Google's Supreme Court Win Seen as Victory for Open-Source Business Model

A Supreme Court ruling that sided with Alphabet Inc.’s Google in its 10-year legal battle with Oracle Corp. reaffirms the business model behind open-source software — sharing bits of computer code for free, experts said. The ruling said Google did not violate copyright protections when it used lines of Java computer code that allow its Android mobile operating system to connect to other software.

Microsoft, U.S. Government Officials Still Probing Chinese-Linked Cyberattack

Microsoft Corp. and U.S. government officials are still working to understand how a network of suspected Chinese hacking groups carried out an unusually indiscriminate and far-reaching cyberattack on Microsoft email software, more than a month after the discovery of an operation that rendered hundreds of thousands of small businesses, schools and other organizations vulnerable to intrusion. A leading theory has emerged in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter: The suspected Chinese hackers mined troves of personal information acquired beforehand to carry out the attack.

Former Track Coach Charged with Cyberstalking Over Nude Student Photos

A former Northeastern University track-and-field coach was arrested in connection with a scheme to trick female athletes into sending him nude or seminude photos, federal prosecutors announced. The former coach, Steve Waithe, 28, of Chicago, was charged with one count of cyberstalking and one count of wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement.

House Panel Investigating YouTube's Advertising Practices for Children

A House panel launched an investigation into YouTube’s advertising practices on its platform for children. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), chair of the Oversight and Reform subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, sent a letter to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki requesting documents about YouTube Kids amid concerns over the content and advertisement practices for children.

Facebook Removes 300 Accounts Created by Troll Farm in Albania

Facebook said it pulled down more than 300 accounts, pages and groups that appeared to have been created by a troll farm in Albania linked to Mojahedin-e Khalq, an exiled militant group that opposes the Islamic Republic of Iran. The social media giant removed 128 Facebook accounts, 41 pages, 21 groups and 146 Instagram accounts in March for violating its rules against misleading others about their identity and purpose on behalf of a foreign entity.

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Supreme Court Vacates Ruling Against Trump for Blocking Twitter Users

The Supreme Court vacated a lower court ruling that found former President Trump violated the First Amendment by blocking followers on Twitter, ordering the case to be dismissed as moot now that he is no longer in office. Though the Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of the case, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion that the "unprecedented" amount of control that Twitter and other digital platforms have over speech must be addressed in the future.

Grand Jury Indicts California Resident for Stealing Shopify Customer Data

A grand jury has indicted a California resident accused of stealing Shopify customer data on over a hundred merchants, TechCrunch has learned. The indictment charges Tassilo Heinrich with aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud by allegedly working with two Shopify customer support agents to steal merchant and customer data from Shopify customers to gain a competitive edge and “take business away from those merchants,” the indictment reads.

Twitter Says Automated Systems Erroneously Blocked Rep. Greene

Twitter said it had mistakenly suspended the account of freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), calling the incident an “error.” "We use a combination of technology and human review to enforce the Twitter Rules across the service. In this case, our automated systems took enforcement action on the account referenced in error,” a Twitter spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Hill.

Russia Extends Twitter Slowdown for Not Removing Illegal Content

Russia said it would extend a punitive slowdown of Twitter until May 15 though it acknowledged the U.S. social media company had speeded up deletion of banned content. Moscow has traditionally taken a more hands-off role in policing the internet than neighbouring China. But as friction has grown this year over the arrest and jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, it has signalled a tougher line.

UK Home Office Plans Attack on Use of End-to-End Encryption in Apps

The UK is planning a new attack on end-to-end encryption, with the Home Office set to spearhead efforts designed to discourage Facebook from further rolling out the technology to its messaging apps. Home Secretary Priti Patel is planning to deliver a keynote speech at a child protection charity’s event focused on exposing the perceived ills of end-to-end encryption and asking for stricter regulation of the technology.

Lawmakers Question Whether Digital Advertising Threatens National Security

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is asking questions about the inner workings of digital advertising amid worries the industry’s user-targeting capabilities could pose a threat to national security. A group of U.S. senators led by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) sent a letter to the largest companies running these auctions— AT&T Inc., Index Exchange Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Magnite Inc., OpenX Software Ltd., PubMatic Inc., Twitter Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. — asking them what steps they take to make sure companies joining the auctions do so for the sole purpose of buying ad slots.

Some Facebook Staff Say Company Being Used for Chinese Propaganda

Some Facebook staff are raising concerns on internal message boards and in other employee discussions that the company is being used as a conduit for Chinese propaganda, highlighting sponsored posts from Chinese organizations that purport to show Muslim ethnic minority Uyghurs thriving in China’s Xinjiang region, according to people familiar with the matter. The U.S. and some European governments say Beijing is committing genocide against the Uyghurs, citing a campaign that includes political indoctrination, mass internment and forced sterilizations.

Hacker Publishes Personal Data on 533 Million Facebook Users

A user in a low level hacking forum published the phone numbers and personal data of hundreds of millions of Facebook users for free online. The exposed data includes personal information of over 533 million Facebook users from 106 countries, including over 32 million records on users in the U.S., 11 million on users in the UK, and 6 million on users in India.

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