Labor Department's Statistical Arm Breached, But Data Not Stolen

The Labor Department’s statistical arm — which prepares the jobs report and other market-sensitive information about the U.S. economy — was breached in the SolarWinds hack, but data wasn’t lost or corrupted, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said. He added that the intrusion was isolated and that the hack didn’t affect the Bureau of Labor Statistics data, nor did it spread to other agencies within the department.

Human Rights Groups Want Facebook, Twitter to Take Action Outside U.S.

Facebook and Twitter’s decisions to cut off President Trump from their platforms for inciting a crowd that attacked the U.S. Capitol have angered human rights groups and activists, who are now urging the companies to apply their policies evenly, particularly in smaller countries where the platforms dominate communications. “When I saw what the platforms did with Trump, I thought, ‘You should have done this before, and you should do this consistently in other countries around the world,’” said Javier Pallero, policy director at Access Now, a human rights group.

Petition Challenges WhatsApp's Privacy Policy Changes in India

WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy verges on user surveillance and threatens India’s security, a petition filed in an Indian court said, presenting another legal challenge for the Facebook Inc-owned messenger. California-based WhatsApp said on Jan. 4 it reserved the right to share some data including location and phone number with Facebook and its units such as Instagram and Messenger.

Snapchat Plans to Permanently Ban Trump After Biden's Inauguration

Snapchat plans to permanently ban President Trump’s account from the social media platform once President-elect Joe Biden takes office later this month, a Snapchat spokesperson confirmed to The Hill. “In the interest of public safety, and based on his attempts to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incite violence, which are clear violations of our guidelines, we have made the decision to permanently terminate his account,” the spokesperson said.

Telegram Messaging App Removes 'Dozens' of Accounts Linked to Violence

With many social networks suddenly reevaluating their policies in light of recent political violence in the U.S., the popular messaging app Telegram is implementing a crackdown of its own. Telegram confirmed to TechCrunch that it has removed “dozens” of public channels over the course of the last 24 hours after those accounts, some of which boasted thousands of followers, issued calls for violent action.

Connecticut Probing Amazon's E-Book Practices, Attorney General Says

Connecticut is actively investigating how Amazon.com Inc. sells and distributes digital books, according to the state’s attorney general, the latest of several state and federal probes into the tech giant’s business practices. The investigation is examining whether Amazon engaged in anticompetitive behavior in the e-book business through its agreements with certain publishers, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a statement.

CEO Vows Parler Will 'Be Stronger' After It Finds a Way Back Online

Social media platform Parler, which has gone dark after being cut off by major service providers that accused the app of failing to police violent content, may never get back online, said its CEO John Matze. As a procession of business vendors severed ties with the two-year-old site following the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week, Matze said in an interview with Reuters that he does not know when or if it will return.

Dorsey Says Banning Trump 'Was Right Decision for Twitter'

In a lengthy philosophical tweetstorm, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey said he took no pride in the decision to remove President Trump’s account from the service last week, describing the decision as a “failure” to ultimately create a service that could sustain civil discourse and healthy conversations. Dorsey’s statements — the first time the CEO spoke about the decision — arrived on the heels of an emotional week in which right-wing figures disavowed the power of Silicon Valley companies, while employees and the public had begged the company for more explanation of its actions in response to the violent Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally at the Capitol.

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

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