Tech Industry Group Seeks Changes to India's New IT Rules

An industry group representing several tech giants has requested the Indian government to make a series of changes to the proposed amendments to the country’s new IT rules, warning those amendments “negate” the government’s commitment to ease of doing business. India last month proposed a number of changes to the IT rules including creation of an appeals panel with the veto power to reverse content moderation decisions of social media firms.

YouTube to Start Removing 'Instructions for Unsafe Abortion Methods'

YouTube says it will begin removing “instructions for unsafe abortion methods” or content that “promotes false claims about abortion safety.” The company made the announcement on Twitter, saying it falls under its medical misinformation policy. It’s also adding an information panel to related videos that will offer health information about abortion from the National Library of Medicine, similar to what it’s done for vaccines and some other topics.

T-Mobile Agrees to $500 Million Settlement in Cyberattack Affecting 76.6M People

T-Mobile has agreed to a settlement totaling $500 million in a class-action lawsuit filed by customers after the company disclosed in August that sensitive data had been breached in a cyberattack. In a court filing late Friday, the mobile phone giant said it would pay $350 million to settle the customers’ claims and spend $150 million over the next few years bolstering its cybersecurity protection and technologies.

FBI Reportedly Found Chinese Equipment Could Disrupt Military Communications

Since at least 2017, federal officials have investigated Chinese land purchases near critical infrastructure, shut down a high-profile regional consulate believed by the U.S. government to be a hotbed of Chinese spies and stonewalled what they saw as clear efforts to plant listening devices near sensitive military and government facilities.   Among the most alarming things the FBI uncovered pertains to Chinese-made Huawei equipment atop cell towers near U.S. military bases in the rural Midwest.

  • Read the article: CNN

U.S. Disrupts N. Korean Ransomware Operations Targeting Medical Facilities

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI disrupted ransomware operations of a North Korean state-sponsored group that targeted U.S. medical facilities, recovering roughly a half-million dollars in ransom payments made to the country, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced. Speaking at the International Conference on Cyber Security, Monaco said the seizure of the ransom payments — which she said were laundered through cryptocurrency — is the latest example of the DOJ’s approach to prioritizing the prevention of cyber attacks.

Russia Fines Google $374 Million for Failing to 'Remove Prohibited Information'

Russia fined Google 21.1 billion rubles ($374 million) for repeatedly failing to “remove prohibited information” — content related to the country’s invasion and subsequent war in Ukraine. The country’s telecommunication watchdog Roskomnadzor cited a court order and said Google (particularly YouTube) didn’t take down content that discredited “the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”

Amazon Sues Administrator of 10,000 Facebook Groups Over Fake Reviews

Amazon.com Inc. said it filed a lawsuit against the administrators of what it says are more than 10,000 Facebook groups used to coordinate fake reviews of Amazon products. Those in charge of the Facebook groups solicit the reviews for items ranging from camera tripods to car stereos in exchange for free products or money, Amazon said in a statement.

Researchers Find Malware from Russian-Backed Group in Pro-Ukraine App

As the war in Ukraine rages on, researchers from Google have discovered malware from a Russian state-backed group disguised as a pro-Ukraine app. The details were revealed in a blog post published by Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG), which specializes in tracking and exposing state-sponsored hacking. According to TAG, the Cyber Azov app — which invokes Ukraine’s far-right military unit, the Azov Regiment — was actually created by Turla, a Kremlin-backed hacking group known for compromising European and American organizations with malware.

Apples Agrees to $50 Million Settlement in Suit Over 'Butterfly' Keyboards

Apple Inc. agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit by customers who claimed it knew and concealed that the "butterfly" keyboards on its MacBook laptop computers were prone to failure. Customers claimed that MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro keyboards suffered from sticky and unresponsive keys, and that tiny amounts of dust or debris could make it difficult to type.

Installation-Art Company Called META Suing Meta for Trademark Infringement

An installation-art company called META (or Meta.is) announced that it will be suing Meta (or Facebook) for trademark violation, alleging that Zuckerberg’s name change violated the smaller company’s established brand. Much of the case hinges on Facebook’s many privacy scandals, which Meta.is argues has made it impossible to share the name.

