Facebook 'Misplaced' Guidance on Exemption for Dangerous People, Board Says

Facebook "misplaced" guidance on an important exemption to its rules on dangerous individuals and organizations for three years, the company's independent oversight board said. The board, which was created by the company to rule on a small slice of contentious content decisions, said it had overturned Facebook's original removal of an Instagram post encouraging people to talk about the solitary confinement of Abdullah Ocalan, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

China Fines 22 Internet Companies for Violating Anti-Monopoly Rules

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced that they have fined 22 Internet companies for their roles in anti-monopoly cases, the Associated Press reported. Twenty-two companies including six owned the Alibaba Group, five by Tencent Holding Ltd. and two by retailer Suning.com, Ltd. were fined 500,000 yuan ($75,000) for acquiring stakes in other companies that could increase their market value.

Trump Sues Facebook, Twitter, Google and Their CEOs for Banning Him

Former President Donald J. Trump sued three tech giants — Facebook, Twitter and Google — and the firms’ chief executives after the platforms took various steps to ban him or block him from posting. Mr. Trump, speaking from his Bedminster, N.J., golf club, announced that he would serve as the lead plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit, arguing that he has been censored wrongfully by the tech companies.

37 States File Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google Over Android App Store

Thirty-seven U.S. state and district attorneys general sued Alphabet Inc's Google, alleging that the search and advertising giant violates antitrust law in running its app store for Android phones. The lawsuit, one of a series that has been filed against Google in the United States, follows complaints from app developers about the management of its Play Store.

Biden to Direct FTC to Draft New Rules Allowing 'Right-to-Repair'

President Joe Biden will direct the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to draft new rules aimed at stopping manufacturers from limiting consumers’ ability to repair products at independent shops or on their own, a person familiar with the plan said. While the agency will ultimately decide the size and scope of the order, the presidential right-to-repair directive is expected to mention mobile phone manufacturers and Department of Defense contractors as possible areas for regulation. Tech companies including Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have imposed limits on who can repair broken consumer electronics like game consoles and mobile phones, which consumer advocates say increases repair costs.

RNC Accuses Russian Hackers of Breaching One of Its Technology Providers

Russian hackers are accused of breaching a contractor for the Republican National Committee, around the same time that Russian cybercriminals launched the single largest global ransomware attack on record, incidents that are testing the red lines set by President Biden during his high-stakes summit with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia last month. The RNC said in a statement that one of its technology providers, Synnex, had been hacked. While the extent of the attempted breach remained unclear, the committee said none of its data had been accessed.

Twitter Loses Protection Against User-Generated Content in India

Twitter Inc. no more enjoys liability protection against user-generated content in India as the U.S. microblogging giant has failed to comply with new IT rules, the Indian government said in a court filing. The statement is the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has officially said Twitter has lost its immunity after repeatedly criticising the company for non-compliance.

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.

  • Read the article: CNET

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.

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