Biden to Meet with Lawmakers for Discussion About Semiconductor Shortage

President Biden will meet with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to confront growing concern about a global shortage of semiconductors that is hobbling automakers and other manufacturers and has led to production cutbacks. News of the meeting, confirmed by people familiar with the matter, came as Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for Congress to appropriate funds it previously had authorized for domestic semiconductor manufacturing, calling the current lack of production capacity “a dangerous weak spot in our economy and in our national security.”

Myanmar Military Shuts Off Country from Internet During Coup

Data center raids in Yangon and other cities in Myanmar were part of a coordinated strike in which the military seized power, locked up the country’s elected leaders and took most of its internet users offline. Since the coup, the military has repeatedly shut off the internet and cut access to major social media sites, isolating a country that had only in the past few years linked to the outside world.

French Antitrust Investigators Accuse Google of News Violations

French antitrust investigators have accused Alphabet Inc’s Google of failing to comply with the state competition authority’s orders on how to conduct negotiations with news publishers over copyright, two sources who read the investigators’ report said. In the 93-page report, known as a statement of objections, the investigators wrote that Google’s failure to comply was of an exceptionally serious nature, the sources said.

Facebook Reverses Ban on News Sharing in Australia After Amendments

Facebook will walk back its block on Australian users sharing news on its site after the government agreed to make amendments to the proposed media bargaining laws that would force major tech giants to pay news outlets for their content. It follows days of negotiations between the government and the social media company, including discussions between Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg.

Lawmakers Renew Call for Cyber Ambassador in State Department

A group of congressional lawmakers is renewing its call for a cyber ambassador in the State Department, reviving a bill that created friction between Congress and the Trump administration. Lawmakers including Reps. Michael McCaul, (R., Texas), Gregory Meeks, (D., N.Y.) and Jim Langevin (D., R.I.) planning to introduce an updated version of the Cyber Diplomacy Act.

Mysterious 'Silver Sparrow' Malware Found on 30,000 Mac Computers

Nearly 30,000 Macs worldwide have been infected with mysterious malware, according to researchers at security firm Red Canary. The malware, which the company calls Silver Sparrow, does not "exhibit the behaviors that we've come to expect from the usual adware that so often targets macOS systems," Tony Lambert, an intelligence analyst at Red Canary wrote.

  • Read the article: CNN

FCC Chair Proposes $3.2 Billion to Subsidize Low-Income Broadband Service

The acting chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission announced a proposal to use $3.2 billion in emergency funds to significantly subsidize broadband service for millions of households, an attempt to narrow the digital divide that has punished low-income families during the pandemic. The chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel, announced that under her proposal, qualifying households would receive $50 a month in discounts for high-speed internet service.

UK Antitrust Tribunal Rules Against Epic in Apple Payment System Case

The UK antitrust tribunal ruled that Epic Games, the creator of popular game Fortnite, will not be allowed to pursue its case against Apple Inc in the United Kingdom over its App Store payment system and control over app downloads. The two companies have been at loggerheads since August, when the game maker tried to avoid Apple’s 30% fee on the App Store by launching its own in-app payment system, which led to Apple’s subsequent ban of Fortnite from its store.

Nigerian Social-Media Celebrity Helped North Korean Hackers, U.S. Says

A Nigerian social-media celebrity helped North Korean hackers launder money stolen from a Maltese bank, U.S. officials said. Ramon Olorunwa Abbas — widely known as “Hushpuppi” — played a supporting role in cyber-scams perpetrated by three computer programmers accused of extorting more than $1.3 billion of cash and cryptocurrency, the Justice Department said on Feb. 17.

U.K., Canadian Lawmakers Criticize Facebook for Australian News Ban

Lawmakers from the U.K. and Canada criticized Facebook Inc.’s ban on Australian users sharing news articles, and they said the tech giant could attract more scrutiny around the world as authorities grow increasingly concerned about its market power. Facebook removed news from its platform in Australia in response to legislation that would effectively compel it to pay traditional media companies for content.

Clubhouse's Rising Popularity Raises Concerns About Spreading Misinformation

Clubhouse, an emerging social media platform born during the coronavirus-driven lockdowns, has given users a chance to connect through intimate audio conversations with virtual strangers even while isolated at home. But as the platform continues to grow, the same model that has allowed users to connect while physically apart is raising concerns about how the app will handle the spread of misinformation.

Despite State Controls, Russia Hesitates to Clamp Down on Internet

For years, the Russian government has been putting in place the technological and legal infrastructure to clamp down on freedom of speech online, leading to frequent predictions that the country could be heading toward internet censorship akin to China’s great firewall. But even as Mr. Putin faced the biggest protests in years last month, his government appeared unwilling — and, to some degree, unable — to block websites or take other drastic measures to limit the spread of digital dissent.

CEOs from Facebook, Google, Twitter to Testify at House Hearing

House lawmakers are set to grill the top executives at Facebook, Google and Twitter at a high-profile congressional hearing next month, as Democrats and Republicans take fresh aim at the tech giants for failing to crack down on dangerous political falsehoods and disinformation about the coronavirus. The hearing comes as a second panel of House lawmakers announced it plans to embark on a new, bipartisan push to toughen the country’s antitrust laws, hoping to crack down on the sort of anticompetitive, monopoly-style tactics they’ve identified at Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google last year.

Australia Vows to Continue Talks with Facebook After News Blockade

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he would continue his talks with Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg after the social media platform blocked its news feeds in the country over disputes over a new media payment code. “We spoke yesterday morning but then we were subsequently in contact and we agreed to talk later this morning, we’ll see where those discussions go and we can find a pathway going forward,” Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Gates Says Social Media Companies Should Allow Trump to Return

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates told CNBC that social media companies should eventually take their muzzles off former President Donald Trump, despite his “corrosive” election fraud conspiracy theories. “I think at some point he probably will be allowed back on and probably should be allowed back on,” the Microsoft co-founder said in an interview.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Chamber, Tech Groups Sue Maryland Over Digital Advertising Tax

A group representing Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others in filing suit to challenge Maryland’s first-in-the nation new digital advertising tax. The Chamber, the largest U.S. business group; the Internet Association, which represents dozens of tech companies; the Computer & Communications Industry Association; and NetChoice filed suit in U.S. District Court in Maryland seeking an injunction to block the new tax adopted last week by the state legislature over the veto of Republican Governor Larry Hogan.

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.