House Approves Legislation That Includes Potential Ban on TikTok

The House passed legislation that would ban TikTok in the United States if the popular social media platform’s China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake within a year, but don’t expect the app to go away anytime soon. The decision by House Republicans to include TikTok as part of a larger foreign aid package, a priority for President Joe Biden with broad congressional support for Ukraine and Israel, fast-tracked the ban after an earlier version had stalled in the Senate.

Google, Publishers Escalate Debate Over Sharing News Online

California politicians are advancing a bill that would force Google and Meta — which owns Facebook and Instagram — to pay news publishers each time they display pieces of their articles or show links to them in search results or on social media. The companies are lobbying furiously to block it, saying the law would enact a “link tax” and upend the free flow of information online.

FBI Director Says Chinese-Linked Hackers Targeting U.S. Infrastructure

Chinese government-linked hackers have burrowed into U.S. critical infrastructure and are waiting "for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow," FBI Director Christopher Wray said. An ongoing Chinese hacking campaign known as Volt Typhoon has successfully gained access to numerous American companies in telecommunications, energy, water and other critical sectors, with 23 pipeline operators targeted, Wray said in a speech at Vanderbilt University.

U.K. Privacy Regulator Finds Faults in Google's Replacement for Cookies

The U.K. privacy regulator says Google’s proposed replacements for cookies need to do more to protect consumer privacy, according to internal documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Google’s proposed technology, dubbed Privacy Sandbox, leaves gaps that can be exploited to undermine privacy and identify users who should be kept anonymous, the Information Commissioner’s Office wrote in a draft report.

Hackers Claim Access to Database Used for Sanctions, Financial Crime

A financially motivated criminal hacking group says it has stolen a confidential database containing millions of records that companies use for screening potential customers for links to sanctions and financial crime. The hackers, which call themselves GhostR, said they stole 5.3 million records from the World-Check screening database in March and are threatening to publish the data online.

Popular Adult Sites Required to Comply with New EU Content Rules

Adult content companies Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos will have to do risk assessment reports and take measures to address systemic risks linked to their services to comply with new EU online content rules, the European Commission said. The three companies were designated as very large online platforms last December under the Digital Services Act (DSA) which requires them to do more to remove illegal and harmful content on their platforms.

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.

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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.