Misinformation Campaigns on Social Media Target Black Lives Matter

Four years after Russian operatives used social media in a bid to exacerbate racial divisions in the United States and suppress Black voter turnout, such tactics have spread across a wide range of deceptive online campaigns operated from numerous nations — including from within the United States itself. The potency and persistence of the racial playbook was highlighted when Twitter deleted an account featuring a profile photo of a young Black man claiming to be a former Black Lives Matter protester who switched his allegiance to the Republican Party.

U.S. Businesses in China Worried About Trump's Ban on WeChat App

U.S. businesses in China are pushing back against a looming Trump administration ban on Tencent Holdings’ WeChat app, with a report shedding light on just how vital the tool is to companies doing business in the world’s second-largest economy. The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai warned of an “enormous negative impact” on U.S. companies with international businesses if the order, whose scope has yet to be revealed, was enacted too broadly.

Dark Web Marketplace for Drugs Goes Offline, Raising 'Exit Scam' Concerns

A popular dark net marketplace for buying and selling drugs has been offline for three days, fueling speculation about its fate and despair among some users. Empire Market, similar to the infamous Silk Road site shut down by law enforcement in October 2013, had become of the most trafficked illicit online marketplaces in recent years, following the demise of other sites such as AlphaBay and Hansa.

U.S. Agencies Warn of North Korean Hackers Targeting Banks Worldwide

North Korean hackers are tapping into banks around the globe to make fraudulent money transfers and cause ATMs to spit out cash, the U.S. government warned. A technical cybersecurity alert jointly written by four different federal agencies, including the Treasury Department and FBI, said there had been a resurgence in financially motivated hacking efforts by the North Korean regime this year after a lull in activity.

Epic Games Wins Legal Ruling Against Apple, But Not for Fortnite

In a blow to Apple, a district court approved Epic Games’s request for a temporary restraining order against the iPhone maker and App Store operator, preventing Apple from barring Epic’s use of tools required for iOS and Mac software design. However, the judge also ruled that “Fortnite,” Epic Games’s flagship title which was removed from the App Store due to a violation of the store’s guidelines, would not be returned to the App Store unless it was brought back into accordance with Apple’s rules.

Pandemic Restrictions Prompt YouTube to 'Over Enforce' Take Downs

YouTube removed 11.4 million videos between April and June, with the vast majority -- 10.85 million -- flagged by automated systems alone the company said. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the video sharing site said, it had "greatly reduced human review capacity" to double-check whether videos breached its user policies. As a result, it decided to "over enforce" by using automated systems, with YouTube removing more than double the videos it removed in the period January to March.

  • Read the article: CNET

Hong Kong Security Forces Ramp Up Tactics for Digital Enforcement

Emboldened by a new national security law, Hong Kong security forces are turning to harsher tactics as they close a digital dragnet on activists, pro-democracy politicians and media leaders. Their approaches — which in the past month have included installing a camera outside the home of a prominent politician and breaking into the Facebook account of another — bear marked similarities to those long used by the fearsome domestic security forces in mainland China.

Facebook Plans to Challenge Thailand's Restrictions on Critical Content

Facebook said it was planning to legally challenge the Thai government after being “compelled” to block access within Thailand to a group with 1 million members that discusses the country’s king. The social media giant blocked access to the “Royalist Marketplace” group after the Thai government threatened legal action over failure to take down content deemed defamatory to the monarchy.

Head of Cyber Command Says U.S. Disrupted Effort to Undermine Elections

The U.S. "disrupted a concerted effort to undermine the midterm elections" in 2018, writes NSA Director and head of U.S. Cyber Command Paul Nakasone, along with senior Cyber Command adviser Michael Sulmeyer, in Foreign Affairs. Nakasone and Sulmeyer reveal that lessons from those incidents are being used to protect November's election from foreign interference.

Vietnamese Tech Firm VNG Sues TikTok for Copyright Infringement on Songs

Vietnamese technology firm VNG is suing TikTok, the popular short-form video app, saying it does not have adequate licences for the songs being used in its videos, sources said. VNG is accusing the Chinese-owned company of using audio tracks owned by Zing, a VNG subsidiary, without the company’s consent, two sources familiar with the issue said.

