TikTok Identifies Russian Disinformation Network Targeting Ukraine War

TikTok Inc. identified a Russian disinformation network spreading war propaganda about Ukraine to more than a hundred thousand European users over the summer, the company disclosed. The network operated in Russia, but targeted mostly people in Germany, Italy and the UK in their respective languages. About 1,700 accounts belonging to the network were able to spread anti-Ukrainian messages by masquerading as accounts created by local users. Between July and September 2022 the accounts attracted 133,564 followers, it added.

Hate Speech Group Says Twitter Receiving Revenue from Restored Accounts

Elon Musk’s restoration of 10 Twitter accounts that were banned under the platform’s previous management has generated enough engagement since they returned to the platform to likely generate $19 million in advertising revenue annually, a nonprofit dedicated to countering hate speech online has concluded. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) said the 10 accounts were among hundreds thought to have been restored under a “general amnesty” that Musk announced in late November.

EU Officials Call Twitter's Report on Disinformation Incomplete

Elon Musk’s Twitter Inc. submitted an incomplete report to the European Union about how it is policing its online posts, EU officials said, drawing regulators’ ire just months before the bloc gets the power to fine companies for insufficient content moderation under a new social-media law. Twitter’s report, published as part of a voluntary code of conduct Twitter and other companies signed last year, lacked quantitative data about how it is tackling what the EU defines as intentionally false or misleading information, the officials said.

Twitter Blocked in Turkey as Country Tries to Recover from Earthquake

Twitter was blocked on several networks inside Turkey, according to NetBlocks, a group that tracks internet outages — taking out a key communication channel for coordinating relief efforts after the devastating earthquake. Alp Toker, the director of NetBlocks, said that the coordinated nature of the block suggested that it was likely the result of a government order.

European Parliament Committee Approves Limits on Access to EU Data

A key committee at the European Parliament agreed to stringent safeguards to prevent non-EU governments from gaining illegal access to EU data, drawing criticism from a tech lobbying group. The Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee will next month seek the support of EU lawmakers for amendments which will allow it to start negotiations with EU countries on the final details of the European Commission's draft Data Act.

Jury Rules Against Creator of 'MetaBirkin' NFTs in Hermès Trademark Case

Luxury brand Hermès International SA won its lawsuit against the digital artist behind “MetaBirkin” nonfungible tokens after convincing a Manhattan federal jury that Mason Rothschild’s sale of the NFTs violated Hermès’ rights to the “Birkin” trademark. The nine-person jury returned a verdict awarding Hermès $133,000 in total damages and also found Rothschild’s NFTs aren’t protected speech under the First Amendment.

Spyware Maker Agrees to Notify Targets of Phone Surveillance, Pay Fine

A New York-based spyware maker has agreed to notify the individuals whose phones were compromised by its mobile surveillance software, following a deal with the New York attorney general’s office announced. Under the agreement, Patrick Hinchy, whose 16 companies promoted apps like PhoneSpector and Highster, will also pay $410,000 in civil penalties for illegally promoting the mobile surveillance software that allowed its customers to spy on another person’s phone without their knowledge.

Intel Says It Could Face Another EU Antitrust Fine Despite 2022 Victory

Intel could face yet another EU antitrust fine despite winning its court fight last year against a 1.06 billion euro ($1.2 billion) penalty imposed 14 years ago for hindering a rival, the U.S. chipmaker said in a regulatory filing. Intel last year convinced Europe's second-top court to scrap the fine handed out by the European Commission in 2009 for giving rebates to four computer makers to buy most of their chips from the company and not from rival Advanced Micro Devices

Biden Administration Urges Congress to Take Action on App Stores

The Biden administration said Google and Apple serve as “gatekeepers” in the mobile app market and urged legislative action to even the playing field, a boost for lawmakers looking to revamp antitrust laws to target the nation’s largest tech companies. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said Google’s and Apple’s policies could harm consumers by inflating prices and reducing innovation, according to a report.

