Austria's Data Protection Ruling Could Affect Companies Across Europe

European businesses face uncertainty over the use of a popular analytics tool from Google after a regulator found it breached privacy laws, the latest salvo by the European Union against big U.S. tech companies. The ruling from Austria’s data-protection regulator could upend business practices for companies across Europe as regulators in the 27 EU countries are also preparing legislation on social-media content.

Facebook Critics Seek Release of Report on Human Rights in India

Facebook critics called on the world's largest social network to release a human rights impact assessment it commissioned in 2020 to investigate hate speech on its platforms in India. The social media company, which is now called Meta, faces increasing scrutiny over its handling of abuses on its services, particularly after whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents showing its struggles monitoring problematic content in countries where it was most likely to cause harm.

Google Promises to Improve Enforcement of Age-Sensitive Ad Policy

Alphabet Inc's Google said it would immediately improve enforcement of an age-sensitive ad policy after Reuters found ads for sex toys, liquor and high-risk investments in its search engine that should have been blocked under its efforts to comply with UK regulations. Britain started enforcing regulations last September aimed at protecting children from being tracked online.

Antitrust Bills Would Increase Security Risks for iPhone Users, Apple Says

Apple warned in a letter sent to lawmakers that antitrust bills being considered in the Senate would increase the risk of security breaches to iPhone users, in part because they could force it to allow sideloading, where apps are downloaded outside the App Store. Apple’s pushback reflects growing concern from the iPhone maker about the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and the Open App Markets Act, both of which are scheduled to be considered this week.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Investigation Says Israeli Police Used Spyware on Netanyahu, Citizens

Israeli police have used NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware to remotely access, control and extract information from cellphones belonging to Israeli citizens, including leaders of a protest movement against former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an investigation published in the Israeli outlet Calcalist. The military-grade software developed by the private Israeli company NSO was also used to target a number of people who were not suspected of involvement in a crime, including mayors, former government employees and at least one person close to a senior politician, according to the report.

U.S. Investigating Alibaba's Cloud Business as National Security Risk

The Biden administration is reviewing e-commerce giant Alibaba's cloud business to determine whether it poses a risk to U.S. national security, according to three people briefed on the matter, as the government ramps up scrutiny of Chinese technology companies' dealings with U.S. firms. The focus of the probe is on how the company stores U.S. clients' data, including personal information and intellectual property, and whether the Chinese government could gain access to it, the people said.

Google's Confidentiality Agreements for Employees Illegal, Judge Rules

A California judge ruled that the confidentiality agreements Google requires its employees to sign are too broad and break the state’s labor laws, a decision that could make it easier for workers at famously secret Big Tech firms to speak openly about their companies. A Google employee identified as John Doe argued that the broad nondisclosure agreement the company asked him to sign barred him from speaking about his job to other potential employers, amounting to a noncompete clause, which are illegal in California

Ericsson Files More Patent Suits Against Apple Over 5G Wireless Payments

Sweden's Ericsson has filed another set of patent infringement lawsuits against Apple in the latest salvo between the two companies over royalty payment for use of 5G wireless patents in iPhones. Both companies have already sued each other in the United States as negotiations failed over the renewal of a seven-year licensing contract for telecoms patents first struck in 2015.

App for Winter Olympics Could Allow Access to Hackers, Researchers Warn

A mobile app that’s mandatory for all participants in next month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing contains security flaws that could make it easy for a hacker to steal sensitive personal information, cybersecurity researchers in Canada warn. The China-built app, My 2022, will be used to monitor the health of attendees, as well as facilitate information sharing, leading up to and throughout the 2022 Games.

FTC, DOJ Seek to Modernize Antitrust Enforcement for Mergers

The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Antitrust Division kicked off a process to rewrite merger guidelines for businesses, signaling a tougher stance toward large deals. The nation’s two federal antitrust enforcers announced they are seeking public comment on how to “modernize enforcement of the antitrust laws regarding mergers.”

  • Read the article: CNBC

Bill Would Ban Digital Advertisers from Almost All Targeting

Democrats introduced a new bill that would ban nearly all use of digital advertising targeting on ad markets hosted by platforms like Facebook, Google, and other data brokers. The Banning Surveillance Advertising Act – sponsored by Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) – prohibits digital advertisers from targeting any ads to users.

Apple Allows Other Payment Options for Dating Apps in Netherlands

Apple said it would allow developers of dating apps in the Netherlands to offer non-Apple payment options to their users, complying with an order from the country's market regulator to do so by Jan. 15 or face fines. The country's Authority for Consumers and Markets found in a decision published on Dec. 24 that Apple had abused its market position by requiring dating app developers, including Tinder owner Match Group Inc., to exclusively use Apple's in-app payment system.

FTC, States Launch Competition Probe of Meta's Virtual Reality Unit Oculus

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and multiple states are investigating Meta Platforms Inc.’s virtual reality unit Oculus over potential anti-competitive practices, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The FTC and a group of states led by New York have quizzed outside developers that make Oculus apps in recent months as part of the inquiry, the people said.

New Law in Cambodia Allows Authorities to Monitor All Web Traffic

Ramped-up scrutiny of Internet users reflects an increasingly restrictive digital environment in Cambodia, where a new law will allow the authorities to monitor all web traffic in the country. Critics say that the decree puts Cambodia on a growing list of countries that have embraced China’s authoritarian model of internet surveillance, from Vietnam to Turkey, and that it will deepen the clash over the future of the web.

Russia Charges, Detains Members of REvil Ransomware Crime Group

Russia has conducted a special operation against ransomware crime group REvil at the request of the United States and has detained and charged the group's members, the FSB domestic intelligence service said. The arrests were a rare apparent demonstration of collaboration between Russia and the United States, at a time of high tensions between the two over Ukraine. The announcement came even as Ukraine was responding to a massive cyber attack that shut down government websites, though there was no indication the incidents were related.

Dozens of Ukrainian Government Websites Hit By Cyberattack

Dozens of Ukrainian government sites have been hit by an ominous cyberattack, with hackers warning people to "be afraid and expect the worst." The attack took over websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cabinet of ministers and security and defense council, posting a message on screens in Ukrainian, Russian and Polish that read: "Ukrainian! All your personal data was uploaded to the public network. All data on the computer is destroyed, it is impossible to restore it."

  • Read the article: NPR

Google Misled Publishers, Advertisers, Says Lawsuit from States

Google misled publishers and advertisers for years about the pricing and processes of its ad auctions, creating secret programs that deflated sales for some companies while increasing prices for buyers, according to newly unredacted allegations and details in a lawsuit by state attorneys general. Meanwhile, Google pocketed the difference between what it told publishers and advertisers that an ad cost and used the pool of money to manipulate future auctions to expand its digital monopoly, the newly unredacted complaint alleges.

Tech Companies Subpoenaed in House Committee's Probe of Capitol Riot

The House committee investigating Jan. 6 subpoenaed Reddit, Twitter and the parent companies of Google and Facebook after their "inadequate responses" to requests for information about what the companies did and didn't do in the lead-up to the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. “It’s disappointing that after months of engagement, we still do not have the documents and information necessary to answer those basic questions," Committee chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a statement.

Subscribe

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.