Canadian Bill Would Require Infrastructure Sectors to Report Cyber Attacks

Canadian businesses operating in critical infrastructure sectors would be required to report cyber attacks to the federal government and would have to fortify their cyber systems under a new law. The legislation identifies finance, telecommunications, energy and transportation sectors as being vital to national security and public safety, but stops short of naming any companies.

Bipartisan Online Privacy Bill Gains Momentum at House Hearing

Bipartisan legislation to bolster consumers’ online privacy rights gained momentum at a House hearing, even as some tech industry representatives raised concerns that could slow its progress. The draft legislation, which would put new limits on how technology companies can collect and use consumers’ data, drew strong backing from both Republicans and Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s consumer protection subcommittee, as well as from several business and consumer representatives who testified.

Data Breach at Kaiser Permanente Discloses Information on 70,000 Patients

Kaiser Permanente, the largest nonprofit health plan provider in the United States, has disclosed a data breach that exposed the sensitive health information of almost 70,000 patients. In a notice to patients on June 3, Kaiser revealed that someone gained access to an employee’s emails at the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington on April 5 that contained protected health information — including patient names, dates of service, medical record numbers and lab test result information.

Democrat 'Very Confident' Lawmakers Will Pass Big Tech Antitrust Bill

A top Democratic lawmaker on antitrust issues said a bill aimed at reining in the market power of Big Tech platforms like Amazon.com and Alphabet's Google had the votes to pass the both chambers of Congress in the next few weeks. On the sidelines of an event to rally support for measures before the Senate and House of Representatives that would prevent tech platforms, including Apple and Facebook , from favoring their own businesses in search and other ways, Representative David Cicilline, chair of the House antitrust subcommittee, said: "I'm very confident when these bills come to the floor, they will pass. Convincingly."

Lawsuits Allege Meta Created Defective Product, Failed to Warn Parents

A wave of plaintiffs sued Meta, citing the Facebook Papers to argue that the company not only addicted them or their children, but did so knowing the harms it could pose. The lawsuits make charges against Meta more frequently seen in consumer product lawsuits or cigarette litigation, but relatively novel to Silicon Valley: that the company produced a defective product and did not warn users about its dangers to children.

Britain's Competition Watchdog to Probe Apple, Google Over Browsers

The U.K.’s competition regulator wants to investigate market power it says Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google exert over some mobile-device software, ramping up global antitrust scrutiny of the largest U.S. technology companies. The Competition and Markets Authority said Friday that it intends to initiate so-called market investigations into how the companies control web browsers for mobile devices, as well as complaints that Apple restricts cloud gaming on its devices.

EU Close to Agreement on Regulating Cryptocurrency Across All States

The European Union is nearing an agreement on key legislation to regulate the cryptocurrency sector that would set common rules across the 27 member states, people familiar with the matter said. France, which currently chairs the EU, and the European Parliament are optimistic about resolving remaining issues holding up the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) package and reaching a deal this month, according to the people. Negotiators are expected to meet on June 14 and June 30.

Apple to Allow Different Payment Methods in Dutch Dating Apps, Watchdog Says

The Netherlands' antitrust watchdog said Apple Inc. will allow different payment methods in Dutch dating applications, ending a dispute that resulted in the company being fined 50 million euros ($52.58 million). The Authority for Consumers and Markets (AMC) said in a statement that with this concession, Apple will meet the requirement that the regulator had set under the European Union and Dutch competition rules.

Amazon Urges Third-Party Sellers to Oppose Senate Antitrust Bill

Amazon made an appeal to its third-party sellers to oppose a Senate antitrust reform bill aimed at helping their businesses. In a post on Amazon’s internal forum for third-party merchants, the company’s vice president of worldwide selling partner services Dharmesh Mehta urged sellers to oppose The American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S.2992), and asked them to contact their senators.

