Florida Legislature Approves Bill Banning Children from Using Social Media

Florida’s Legislature has passed a sweeping social media bill that would make the state the first to effectively bar young people under 16 from holding accounts on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The measure — which Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would “be wrestling with” over the weekend and has not yet signed — could potentially upend the lives of millions of young people in Florida.

Canadian Federal Police Targeted by Cyberattack, But No Impact

Canadian federal police said their systems were targeted by an "alarming" cyberattack but there was no impact on operations and no known threat to the safety of Canadians. "The situation is evolving quickly but at this time, there is no impact on RCMP operations and no known threat to the safety and security of Canadians," a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told reporters.

X Removes Accounts, Posts Following Order by Indian Government

Social media platform X said it took down certain accounts and posts following an order by the Indian government, which local media reports say are linked to ongoing protests by farmers demanding higher prices for crops. The platform formerly known as Twitter did not provide details of the removals but said it disagrees with the action and that the move amounts to curtailing freedom of expression.

Biden Signs Executive Order Strengthening Response to Maritime Cybersecurity Threats

President Biden signed an executive order to strengthen the government’s ability to respond to maritime cybersecurity threats, amid heightened concerns that China could seek to hobble crucial infrastructure systems in the United States. Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said that the order would also allow the U.S. Coast Guard to outline rules for establishing minimum cybersecurity requirements at ports throughout the United States, and that the government would invest $20 billion in port infrastructure as part of Mr. Biden’s infrastructure agenda.

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Appeal in VirnetX's Patent Case Against Apple

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear patent-licensing company VirnetX's bid to revive a $502.8 million jury verdict it won against Apple in a dispute over Internet-security patents. The justices turned away Zephyr Cove, Nevada-based VirnetX's appeal of a lower court's decision to overturn the verdict against Cupertino, California-based Apple that had been reached by a jury in Tyler, Texas

Lawsuit Accuses Dating App Company of Violating Consumer Protection Laws

In a class-action lawsuit filed Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day — six dating app users accused Match Group of having a “predatory” business model and deliberately “employing psychologically manipulative features to ensure they remain on the app perpetually as paying subscribers.” The lawsuit argues that Match’s apps violate consumer protection laws.

Read the article: The Washington Post

EU to Investigate TikTok in Connection with Rules Protecting Children

The European Union will investigate whether ByteDance's TikTok breached online content rules aimed at protecting children and ensuring transparent advertising, an official said, putting the social media platform at risk of a hefty fine. EU industry chief Thierry Breton said he took the decision after analyzing the short video app's risk assessment report and its replies to requests for information.

Ukrainian Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Cyberattacks on Vermont Hospital

A Ukrainian man pleaded guilty in federal court to his leadership role in two cyberattack schemes that caused tens of millions of dollars in losses and temporarily crippled a Vermont hospital in 2020, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors said that Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, 37, was a leader for an organization that in May 2009 began to infect thousands of computers at corporations with malicious software, and that he helped lead a separate malware scheme that began around November 2018.

Read the article: The New York Times

FBI, UK National Crime Agency Take Down LockBit Ransomware Gang

International law enforcement has taken down the dark web site tied to notorious ransomware gang LockBit as part of an ongoing operation, spokespeople for Europol and the U.K.'s National Crime Agency confirmed. Most recently, LockBit has claimed responsibility for a ransomware attack on Georgia's Fulton County that has disrupted key county services for weeks.

FBI Disrupts Russian Hacking Operation That Infiltrated Routers

The FBI, working with other countries, disrupted a Russian hacking operation that infiltrated more than 1,000 home and small-business Internet routers in the United States and around the world, the Justice Department announced. Russian intelligence, collaborating with cybercriminals, created a botnet, or a network of private computers infected with malicious software, to spy on military and security organizations and private corporations in countries like the United States.

Russia, China Reportedly Using AI Tools to Improve Hacking Abilities

Russia, China and other U.S. adversaries are using the newest wave of artificial intelligence tools to improve their hacking abilities and find new targets for online espionage, according to a report from Microsoft and its close business partner OpenAI. While computer users of all stripes have been experimenting with large language models to help with programming tasks, translate phishing emails and assemble attack plans, the new report is the first to associate top-tier government hacking teams with specific uses of LLM.

New York City Sues Social Media Services for 'Youth Mental Health Crisis'

New York City filed a lawsuit against TikTok, Meta, Snap and Google's YouTube to hold the companies accountable "for fueling the nationwide youth mental health crisis," NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced. Driving the news: The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court by the City of New York, the New York Department of Education and New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, alleges that companies intentionally manipulate and addict younger users, keeping them on their platforms.

Top AI Companies Plan to Sign Agreement Labeling Content Ahead of Election

Leading artificial intelligence companies are planning to sign an “accord” committing to developing tech to identify, label and control AI-generated images, videos and audio recordings that aim to deceive voters ahead of crucial elections in multiple countries this year. The agreement, developed by Google, Microsoft and Meta, as well as OpenAI, Adobe and TikTok, however, does not ban deceptive political AI content, according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post. X, previously Twitter, was not a signatory to the agreement.

Judge Allows Unfair Competition Claims in Authors' Suit Against ChatGPT

OpenAI Inc. must face a claim that it violated California unfair competition law by using copyrighted books from comedian Sarah Silverman and other authors to train ChatGPT without permission. But U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín also dismissed a number of Silverman and her coplaintiffs’ other legal claims, including allegations of vicarious copyright infringement, violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, negligence, and unjust enrichment.

Read the article: Bloomberg Law

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Worried About Biden on TikTok

The chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee said he is concerned about the decision by the campaign of President Joe Biden to join short-video app TikTok, while the White House said nothing has changed about government national security concerns. Democratic Senator Mark Warner said he was concerned about the national security implications of Chinese-owned TikTok and the Biden campaign decision to join.

Judge Blocks Ohio's Law Requiring Parental Consent for Social Media

A federal judge prevented Ohio from implementing a new law that requires social media companies, including Meta Platform's Instagram and ByteDance's TikTok, to obtain parental consent before allowing children under 16 to use their platforms. Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley in Columbia agreed, opens new tab with the tech industry trade group NetChoice that the law violated minors' free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

FCC Commissioner Wants Probe of Apple's Response to 'Beeper Mini' App

Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate Apple’s response to Beeper Mini — the app that briefly brought iMessage to Android. During the State of the Net Conference, Carr said the FCC should look into whether Apple’s move “complies with the FCC’s Part 14 rules” about accommodating users with disabilities.

New York Attorney General Expands Cryptocurrency Fraud Suit to $3 Billion

New York Attorney General Letitia James expanded her lawsuit against Digital Currency Group and other cryptocurrency defendants, tripling the size of their alleged fraud scheme to more than $3 billion. James had in October sued DCG, its Genesis Global Capital unit, and Gemini Trust, the exchange run by twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.

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.