lawsuit against Facebook and its fact-checkers for rejecting their ads and “censoring” their posts that carried debunked misinformation on vaccines and 5G networks. Children’s Health Defense (CHD), a group founded by anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., claimed in a San Francisco federal court that Facebook, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, PolitiFact, Science Feedback and the Poynter Institute have “privatized” the First Amendment by putting warning labels on its page and disabling the organization’s ability to fundraise on the platform.

Justice Department Staffers Concerned About Google Antitrust Lawsuit

Some Justice Department staffers have expressed internal concerns over plans to bring an antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.’s Google — and what they view as an aggressive timeline favored by Attorney General William Barr, according to people familiar with the matter. The department has been moving toward bringing a lawsuit as soon as this summer, but some lawyers involved in the yearlong investigation have expressed a belief that the department doesn’t have a camera-ready case right now and needs more time to consider whether the millions of pages of documents in the government’s possession yield the kind of evidence needed to win in court, the people said.

U.S. Takes New Steps to Block Huawei's Access to Semiconductor Chips

The Trump administration took its harshest step yet to block Huawei’s access to semiconductor chips, in another sign of the complexity of severing the Chinese technology company from global supply chains. The Commerce Department originally banned the export of U.S. technology to Huawei in May 2019, calling the Chinese company a security threat.

Epic Files Another Suit After Apple Threatens to Remove Its Developer Accounts

Epic Games has filed another lawsuit against Apple, this time alleging that the Cupertino-based company retaliated against it for its other lawsuit. Apple has not only removed the game from the App Store but has told Epic that it will “terminate” all its developer accounts and “cut Epic off from iOS and Mac development tools” on August 28th.

DHS Announces Successful Completion of Simulated Cyberattack

The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced the successful completion of a biannual simulated cyberattack aimed at preparing the U.S. and its partners to defend against a real attack on critical systems. The three-day exercise, known as “Cyber Storm,” involved 2,000 participants from the fields of private industry, the federal government and international groups, and was described by CISA as the most extensive cybersecurity exercise in the United States.

Trump Issues New Executive Order Extending Time for TikTok Sale

President Donald Trump issued a new executive order regarding TikTok that extends the time its parent company has to sell the U.S. operations of the popular short-video app, after a government panel recommended the action. The new order gives ByteDance, the Chinese parent, 90 days to conclude a deal to divest the U.S. arm and also orders ByteDance to delete any data obtained from U.S. TikTok users.

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Facebook Says Apple Refuses to Reduce App Store Fees During Pandemic

Facebook called out Apple for the fees it imposes through its App Store, just a day after Fortnite maker Epic Games filed a suit against the iPhone maker for the same practice. Facebook announced paid live events for businesses, a feature that will allow businesses to host virtual events through the social media app, directly charging participants.

Final Regulations Go Into Effect for California's Digital Privacy Law

Final regulations that guide businesses and consumers under California’s new digital privacy law went into effect, marking a significant step towards giving Americans the right to request their data be deleted from e-commerce websites and social media. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), effective since the start of 2020, oversees the data collection practices of U.S. companies and allows state residents to opt out of having data sold to third parties.

NSA, FBI Expose Sophisticated Russian Hacking Tool

The U.S. National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation have exposed a sophisticated Russian hacking tool, they said in a rare public report offering new insight on Russia’s arsenal of digital weapons. The NSA and FBI said that Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate, known as the GRU, was using a hacking tool code named “Drovorub” to break into Linux-based computers.

Patched Flaw in Alexa Devices Exposed Owners' Personal Information

Researchers at cybersecurity provider Check Point uncovered a flaw in Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant that left owners’ personal information vulnerable before it was patched in June. The researchers detailed the vulnerability in a report, saying potential hackers could have hijacked the voice assistant devices using malicious Amazon links.

Two Republican Senators Ask FTC to Probe TikTok's Privacy Practices

Two U.S. Republican senators asked the Federal Trade Commission for an investigation of video-sharing app TikTok’s consumer data collection and processing practices. The request was in a letter by Senator Jerry Moran, chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Senator John Thune, chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet.

Justice Department Seizes Millions in Cryptocurrency from Militant Accounts

The Justice Department said it has seized millions of dollars from cryptocurrency accounts that militant organization abroad, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, relied on to raise money for violent operations. The Trump administration said the groups used the accounts to solicit donations for their causes, including through a bogus scam that officials say purported to sell protective gear for the coronavirus pandemic.

Facebook Still Hosting Groups Aligned with 'Boogaloo' Movement

Facebook is still littered with groups and pages aligned with the antigovernment “boogaloo” movement months after the company announced that it would ban these communities, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project. In June, Facebook announced that it would remove groups dedicated to the boogaloo movement, months after reports first surfaced that the right-wing extremist group leveraged the platform to organize for an armed revolt.

Lawmaker Criticizes Twitter for 'Cavalier Nature' About Security

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, is criticizing Twitter over the briefing the company gave Congress on last month's historic hack. Comer wrote in a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey that while the social media giant's transparency after the hack has been "commendable," it was "unable to answer several basic questions" during last week's briefing.

Facebook to Ban Posts Containing Blackface, Anti-Semitic Conspiracies

Facebook will start banning posts that contain blackface or that promote anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that Jewish people are running the world. Under the new policy, Facebook will no longer allow visual or written posts that depict “caricatures of black people in the form of blackface” or “Jewish people running the world or controlling major institutions such as media networks, the economy or the government.”

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