Facebook Oversight Board Seeks Information About Rules for High-Profile Users

Facebook Inc's independent Oversight Board said it has asked the social networking giant to provide clarity on the system it uses to review content decisions relating to some high-profile users. The board's inquiry follows a Wall Street Journal report last week that Facebook exempts high-profile users from some or all of its rules, raising questions about its enforcement decisions against harmful content.

U.S. Bans Russian-Owned Cryptocurrency Exchange Linked to Ransomware

The Biden administration blacklisted a Russian-owned cryptocurrency exchange for allegedly helping launder ransomware payments, an unprecedented action meant to deter future cyber-extortion attacks by disrupting their primary means of profit. The targeting of SUEX OTC marks the first time the Treasury Department has sanctioned a digital currency platform.

FBI Sat on Keys to Unlock Computers as It Planned Ransomware Takedown

The FBI refrained for almost three weeks from helping to unlock the computers of hundreds of businesses and institutions hobbled by a major ransomware attack this summer, even though the bureau had secretly obtained the digital key needed to do so, according to several current and former U.S. officials. The key was obtained through access to the servers of the Russia-based criminal gang behind the July attack.

Homeland Security Chair Seeks Info from Social Media on Extremism

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) is demanding that Facebook, Twitter and YouTube provide information regarding their policies surrounding mitigating extremist content on their platforms. Peters in a release said he wrote letters to each platform's CEO in an effort to combat domestic terrorism and investigate the events of Jan. 6, when rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol.

State Attorneys General Pushing New Antitrust Laws Aimed at Big Tech

A bipartisan group of U.S. state attorneys general sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to pass a series of bills that tighten antitrust laws aimed at Big Tech companies like Facebook and Alphabet's Google. The letter, which was addressed to leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, expressed explicit support for six bills that passed the House Judiciary Committee in June. Four of the bills directly address Big Tech's platform powers while two others empower enforcers.

Russia Set to Increase Fines Against U.S. Technology Companies

Russia’s internet regulator is poised to significantly raise the fines it has slapped on U.S. technology companies such as Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc. as the Kremlin escalates its push to curb access to information online. Companies that refuse to delete content judged to be illegal in Russia could soon face amends of 5% to 20% of their annual local revenue, Roskomnadzor, the federal communications watchdog, said in an email.

Senate Democrats Want FTC to Develop New Data Privacy Rules

A group of Senate Democrats is calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to develop new rules to protect data privacy amid stalled progress on a national framework. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) led a letter signed by eight of his colleagues to FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan requesting new rules targeted at strengthening privacy, boosting civil rights and creating guardrails on the collection of consumer data.

Farm Services Provider Takes Systems Offline After Cybersecurity Incident

Iowa-based farm services provider NEW Cooperative Inc said its systems were offline to contain a "cybersecurity" incident just as the U.S. farm belt gears up for harvest. The cooperative operates grain storage elevators in the top U.S. corn producing state, buys crops from farmers, sells fertilizer and other chemicals needed to grow crops and owns technology platforms for farmers that provide agronomic advice on the way to maximize their harvests.

Walgreens Exposed Personal Data on Customers of COVID Tests

If you got a Covid-19 test at Walgreens, your personal data — including your name, date of birth, gender identity, phone number, address, and email — was left on the open web for potentially anyone to see and for the multiple ad trackers on Walgreens’ site to collect. Multiple security experts told Recode that the vulnerabilities found on the site are basic issues that the website of one of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States should have known to avoid.

Amazon Permanently Bans 600 Chinese Brands for Violating Policies

Amazon has now permanently banned over 600 Chinese brands across 3,000 different seller accounts, the company confirms to The Verge. Amazon says that’s the grand tally after five months of its global crackdown, and it’s no longer being shy about why: a spokesperson tells us these 600 brands were banned for knowingly, repeatedly and significantly violating Amazon’s policies, especially the ones around review abuse.

U.S. Prepares Actions to Limit Cryptocurrency for Ransomware

The Biden administration is preparing an array of actions, including sanctions, to make it harder for hackers to use digital currency to profit from ransomware attacks, according to people familiar with the matter. The government hopes to choke off access to a form of payment that has supported a booming criminal industry and a rising national security threat.

Apple, Google Remove App Coordinating Protest Voting in Russian Elections

Apple and Google removed an app meant to coordinate protest voting in Russian elections from the country, a blow to the opponents of President Vladimir V. Putin and a display of Silicon Valley’s limits when it comes to resisting crackdowns on dissent around the world. The decisions came after Russian authorities, who claim the app is illegal, threatened to prosecute local employees of Apple and Google — a sharp escalation in the Kremlin’s campaign to rein in the country’s largely uncensored internet.

Ireland's Data Privacy Regulator Questions Facebook Over Smart Glasses

Ireland's data privacy regulator said it had asked Facebook to demonstrate that an LED indicator light on the social media giant's newly launched smart glasses is "an effective means" to let people know they are being filmed or photographed. Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC) is the lead regulator of Facebook under the European Union's strict data privacy laws as the firm's European headquarters are based in Dublin.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission Probes TikTok Over Child Data

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) says it will investigate social media platform TikTok over its handling of children’s personal data and the transfer of data to China. “The first inquiry will examine TikTok’s compliance with the GDPR’s data protection by design and default requirements as they relate to the processing of personal data in the context of platform settings for users under age 18 and age verification measures for persons under 13,” the DPC said in a statement, referring to General Data Protection Regulation, a 2016 European Union privacy law.

Facebook Removes Accounts Linked to Anti-COVID Restrictions in Germany

Facebook has removed a network of accounts linked to an anti-COVID restrictions movement in Germany as it announced a new crackdown on coordinated campaigns of real users that cause harm on and off its platforms. Reuters exclusively reported that Facebook's security teams were expanding the tactics used to take down influence operations using fake accounts to do more wholesale shutdowns of coordinated groups of real-user accounts causing harm, through mass reporting or brigading.

FTC Staff Reports on Small Acquisitions by Five Big Tech Companies

U.S. Federal Trade Commission staff presented data on small acquisitions by five big technology companies, and the agency scrapped guidelines on vertical mergers which combine a company with a supplier -- both steps indicating plans to be tougher on deals. Following a study begun during the Trump administration, the FTC staff found that Facebook, Alphabet's Google, Amazon.com, Apple and Microsoft together had 616 acquisitions from 2010 to 2019 that were above $1 million but too small to be reported to antitrust agencies, among other findings.

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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.