University of Texas Blocks TikTok on Network, School-Issued Devices

The University of Texas at Austin, a sprawling campus with more than 52,000 students, said it has blocked the social media app TikTok from its networks and is in the process of removing the app from university-issued devices because of digital security concerns. Jeff Neyland, adviser to the university’s president for technology strategy, said in an email to students Tuesday that the university was taking the steps to comply with Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive last month banning the use of TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, on any government-issued devices.

Harassment of Religious and Ethnic Minorities Rises on Twitter Outside U.S.

Elon Musk’s overhaul of Twitter has been accompanied by an increase in digital harassment of religious and ethnic minorities in some of its largest markets outside the United States — and it’s beginning to wreak havoc in the physical world as well, according to current and former employees and experts studying the issue. Musk has fired or accepted resignations from about three-fourths of Twitter’s employees since his $44 billion takeover at the end of October.

Supreme Court Asks Biden Administration for Input on Apple-Broadcom Case

The U.S. Supreme Court asked for the Biden administration's views on Apple Inc. and Broadcom Inc'.s bid to revive their challenges to patents owned by the California Institute of Technology, in a dispute in which Caltech previously won $1.1 billion in damages from the companies. The justices asked for the U.S. solicitor general's input on a lower court decision that prevented Apple and Broadcom from arguing the patents were invalid at trial.

Meta’s Independent Oversight Board Issues Decision on Nudity

Meta’s independent Oversight Board overturned the social media giant’s decision to remove bare chest photos of transgender and non-binary people on Instagram, and urged the company to redefine its rules around nudity in a way that is clear and does not discriminate based on gender. The board’s decision overturned Instagram’s original decision in 2021 and 2022 to remove two photos posted by the same U.S.-based couple who identify as transgender and non-binary.

Google Argues Against Limitations on Section 230 Protection at Supreme Court

A case before the Supreme Court challenging the liability shield protecting websites such as YouTube and Facebook could “upend the internet,” resulting in both widespread censorship and a proliferation of offensive content, Google said in a court filing. In a new brief filed with the high court, Google said that scaling back liability protections could lead internet giants to block more potentially offensive content — including controversial political speech — while also leading smaller websites to drop their filters to avoid liability that can arise from efforts to screen content.

New Jersey, Ohio Join Ban on TikTok on Government-Owned Devices

New Jersey and Ohio said they were joining other states in banning use of the popular video app TikTok on government-owned and managed devices. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said in addition to banning the short-video app owned by Chinese technology conglomerate ByteDance from state devices he also was banning software vendors, products, and services from more than a dozen vendors including Huawei, Hikvision, Tencent Holdings, ZTE Corporation and Kaspersky Lab.

Ukrainian Official Says Russian Cyberattacks on Civilians Amount to War Crimes

One of Ukraine's top cyber officials said some cyberattacks on Ukrainian critical and civilian infrastructure could amount to war crimes. Victor Zhora, chief digital transformation officer at the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection (SSSCIP) of Ukraine, said Russia has launched cyberattacks in coordination with kinetic military attacks as part of its invasion of Ukraine, arguing the digital warfare is part of what Kyiv considers war crimes committed against its citizens.

Hackers Disrupt Access to Denmark's Central Bank, Seven Private Banks

Hackers have disrupted access to the websites of Denmark's central bank and seven private banks in the country this week, according to the central bank and an IT firm that serves the industry. The websites of the central bank and Bankdata, a company that develops IT solutions for the financial industry, were hit by so-called distributed denials of service (DDoS), which direct traffic towards targeted servers in a bid to knock them offline.

Misinformation About Climate Change Surges on Twitter After Musk's Purchase

Under new owner Elon Musk, falsehoods about the warming planet are whipping around the social media platform at a sizzling pace, according to a study of climate-related conversations shared exclusively with USA Today. The new report echoes recent research showing a surge in climate misinformation since Musk bought the company in October.

TikTok CEO Tries to Reassure EU About Compliance with Privacy Rules

TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew on a visit to Brussels sought to reassure the European Union the app would respect the bloc's increasingly stringent tech rules and commitments to privacy and child safety. The short-video app, which is owned by Chinese technology conglomerate ByteDance, has for the last three years worked to counter U.S. concerns over whether the personal data of its citizens can be accessed and its content manipulated by China's Communist Party or any other entity under Beijing's influence.

ITC Judge Says Some Apple Watch Models Infringe Blood Oxygen Patents

Certain models of the Apple Watch infringe one of five Masimo Corp. patents related to using light sensors to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood, a US International Trade Commission judge found in the first round of Masimo’s bid to block imports of Apple Inc.'s popular smartwatch. The ITC had postponed the decision three times before Judge Monica Bhattacharyya issued her initial determination, announced in a notice.

European Regulators Find Meta's Advertising Practices Violate Privacy Law

Meta suffered a major defeat that could severely undercut its Facebook and Instagram advertising business after European Union regulators found it had illegally forced users to effectively accept personalized ads. The decision, including a fine of 390 million euros ($414 million), has the potential to require Meta to make costly changes to its advertising-based business in the European Union, one of its largest markets.

Records of 235 Million Twitter Accounts, Emails Posted to Hacking Forum

Records of 235 million Twitter accounts and the email addresses used to register them have been posted to an online hacking forum, setting the stage for anonymous handles to be linked to real-world identities. That poses threats of exposure, arrest or violence against people who used Twitter to criticize governments or powerful individuals, and it could open up others to extortion, security experts said.

Los Angeles Housing Authority Investigating After Report of Cyberattack

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, or HACLA, has confirmed it is investigating a cybersecurity incident shortly after the LockBit ransomware gang claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on the agency. HACLA, which provides affordable housing to more than 19,000 low-income families across Los Angeles, was added to LockBit’s dark web leak site on December 31.

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.