DeSantis Signs Bill Restricting Young Children's Usage of Social Media

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed strong restrictions against children using social media, following other Republican-led states amid a national push to crack down on minors’ access to online platforms over safety fears. The sweeping restrictions prohibit children 13 and younger from creating social media profiles, and requires parental consent for those between 14 and 15.

U.S. Indicts Seven Chinese State-Sponsored Hackers, Announces Sanctions

The Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging seven Chinese state-sponsored hackers with a broad 14-year campaign to target U.S. and foreign critics, businesses and political officials to advance Beijing’s economic espionage and political spying goals. In tandem, the Treasury Department announced sanctions on two of the hackers and a front company for their roles in breaching U.S. critical infrastructure, including in the defense and energy sectors.

Judge Dismisses X's Lawsuit Against Center for Countering Digital Hate

A federal judge in California dismissed X’s lawsuit against a nonprofit organization that studies hate speech online, ruling that the social media company’s case was designed to punish researchers for speaking freely about the social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. X sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate in July in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California after the organization published several articles that claimed its researchers had discovered a rise in hate speech on the platform following Elon Musk’s takeover.

European Antitrust Regulators to Investigate Apple, Google, Meta

Apple, Alphabet's Google and Meta Platforms will be investigated for potential breaches of the EU's new Digital Markets Act, European antitrust regulators said, potentially leading to hefty fines for the companies. The European Union law, effective from March 7, aims to challenge the power of the tech giants by making it easier for people to move between competing online services like social media platforms, internet browsers and app stores.

Germany's Cybersecurity Agency Warns About Russian Hackers

Elite hackers tied to Russian intelligence last month targeted several German political parties with an eye toward burrowing into their networks and stealing data, according to an alert released by Germany's cybersecurity agency and security researchers working for Google owner Alphabet. In a report, Alphabet's Mandiant cyber unit said it had caught the hacking group known as APT29, which is alleged by Western intelligence to act on behalf of Russia's SVR foreign spy agency, trying to trick "key German political figures" into opening an email masquerading as an invitation to a March 1 dinner event hosted by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Germany's center-right political party.

Spain's High Court Orders Telegram Suspended After Media Complaints

Spain's High Court has ordered the suspension of messaging app Telegram's services in the country after media companies complained it was allowing users to upload their content without permission, according to a court source. The use of Telegram in Spain will be temporarily suspended after a request by media firms including Atresmedia, EGEDA, Mediaset and Telefonica.

Justice Department Files Antitrust Complaint Against Apple Over iPhone

The Justice Department sued Apple, alleging the tech giant blocked software developers and mobile gaming companies from offering better options on the iPhone, resulting in higher prices for consumers. The government’s antitrust complaint, filed in a New Jersey federal court, alleges Apple used its control of the iPhone to prevent competitors from offering innovative services such as digital wallets and limited the functionality of hardware products that compete with Apple’s own devices.

EPA Warns States About Cyberattacks on Water, Wastewater Systems

The Biden administration is asking states to bolster security for water and wastewater systems, warning that utilities across the country are being targeted by “disabling cyberattacks.” In a letter sent to all U.S. governors, the White House and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cited ongoing threats from hackers linked with Iranian and Chinese governments, warning that similar attacks could disrupt access to clean drinking water and “impose significant costs on affected communities.”

Judge Won't Sanction Michael Cohen for AI-Generated Fake Legal Citations

A Manhattan judge declined to impose sanctions on Michael D. Cohen, the onetime fixer for former President Donald J. Trump, after he mistakenly gave his lawyer fake legal citations concocted by Google Bard, an artificial intelligence program, for a motion the lawyer was preparing on Mr. Cohen’s behalf. The lawyer, David M. Schwartz, cited the bogus cases in his motion, which was filed in Federal District Court.

Supreme Court Seems Reluctant to Limit White House Contacts with Social Media

A majority of the Supreme Court seemed wary of a bid by two Republican-led states to limit the Biden administration’s interactions with social media companies, with several justices questioning the states’ legal theories and factual assertions. Most of the justices appeared convinced that government officials should be able to try to persuade private companies, whether news organizations or tech platforms, not to publish information so long as the requests are not backed by coercive threats.

Six More Countries Join U.S.-Led Pact Targeting Phone-Hacking Spyware

The Biden administration is welcoming six new countries to a U.S.-led pact to crack down on phone-hacking spyware as U.S. officials tell CNN that the administration continues to find new cases of American government personnel being targeted by a technology that is deemed a national security and counterintelligence threat. “We are aggressively and intensively trying to identity and confirm more” cases of US government personnel whose phones have been targeted with commercially available spyware, a U.S. National Security Council official told CNN.

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Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on U.S. Role in Social Media Moderation

The Biden administration’s legal battle over social media content moderation will reach the Supreme Court, when the justices are set to hear arguments over whether federal officials violated the First Amendment by urging platforms to remove posts they deemed false or misleading. Two Republican attorneys general brought the case in a challenge to the administration’s efforts to curb misinformation online — an effort they described as a government “campaign of censorship.”

Lawmakers Increase Calls Against Sex Exploitation Amid OnlyFans Disclosure

Three U.S. lawmakers and two in Britain called for tougher safeguards against online sexual exploitation after a Reuters investigation identified more than 140 police complaints of nonconsensual pornography on OnlyFans, the popular adults-only website. "It is absolutely unconscionable," U.S. Representative Ann Wagner, a Missouri Republican, said in a statement about the abuses alleged in the complaints.

League of Women Voters Files Suit Over AI-Generated Call Impersonating Biden

A voting advocacy group is suing a political consultant and companies behind an AI-generated robocall of President Biden that in January urged New Hampshire voters not to participate in the state’s presidential primary. The League of Women Voters of New Hampshire accuses campaign consultant Steve Kramer and telecom companies Life Corp. and Lingo Telecom of voter intimidation, coercion and deception in violation of federal and state laws, including the Voting Rights Act and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

Russia Increases Internet Censorship Controls Ahead of Putin's Election

Russia is ratcheting up its Internet censorship ahead of elections gave President Vladimir V. Putin another six years in power, further shrinking one of the last remaining spaces for political activism, independent information and free speech. The Russian authorities have intensified a crackdown against digital tools used to get around internet blocks, throttled access to WhatsApp and other communications apps in specific areas during protests, and expanded a program to cut off websites and online services, according to civil society groups, researchers and companies that have been affected.

FTC Opens Inquiry Into Reddit's Sharing of User-Generated Content for AI

Reddit disclosed the Federal Trade Commission is looking into its sale, licensing or sharing of user-generated content with third parties to train artificial-intelligence models. The social network said a letter from the FTC indicated that the regulator was interested in meeting with Reddit to learn more about its plans, and that the FTC intends to request information and documents as its inquiry continues, according to a securities filing.

Court in Brazil Rules for Meta in Trademark Case from Computer Company

Facebook-parent Meta won an appeal overturning a previous court ruling that barred it from using its name in Brazil due to confusion with another company. Mark Zuckerberg's tech company was in late February ordered to stop using its name in Brazil within 30 days after a Brazilian computer services provider won a favorable ruling arguing it already owned rights to the name and had as a result of the U.S. branding been wrongly cited in over 100 lawsuits.

Supreme Court Allows Some Suits Against Public Officials on Social Media

The Supreme Court opened the door to lawsuits against public officials for blocking critics on social media, but only when such actions deprive citizens of access to online posts that effectively serve as government communications. A unanimous high court set out the rules in a case involving a city manager in Port Huron, Mich., who used his personal Facebook page to post about his daughter and dog but also used the same account to announce some of the administrative directives he issued in his official capacity.

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.