Rise in States' Internet Privacy Proposals Could Cause Business Concerns

A growing mosaic of state-level Internet privacy proposals in lieu of a nationwide framework could provide new protections for consumers and additional question marks for businesses. Executives warn the emerging landscape for how companies can collect and use personal data could create headaches for firms that do business across state lines.

WhatsApp Shares More Information About Updated Privacy Policy

After facing a slew of backlash following the announcement of an updated privacy policy, WhatsApp shared more information on what users will see leading up to the rollout. The Facebook-owned messaging platform wrote in a blog post that it'll "display a banner in WhatsApp providing more information that people can read at their own pace" in the coming weeks.

  • Read the article: CNET

Epic Games Files Antitrust Complaint Against Apple in Europe

“Fortnite” game developer Epic Games Inc. has filed an antitrust complaint against Apple Inc. in the European Union, broadening its continuing legal battle after filing similar lawsuits in the U.S., Australia and the U.K. At the core of the legal dispute is how much control and revenue share technology giants should have in relation to popular apps.

N.Y. Attorney General Sues Coinseed for Defrauding Investors

New York’s attorney general filed a lawsuit to shut down the cryptocurrency platform Coinseed Inc. for allegedly defrauding thousands of investors, including by charging hidden trading fees and selling “worthless” digital tokens. Attorney General Letitia James said Coinseed traded cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin without registering as a broker-dealer, and sold “CSD” tokens without authorization to raise money for its mobile application startup.

U.S. Indicts Three North Korean Military Hackers for 2014 Sony Attack

The Department of Justice unsealed a federal indictment against three North Korean military hackers for participating in a series of cyberattacks, including the 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment; creating the notorious WannaCry ransomware virus; spear-phishing US defense contractors; and hacking several cryptocurrency exchanges. These latest charges expand the government's 2018 case, adding two new defendants as well as additional schemes, in what the DOJ alleges is a "wide-ranging criminal conspiracy" to extort $1.3 billion in cash and cryptocurrency from banks and companies globally.

  • Read the article: CNET

Facebook to Limit Sharing of News Articles in Australia

Facebook said that it would restrict people and publishers from sharing links to news articles in Australia, in response to a proposed law in the country that requires tech companies to pay publishers for linking to articles across their platforms. The decision came hours after Google announced it had reached an agreement to pay Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp to publish its news content in a three-year global deal, part of a string of deals it had struck with media companies in recent days to ensure that news would remain on its services.

Online Romance Scams Cost Victims $300 Million in 2020, FTC Says

The Covid-19 pandemic has intensified loneliness and isolation for many people, and that’s making it easier for fraudsters to impersonate romantic interests — and steal money. In 2020, the amount of money people in the U.S. lost to romance scams, which usually start online, surged 50 percent from the year before, jumping from just over $200 million in 2019 to more than $300 million, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Cyberattack Targeting SolarWinds Executed Within U.S., White House Official Says

A sprawling cyber-attack that compromised popular software created by Texas-based SolarWinds Corp. was executed from within the U.S., a top White House official said, though the government believes Russia was responsible. The federal investigation of the hack will take several months, Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger said in a briefing for reporters.

North Korea Tried to Hack Pfizer's Coronavirus Vaccine, Report Says

North Korea tried to hack into the servers of U.S. drugmaker Pfizer to steal coronavirus vaccine information, South Korean intelligence officials reported, despite leader Kim Jong Un's professed view that his isolated dictatorship is untouched by the pandemic. Lawmakers were informed of the findings by South Korea's National Intelligence Service at a regular closed-door hearing of the National Assembly's intelligence committee.

European Consumer Groups File Complaints Against TikTok

European consumer groups filed complaints against popular video-sharing app TikTok, alleging it breaches European Union consumer rights and fails to protect children from hidden advertising and inappropriate content. The European Consumer Organization BEUC filed the complaints with the European Commission, and consumer organizations in 15 countries have alerted their authorities and urged investigations into TikTok’s conduct, according to the group.

North Dakota Senate Defeats Bill Aimed at Apple, Google App Stores

The North Dakota state senate voted 36-11 not to pass a bill that would have required app stores to enable software developers to use their own payment processing software and avoid fees charged by Apple and Google. The vote is a victory for Apple, which says that the App Store is a core part of its product and that its tight control over its rules keeps iPhone users safe from malware and scams.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Australian Media Company Signs Agreement with Google for News Content

Seven West Media is the first large Australian media company to sign a multimillion-dollar agreement with Google for its content to be displayed in a new product called News Showcase, with Seven describing the deal as “fair payment”. The deal came as the federal treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, said legislation to go before parliament on Tuesday would be a “precursor” to more commercial deals between Google, and “ideally” Facebook, with news organisations.

Google Agrees to Pay $1.34 Million Fine in Europe Over Hotel Rankings

Google Ireland and Google France have agreed to pay a 1.1 million euros ($1.34 million) fine after a probe found that Google’s hotel rankings could be misleading for consumers, France’s finance ministry and fraud watchdog said. The ministry and watchdog also said in a statement that Google has amended its hotel rankings practices since September 2019.

French Agency Blames Russian Military Hackers for Centreon Attack

France's cyber-security agency said that a group of Russian military hackers, known as the Sandworm group, have been behind a three-years-long operation during which they breached the internal networks of several French entities running the Centreon IT monitoring software. The attacks were detailed in a technical report released by Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information, also known as ANSSI, the country's main cyber-security agency.

Parler Returns After Amazon Stopped Providing Its Cloud Computing Services

Parler is back online following several weeks of darkness after the social media site popular with supporters of former president Donald Trump was knocked offline. Parler effectively fell off the Internet in January when Amazon refused to provide technical cloud computing support to the site after the tech giant determined Parler was not doing enough to moderate and remove incitements to violence.

YouTube Still Pushing White Supremacist Content, ADL Report Says

YouTube continues to push extremist videos, including white supremacist content, and other clips that could end up being a gateway to extremist content for users already susceptible to racial hatred, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). YouTube says it has removed thousands of extremist videos, but such content is still circulating among a subset of highly engaged users encountering the videos through recommended content, the ADL said in the report.

Maryland Lawmakers OK Online Advertising Tax as Other States Consider Fees

State lawmakers across the country are exploring a range of new taxes targeting Amazon, Facebook, Google and other Internet giants, seeking to capture some of Silicon Valley’s eye-popping profits and soaring share prices in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The tension has been on public display in Maryland, where Democrats in the state’s legislature launched a first-in-the-nation tax on online advertising.

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.