Hamas Seizes Hostages' Social Media Accounts to Broadcast Violent Messages

In a new war tactic, Hamas has seized the social media accounts of kidnapped Israelis and used them to broadcast violent messages and wage psychological warfare, according to interviews with 13 Israeli families and their friends, as well as social media experts who have studied extremist groups. In at least four cases, Hamas members logged into the personal social media accounts of their hostages to livestream the Oct. 7 attacks.

At Hearing, Judge Says Montana's Law Banning TikTok 'Confuses Me'

A federal district judge voiced doubt over Montana’s “paternalistic” ban of TikTok during a hearing in the first courtroom challenge to the only statewide ban targeting the wildly popular video app. TikTok sued Montana in May, saying the ban violated the First Amendment and was backed by no evidence of legitimate national security risks. During the suit’s first hearing in Missoula, state attorneys argued the ban was vital to protect citizens against a Chinese-owned app with 150 million users nationwide.

Caltech, Apple, Broadcom Settle Billion-Dollar Patent Dispute Over Wi-Fi Chips

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has reached a settlement with Apple and Broadcom over Wi-Fi chips, ending a billion-dollar patent dispute that started in 2016, Reuters has reported. In a filing, Caltech said that it's dismissing the case with prejudice, meaning it can't be filed again. The saga has taken several turns. Caltech initially alleged that millions of iPhones, iPads, Watches and other Apple devices with Broadcom chips infringed its Wi-Fi based patents.

California Judge Allows Kids' Negligence Lawsuits Against Social Media

Minors and parents suing Meta Inc.’s Facebook and other technology giants for the kids’ social media platform addictions won an important ruling advancing their collection of lawsuits in a California court. A state judge threw out most of the claims but said she’ll allow the lawsuits to advance based on a claim that the companies were negligent — or knew that the design of their platforms would maximize minors’ use and prove harmful. The plaintiffs argue social media is designed to be addictive, causing depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders and suicide.

Supreme Court Maintains Block on White House Social Media Limitations

The U.S. Supreme Court on maintained a block on restrictions imposed by lower courts on the ability of President Joe Biden's administration to encourage social media companies to remove content deemed misinformation, including about elections and COVID-19. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito temporarily put on hold a preliminary injunction constraining how the White House and certain other federal officials communicate with social media platforms pending the administration's appeal to the Supreme Court.

EU Reminds YouTube About Obligations Under Digital Services Act During War

European Commissioner Thierry Breton sent a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai reminding him of the company’s obligations under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) as a large online platform to keep illegal content and disinformation from being shared on YouTube surrounding Israel’s war with Hamas. “Following the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel, we are seeing a surge of illegal content and disinformation being disseminated in the EU via certain platforms,” Breton wrote.

Jews, Palestinians Both Complain About Online Hate Spreading Amid War

Groups who study online hate speech say it has spiked in recent days — not just for Jewish communities but also for Palestinians, who have faced increasing online hatred. And representatives of both communities agree on one thing: U.S.-based social media companies are still not doing anywhere near enough to rid their platforms of hate against targeted groups.

Meta Creates 'Special Operations Center' to Combat Misinformation About War

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it stepping up efforts to enforce policies on violence and misinformation amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The tech giant said it has established a “special operations center” with experts, including fluent Hebrew and Arabic speakers, to monitor the situation and remove content that violates Meta policies more quickly.

FTC Focused on Appealing Microsoft's $69 Billion Acquisition of Activision

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it remained focused on its appeal opposing Xbox maker Microsoft's now-closed $69 billion deal to buy Activision but would "assess" the company's agreement with Ubisoft. The companies closed their transaction after winning approval from Britain on condition that they sell the streaming rights to Activision's games to Ubisoft Entertainment to address the UK regulator's competition concerns.

Vietnamese Government Agents Targeted U.S. Lawmakers with Spyware

Vietnamese government agents tried to plant spyware on the phones of members of Congress, American policy experts and U.S. journalists this year in a brazen campaign that underscores the rapid proliferation of state-of-the-art hacking tools, according to forensic examination of links posted to Twitter and documents uncovered by a consortium of news outlets that includes The Washington Post. Targeted were two of the most influential foreign policy voices on Capitol Hill: Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and chair of its subcommittee on the Middle East.

Southeast Asian Countries Considering Hands-Off Approach to AI

Southeast Asian countries are taking a business-friendly approach to artificial intelligence regulation in a setback to the European Union's push for globally harmonized rules that align with its own stringent framework. Reuters reviewed a confidential draft of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) "guide to AI ethics and governance," whose content has not previously been reported.

California Law Allows Residents to Request Deletion from Data Brokers

California is officially the first state to pass a law streamlining personal data removal. On October 10, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 362, known as the Delete Act, into law, requiring the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) to create and roll out a tool allowing state residents to request that all data brokers delete their information.

MGM Resorts Refused to Pay Ransom to Attack That Cost It $100 Million

MGM Resorts International refused to pay a hackers’ ransom demand in a September cyberattack that threw its Las Vegas Strip resorts into chaos and crippled its properties and technology nationwide, according to a person familiar with the matter. Service disruptions from the attack and efforts to resolve the issue will cost the company more than $100 million in the third quarter, MGM said in a regulatory filing Thursday.

Hamas Using Social Media to Spread Violent Videos from Israel

Since Hamas launched a deadly cross-border attack into Israel over the weekend, violent videos and graphic images have flooded social media. Many of the posts have been seeded by Hamas to terrorize civilians and take advantage of the lack of content moderation on some social media sites — particularly X and Telegram — according to a Hamas official and social media experts interviewed by The New York Times.

Meta Oversight Board to Review Manipulated Video of Biden

The Meta Oversight Board will hear a case over a manipulated video of President Biden in a decision that could lead to recommendations over Facebook and Instagram’s political misinformation policies, the board announced. A video of Biden placing an “I Voted” sticker on his adult granddaughter and then kissing her on the cheek was altered in a Facebook post, showing it on a loop so that it repeats the moment where Biden’s “hand makes contact with his granddaughter’s chest,” according to the board’s announcement.

European Officials Warn X About Hosting Misinformation Related to War in Israel

European officials warned X that the company formerly known as Twitter appears to have been hosting misinformation and illegal content about the war between Hamas and Israel, in potential violation of the European Union’s signature content moderation law. In a letter addressed to X owner Elon Musk, Thierry Breton, a top European commissioner, said X faces “very precise obligations regarding content moderation” and that the company’s handling of the unfolding conflict so far has raised doubts about its compliance.

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