Red Cross Shuts Down Some IT Systems After Cyberattack on Contractor

A cyberattack on a contractor used by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has compromised the personal data of more than 515,000 "highly vulnerable people," including people separated from their families by conflict and disaster, the organization said. The hack has forced the Red Cross to shut down IT systems that support a program that reunites families separated by conflict, migration or disaster, the humanitarian organization said.

  • Read the article: CNN

Russian Tech Giant Yandex Settles Competition Law Dispute

Russian tech giant Yandex said it had reached a settlement agreement in a competition law dispute over its search engine results with Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) and a consortium of IT companies. The FAS told Yandex last February that it had created unequal market conditions for general online search services, that it was preferentially promoting its own products and asked it to stop. Yandex at the time said it was ready to defend its position.

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.

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