Twitter to Transfer White House Account to Biden on Inauguration Day

The presidential @POTUS Twitter handle will automatically transfer to President-elect Joe Biden the moment he’s sworn in at noon on Inauguration Day — whether or not President Donald Trump has conceded, the company confirmed to Politico. Same goes for @whitehouse, @VP, @FLOTUS, and a handful other official accounts associated with the presidency.

Biden to Seek Massive Increase in Federal Broadband Spending

President-elect Joe Biden and top congressional Democrats are laying the groundwork to seek a massive increase in federal broadband spending next year, hoping they can secure billions of dollars in new government aid to improve Internet access and affordability — and help people stay online during the pandemic. Party leaders are mulling a wide array of proposals that would extend the availability of broadband in hard-to-reach rural areas, raise Internet speeds for American households, assist families who are struggling to pay their Internet bills and provide more funding to schools for computers and other equipment.

Biden's Top Technology Adviser Could Lead Push for Federal Privacy Law

President-elect Joe Biden’s top technology adviser helped craft California’s landmark online privacy law and recently condemned a controversial federal statute that protects internet companies from liability, indicators of how the Biden administration may come down on two key tech policy issues. Bruce Reed, a former Biden chief of staff who is expected to take a major role in the new administration, helped negotiate with the tech industry and legislators on behalf of backers of a ballot initiative that led to the 2018 California Consumer Privacy Act.

Biden's Transition Operation Lacks Government Cybersecurity Support

The federal government, which has some of the most sophisticated antihacking technologies in the world, is offering limited assistance to President-elect Joe Biden’s transition operation in securing its email and other communications, despite concerns that the team is likely a top espionage target for Russia, China, and other adversaries, according to people familiar with the transition. The lack of government cybersecurity support is among the obstacles the Biden transition team has faced as a result of the Trump administration’s refusal to acknowledge Mr. Biden’s election victory and make available the resources of the federal government ahead of his inauguration in two months.

Apple Criticizes Facebook in Defending Delay of Privacy Feature

Apple Inc. slammed Facebook Inc. and other Internet giants for their ad targeting practices in response to a letter questioning a decision by the iPhone maker to delay a new privacy feature. The Cupertino, California-based technology company criticized Facebook’s approach to advertising and user tracking, according to a written reply sent to several human rights and privacy organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Human Rights Watch.

FTC, States In Final Stages of Antitrust Complaints Against Facebook

The Federal Trade Commission and a bipartisan group of dozens of state attorneys general are in the final stages of filing one or more major antitrust complaints against Facebook Inc. in early December, according to four sources familiar with the situation. FTC staff undertaking a probe of the company has recommended to commissioners that they sue the social media company in federal court, which would allow the group of states, led by New York, to join the lawsuit, according to one source.

CEO of Conservative App Parler Defends Right to 'Say Crazy Things'

The CEO of conservative-boosted social media app Parler responded to criticism that the platform could spread extreme opinions and misinformation, saying that “people say crazy things all the time” and “it's not against the law to have those opinions.” While appearing on Fox News’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” John Matze responded to questions from Carlson on why “corporate media is so afraid of what you’re doing.”

After Cybersecurity Director's Firing, Twitter Labels Trump's Tweet 'Disputed'

Twitter appended a label to fact-check President Donald Trump’s tweet about his firing of the nation’s top election security official Chris Krebs. Krebs’ recent statement that the Nov. 3 election “the most secure in American history” was “highly inaccurate,” the president wrote. “This claim about election fraud is disputed,” the label read.

Apple to Pay $113 Million Settlement for Slowing Down Older iPhones

Apple will pay $113 million to settle an investigation by nearly three dozen states into the tech giant’s past practice of slowing customers’ old iPhones in an attempt to preserve their batteries. The company’s much maligned throttling efforts drew nationwide scorn when they came to light in 2017, stunning consumers who at the time saw it as an attempt to nudge them into buying newer, more expensive devices.

Apple Reduces App Store Fees for Small Developers Amid Antitrust Scrutiny

Apple, facing growing antitrust scrutiny over what it charges other companies for access to its App Store, said that it would cut in half the fee it took from the smallest app developers. Developers that brought in $1 million or less from their apps in the previous year will pay a 15 percent commission on those app sales starting next year, down from 30 percent, the company said.

Groups Urge Congress to Act on Tech Reforms in Judiciary Report

A wide-ranging group of national organizations is urging congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to embrace and prioritize recommendations to overhaul big tech companies as laid out in a House Judiciary Committee report last month. Fifty groups signed onto a letter sent to top House and Senate leaders on calling for them to “quickly act to enshrine the recommendations included in the report into law,” according to a copy.

Draft EU Guidelines Would Change How Tech Companies Share Data

Some companies likely will have to significantly change how they secure data to continue working with European companies, under draft guidelines issued by the European Union that require increased privacy safeguards for information transferred outside the bloc. Businesses could be forced to adopt strict encryption practices and ensure the personal data of Europeans can’t be decrypted if companies move that information to the U.S. and other countries outside the EU, the draft rules said.

TikTok Giving Parents More Options to Control How Children Use App

Video-sharing app TikTok said it is giving parents more control options, including the ability to monitor what their teenagers can view on the platform. Owned by Chinese company ByteDance, Tiktok said parents will now be able to decide what content, users, hashtags, or sounds their children can search for as well as decide if the account should be public or remain private.

GitHub Restores YouTube Download Tool Despite Recording Industry's Complaint

The source code for YouTube-dl, a tool you can use to download videos from YouTube, is back up on GitHub after the code repository took it down in October following a DMCA complaint from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Citing a letter from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (the EFF), GitHub says it ultimately found that the RIAA’s complaint didn’t have any merit.

Biden Expected to Maintain Strong Approach with China on Tech Security

President Trump set the United States on a new course with his years-long fight against Chinese technology, which he labeled a security threat and a tool for spreading Chinese influence. President-elect Joe Biden will probably tweak that approach, but Beijing shouldn’t anticipate a significant softening, foreign affairs and technology experts say.

Twitter Appoints Well-Known Hacker 'Mudge' as Head of Security

Social media giant Twitter Inc, under increased threat of regulation and plagued by serious security breaches, is appointing one of the world's best-regarded hackers to tackle everything from engineering missteps to misinformation. The company named Peiter Zatko, widely known by his hacker handle Mudge, to the new position of head of security, giving him a broad mandate to recommend changes in structure and practices.

Subscribe

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.