EU Issues Antitrust Warning to Microsoft Over Activision-Blizzard Acquisition

The European Union has issued Microsoft with a formal antitrust warning over its $69 billion bid for Activision-Blizzard, three people close to the matter have told Politico. In a so-called statement of objections sent to the U.S. tech giant on Tuesday, EU antitrust enforcers laid out the reasons why the deal could threaten fair competition on the video game market, the sources said.

India to Block Hundreds of Apps That Offer Betting, Loan Services

India is moving to block 232 apps, some with links to China, that offer betting and loan services in the South Asian market to prevent misuse of the citizens’ data, the state-owned public broadcaster said. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is in the process to enforce an emergency order to ban 138 betting and gambling apps and another 94 that provided unauthorized loan services in the interest of protecting the country’s integrity, the broadcaster said.

Senator, Citing National Security, Asks Apple, Google to Ban TikTok

Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado, called on Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores because of national security concerns, as bipartisan pressure on the Chinese-owned company escalates. Mr. Bennet, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sent the chief executives of Apple and Alphabet, Google’s parent company, a letter saying no company subject to “Chinese Communist Party dictates should have the power to accumulate such extensive data on the American people or curate content to nearly a third of our population.”

FTC Preparing Potential Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon

The Federal Trade Commission is preparing a potential antitrust lawsuit against Amazon Inc. that in the coming months could challenge an array of the tech giant’s business practices as anticompetitive, according to people familiar with the matter. The commission in recent years has been examining Amazon practices including whether it favors its own products over competitors’ on its platforms and how it treats outside sellers on Amazon.com, according to some of the people familiar with the matter.

Harvard to Shut Down Research Center That Studies Online Misinformation

Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government said that it will shut down a prominent research center that studied online misinformation next year, marking the latest turning point for the study of social media’s impact on American society and politics. Since 2019, the Technology and Social Change Project has published research into the spread of coronavirus hoaxes and the online incitement techniques that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Judge Rejects FTC's Request to Block Meta from Buying Virtual Reality Start-Up

A federal judge has rejected the Federal Trade Commission’s request to stop Meta, Facebook’s parent company, from buying a small virtual reality start-up, two people with knowledge of the matter said, signaling that efforts to rein in the tech giants may struggle in courts. In a sealed order, Judge Edward J. Davila of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California declined the FTC’s demand for a preliminary injunction to block Meta from buying Within, which makes a virtual reality fitness game called Supernatural, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the orders are sealed.

Italy's Privacy Watchdog Orders AI Chatbot to Stop Processing User Data

San Francisco-based AI chatbot maker, Replika — which operates a freemium ‘virtual friendship’ service based on customizable digital avatars whose “personalized” responses are powered by artificial intelligence (and designed, per its pitch, to make human users feel better) — has been ordered by Italy’s privacy watchdog to stop processing local users’ data. The Garante said it’s concerned Replika’s chatbot technology poses risks to minors — and also that the company lacks a proper legal basis for processing children’s data under the EU’s data protection rules.

Hackers Claim Financial Data Firm ION Paid Ransomware

The hackers who claimed responsibility for a disruptive breach at financial data firm ION say a ransom has been paid, although they declined to say how much it was or offer any evidence that the money had been handed over. Lockbit communicated the claim to Reuters via its online chat account but declined to clarify who had paid the money — saying it had come from a "very rich unknown philanthropist."

Microsoft, Github, OpenAI Argue Against Class-Action Open-Source Suit

Microsoft Corp, Microsoft's GitHub Inc and OpenAI Inc told a San Francisco federal court that a proposed class-action lawsuit for improperly monetizing open-source code to train their artificial-intelligence systems cannot be sustained. The companies said in court filings that the complaint, filed by a group of anonymous copyright owners, did not outline their allegations specifically enough and that GitHub's Copilot system, which suggests lines of code for programmers, made fair use of the source code.

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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.