Facebook Says It Removed 18 Million Misleading Posts About Covid-19

Facebook Inc. said it has removed more than 18 million posts on its main social networking site and the photo sharing app Instagram for violating its Covid-19 misinformation policy since the beginning of the pandemic. Facebook started to take stronger measures against Covid-19 misinformation by banning repeat offenders who spread false information and directing users to a central Covid-19 information center. The statistics, reflecting action through April, were released as part of the company’s regular community standards enforcement report.

FTC, States Sue Frontier Communications for Misrepresenting Internet Speeds

Frontier Communications is accused of misrepresenting internet speeds it advertised and charged for, according to a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and six state attorneys general. The lawsuit alleges Frontier Communications, which provides service to about 1.3 million consumers across 25 states, did not provide many consumers with the maximum speeds they were promised, and the speeds consumers did receive often fell short of what was touted in the plans they had purchased.

Colonial Pipeline CEO Admits to Making $4.4 Million Ransomware Payment

Joseph Blount, CEO of Colonial Pipeline Co., told The Wall Street Journal that he authorized the ransom payment of $4.4 million because executives were unsure how badly the cyberattack had breached its systems, and consequently, how long it would take to bring the pipeline back. Mr. Blount acknowledged publicly for the first time that the company had paid the ransom, saying it was an option he felt he had to exercise, given the stakes involved in a shutdown of such critical energy infrastructure.

European Commission Document Pushes Tech Giants to Fight Misinformation

Facebook, Alphabet unit Google and other tech giants will have to pledge to do more to curb the monetization of false information through advertisement placements, according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters. The EU executive also wants smaller social media or search services, private messaging services, ad exchanges, ad-tech providers, communication agencies and e-payment services, e-commerce platforms and crowdfunding/donation systems to commit to do the same, the document said.

Justice Department Retracts Subpoena for Twitter in Nunes Parody Case

The Department of Justice (DOJ) retracted a grand jury subpoena earlier this year for information that would identify the person behind an anonymous Twitter account parodying Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), according to a newly unsealed court document. The filing was revealed a day after a federal court in Washington, D.C., unsealed a motion showing the Trump administration's DOJ had issued a grand jury subpoena to Twitter demanding that it turn over the identifying information regarding the user @NunesAlt.

China Bans Financial Institutions from Cryptocurrency Transactions

China has banned financial institutions and payment companies from providing services related to cryptocurrency transactions, and warned investors against speculative crypto trading. Under the ban, such institutions, including banks and online payments channels, must not offer clients any service involving cryptocurrency, such as registration, trading, clearing and settlement, three industry bodies said in a joint statement.

At Hearing, Democrats Urge Facebook to Abandon Instagram for Kids

A group of congressional Democrats ramped up calls for Facebook to abandon a plan to create an Instagram for kids platform, alleging that the company failed to adequately address concerns the lawmakers raised. The controversial plan, which has drawn the ire of advocacy groups and bipartisan attorneys general nationwide, was also the target of questioning from senators across the aisle at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on children’s online data privacy and manipulative marketing.

Colonial Pipeline Attack Has Little Impact on Digital Extortion Attempts

Digital extortion attempts are returning to their pre-Colonial Pipeline levels, according to data and interviews with some incident responders, suggesting that the upheaval around the hack that paralyzed a major U.S. fuel conduit has yet to curb cybercriminals' appetite for ransoms. Indirect data suggests that the global publicity around the hack of Colonial Pipeline, which paralyzed the company for nearly a week and led to fuel shortages on the U.S. East Coast, did little or nothing to puncture the thriving industry.

France Approves Storing Sensitive Data with Google, Microsoft

Some of France's most sensitive state and corporate data can be safely stored using the cloud computing technology developed by Alphabet's Google and Microsoft, if it is licensed to French companies, the government said. The comment, part of strategic plan laid out by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and two other ministers, acknowledges U.S. technological superiority in the field and contrasts with previous calls from European politicians for fully homegrown alternatives.

Colonial Pipeline Cyberattack Prompts Swift Reaction from Lawmakers

The Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, which led to hoarding and fuel shortages across the East Coast, is spurring new efforts in Congress to require critical companies to tell the government when they’ve been hacked. Even leading Republicans are expressing support for regulations after this week’s chaos — a sharp change from past high-profile efforts that failed due to GOP opposition.

Irish High Court Denies Facebook's Attempt to Suspend Data Transfer Ruling

Facebook lost a bid to block an Irish watchdog's draft decision that could suspend the Silicon Valley giant’s ability to transfer data from the U.S. to the EU, according to a decision released by the Irish High Court. The court rejected Facebook’s procedural complaints about the Irish Data Protection Commission’s preliminary decision from August to order the suspension of Facebook’s data flow between the U.S. and the EU.

Facebook Upholds Ban on Organizations in Myanmar Resisting Military Coup

Facebook has reportedly upheld a ban on many organizations in Myanmar that have joined forces to resist the military coup that occurred back in February, according to Rest of World. The bans were put in place back in 2019, when organizations like the Arakan Army, and many of its allies, were classified as terrorist organizations by the democratically-elected government.

DarkSide Hackers Behind Pipeline Ransomware Attack Says It's Shutting Down

The criminal hacking group that took down Colonial Pipeline, causing debilitating fuel shortages on the East Coast, has said in a message that it is shutting down after facing pressure from the U.S. government. “In view of the above and due to the pressure from the US, the affiliate program is closed. Stay safe and good luck,” the group said in a message sent to partners in its ransomware business, according to a blog post by Intel471, a cybercrime intelligence firm.

More States Introducing Bills to Protect Internet Users' Privacy Online

Over the past six months, at least 38 states that have introduced more than 100 bills to protect people’s data privacy, regulate speech policies and encourage tech competition, according to a tally by The New York Times. That is a drastic escalation from past years. For online privacy alone, states proposed 27 bills in 2021, up from two in 2018, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Pipeline Company Paid $5 Million Ransomware to Eastern European Hackers

Colonial Pipeline Co. paid nearly $5 million to Eastern European hackers, contradicting reports that the company had no intention of paying an extortion fee to help restore the country’s largest fuel pipeline, according to two people familiar with the transaction. The company paid the hefty ransom in difficult-to-trace cryptocurrency within hours after the attack, underscoring the immense pressure faced by the Georgia-based operator to get gasoline and jet fuel flowing again to major cities along the Eastern Seaboard, those people said.

Cryptocurrency Losses Drop But 'Decentralized Finance' Crime Rises, Report Says

Losses from cryptocurrency theft, hacks and fraud fell sharply in the first four months of the year, but crime in the booming "decentralized finance" space hit an all-time high, a report from crypto intelligence company CipherTrace showed. DeFi applications are platforms that facilitate crypto-denominated lending outside traditional banking, using an open-source code with algorithms that set rates in real time based on supply and demand. Many DeFi applications are embedded in the ethereum blockchain.

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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.