Judge Upholds Texas Law Banning State Workers from Using TikTok

A federal judge in Texas upheld a ban that prevented state employees from using TikTok, the Chinese-owned short-form video app, on government devices and networks, rejecting a challenge by lawyers who argued that the prohibition had violated the First Amendment. In his decision, Judge Robert L. Pitman of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas said he agreed that the ban had prevented public university faculty from using state-provided devices and networks to research and teach about TikTok, but found that it was a “reasonable restriction” in light of Texas’ concerns about data privacy.

Support for Banning TikTok in U.S. Drops, Even Among Republicans

Americans’ support for a ban of TikTok has crumbled this year, even among Republicans, further undermining a Republican-led push to outlaw the popular video app nationwide. Roughly 38 percent of the U.S. adults polled by Pew Research Center this fall said they supported a federal TikTok ban, down from 50 percent in March, according to a survey.

Sony Investigating Claims by Ransomware Group Targeting Wolverine Game

Sony is investigating claims by the Rhysida ransomware group that it stole sensitive data from Insomniac Games, including personal information for the voice actor who portrayed Peter Parker in Spider-Man 2. Australian outlet Cyber Daily reported that the group had posted some of the data as proof of the hack and is currently auctioning the full set for around $2 million worth of bitcoin.

Epic Games Wins Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google Over App Store

Epic Games won an antitrust lawsuit against Google, in a landmark decision where a jury found Google broke competition laws in how it ran its app store. The decision is a major blow to tech giant and the concept that Big Tech companies should have complete control over how pricing and payments are done on their massive internet platforms.

FTC Examines Antitrust Issues in Microsoft's Investment with OpenAI

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is examining the nature of Microsoft Corp.’s investment in OpenAI Inc. and whether it may violate antitrust laws, according to a person familiar with the matter. The inquiries are preliminary and the agency hasn’t opened a formal investigation, according to the person, who asked not to be named discussing a confidential matter.

EU Officials Reach Agreement on Law to Regulate Artificial Intelligence

European Union officials reached a landmark deal on the world’s most ambitious law to regulate artificial intelligence, paving the way for what could become a global standard to classify risk, enforce transparency and financially penalize tech companies for noncompliance. At a time when the sharpest critics of AI are warning of its nearly limitless threat, even as advocates herald its benefits to humanity’s future, Europe’s AI Act seeks to ensure that the technology’s exponential advances are accompanied by monitoring and oversight, and that its highest-risk uses are banned.

In FTC's Antitrust Case, Amazon Disputes Allegations of Consumer Harm

The US Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case against Amazon.com Inc. relies on anecdotal evidence from a handful of online merchants and fails to prove that the online retailer’s practices hurt consumers, the Seattle company’s lawyers argued in a motion to dismiss the complaint. The motion challenges a key assertion made by the agency that Amazon causes prices to go up on competing websites. Online brands and merchants have testified that they don’t offer lower prices on other sites because Amazon, which captures more than one-third of online spending in the US, will punish them by making their products less visible on Amazon.

EU Lawmakers Pause Talks on Artificial Intelligence Act

EU lawmakers halted talks on the bloc's landmark Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, agreeing to resume discussions after they failed to reach a deal during almost 24 hours of negotiations. The tense three-way debate between European Union member states, the European Commission and the European parliament will now extend into a third day, after weary lawmakers agreed to stop for a rest.

Amazon Sues International Ring of Thieves Linked to Refund Scams

Amazon.com Inc. sued what it called an international ring of thieves who swiped millions of dollars in merchandise from the company through a series of refund scams that included buying products on Amazon and seeking refunds without returning the goods. An organization called REKK advertised its refund services on social media sites, including Reddit and Discord, and communicated with perpetrators on the messaging app Telegram, Amazon said in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in the state of Washington.

Internet Propagandists Manipulate Celebrity Videos for Ukraine Misinformation

Internet propagandists aligned with Russia have duped at least seven Western celebrities, including Elijah Wood and Priscilla Presley, into recording short videos to support its online information war against Ukraine, according to new security research by Microsoft. The celebrities look like they were asked to offer words of encouragement — apparently via the Cameo app — to someone named “Vladimir” who appears to be struggling with substance abuse, Microsoft said.

U.K. Says Russia's Intelligence Service Engaged in Cyberattack Campaign

Russia’s intelligence service has carried out a yearslong cyberattack campaign against high-profile politicians, civil servants, journalists and others, according to the British government, as part of what it called “unsuccessful attempts to interfere in U.K. political processes.” The announcement, part of a joint action with allies including the United States, which announced related indictments and sanctions, was intended to sound the alarm that Russia intends to sow chaos and doubt ahead of elections in the United States and Britain.

Musk Appeals to Supreme Court SEC Order Limiting His Public Communications

Tech billionaire Elon Musk filed a Supreme Court appeal to a Securities and Exchange Commission order that he limit public communications about his businesses, claiming that the 2018 agreement is a “muzzle” on his free speech rights. The case stems from allegations that Musk was influencing the price of Tesla stock with social media posts.

Data Breaches Increase by 20% in Past Year, According to Apple-Funded Study

In the first nine months of 2023, U.S. data breaches increased by 20% compared to the full year 2022, according to a new study that was commissioned by Apple. The iPhone maker paid for the study, which was conducted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Stuart E. Madnick, about a year after it rolled out a new feature to expand end-to-end encryption for data stored in its iCloud service.

Spanish Media Outlets Sue Meta for Violating EU Data Protection Rules

A group representing 83 Spanish media outlets has filed a 550 million euro ($600 million) lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta Platforms, citing unfair competition in the advertising market in a case that could be replicated across the European Union. The AMI media association said in a statement the lawsuit was filed collectively by the newspapers with a commercial court, and allege Meta violated EU data protection rules between 2018 and 2023.

23andMe Says Hackers Accessed 14,000 Customer Accounts

Genetic testing company 23andMe announced that hackers accessed around 14,000 customer accounts in the company’s recent data breach. In a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published Friday, the company said that, based on its investigation into the incident, it had determined that hackers had accessed 0.1% of its customer base.

Federal Regulators Push Labeling Systems for AI Healthcare Apps

Federal regulators are proposing a new labeling system for AI healthcare apps designed to make it easier for clinicians to spot the pitfalls and shortcomings of these tools. The Biden administration has proposed that these apps come with a “nutrition label” that discloses how the app was trained, how it performs, how it should be used and how it shouldn’t.

Judge Vows to Investigate Google for Deleting Evidence

Judge James Donato, who is s overseeing Epic v. Google, vowed to investigate Google for intentionally and systematically suppressing evidence, calling the company’s conduct “a frontal assault on the fair administration of justice.” Testimony in the trial — and in a parallel DOJ antitrust suit against Google in Washington, D.C. — revealed that Google automatically deleted chat messages between employees, and that employees all the way up to CEO Sundar Pichai intentionally used that to make certain conversations disappear.

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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.