Thai Activists Hacked with Pegasus Spyware, According to Human Rights Group

More than 30 Thai activists and supporters have been hacked with NSO Group’s potent Pegasus spyware, civil groups said, in the first countrywide campaign brought to light because Apple warned targeted iPhone users. Apple issued warnings to suspected Pegasus victims in November, prompting some of the Thai recipients to contact civic organizations that then consulted iLaw, a local human rights group that has advocated for a new constitution drafted by elected representatives.

Meta Releases First Human Rights Report, but Critics Call It 'Selective'

Facebook owner Meta released its first annual human rights report, following years of accusations that it turned a blind eye to online abuses that fueled real-world violence in places like India and Myanmar. The report, which covers due diligence performed in 2020 and 2021, includes a summary of a controversial human rights impact assessment of India that Meta commissioned law firm Foley Hoag to conduct.

Amazon Considers Abandoning Private Labels to Appease Regulators

Amazon.com Inc. has considered abandoning its private-label business as a peace offering to regulators, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company’s growing set of house brands is at the core of investigations launched by U.S. and European regulators into whether the world’s largest e-commerce company is abusing its market power.

FCC Chair Considers Increases to Minimum High-Speed Broadband Service

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is looking to rewrite the definition of high-speed broadband service to bring it in line with programs established by Congress to fund the build-out of broadband infrastructure in unserved areas across the country. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel circulated among her colleagues a Notice of Inquiry, which asks for public comment on whether speeds that define minimum speeds for broadband should be raised to 100 megabits per second downstream and 20 megabits per second upstream.

  • Read the article: CNET

UNESCO Study Finds Widespread Holocaust Distortion on Telegram

Messaging platform Telegram, a major source of news and information in Russia and across much of the world, is so rife with Holocaust denial and distortion that nearly half of public content shared by users related to the issue falls into these categories, more than on other platforms, according to a new study led by the UNESCO. People posting such content have found ways to evade moderation, including vague nods that signpost for users more explicit material on other platforms, or through inside jokes, memes and references that mock or glorify genocide.

Putin Signs Law Prohibiting Use of Digital Assets as Form of Payment

People in Russia will soon no longer be allowed to use digital assets as a form of payment. Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a bill into law prohibiting the use of digital assets, such as cryptocurrency and NFTs, to pay for goods and services. In addition, as Protocol notes, the new law also requires crypto exchanges and providers to refuse transactions in which digital transfers can be interpreted as a form of payment.

Italy's Competition Authority Launches Investigation of Google

Italy's competition authority AGCM said it had launched an investigation against Google for suspected abuse of its dominant position in data portability, an accusation the Alphabet unit denied. The watchdog said in a statement that Google allegedly hindered interoperability with other platforms, particularly with Weople, an app by Italian operator Hoda, which could "constrain the economic benefits that consumers can derive from their data" and limit competition.

Ukrainian Officials Say Tech Companies Less Responsive to Concerns

Ukrainian officials who have flagged thousands of tweets, YouTube videos and other social media posts as Russian propaganda or anti-Ukrainian hate speech say the companies have grown less responsive to their requests to remove such content. New research shared with The Washington Post by a Europe-based nonprofit initiative confirms that many of those requests seem to be going unheeded, with accounts parroting Kremlin talking points, spewing anti-Ukrainian slurs or even impersonating Ukrainian officials remaining active on major social networks.

Taiwanese Prosecutors Accuse Chinese Apple Supplier of Stealing Secrets

Taiwanese prosecutors accused a Chinese Apple Inc. supplier of stealing commercial secrets from a Taiwanese supplier and poaching its workforce to win orders from the U.S. company, saying it had charged 14 people. Taiwan has been stepping up efforts to stop what it views as underhand and illegal activities by Chinese firms to steal know-how and poach away talent in what Taipei's government views as a threat to the island's tech prowess.

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.