Biden to Appoint Big Tech Critic to Lead Justice Department's Antitrust Division

President Biden plans to appoint lawyer Jonathan Kanter as the head of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) antitrust division, the White House announced, another sign of the administration’s intention to take on Big Tech. Kanter has been a favorite pick of progressive organizations pushing for the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to do more to crack down on anti-competitive conduct, especially in the tech industry.

Chinese-Backed Hackers Compromised U.S. Pipelines, U.S. Officials Say

Hackers working for the Chinese government compromised more than a dozen U.S. pipeline operators nearly a decade ago, the Biden administration revealed while also issuing first-of-its-kind cybersecurity requirements on the pipeline industry. The disclosure of previously classified information about the aggressive Chinese hacking campaign, though dated, underscored the severity of foreign cyber threats to the nation’s infrastructure, current and former officials said.

DHS Requiring Owners of Critical Pipelines to Guard Against Cyber Attacks

The Department of Homeland Security required owners and operators of critical pipelines that transport hazardous liquids and natural gas to implement "urgently needed protections against cyber intrusions." It was the second security directive issued by the department's Transportation Security Administration since May, after a hack of the Colonial Pipeline disrupted fuel supplies in the southeastern United States for days.

U.S., EU, NATO Blame China for Attack on Microsoft Email Servers

The United States, the European Union, NATO and other world powers accused the Chinese government of a broad array of malicious cyber activities, blaming its Ministry of State Security and hackers allegedly linked to it for a sophisticated attack on Microsoft’s widely used email server software earlier this year. The condemnations represent the first time NATO, a 30-nation alliance, has denounced alleged Chinese cyberattacks and follow the Biden administration’s pledge in June to rally U.S. allies against Beijing’s behavior.

Government-Licensed Spyware Used to Track Journalists, Activists

Military-grade spyware licensed by an Israeli firm to governments for tracking terrorists and criminals was used in attempted and successful hacks of 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, human rights activists, business executives and two women close to murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to an investigation by The Washington Post and 16 media partners. The phones appeared on a list of more than 50,000 numbers that are concentrated in countries known to engage in surveillance of their citizens and also known to have been clients of the Israeli firm, NSO Group, a worldwide leader in the growing and largely unregulated private spyware industry, the investigation found.

Facebook, Biden Trade Barbs Over Misinformation About Vaccines Online

Facebook has levied additional criticism against President Biden and top administration officials over remarks that social media companies are not doing enough to combat coronavirus vaccine misinformation, accusing the White House of “looking for scapegoats for missing their vaccine goals.” The public fight between the administration and social media companies escalated after Biden told reporters that Facebook and other platforms were “killing people" by allowing vaccine misinformation to spread.

U.S. Restricts Trade with Russian Entities, Citing Digital Espionage Risks

The United States took a new stab at Russia's cybersecurity industry, restricting trade with four information technology firms and two other entities over "aggressive and harmful" activities — including digital espionage — that Washington blames on the Russian government. A Commerce Department posting said the six entities were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in April, which targeted companies in the technology sector that support Russian intelligence services.

China Sends State Security Officials to Didi in Cybersecurity Investigation

China sent regulators including state security and police officials to Didi Global Inc.’s ride-hailing business as part of a cybersecurity investigation, the latest development in a regulatory saga that has gripped China’s tech industry. Regulators from government units including the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Natural Resources will be stationed at Didi for the investigation, the cyberspace administration said in an online statement.

British Court Lets Businessman Sue Law Firm Over Hacked Emails

A Missouri businessman can sue Dechert LLP over his claim that the international law firm helped mastermind the hack and leak of his emails, a British court ruled. The unusual lawsuit — which pits aviation mogul Farhad Azima against Philadelphia-based Dechert — centers on claims that the firm and its former London partner Neil Gerrard had Indian hackers steal and disseminate Azima's emails.

Two Appeals Courts Dismiss U.S. Legal Challenges to TikTok

Two U.S. appeals courts dismissed the Justice's Department's legal challenges to court rulings that barred a Trump-era effort to ban new downloads of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok. The Justice Department asked two appeals courts to dismiss its appeals after President Joe Biden in June withdrew a series of executive orders by then-President Donald Trump that sought to ban new downloads of WeChat, TikTok and other Chinese apps. Biden ordered a new review of the apps' impact on U.S. users' privacy.

Biden Administration Creates Interagency Task Force to Fight Ransomware

The Biden administration announced new cross-agency measures to address the recent major ransomware attacks on companies including Colonial Pipeline and software group Kaseya. A senior administration official told The Hill that an interagency task force, created as part of President Biden’s directive in April for federal agencies to address ransomware attacks, has made progress in identifying and coordinating action on a range of fronts regarding ransomware concerns.

Surgeon General Urges Social Media to Tackle Vaccine Misinformation

Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued a warning against health misinformation, saying that falsehoods spreading quickly online have subjected large numbers of Americans to avoidable illness and death. In remarks at the White House, Murthy called on social media companies to step up their efforts on the issue, arguing that technology firms “have enabled misinformation to poison our information environment with little accountability to their users.”

Facebook Takes Down Network of Accounts Connected to Iranian Hackers

Facebook Inc. said it took down a network of accounts connected to a group of Iranian hackers who were targeting employees of defense and aerospace companies in the U.S., UK and Europe. Facebook said it removed fewer than 200 accounts operated by a group known as Tortoiseshell, which used various social media platforms to pose as recruiters, journalists and workers in other industries to gain the trust of their targets and trick them into clicking on malicious links, the company said.

Israeli Group Accused of Selling Tool to Hack Into Microsoft Windows

An Israeli group sold a tool to hack into Microsoft Windows, Microsoft and technology human rights group Citizen Lab said, shedding light on the growing business of finding and selling tools to hack widely used software. The hacking tool vendor, named Candiru, created and sold a software exploit that can penetrate Windows, one of many intelligence products sold by a secretive industry that finds flaws in common software platforms for their clients, said a report by Citizen Lab.

Plaintiffs Filing More Lawsuits Under Disabilities Act Over Websites, Apps

The number of U.S. lawsuits alleging that websites, apps and digital videos were inaccessible to people with disabilities rose 64% in the first half of 2021 from a year earlier, a new report says. Plaintiffs filed 1,661 lawsuits claiming digital violations of either the federal Americans with Disabilities Act or California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act between Jan. 1 and June 30, up from 1,012 in the comparable period of 2020, according to the report by UsableNet Inc., a technology firm that offers accessibility-compliance technology and services.

Twitter Says Governments Increasingly Demand Removal of News Content

Twitter has reported that it has seen an increase in the number of legal demands by governments to have journalists or news outlets take down content in the second half of 2020, according to the social media’s transparency report. The social media company noted that 199 accounts of verified news sites and journalists worldwide “were subject to 361 legal demands” by governments and individuals to remove or take down content.

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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.