Facebook, Instagram Remove Accounts for RFK Jr.'s Anti-Vaccine Group

Facebook and Instagram removed the accounts of Children’s Health Defense, an organization led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that is one of the largest U.S. anti-vaccine groups, for spreading medical misinformation. In an emailed newsletter, Children’s Health Defense said Facebook and Instagram had taken down its accounts after a 30-day ban by the social networks.

YouTube Takes Down Videos of Children Testing Tesla's Self-Driving Feature

YouTube removed two videos from its platform showing Tesla drivers using their own children to conduct vehicle safety tests. The tests were meant to prove that Tesla’s Autopilot and “full self-driving” (FSD) beta software — the automaker’s advanced driver assistance systems which have automated driving features but do not enable the cars to drive themselves — would automatically detect pedestrians, and children, that are walking or standing in the road and avoid hitting them.

Two Users Sue Twitter for Allegedly Disclosing Info to Advertisers

Twitter is facing more legal woes for allegedly providing advertisers user phone numbers and email addresses without their consent. In 2019, the company disclosed that personal information users handed over for a security feature may have been used for targeted advertising. Two Twitter users sued the social media company in a proposed class action lawsuit filed in a federal court in Northern California.

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Indonesia Probes Alleged Data Breaches at State-Owned Telecoms Firm

Indonesia is investigating alleged personal data breaches at state-owned telecoms firm PT Telkom Indonesia's internet service IndiHome and state utility PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), its communications ministry said. Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, a senior communications ministry official, said in a statement the ministry had summoned representatives from Telkom and PLN and had sent recommendations on data protection to both firms.

Lawmakers Ask Social Media Companies to Address Law Enforcement Threats

House Oversight Committee leaders are demanding social media companies take “immediate action” to address a flood of violent online threats against law enforcement, following the FBI’s search of former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The lawmakers sent letters to the executives of eight social media companies, including Facebook parent company Meta and the fringe right-wing platform Gab, demanding details about the number of threats against law enforcement.

'Black Cat' Ransomware Group Begins Posting Stolen Data Publicly

A ransomware group known as Black Cat is waging an aggressive campaign against scores of companies in the US and Europe, adopting a novel technique to pressure victims into paying expensive extortion fees. The group began making stolen data searchable on its website. The result is that victim data is easier to view online, which maximizes the reputational damage that a company could face and gives the hackers more leverage as they seek to extort a large payout.

Russian Court Fines Twitch for Hosting Video About 'Fake' War Crimes

A court in Russia has fined streaming service Twitch 2 million roubles ($33,000) for hosting a short video containing what it calls "fake" information about alleged war crimes in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, Russian news agencies reported. Russia has repeatedly threatened to fine sites — including Google, Twitter and Wikipedia — it accuses of hosting "fake" content related to its military campaign in Ukraine.

Australian Court Says Google Not Liable for Links to Defamatory Content

Australia’s highest court ruled that Alphabet Inc.’s Google isn’t liable for defamatory content that can be accessed via a hyperlink in its search results, a win for Google in a jurisdiction that has at times taken a hard line against tech platforms. The case involved a lawyer, George Defteros, who alleged that a Google search of his name returned a hyperlink to and a snippet of a newspaper article that was defamatory.

Meta to Disable New Political Ads in Week Before November Elections

Meta loosely outlined how it plans to brace its platforms for the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, starting with political ads. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, detailed steps similar to the measures the company took previously in lieu of proposing many new ideas or areas of investment. That includes disabling new “political, electoral and social issue ads” during the week prior to voting on November 8.

TikTok to Label Content, Limit Political Ads Ahead of Midterm Elections

TikTok will label all content related to the midterm elections and crack down on paid influencer political ads as part of its plans to prepare for the upcoming midterm elections, the company announced. The popular video sharing app will label content identified as being related to the elections, and all content from accounts that belong to governments, politicians and political parties in the U.S.

Amazon Accuses FTC of 'Burdensome' Demands on Bezos in Prime Probe

Amazon.com Inc. is accusing the Federal Trade Commission of making excessive and unreasonable demands on founder Jeff Bezos and company executives as the agency probes Amazon’s Prime membership program. In a petition to the FTC filed earlier this month and recently made public, Amazon says the agency’s demands on the company have been “overly broad and burdensome,” and its legal tactics have been unfair.

FTC Expected to Draft Rules for Expansion of Online Privacy Protection

The Federal Trade Commission is expected to begin writing federal rules to expand online privacy protections, according to people familiar with the matter. If adopted, the rules could impose significant new responsibilities on businesses that handle consumer data, including potentially barring certain kinds of data collection practices, the people said.

Former Twitter Employee Convicted of Spying for Saudi Arabia

A former Twitter Inc. employee was convicted of spying for Saudi Arabia by turning over personal information of platform users who’d used anonymous handles to criticize the Kingdom and its royal family. Ahmad Abouammo, a U.S. resident born in Egypt, was found guilty by a jury of charges including acting as an agent for Saudi Arabia, money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and falsifying records, following a two-week trial in San Francisco federal court.

Despite Other Tech Restrictions, Russia Allows Citizens to Access YouTube

Months into its war against Ukraine, Moscow continues to let its own citizens access YouTube, leaving a conspicuous hole in its effort to control what Russians see and hear about the conflict. The video-streaming service, owned by Alphabet Inc.’s Google, is one of the few places where Russians can view and discuss images of the war from independent outlets.

Russian Soldiers Use Force to Take Over, Reroute Internet Traffic in Ukraine

Several weeks after taking over Ukraine’s southern port city of Kherson, Russian soldiers arrived at the offices of local internet service providers and ordered them to give up control of their networks. Russian authorities then rerouted mobile and internet data from Kherson through Russian networks, government and industry officials said.

Congress to Depart for Recess Without Voting on Tech Antitrust Bill

Congress is set to depart for its August recess soon without acting on a bipartisan antitrust bill targeting the largest U.S. technology companies, in a setback for supporters who had been pushing for a vote before the busy fall election season. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) plans to hold a vote on the legislation when Congress returns this fall. But the shrinking number of legislative days available plays to the advantage of the tech companies, which can declare victory if Congress doesn’t act.

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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.