Suspected North Korean Hackers Targeted Drugmaker AstraZeneca

Suspected North Korean hackers have tried to break into the systems of British drugmaker AstraZeneca in recent weeks, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, as the company races to deploy its vaccine for the COVID-19 virus. The hackers posed as recruiters on networking site LinkedIn and WhatsApp to approach AstraZeneca staff with fake job offers, the sources said.

India Bans 43 Chinese Apps, Citing Concerns About Data Security

India banned 43 more Chinese apps in New Delhi’s latest move to pressure China in the online industry as tensions fester following a deadly border clash between the neighboring countries. India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued an order citing growing concerns about data security in blocking the Chinese apps, effectively restricting China’s access to one of the largest and fastest-growing online markets in the world.

Senator Urges Facebook, Twitter to Prevent Misinformation About Senate Races

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal called on the heads of Facebook and Twitter for information on steps the social media firms are taking to prevent the spread of misinformation ahead of the runoff U.S. Senate elections in Georgia. The platforms “must expect an onslaught of the malign tactics of voter suppression and delegitimization seen in the Presidential election” said a group of five senators led by Blumenthal in separate letters to chief executives Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey.

YouTube Suspends One America News Network for One Week

YouTube has barred One America News Network from posting new videos for a week and stripped it of its ability to make money off existing content after the Trump-friendly channel uploaded a video promoting a phony cure for COVID-19, YouTube spokesperson Ivy Choi tells Axios. OANN's one-week suspension from posting new videos or livestreams is the result of a "strike" YouTube issued for violating its COVID-19 misinformation policy, which prohibits saying there is a guaranteed cure to the virus.

Seven States Planning to File Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google

A bipartisan group of U.S. states plans to file an antitrust lawsuit against Google as early as next month, according to two people briefed on the matter, potentially beating a more widely anticipated lawsuit from a different group of states led by Texas. The pending legal actions follow an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department against Alphabet's Google in October.

Lawmakers Urge FCC to Help Telecoms Remove Suspected Equipment

The bipartisan leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take action to ensure telecommunications providers could begin ripping out and replacing potentially suspect network equipment. The concerns come months after President Trump signed into law the Secure and Trusted Communications Act, which bans U.S. companies from using federal funds to purchase equipment from Chinese telecom groups Huawei and ZTE, citing national security concerns.

Britain's Competition Regulator Considers Google Competition Probe

Britain’s competition regulator said it was assessing whether a complaint about Google related to digital advertising warranted a formal competition law investigation. The complaint from Marketers for an Open Web (MOW), a coalition of technology and publishing companies, said it wanted the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to delay the launch of Google’s Privacy Sandbox technology.

GoDaddy Employees Fall for Cryptocurrency Social Engineering Scam

Fraudsters redirected email and web traffic destined for several cryptocurrency trading platforms, facilitated by scams targeting employees at GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain name registrar, KrebsOnSecurity has learned. The incident is the latest incursion at GoDaddy that relied on tricking employees into transferring ownership and/or control over targeted domains to fraudsters.

Advocacy Group Calls Parler 'Dangerous for Minors' Because It Lacks Moderation

The advocacy group Parents Together Action issued a public warning about the alternative social media app Parler, arguing it doesn’t moderate content, which is “dangerous for minors." “Parents should know that due to Parler’s dangerous combination of an extremist user base and almost non-existent moderation of content, hate speech, incitements to violence and disinformation about the election results are pervasive on the platform,” the group wrote.

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.”

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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.