House Democrats Suggest Blacklisting Israeli Firm for Licensing Spyware

Four House Democrats suggested blacklisting or imposing sanctions against the Israeli firm that licensed spyware used by governments to hack the smartphones of journalists, human rights activists and business executives. The Democrats’ statement was in response to an investigation by The Washington Post and 16 media partners into a list of phone numbers that included surveillance targets and that appeared to be concentrated in countries thought to have been clients of the NSO Group, a private spyware company based in Israel.

Kaseya Denies Paying for Access to Decryption Key After Ransomware Attack

Software company Kaseya strongly denied paying to get access to a key to decrypt its systems following a massive ransomware attack on the company that impacted up to 1,500 organizations earlier this month. The denial came days after a spokesperson for Kaseya told The Hill it had obtained a decryption key for its systems and those of customers from a “trusted third party,” but did not comment on which third party that was and whether it had paid a ransom.

Antiterrorism Forum Expands Types of Content Its Members Will Share

An antiterrorism forum that includes Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube is expanding the types of content its members share to include white supremacists and far-right militias, Reuters reported. The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism was set up in 2017 to combat terrorist groups' use of social media sites to share ideas and recruit people to the cause. Its database previously focused on Islamist extremist organizations like Islamic State, al Qaeda and the Taliban, Reuters noted.

  • Read the article: CNET

China Orders Internet Companies to Change Anticompetitive Practices

China’s main technology-sector regulator ordered the country’s Internet giants to fix certain anticompetitive practices and data security threats, building on a regulatory campaign to reform how China’s largest tech companies operate. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which oversees China’s telecommunication and industry policies, said that its new six-month rectification program was aimed at correcting a range of industry issues, including disrupting market order, infringing on users’ rights, mishandling user data and violating other regulations.

Europe Gives Google Two Months to Change Search Engine for Flights, Hotels

Alphabet unit Google has two months to improve the way it presents Internet search results for flights and hotels and explain how it ranks these or face possible sanctions, the European Commission and EU consumer authorities said. The world's most popular Internet search engine has long faced scrutiny from antitrust enforcers and consumer groups around the world over its business practices, which in some cases have landed it with hefty fines.

Judge Gives FTC Extra Time to File Amended Complaint Against Facebook

A U.S. judge gave the U.S. Federal Trade Commission until Aug. 19 to file an amended complaint in its antitrust lawsuit against Facebook In. an extension of three weeks from the previous deadline. Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the FTC's request for the extension, which was not opposed by Facebook.

Biden's Antitrust Team Shows Willingness to Clash with Tech Industry

President Biden has assembled the most aggressive antitrust team in decades, stacking his administration with three legal crusaders as it prepares to take on corporate consolidation and market power with efforts that could include blocking mergers and breaking up big companies. Mr. Biden’s decision this past week to name Jonathan Kanter to lead the Justice Department’s antitrust division is the latest sign of his willingness to clash with corporate America to promote more competition in the tech industry and across the economy.

ACLU of Alaska Seeks Investigation of Ass't Attorney General Over Tweets

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alaska is calling for an investigation into an Alaskan official over controversial tweets discovered by The Guardian news outlet. ACLU spokesperson Megan Edge wants a “transparent and timely” investigation into state Assistant Attorney General Matthias Cicotte, Edge said in a statement to The Hill.

White House Also Faults YouTube for Spreading COVID Misinformation

The White House has YouTube, not just Facebook, on its list of social media platforms officials say are responsible for an alarming spread of misinformation about COVID vaccines and are not doing enough to stop it, sources familiar with the administration's thinking said. "Facebook and YouTube... are the judge, the jury and the executioner when it comes to what is going on in their platforms," an administration official said, describing their approach to COVID misinformation.

Bill Would Limit Protections for Social Media Spreading Health Misinformation

A week after Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared health misinformation an "urgent threat" to the U.S. public, Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico have introduced new legislation that would modify Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act to strip liability protections from technology companies if their platforms help spread misinformation during a health crisis. If passed, the Health Misinformation Act of 2021 would create an exception to Section 230 that would see social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter "treated as the publisher or speaker of health misinformation" when their platforms algorithmically amplify misleading health content.

Judge Orders Capitol Rioter to Unlock Laptop with Facial Recognition

A federal judge forced a U.S. Capitol rioter to unlock his laptop after prosecutors argued that it likely contained footage of the January 6 insurrection from his helmet-worn camera. The judge granted the Justice Department's request to place Capitol riot defendant Guy Reffitt in front of his laptop so they could use facial recognition to unlock the device.

  • Read the article: CNN

Kaseya Receives Key 'Effective at Unlocking Victims' from Ransomware

Kaseya, the Miami-based company at the center of a ransomware attack on hundreds of businesses over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, said that it had received a key that would help customers unlock access to their data and networks. The mystery is how the company obtained the key. Kaseya said only that it had obtained the key from a “third party” and that it was “effective at unlocking victims.”

Massachusetts Couple Sues eBay After Bizarre Harassment by Employees

A Massachusetts couple subjected to threats and other bizarre harassment from former eBay Inc. employees filed a civil lawsuit against the Silicon Valley giant. David and Ina Steiner say in their lawsuit filed in Boston federal court that the company engaged in a conspiracy to “intimidate, threaten to kill, torture, terrorize, stalk and silence them” in order to “stifle their reporting on eBay.”

Man Arrested in Spain in Connection with Hacking 100 Twitter Accounts

A 22-year-old man was arrested in Spain in connection with the hack of more than 100 Twitter accounts last July, becoming the fourth person charged in the incident that led to a temporary shutdown of the social media service. The man, Joseph O’Connor, faces charges in the United States of hacking, extortion and cyberstalking in the Twitter breach and is accused in hacks of the TikTok account of the popular creator Addison Rae Easterling and the Snapchat account of the actor Bella Thorne, the Justice Department said.

Israeli Government Creates Team to Examine Allegations of Spyware

Israel has set up a senior inter-ministerial team to assess growing allegations that spyware sold by an Israeli cyber firm has been abused on a global scale, Israeli sources said. One source said the team is headed by Israel's National Security Council, which answers to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and has broader areas of expertise than the Defence Ministry, which oversees exports of NSO Group's Pegasus software.

Twitter Suspends Taylor Greene for 12 Hours Over Coronavirus Misinformation

Twitter suspended Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for 12 hours after she violated the social media platform's rules prohibiting the sharing of coronavirus misinformation. "We took enforcement action on the account … for violations of the Twitter rules, specifically the COVID-19 misleading information policy," a Twitter spokesperson said, referring to Greene's account.

  • Read the article: CNET

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.

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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.