TikTok's Lawsuit Says Trump's Order Not Based on National Security

TikTok is taking its fight against the Trump administration to the courts, filing a legal challenge against the government’s order to ban the video app effective mid-September. TikTok alleges that President Trump’s executive order is “not rooted in bona fide national security concerns,” according to excerpts of the complaint the company detailed in a blog post.

Gun Sellers Find New Tactic to Avoid Facebook's Limits on Selling Guns

Gun sellers have adopted a new tactic to attract buyers on Facebook Inc.’s Marketplace — a year after Democratic lawmakers called on Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg to more-effectively police the site’s ban on firearm sales. A new tactic involves posts purporting to sell stickers, alongside images of gun makers’ logos. Sellers typically ask an interested party to send a private message via the service for more information. Several sellers contacted by the Journal responded to say they were actually selling guns, not stickers, and provided details and pricing.

Facebook Blocks Access to 1 Million Members After Thailand Threatens Action

Facebook blocked access within Thailand to a group with 1 million members that discusses the country’s king, after the Thai government threatened legal action over failure to take down content deemed defamatory to the monarchy. The move comes amid near daily youth-led protests against the government led by the former military junta chief and unprecedented calls for reforms of the monarchy.

Twitter Puts Warning Label on Trump's Tweet About Ballot Drop Boxes

Twitter hid one of President Trump’s tweets behind a notice warning users that the message violated company rules against dissuading people from voting. Mr. Trump posted the tweet, which said that ballot drop boxes were not being sanitized to prevent the coronavirus and could be used for fraud, about five hours before Twitter took action.

Facebook Makes Contingency Plans if Trump Tries to Delegitimize Election

Facebook spent years preparing to ward off any tampering on its site ahead of November’s presidential election. Now the social network is getting ready in case President Trump interferes once the vote is over. Employees at the Silicon Valley company are laying out contingency plans and walking through postelection scenarios that include attempts by Mr. Trump or his campaign to use the platform to delegitimize the results, people with knowledge of Facebook’s plans said.

British Finance Minister Plans to Drop Tax on Large Technology Companies

British finance minister Rishi Sunak plans to drop a tax on technology companies such as Facebook and Google because it does not raise much money and could hurt a push for a U.S. trade deal, the Mail on Sunday newspaper said. Britain introduced the digital services tax in April after slow progress in global negotiations over how to tax tech giants, many of which are U.S. companies.

TikTok Plans to Sue Trump Administration Over Executive Order Against It

TikTok plans to sue the Trump administration over the president’s executive order banning U.S. transactions with the popular video-sharing app and its Chinese parent ByteDance, the company confirmed. Under the president’s executive order issued Aug. 6, any transactions with ByteDance subject to U.S. jurisdiction will face prohibition in 45 days.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Four Brothers Arrested in Scheme to Overcharge Amazon for Wholesale Orders

Four brothers from New York state were arrested and charged by federal authorities in an alleged scheme to overcharge Amazon for wholesale orders and pocket $19 million in the process. From 2017 to 2019, the brothers allegedly ran a wholesale business that exploited Amazon's vendor systems to send the e-commerce giant significantly more stuff than it agreed to buy and then charge the company a lot more money.

  • Read the article: CNET

EU Privacy Regulators Debate Whether to Fine Twitter for GDPR Breach

European Union privacy regulators are clashing over how much — if anything — to fine Twitter Inc. for its handling of a data breach disclosed last year, delaying progress of the most advanced cross-border privacy case involving a U.S. tech company under the EU’s strict new privacy law. The dispute, disclosed in a statement from Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, is one of the first major tests for enforcement of the EU’s privacy law, known as GDPR, which took effect in 2018.

Zuckerberg Answers Questions Under Oath in FTC Antitrust Investigation

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, answered questions under oath on multiple days as part of the Federal Trade Commission’s inquiry into whether the company broke antitrust laws, the company said. The interview with Mr. Zuckerberg, reported earlier by Politico, was the first known time that regulators directly questioned a chief executive of one of the tech companies being scrutinized for potential antitrust violations.

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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.