Epic Games Files Complaint About Apple with U.K. Competition Watchdog

Epic Games submitted a complaint about Apple’s alleged “monopolistic practices” to the U.K. competition watchdog, which is investigating the iPhone maker over concerns it has a dominant position in app distribution. The move by the maker of the popular video game Fortnite is the latest salvo in its bitter battle over Apple’s App Store. Epic Games has also filed legal challenges in the United States and Australia, and an antitrust complaint in the European Union against Apple.

Contradictory Info Given to Security Panel in Grindr Sale by Chinese Owners

When Grindr Inc’s Chinese owner sold the popular dating app to an investor consortium last year to comply with a U.S. national security panel order, the parties to the deal gave information to authorities that contradicted disclosures to potential investors and Chinese regulators, Reuters has learned. They told the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) that James Lu, a Chinese-American businessman who is now Grindr’s chairman, had no previous business relationship with a key adviser to the seller, a man named Ding’an Fei, according to a Reuters review of the parties’ written submissions to CFIUS.

FTC Won't Ask Supreme Court to Review Qualcomm Antitrust Case

The Federal Trade Commission said it would not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review its appeals court loss against Qualcomm Inc, which the agency had accused of breaking antitrust law in selling chips for smartphones. In October, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said it would not rehear arguments over whether the San Diego, California-based company had engaged in anticompetitive patent-licensing practices to keep a monopoly on the market for modem chips that connect smart phones to wireless data networks.

Suspected Russian Hackers Accessed Former DHS Leader's Email

Suspected Russian hackers gained access to email accounts belonging to the Trump administration’s head of the Department of Homeland Security and members of the department’s cybersecurity staff whose jobs included hunting threats from foreign countries, The Associated Press has learned. The intelligence value of the hacking of then-acting Secretary Chad Wolf and his staff is not publicly known, but the symbolism is stark.

Parler Said It Flagged Content for FBI Before Insurrection at U.S. Capitol

Parler flagged material posted on its platform to the FBI in the run-up to the violent insurrection at the Capitol in January, the conservative social media network claimed in a letter to a lawmaker. In the letter to House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), lawyers for the platform said that the company referred violent content to the agency more than 50 times.

Facebook Freezes Venezuelan President's Account for Spreading Misinformation

Facebook has frozen Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s page for violating policies against spreading misinformation about COVID-19 by promoting a remedy he claims, without evidence, can cure the disease, a company spokesman said. Maduro in January described Carvativir, an oral solution derived from thyme, as a “miracle” medication that neutralizes the coronavirus with no side effects, a claim doctors say is not backed by science.

FBI, Others Warn About Vaccination Scams Spreading via Social Media

The FBI and the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services are warning about fraudulent vaccination schemes circulating through telemarketing calls, text messages, social media platforms, and even door-to-door visits. In some cases, people have been asked to pay a fee to get their vaccine, get early access to one, or get on a prioritized waiting list.

Commerce Dep't Seeks Public Input on Tech Licensing with Chinese Firms

The Biden administration said it wants new public input on establishing licensing or other procedures to help companies comply with a sweeping new rule targeting Chinese technology firms. The U.S. Commerce Department allowed a regulation issued under then President Donald Trump in January to take effect over objections from U.S. business groups.

U.S. Cyber Command Conducted 'Dozens' of Operations to Secure Vote

The nation’s top military cybersecurity leader said that U.S. Cyber Command conducted dozens of operations ahead of the 2020 elections aimed at securing voting against foreign interference. “USCYBERCOM conducted more than two dozen operations to get ahead of foreign threats before they interfered with or influenced our elections in 2020,” Gen. Paul Nakasone, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency (NSA), testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Britain's Competition Watchdog Sets Short Deadline for Facebook, Giphy

Britain's competition watchdog gave Facebook and Giphy five working days to offer proposals to address its concerns over their merger deal, which could affect digital advertising and the supply of animated images. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority began an initial investigation in January at a time when the U.S.-based social media network firm was under global regulatory scrutiny over antitrust concerns.

Lawmakers Question CEOs from Google, Facebook, Twitter About Misinformation

House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle interrogated the chief executives of Google, Facebook and Twitter, escalating their calls for swift regulation of the tech industry. During the more than five-hour hearing, lawmakers in five-minute intervals called out executives on a wide range of issues including extremism, misinformation, cyberbullying, climate change and the coronavirus.

Arizona State Senate Avoids Vote on Bill for In-App Payment Systems

The Arizona State Senate was scheduled to vote on an unprecedented and controversial bill that would have imposed far-reaching changes on how Apple and Google operate their respective mobile app stores, specifically by allowing alternative in-app payment systems. But the vote never happened, having been passed over on the schedule without explanation.

German Court Seeks Guidance from European Court of Justice in Facebook Case

A court in Germany hearing an appeal by Facebook against data curbs imposed by the country’s antitrust watchdog said it would seek guidance from the European Court of Justice on the case. The move effectively defers a verdict in the two-year-old court battle and casts a spotlight on whether Germany’s Federal Cartel Office may have exceeded its authority in seeking to apply competition law to the issue of data protection.

Chinese Hackers Tried to Use Facebook to Target People in Uyghur Community

Facebook disclosed that a group of Chinese hackers had tried to use its platform to target people in the Uyghur community. The company says the collective, which is known as Earth Empusa or Evil Eye, went after about 500 individuals, many of whom were activists, journalists and dissidents living abroad in countries like the US, Australia and Canada.

12 State Attorneys General Ask Facebook, Twitter to Fight Vaccine Misinformation

A group of 12 state attorneys general sent a letter to Facebook and Twitter urging them to more aggressively enforce platform policies against coronavirus vaccine misinformation. Led by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D), the group argues that content on the social media sites are increasing vaccine hesitancy, which will “slow economic recovery and, more importantly, ultimately cause even more unnecessary deaths.”

Some Republicans Planning to Address Misinformation Pushed Election Narratives

House Democrats seeking to drill down on the spread of election fraud falsehoods on social media in advance of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot need to look no further than some of their Republican colleagues. A Washington Post analysis found that seven Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee who are scheduled to grill the chief executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter about election misinformation sent tweets that advanced baseless narratives of election fraud, or otherwise supported President Donald Trump’s efforts to challenge the results of the presidential election.

Zuckerberg, Pichai Emphasize Need for Sections 230's Online Protections

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg laid out steps to reform a key internet law, saying that companies should have immunity from liability only if they follow best practices for removing damaging material from their platforms. In testimony prepared for a joint hearing before two House Energy and Commerce subcommittees, Zuckerberg acknowledged the calls from lawmakers for changes to a law called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives companies like Facebook immunity from liability over content posted by users.

Advertisers Question Facebook After Removal of 1.3 Billion Fake Accounts

Facebook, which in 2019 paid advertisers a $40 million settlement over inflated video-viewing metrics and is fighting a lawsuit over its “reach” to users, is now taking flak over its revelation that it took down 1.3 billion fake accounts during just three months last year. “How much money was spent advertising to these fake accounts?” said Angelo Carusone, CEO of progressive watchdog group Media Matters for America.

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.