Chinese-Backed Content on Political Positions Tops Search Results

China’s global campaign to expand the reach of its political positions is helping it secure a coveted piece of online real estate: first-page search results on Google and other major Western portals. Content reflecting Beijing’s position on its human-rights record and the origins of Covid-19 now regularly appears among top results on Google, Bing and YouTube, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution and another Washington think tank, the Alliance for Securing Democracy, which seeks to study and resist the influence of authoritarian governments.

Twitter to Pay $150 Million to Settle 'Security and Privacy' Allegations

Twitter Inc. has agreed to pay $150 million to settle allegations it misused private information, like phone numbers, to target advertising after telling users the information would be used for security reasons, according to court documents. Twitter's settlement covers allegations that it misrepresented the "security and privacy" of user data between May 2013 and September 2019, according to the court documents.

Norwegian Company Plans Greater Protections Against Industrial Cyber Attacks

Norwegian firms Telenor, Aker ASA and Cognite say a new software security company they plan to launch this year will help companies protect their industrial assets from an increased cyber attack risk since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "More and more (industrial) objects (are) being connected, and then you can add Russia-Ukraine on top of that," said Telenor CEO Sigve Brekke, adding that a trend that accelerated during COVID, is “now going faster and faster.”

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Renews Push for Global Data-Privacy Agreement

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is putting more pressure on governments to work toward a global data-privacy agreement as digital communication tools continue to grow in importance, European officials said. Moscow’s assault shows a sharper “dividing line” between democratic countries with rules to protect privacy and more authoritarian nations that could misuse data, said Bruno Gencarelli, an official responsible for negotiating international data deals on behalf of the European Union.

Ransomware Attacks Increased 13% in 2021, According to Verizon Report

Ransomware continued to dominate cyberattacks in 2021 as attackers focused on making quick money by locking up data, rather than stealing it. Attacks involving ransomware, which involves malicious code scrambling the data on a victim's computer, increased 13% for the year, equaling the rise of the previous five years combined, according to Verizon's 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report.

  • Read the article: CNET

Democratic Lawmakers Ask Google to Stop Collecting Abortion Data

A group of 42 Democratic lawmakers urged Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a letter to stop collecting and keeping unnecessary or non-aggregated location data that could be used to identify people seeking abortions. The letter comes ahead of the anticipated reversal of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that protected the federal right to an abortion, after Politico published a draft opinion that would do just that.

  • Read the article: CNBC

11th Circuit Rejects Florida's Law Limiting Social Media from Banning Politicians

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled it is unconstitutional for Florida to bar social media companies from banning politicians, in a major victory for tech companies that are fighting another appeals court ruling that allowed a similar law in Texas to take effect. In a detailed, 67-page opinion, a three-judge panel of the court — all appointees of Republican presidents, including one named by Donald Trump — unanimously rejected many of the legal arguments that conservative states have been using to justify laws governing the moderation policies of major tech companies after years of accusing the tech companies of bias against their viewpoints.

Match Group Says Google Made Concessions on App Store Payments

Match Group Inc. withdrew its request for a temporary restraining order against Alphabet Inc.’s Google, saying Google has made some concessions over its app store payment practices that Match Group demanded. The concessions include guaranteeing that Match apps, such as Tinder and Hinge, won’t be rejected or removed from Google’s app store for offering alternatives to Google’s billing system, Match said.

UK Data Protection Watchdog Fines Clearview for Breaching Privacy Laws

The UK’s data protection watchdog has confirmed a penalty for the controversial facial recognition company, Clearview AI — announcing a fine of just over £7.5 million today for a string of breaches of local privacy laws. The watchdog has also issued an enforcement notice, ordering Clearview to stop obtaining and using the personal data of UK residents that is publicly available on the internet; and telling it to delete the information of UK residents from its systems.

Misinformation About 2020 Presidential Election May Influence Midterms

Researchers expect misinformation spreading the “big lie,” purporting that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, as well as efforts to suppress voter turnout to affect this cycle. In particular, they fear that misinformation could erode Americans’ faith in the electoral process or even lead to violence or harassment against election officials.

