Court Adviser Says Any EU Country Can Take Action Over Privacy Rules

Any EU country can take legal action against companies like Facebook over cross-border violations of data privacy rules, not just the main regulator in charge of the company, a top court adviser said. The preliminary opinion is part of a long-running legal battle between Facebook and Belgium’s data protection authority over the company’s use of cookies to track the behavior of internet users, even those who weren’t members of the social network.

Fringe Social Media Networks Growing After Twitter Bans Trump

Fringe social media networks are seeing their user bases swell in the aftermath of the insurrection at the Capitol building and the subsequent banning of President Trump and some of his loudest supporters from Facebook and Twitter. That migration raises concerns from experts that otherwise peaceful supporters of the president are moving into close proximity with extremist groups that congregate in those spaces.

Tech Companies Vow to Give Users Greater Control Over Their Data

Heads of privacy at Amazon, Google and Twitter took the virtual stage at CES on Tuesday to talk about how new privacy laws — and growing privacy concerns from users — have changed the way they do business. Google Chief Privacy Officer Keith Enright, Twitter Chief Privacy Officer Damien Kieran and Amazon's director of trust for Alexa, Anne Toth, said on a panel that tech companies must now allow users greater control over their data and explain how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence access personal information.

  • Read the article: CNET

Twitter Doesn't Remove Tweet About 'Stolen' Election from Trump Supporter

A week after false claims of a stolen U.S. presidential election drove a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Twitter is allowing a far-right supporter of President Donald Trump to claim the election was stolen. Anti-Muslim activist Pamela Geller, in a tweet about banks freezing political donations after a pro-Trump mob stormed the seat of the U.S. government, said the banks’ decision was, “Further proof the election was stolen.”

Twitter Removes 70,000 Accounts Affiliated with QAnon

Twitter said it purged more than 70,000 accounts affiliated with conspiracy theory QAnon following the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. Twitter said in a blog post that it removed the accounts “to protect the conversation on our service from attempts to incite violence, organize attacks, and share deliberately misleading information about the election outcome.”

Amazon Removing Merchandise Related to QAnon Conspiracy Theory

Amazon said it will remove merchandise related to QAnon, a discredited conspiracy theory that the FBI has identified as a potential domestic terrorist threat, just a day after the e-commerce giant suspended the pro-Trump social media site Parler from using its cloud computing technology. Amazon is beginning to remove QAnon products from its site, a process that could take a few days, spokeswoman Cecilia Fan said following inquiries from The Washington Post and other media outlets.

Germany's Merkel Calls Twitter's Decision to Ban Trump 'Problematic'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel considers U.S. President Donald Trump’s eviction from Twitter by the company “problematic,” her spokesman said. Asked about Twitter’s decision, Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said the operators of social media platforms “bear great responsibility for political communication not being poisoned by hatred, by lies and by incitement to violence,” but he also said that the freedom of opinion is a fundamental right of “elementary significance.”

  • Read the article: WKBN

Parler Sues Amazon for Breaching Contract After Losing Its Servers

Parler, the messaging app favored by far-right activists, has filed a lawsuit against Amazon Web Services alleging anti-trust and breach of contract. The company is seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent Amazon from removing Parler from its servers. In its court filing, Parler said it needs a temporary restraining order to prevent irreparable harm, citing free speech rights and damage to the company's reputation and competitive standing.

  • Read the article: NPR

Stripe Stops Processing Payments for Trump's Campaign Website

Stripe Inc. will no longer process payments for President Trump’s campaign website following last week’s riot at the Capitol, according to people familiar with the matter. The financial-technology company handles card payments for millions of online businesses and e-commerce platforms, including Mr. Trump’s campaign website and online fundraising apparatus. Stripe is cutting off the president’s campaign account for violating its policies against encouraging violence, the people said.

Amazon Suspends Parler After Apple, Google Remove App from Stores

Amazon suspended the pro-Trump social network Parler from its Web-hosting service, a move that threatens to darken the site indefinitely after its users glorified the recent riot at the U.S. Capitol. Earlier, Apple and Google removed Parler’s app from their stores for smartphone downloads, similarly citing concerns that posts on Parler could contribute to violence.

First Amendment Protects Decisions by Twitter, Simon & Schuster

The decisions by Twitter permanently banning President Trump’s account and Simon & Schuster canceling its plans to publish Senator Josh Hawley’s book may have been unwise, scholars who study the First Amendment said, but they were perfectly lawful. That is because the First Amendment prohibits government censorship and does not apply to decisions made by private businesses.

Twitter Permanently Suspends Trump's Account for Encouraging Violence

Twitter said that it had permanently suspended President Trump from its service “due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” effectively cutting him off from his favorite megaphone for reaching the public and capping a series of actions by mainstream sites to limit his online reach. The company said two tweets that Mr. Trump had posted “were highly likely to encourage and inspire people to replicate the criminal acts that took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,” referring to the storming of the Capitol by a mob of Trump loyalists.

Reddit Bans Unofficial Pro-Trump Forum for Inciting Violence

Reddit has banned r/donaldtrump for encouraging and glorifying violence after Wednesday’s mob attack on the US Capitol. Axios reporter Sara Fischer first reported the news, noting that the unofficial pro-Trump forum had been given multiple warnings. A Reddit splash page says the subreddit was “banned due to a violation of Reddit’s rules against inciting violence.”

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