U.S. Sanctions Called 'Catastrophic' to Some Ransomware Attacks

U.S. sanctions in recent months have hammered a handful of cryptocurrency services used by ransomware groups, suggesting Washington can effectively target some tools hackers use to convert digital ransom payments into cash. The Treasury Department since last year has sanctioned at least three Russia-based crypto exchanges, as well as a mixing service hackers allegedly used to help launder dirty money, barring U.S. companies from transacting with them.

Texas Attorney General Investigating Twitter Over Reports of Bot Accounts

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he opened an investigation of Twitter, claiming the social media platform may be misleading people with false reporting of its bot accounts, violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The Republican attorney general announced the probe the same day Twitter would-be buyer, billionaire Elon Musk, threatened to pull out of his deal to purchase the company, saying it wasn’t meeting his demands for more information about spam and fake accounts.

Senate Bill Would Let Commodity Futures Trading Commission Regulate Crypto

A highly anticipated Senate proposal to bring the freewheeling cryptocurrency industry under federal oversight would deliver a win for the sector by empowering its preferred regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), over the Securities and Exchange Commission. The bill’s sponsors, Sens. Cynthia M. Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), are touting it as the first serious effort to apply comprehensive regulation to the crypto industry, which has minted a new class of billionaires and promised to reinvent financial services while also spawning scams and investor wipeouts that have raised regulators’ alarms.

EU Lawmakers Reach Agreement on USB-C Requirement for Smartphones

European Union lawmakers have reached an agreement on legislation that will force all future smartphones sold in the EU — including Apple’s iPhone — to be equipped with the universal USB-C port for wired charging by fall 2024. The rule will also apply to other electronic devices including tablets, digital cameras, headphones, handheld video game consoles, and e-readers. Laptops will have to comply with the rule at a later date.

Tech Group Seeks One-Year Delay of Indian Cybersecurity Rules

Indian cybersecurity rules due to come into force later this month will create an "environment of fear rather than trust", a body representing top tech companies has warned the government, calling for a one-year delay before the rules take effect. The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), which represents firms including Facebook, Google and Reliance, wrote this week to India's IT ministry criticizing a directive on cybersecurity set out in April.

Sanctioned Ransomware Groups Finding Ways to Keep Receiving Payments

Ransomware groups that have been sanctioned by the U.S. government are switching their tactics to evade sanctions and continue to receive ransom payments, according to a report released by cybersecurity firm Mandiant. Hackers affiliated with a group known as Evil Corp, which was sanctioned in 2019, have since then changed the types of programs they use to target their victims.

U.S. Expands Sanctions Against Russia on Buying Advanced Technology

The Biden administration announced further sanctions and restrictions on Russia and Belarus, adding 71 organizations to a government list that prevents them from buying advanced technology. Since Western allies announced extensive restrictions on exports of semiconductors, computers, lasers, telecommunications equipment and other goods in February, Russia has had difficulty obtaining microchips to replenish its supply of precision-guided munitions, according to one senior U.S. official, who, along with most other officials interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters based on intelligence.

EU Lawmakers Set to Approve Single Charging Port for Mobile Devices

EU countries and EU lawmakers are set to agree on a common charging port for mobile phones, tablets and headphones on June 7 when they meet to discuss a proposal that has been fiercely criticized by Apple, people familiar with the matter said. The proposal for a single mobile charging port was first broached by the European Commission more than a decade ago after iPhone and Android users complained about having to use different chargers for their phones.

Amazon to Stop Selling Kindle Devices, Book Downloads in China

Amazon Inc. is closing its Kindle digital bookstore in China and has halted sales of Kindle devices to retailers in the country in the latest retreat by a U.S. tech company there. The pullback is the latest for American tech giants operating in China, which has some of the world’s most stringent censorship rules and a fiercely competitive homegrown technology ecosystem.

New York Senate Passes Bill to Limit Some Power Plants in Bitcoin Mining

The Bitcoin mining boom in New York state hit a roadblock as the State Senate passed a bill that will halt new permits for certain fossil fuel power plants to be used in Bitcoin mining. The measure, which also initiates a study on the environmental impact mining facilities are having in the state, passed in the State Assembly earlier this year.

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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.