Google, Facebook Threaten to Leave Australia Over News-Sharing Bill

In a major escalation, Google threatened to make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the government approved legislation that would force tech companies to pay for journalism shared on their platforms. Facebook, which appeared with Google at an Australian Senate hearing, reaffirmed a threat of its own, vowing to block users in Australia from posting or sharing links to news if the bill passed.

EU Lawmakers Invite CEOs from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Alphabet to Hearing

EU lawmakers have invited the chief executives of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Alphabet to a Feb. 1 hearing in Brussels as they try to crack down on the powers of U.S. tech giants. The European Parliament will in the coming months provide input into proposals by the European Commission to force the companies to play fairly with rivals and to do more to tackle online fake news and harmful content or face hefty fines.

Networking Device Maker SonicWall Investigating Breach of Its Own Network

Networking device maker SonicWall said that it is investigating a security breach of its internal network after detecting what it described as a "coordinated attack." In a short statement posted on its knowledgebase portal, the company said that "highly sophisticated threat actors" targeted its internal systems by "exploiting probable zero-day vulnerabilities on certain SonicWall secure remote access products."

House Committee Chair Wants FBI to Probe Parler's Role in Capitol Attack

The chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee asked the FBI to conduct a “robust examination” of the alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol siege of Parler, the now-disabled social media site that bristled with violent chatter before and after a mob stormed the Capitol in a rampage that left one police officer and four rioters dead. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman, said the request is a step toward opening a formal committee investigation into sites that may encourage violence, including Parler.

Biden Administration Faces Pressure to Address Digital Divide

The Biden administration’s agenda, already focused on the coronavirus, will face immediate pressure to address a related tech issue: access to home broadband that has become essential to continuing work, school and other important activities during the pandemic. The country is in the midst of another surge in the virus — this time with a more contagious strain — and schools and offices nationwide are again closing their doors.

Trump Pardons Former Google Executive Sentenced for Stealing Trade Secrets

In one of his final acts as president, Donald Trump pardoned the engineer at the center of an iconic, litigious, and years-long conflict between Uber, Google, and federal prosecutors over the technology for self-driving cars. Encouraged by some of his highest-profile backers in Silicon Valley, such as venture capitalist Peter Thiel, Trump issued the surprise full pardon to Anthony Levandowski, a former Google executive who had decamped to work for Uber.

California Plaintiffs Sue Tencent, Alleging WeChat App Surveillance

A group of California plaintiffs has filed a lawsuit against Chinese tech giant Tencent in state court, alleging that the company’s WeChat mobile app has censored and surveilled them and shared their data with Chinese authorities. The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, claims that the company’s practices violate the plaintiffs’ free-speech and privacy rights and “unjustly enrich Tencent at the expense of California WeChat users.”

European Commission President Warns of Risks from 'Unfiltered' Hate Speech

In a speech to the European Parliament marking the inauguration of U.S. president Joe Biden, the president of the European Commission has called for Europe and the U.S. to join forces on regulating tech giants, warning of the risks of “unfiltered” hate speech and disinformation being weaponized to attack and undermine democracies. Ursula von der Leyen pointed to the shock storming of the U.S. capital earlier this month by supporters of outgoing president Donald Trump as an example of how wild claims being spread and amplified online can have tangible real-world consequences, including for democratic institutions.

Amazon Sues EU EU Antitrust Regulators Over Italian Case

Amazon is suing EU antitrust regulators for allowing the Italian competition watchdog to pursue its own case against the U.S. online retail giant over the way it selects sellers, arguing that this should be wrapped into an EU investigation. Amazon took its case to the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe’s second-highest, asking it to annul the EU’s decision to exclude Italy from the wider investigation, a court filing shows.

YouTube Extends Trump's Suspension Another Week for Potential Violence

YouTube said it's extending its suspension of President Donald Trump's channel for another week over "ongoing potential for violence," a day before Joe Biden is set to be sworn in as the next U.S. president. The move lengthens the punishment the Google-owned platform imposed on Trump, which prohibited him from uploading new content and disabled comments on his videos indefinitely.

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Americans Divided About Social Media Companies' Crackdowns

More than a third – 37% – of Americans say they approve of how social media companies are cracking down on potentially harmful or dangerous content, with 28% saying they have gone too far and 23% saying they haven't gone far enough, according to a new survey from The Harris Poll shared exclusively with USA Today. "Most Americans saw the actions taken by Big Tech in recent weeks as necessary, but they're still deeply skeptical of the power and influence these companies have," John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll, said in an emailed statement.

India's Technology Ministry Asks WhatsApp to Withdraw Privacy Policy Changes

India’s technology ministry has asked WhatsApp to withdraw changes to its privacy policy the messaging platform announced earlier this month, saying the new terms take away choice from Indian users. The demand creates a new headache for WhatsApp and its U.S. parent Facebook, which have placed big bets on the South Asian nation to expand their payments and other businesses.

U.S. Government Asks Australia to Drop Law Forcing Payment for News Content

The U.S. government has asked Australia to scrap proposed laws that will make it the first country in the world to force Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google to pay for news sourced from local media outlets. In a submission asking the government to “suspend” the plans, assistant U.S. trade representatives Daniel Bahar and Karl Ehlers, suggested Australia instead “further study the markets, and if appropriate, develop a voluntary code.”

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.