U.S. Authorities Seize Four Domain Names Selling 'Warzone RAT' Malware

U.S. authorities said they had seized websites used to sell cybercriminals malware called "Warzone RAT" that could be used to steal data from victims' computers. Federal prosecutors in Boston said law enforcement had taken down four domains that together offered to sell malware, which allowed cybercriminals to secretly connect to peoples' computers for malicious purposes.

Google to Join Group Creating Credentials for AI-Generated Content

Google, whose work in artificial intelligence helped make AI-generated content far easier to create and spread, now wants to ensure that such content is traceable as well. The tech giant said that it was joining an effort to develop credentials for digital content, a sort of “nutrition label” that identifies when and how a photograph, a video, an audio clip or another file was produced or altered — including with AI.

European Commission to Open TikTok Investigation Under Digital Services Act

TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. faces the threat of hefty fines as the European Union prepares a probe under its strict new content moderation rules over concerns of risks to minors. The European Commission will open an investigation into TikTok under the bloc’s new Digital Services Act in the coming weeks, people familiar with the matter said. The probe stems from concerns that changes the company made to comply with the new regulations aren’t enough to protect underage users, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.

Meta to Stop Recommending Political Content on Instagram, Threads

Meta announced it would stop proactively recommending political content on Instagram or its upstart text-based app Threads, alarming news and politics-focused creators and journalists gearing up for a crucial election year. While users will still be allowed to follow accounts that post about political and social issues, accounts posting such content will not be recommended and content posted by nonpolitical accounts that is political in nature or includes social commentary also won’t be recommended, Meta said.

FCC Bans Unsolicited Robocalls with Voices Generated by AI

The Federal Communications Commission has outlawed unsolicited robocalls with voices generated by artificial intelligence amid growing concerns the technology can be used to deceive or mislead people. In a unanimous decision, the FCC said AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls are prohibited under the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which restricts marketing calls that use artificial and prerecorded voice messages.

U.S. Government Announces Charges in Two Technology Transfer Cases

The U.S. government announced charges in two separate cases aimed at enforcing laws blocking the transfer of critical technologies, part of a broader campaign to hamper military efforts and weapons production in rival countries. One of the complaints was against a U.S. citizen born in China who has been arrested and accused of stealing trade secrets from a private company.

Apple Plans to Settle Computer-Chip Tech Trade Secret Suit with Rivos

Apple plans to settle a lawsuit that accused tech startup Rivos of stealing its trade secrets related to computer-chip technology, according to a joint court filing in California federal court. The companies told the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, that they had "signed an agreement that potentially settles the case," and that the agreement allows Apple to examine Rivos' systems and recover any confidential information.

Lawmakers Ask Commerce Department to Put ByteDance on Export Control List

More than a dozen lawmakers called on the Department of Commerce to add ByteDance, the Beijing-based parent company of TikTok, to its export control list in order to “address critical vulnerabilities created by the company’s access to U.S. software.” The group, led by Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), expressed concerns about the security of U.S. user data on TikTok, as well as the relationship between ByteDance and the Chinese government.

Registrar Epik, Known for Keeping Extremists Online, Sold to New Company

A technology company that has been essential in keeping far-right and extremist websites online was acquired last year by a firm that operates an empire of shell companies across the United States, according to people familiar with the deal. Epik.com has been for years the go-to domain registrar for websites that other companies refuse to do business with.

Facebook Oversight Board Criticizes Policies on Manipulated Media

Meta was criticized by a company-funded oversight board for its “incoherent” and “confusing” policies on manipulated media after an altered video of President Biden spread on Facebook. The social media giant opted not to remove the video, which had been edited to show Biden appearing to touch his granddaughter inappropriately.

Dutch Intelligence Agencies Say Chinese Spies Accessed Military Network

Chinese state-backed cyber spies gained access to a Dutch military network last year, Dutch intelligence agencies said, calling it part of a trend of Chinese political espionage against the Netherlands and its allies. It is the first time the Netherlands has publicly attributed cyber espionage to China, as national security tensions grow between the two countries.

Judge Sets September Trial Date in Antitrust Advertising Case Against Google

A U.S. federal judge set a Sept. 9, 2024, date for the start of a jury trial in a lawsuit the U.S. Justice Department and a coalition of states filed last year against Google that accused the company of abusing its dominance of digital advertising technology. The lawsuit, filed in January 2023, accuses Google of monopolizing the market for digital advertising and undermining competition.

Judge Rules in Favor of Apple in Smartwatch Heart-Monitoring Tech Case

Apple Inc. won’t have to face a lawsuit alleging its smartwatch copied heart-monitoring technology from a Khosla Ventures LLC-backed startup, AliveCor, a federal judge ruled. The dispute was based on a meeting in 2015, when AliveCor co-founder David Albert was invited by Apple executives to show off his heart-monitoring device, dubbed the KardiaBand.

Meta to Start Labeling Images Created by Artificial Intelligence

Meta Platforms will begin detecting and labeling images generated by other companies' artificial intelligence services in the coming months, using a set of invisible markers built into the files, its top policy executive said. Meta will apply the labels to any content carrying the markers that is posted to its Facebook, Instagram and Threads services, in an effort to signal to users that the images — which in many cases resemble real photos — are actually digital creations, the company's president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, wrote in a blog post.

Policy Will Allow U.S. to Impose Visa Limits Related to Commercial Spyware

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new policy that will allow the U.S. to impose visa restrictions on individuals involved in the misuse of commercial spyware. The visa restrictions can be levied against those involved in the use of commercial spyware “to target, arbitrarily or unlawfully surveil, harass, suppress, or intimidate” journalists, activists, dissidents and members of marginalized or vulnerable communities.

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.