Meta to Provide Data on Political Ads to Academics, Researchers

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said that it planned to give outside researchers more detailed information on how political ads are targeted across its platform, providing insight into the ways that politicians, campaign operatives and political strategists buy and use ads ahead of the midterm elections. Academics and researchers who are registered with an initiative called the Facebook Open Research and Transparency project will be allowed to see data on how each political or social ad was used to target people.

German Court Bans Sales of Ford Cars with Internet in Patent Lawsuit

A German court has put a nationwide sales and production ban on Ford cars able to establish Internet connection, it said, as part of a lawsuit over the violation of wireless technology patents. The verdict by the Munich regional court is not legally binding and can still be appealed, it said, adding a 227 million euro ($240 million) security payment by the plaintiff, Japan's IP Bridge Inc, was required for it to become “provisionally enforceable.”

Justice Department Won't Charge 'Good Faith' Anti-Hacking Researchers

The U.S. Justice Department said it would not use the country’s long-standing anti-hacking law to prosecute researchers who are trying to identify security flaws, a move that provides both protection and further validation for a craft still villainized by many officials, companies and the general public. In a news release and five-page policy statement issued to federal prosecutors, top Justice officials said local U.S. attorneys should not bring charges when “good faith” researchers exceed “authorized access,” a vague phrase from the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) that has been interpreted to cover such routine practices as automated downloads of Web content.

YouTube Removes 70,000 Ukraine War Videos for Violating Content Rules

YouTube has taken down more than 70,000 videos and 9,000 channels related to the war in Ukraine for violating content guidelines, including removal of videos that referred to the invasion as a “liberation mission.” The platform is hugely popular in Russia, where, unlike some of its US peers, it has not been shut down despite hosting content from opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny.

Chinese Technology Exports to Russia Plummet Amid U.S.-Led Sanctions

Chinese technology exports to Russia plummeted in March after U.S.-led sanctions took effect, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said, calling it a sign of Beijing’s wariness about violating the trade prohibitions. Chinese shipments of laptops to Russia fell by 40 percent in March compared with February, while exports of smartphones were off by two-thirds, she said, citing the most recently available Chinese trade data.

Russian Hacking Cartel Carries Out Cyberattack Against Costa Rica's Government

A Russian hacking cartel carried out an extraordinary cyberattack against the government of Costa Rica, crippling tax collection and export systems for more than a month so far and forcing the country to declare a state of emergency. The ransomware gang Conti, which is based in Russia, claimed credit for the attack, which began on April 12, and has threatened to leak the stolen information unless it is paid $20 million.

Russian Official Says, 'We Are Not Planning to Close YouTube'

Russia is not planning to block Alphabet Inc's YouTube, the minister for digital development said, acknowledging that such a move would likely see Russian users suffer and should therefore be avoided. Russia has blocked other foreign social media platforms, but despite months of fines and threats against YouTube for failing to delete content Moscow deems illegal and for restricting access to some Russian media, it has stopped short of delivering a killer blow to the video-hosting service.

FBI Told Israeli Government It Purchased Pegasus to Help in Investigations

The FBI informed the Israeli government in a 2018 letter that it had purchased Pegasus, the notorious hacking tool, to collect data from mobile phones to aid ongoing investigations, the clearest documentary evidence to date that the bureau weighed using the spyware as a tool of law enforcement. The FBI’s description of its intended use of Pegasus came in a letter from a top FBI official to Israel’s Ministry of Defense that was reviewed by The New York Times.

Tech Industry Groups Ask Supreme Court to Stay Texas Social Media Law

Tech industry trade organizations NetChoice and the Computer Communications Industry Association have appealed directly to the Supreme Court for an emergency stay of the Texas social media law known as HB 20. The law, which creates liability for content moderation decisions that are based on “the viewpoint of the user or another person,” could make it impossible to enforce bans on hate speech — or to even moderate platforms at all.

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.