China Orders Apple to Remove WhatsApp, Threads Apps

Apple said it pulled the Meta-owned apps WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China on government orders, potentially escalating the war over technology between the United States and China. The iPhone maker said that China’s internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration, ordered the removal of WhatsApp and Threads from its app store because of national security concerns.

Lawyers for X Tell Brazil's Supreme Court Company Will Block Accounts

Lawyers representing Elon Musk's X told Brazil's Supreme Court that the social media platform will comply with every ruling issued by the court or Brazil's top electoral court, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The document addressed to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes comes after Musk said he would challenge a decision by Moraes ordering X, formerly known as Twitter, to block certain accounts in the South American country.

Judge Dismisses Zuckerberg from Lawsuits Accusing Meta of Addiction

Mark Zuckerberg won his bid to avoid personal liability in about two dozen lawsuits accusing Meta Platforms Inc. and other social media companies of addicting children to their products. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is overseeing the cases, sided with the Meta chief executive officer in a ruling that dismisses Zuckerberg as an individual defendant without affecting claims against Meta as a company.

Apple Warns iPhone Users in 92 Countries of Targeted Spyware Attacks

Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 countries, warning them that they may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. “This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do. Although it’s never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning — please take it seriously,” Apple added in the text.

Lack of Funding Forces FCC to Slash Subsidies for Low-Income Internet

A federal program that has helped roughly 23 million American households receive free or heavily discounted high-speed internet is set to see sharp cuts in May, leaving many low-income families facing possible price hikes — or the imminent loss of service altogether. Congress has not yet approved new money for the digital initiative, so the Federal Communications Commission announced that it would have to reduce the maximum payment: Many will see their subsidies fall to $14 per month, less than half of what some now receive toward their broadband bills.

Civil Advocacy Groups Urge Tech Firms to Fight AI-Generated Misinformation

More than 200 civil advocacy groups are calling on Big Tech to bolster their fight against artificial intelligence-fueled misinformation as billions of voters head to the polls this year in elections around the globe. The coalition of activists wrote to the CEOs of Meta, Reddit, Google and X, and 8 other tech executives Tuesday, urging them to adopt more aggressive policies that could stem the tide of dangerous political propaganda.

International Monetary Fund Assesses Cybersecurity in Financial Risks Report

The International Monetary Fund assessed cybersecurity for the first time in its semiannual financial risks report, due to the potential damage from cyberattacks on the financial sector. Financial fallout from cyberattacks on banks and other companies has increased in recent years and hacks don’t have to be large-scale to cause serious consequences, said Felix Suntheim, deputy division chief in the IMF’s monetary and capital markets department.

Schumer Promises 'A Path Forward on TikTok Legislation' in Senate

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer outlined a busy agenda for lawmakers returning to Washington, saying they can make progress "on a path forward on TikTok legislation." Schumer's statement did not outline a specific position on TikTok but said "in the weeks and months ahead, we have the opportunity to make progress on bipartisan bills" including a measure on TikTok.

Apple Asks Appeals Court to Overturn Import Ban on Some Watches

Apple urged a U.S. appeals court to overturn a U.S. trade tribunal's decision to ban imports of some Apple Watches in a patent dispute with medical-monitoring technology company Masimo. Apple told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that the U.S. International Trade Commission's decision was based on a "series of substantively defective patent rulings," and that Masimo failed to show it had invested in making competing U.S. products that would justify the order.

Bipartisan Agreement Would Create Nationwide Online Privacy Protections

Key federal lawmakers unveiled a sweeping proposal that would for the first time give consumers broad rights to control how tech companies like Google, Meta and TikTok use their personal data, a major breakthrough in the decades-long fight to adopt national online privacy protections. The bipartisan agreement, struck by Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), marks a milestone in the congressional debate over data privacy.

Podcast Creators Settle with George Carlin's Estate Over AI-Generated Content

The estate of the comedian George Carlin reached a settlement with the makers of a podcast who had said they had used artificial intelligence to impersonate Mr. Carlin for a comedy special. As part of the agreement, the two podcast creators, Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen, agreed to permanently remove the comedy special and to never repost it on any platform, according to Josh Schiller, a lawyer for Mr. Carlin’s estate.

Apple Accepts EU Demand to Allow Payment Links from Music-Streaming Apps

Apple Inc. said it has accepted European Union demands to stop preventing music-streaming apps from informing users of deals away from the company’s App Store, although it will still charge a fee on those sales. The Cupertino, California-based iPhone maker said that music streaming apps on its App Store in Europe can now include a link to the developer’s website, informing users of alternative ways of buying subscriptions.

Musk Challenges Judge's Order in Brazil to Block Certain Accounts

Elon Musk is challenging a decision by a Supreme Court justice in Brazil who ordered his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to block certain accounts, and he called for the judge's resignation. "This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached. Shame @Alexandre, shame," Musk posted on X.

Meta Asks Judge to Dismiss FTC's Antitrust Case in Instagram, WhatsApp Deals

Meta asked a federal judge to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) antitrust case against the social media giant, arguing that the agency failed to prove that its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp harmed consumers. “From the very beginning, the FTC has failed to state a plausible claim, and the agency has done nothing to build its case through the discovery process to prove otherwise,” Meta said in a press release.

Microsoft to Sell Teams Separately from Office Amid EU Antitrust Probe

Microsoft will sell its chat and video app Teams separately from its Office product globally, the U.S. tech giant said, six months after it unbundled the two products in Europe in a bid to avert a possible EU antitrust fine. The European Commission has been investigating Microsoft's tying of Office and Teams since a 2020 complaint by Salesforce-owned competing workspace messaging app Slack.

Judge Says Meta Can't Delay FTC from Reopening Probe of Privacy Failures

Meta Platforms cannot delay the U.S. Federal Trade Commission from reopening a probe into alleged privacy failures by its Facebook unit while the company pursues a lawsuit challenging the agency's authority, a U.S. court ruled. The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in its order found that Meta had not shown its challenge was likely to be successful.

Scammers Using AI to Create Fake Videos of Social Media Influencers

Because it’s simpler and cheaper to base fake videos on real content, bad actors are scooping up videos on social media that match the demographic of a sales pitch, leading to what experts predict will be an explosion of ads made with stolen identities. As these tools proliferate, those with a more modest social media presence are facing a similar type of identity theft that has already targeted many celebrities — finding their faces and words twisted by AI to push often offensive products and ideas.

Google Plans to Destroy Data Collected from Users in 'Incognito' Mode

Google plans to destroy a trove of data that reflects millions of users’ web-browsing histories, part of a settlement of a lawsuit that alleged the company tracked people without their knowledge. The class action, filed in 2020, accused Google of misleading users about how Chrome tracked the activity of anyone who used the private “Incognito” browsing option.

AT&T Says Data on 73 Million Current, Former Customers Found on Dark Web

The theft of sensitive information belonging to millions of AT&T’s current and former customers has been recently discovered online, the telecommunications giant said. In an announcement addressing the data breach, AT&T said that a dataset found on the “dark web” contains information including some Social Security numbers and passcodes for about 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former account holders.

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.