Facebook's Oversight Board Issues First Rulings, Two on Hate Speech

Facebook's Oversight Board issued its first round of decisions, overturning several decisions by the company to remove posts for violating policies on hate speech, violence and other issues. The first-ever rulings, which Facebook has said it will abide by, come in the run-up to a far more consequential decision the board will make in the weeks ahead: Whether to overturn Facebook's decision to suspend former President Donald Trump's account in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots in Washington.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Trump Supporter on Twitter Charged with Election Interference for 2016 Scam

A Florida man who was an ardent supporter of former President Trump on Twitter was charged with election interference after allegedly running a scam in 2016 that fooled thousands of people into believing they could vote via text message. In a press release, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the arrest of 31-year-old Douglass Mackey, who went by the name "Ricky Vaughn" on Twitter in several now-deleted accounts.

Four European Apps Using Encryption Warn of Creating Backdoor

Four European apps which secure user data via end-to-end encryption, ProtonMail, Threema, Tresorit and Tutanota, have issued a joint-statement warning over recent moves by EU institutions that they say are setting lawmakers on a dangerous path to backdooring encryption. End-to-end encryption refers to a form of encryption where the service provider does not hold keys to decrypt the data, thereby enhancing user privacy — as there’s no third party in the loop with the technical capability to access data in a decrypted form.

Commerce Secretary Nominee Says She Favors Changes to Section 230

President Biden’s nominee to serve as the secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, said a controversial law that provides tech companies a legal liability shield from third-party content posted on their platforms needs to be reformed. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a fierce proponent of reforming Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, asked Raimondo about reforming the landmark law during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee.

YouTube Suspends Giuliani from Ad Program for Sharing Election Misinformation

YouTube said it had suspended Rudy Giuliani, former President Donald Trump’s lawyer, from a program that allows partners to make money from ads on their videos, after Giuliani broke YouTube’s rules by repeatedly sharing election misinformation. The suspension will last at least 30 days and has been in effect since last week, YouTube said in an email.

Biden Administration Appoints Federal Chief Information Security Officer

The Biden administration has picked Chris DeRusha, the former top cyber official on the Biden campaign, to fill the role of federal chief information security officer. A Biden campaign spokesperson told The Hill in July that DeRusha and other campaign cyber officials would “be central to strengthening the infrastructure we've built to mitigate cyber threats, bolster our voter protection efforts, and enhance the overall efficiency and security of the entire campaign."

Norwegian Data Protection Authority Fines Grindr for Disclosing User Details

The Norwegian Data Protection Authority said that it would fine Grindr, the world’s most popular gay dating app, 100 million Norwegian kroner, or about $11.7 million, for illegally disclosing private details about its users to advertising companies. The agency said the app had transmitted users’ precise locations, user-tracking codes and the app’s name to at least five advertising companies, essentially tagging individuals as L.G.B.T.Q. without obtaining their explicit consent, in violation of European data protection law.

Amazon Bans Two Militia Movements Linked to Capitol Attack from Charity Program

After pressure from activist group Sleeping Giants, Amazon has banned groups tied to the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters militia movements from its AmazonSmile charity program, the company tells The Verge. Members of the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the January 6th attack of the US Capitol.

India Plans to Permanently Ban TikTok, 58 Other Chinese Apps

India’s ministry of electronics and information technology has issued fresh notices to make permanent a ban imposed on video app TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps in June, Indian media reported. When it first imposed the ban, the Indian government gave the 59 apps a chance to explain their position on compliance with privacy and security requirements, the Times of India reported.

Registrant of 'antifa.com' Domain Name Redirects It to White House Website

The domain name antifa.com takes visitors to President Joe Biden's spiffy new White House website, which was recently redone to include accessibility features and a hidden message to coders. Don't let the apparent connection between the antifascist movement and the newly sworn-in president alarm or outrage you, because the redirect is simply a reflection of how the open web can work.

  • Read the article: CNET

Biden Hires National Security Veterans with Cyber Expertise

President Joe Biden is hiring a group of national security veterans with deep cyber expertise, drawing praise from former defense officials and investigators as the U.S. government works to recover from one of the biggest hacks of its agencies attributed to Russian spies. “It is great to see the priority that the new administration is giving to cyber,” said Suzanne Spaulding, director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Tesla Sues Former Software Engineer for Stealing Trade Secrets

Tesla is suing a former employee and software engineer named Alex Khatilov, alleging trade secret theft and breach of contract. In the complaint, the company accuses Khatilov of grabbing code and files from WARP Drive, a back-end software system that Tesla developed to automate a range of business processes involved in manufacturing and selling its cars.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Lawmakers Reintroduce Legislation to Limit Foreign Disinformation Online

Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and John Katko (R-N.Y.) reintroduced legislation intended to cut down on foreign disinformation and propaganda spread on social media, in particular following a spike in the content after the presidential election and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foreign Agent Disclaimer Enhancement, or FADE, Act would attempt to address foreign disinformation by requiring the inclusion of disclaimers on political content on social media in the U.S. if they are funded by a foreign agent, with the disclaimers to remain if the post is shared.

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.