China Vows to Tighten Data Security Controls Over Tech Companies

China issued a sweeping warning to its biggest companies, vowing to tighten oversight of data security and overseas listings just days after Didi Global Inc.’s contentious decision to go public in the U.S. While the statement from China’s State Council on Tuesday was thin on details, it suggests Beijing is preparing to intensify a crackdown on its corporate sector that has spanned everything from property debt and fintech to antitrust issues and now cybersecurity.

Ransomware Hackers Demand $70 Million to Unlock Thousands of Businesses

A hacking group that experts said was behind the sprawling ransomware attack that hit hours before the beginning of the July Fourth holiday weekend is demanding $70 million to unlock the thousands of businesses affected by the hack. REvil, the same Russian language group that was behind the attack on meat processor JBS, posted the demand on a dark Web site associated with the group.

Hong Kong Data Protection Laws Could Scare Off Facebook, Twitter, Google

Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google have privately warned the Hong Kong government that they could stop offering their services in the city if authorities proceed with planned changes to data-protection laws that could make them liable for the malicious sharing of individuals’ information online. A letter sent by an industry group that includes the internet firms said companies are concerned that the planned rules to address doxing could put their staff at risk of criminal investigations or prosecutions related to what the firms’ users post online.

GETTR Social Media Site Launched by Former Trump Adviser Hacked

A social media site launched by Jason Miller, a senior adviser to former U.S. President Donald Trump, was briefly hacked, and more than 500,000 people have registered to use the site, Miller said. GETTR, a Twitter-style platform with posts and trending topics, has advertised itself on the Google and Apple app stores as "a non-bias social network for people all over the world."

Police Officer Plays Music in Failed Attempt to Ban Video from YouTube

A California police officer played Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” in an attempt to prevent a Black Lives Matter activist from uploading a video to YouTube — in the belief that the platform’s copyright-detection system would block it. It didn’t work. In fact, the video in question was not only shared successfully on YouTube, it has gone viral — garnering widespread attention because of the controversy.

Judge Allows Proposed Class-Action Suit Over Google Assistant to Proceed

A federal judge in California issued an order saying Google must face a proposed class-action lawsuit related to privacy concerns about its digital assistant. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses Google of recording certain users' conversations and then analyzing the recordings to target advertising, despite the users having activated Google Assistant unintentionally.

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Cyberspace Administration of China Bans Didi Ride-Hailing App

China's cyberspace regulator said that it had ordered smartphone app stores to stop offering Didi Global Inc's app after finding that the ride-hailing giant had illegally collected users' personal data. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said it had told Didi to make changes to comply with Chinese data protection rules, four days after Didi began trading on the New York Stock Exchange, having raised $4.4 billion in an initial public offering.

40,000 Businesses Worldwide Affected by Cyberattack on Software Provider

Hundreds of businesses around the world, including one of Sweden’s largest grocery chains, grappled with potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities after a software provider that provides services to more than 40,000 organizations, Kaseya, said it had been the victim of a “sophisticated cyberattack.” Security researchers said the attack may have been carried out by REvil, a Russian cybercriminal group that the FBI has said was behind the hacking of the world’s largest meat processor, JBS, in May.

D.C. Attorney General Investigating Facebook Over Vaccine Misinformation

Facebook Inc. is under investigation by the attorney general for the District of Columbia over whether it has taken adequate steps to curb the spread of misinformation about vaccines. Attorney General Karl Racine is seeking internal documents that show how the social media giant penalizes users who violate its misinformation policies around vaccines, as well as materials related to a Facebook study about vaccine hesitancy among users, according to a copy of a subpoena issued by Racine’s office last month.

Spain's Competition Watchdog Investigating Apple, Amazon

Spain's competition watchdog CNMC is investigating possible anti-competitive practices in Spain by Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. regarding online sales of electronic products. The CNMC said in a statement that it had opened disciplinary proceedings over possible unlawful conduct by both companies that would include possible restrictions on the Amazon website in Spain.

Russian Military Intelligence Using 'Brute Force' for Hacking, NSA Says

The Russian military intelligence is continuing its worldwide hacking campaigns, the National Security Agency announced , including "brute force" campaigns — a classic hacking technique that automates possible username or password combinations until the hacker gets access to a computer network. In a joint advisory with several other federal agencies and the United Kingdom, the NSA declared that a unit within Russia's GRU agency, responsible for some of the most prolific and impactful hacking attacks in history, has been behind a campaign to access "hundreds of government and private sector targets worldwide" since 2019.

Amazon Argues for FTC Chair to Recuse Herself from Antitrust Probe

Amazon demanded that Lina Khan, the new chair of the Federal Trade Commission and an avowed critic of the company, recuse herself from any antitrust investigation into the e-commerce giant. The company argued in a 25-page petition to the FTC that Ms. Kahn could not be impartial in antitrust matters involving the company because she had been intensely critical of Amazon as a scholar and writer and because she had worked on the staff of a congressional investigation of the company.

Federal Judge Blocks Florida Law Penalizing Social Media Firms

A federal judge blocked a Florida law that would penalize social media companies for blocking a politician’s posts, a blow to conservatives’ efforts to respond to Facebook and other websites’ suspension of former president Donald Trump. The law was due to go into effect Thursday, but in issuing a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle of the Northern District of Florida suggested that the law would be found unconstitutional.

Rulings for Facebook Pressure Lawmakers to Tackle Antitrust Changes

A pair of rulings dismissing federal and state antitrust lawsuits against Facebook renewed questions about whether the laws were suited to taking on tech power. The rulings have now put the pressure on lawmakers to push through a recently proposed package of legislation that would rewrite key aspects of monopoly laws to make some of the tech giants’ business practices illegal.

Google to Require Verification for U.K. Financial Services Advertisers

Alphabet Inc's Google announced measures to clamp down on financial fraud on its platform in Britain, saying it will require all financial services to be verified by the regulator before they are allowed to advertise. Google said in a blog post it will begin enforcing the new policy, which follows calls from the Financial Conduct Authority for the U.S. tech giant to vet paid promotions, from Sept. 6.

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.