U.S. Indicts Senior Leader of Russia-based LockBit Ransomware Group

he Department of Justice (DOJ) has identified and indicted a senior leader of the Russia-based LockBit ransomware group as the U.S. government continues its pursuit of those involved in the group’s cybersecurity attacks in recent years. Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev is facing 26 counts in federal court in New Jersey for his alleged role in the creation and development of the LockBit group from its beginning in September 2019 through the present, federal prosecutors announced.

TikTok, ByteDance File First Amendment Suit Over Potential U.S. Ban

TikTok and its parent company ByteDance challenged the U.S. government in a legal filing over a new law forcing the sale or ban of the social media giant, igniting a high-stakes court battle in Washington that could prove to be an existential fight for one of the world’s most popular apps. The companies in their petition for review contend that the law violates the First Amendment rights of its 170 million U.S. accounts in an “extraordinary and unconstitutional assertion of power” based on vaguely expressed national security concerns.

Microsoft Bans Police Departments' Use of AI for Facial Recognition

Microsoft has reaffirmed its ban on U.S. police departments from using generative AI for facial recognition through Azure OpenAI Service, the company’s fully managed, enterprise-focused wrapper around OpenAI tech. Language added to the terms of service for Azure OpenAI Service more clearly prohibits integrations with Azure OpenAI Service from being used “by or for” police departments for facial recognition in the U.S., including integrations with OpenAI’s current — and possibly future — image-analyzing models.

Germany Summons Russian Representative Over Cyberespionage Campaign

Germany summoned the acting representative of the Russian embassy over a sweeping cyberespionage campaign dating back to 2022 that Berlin blames on Moscow's GRU military intelligence service. "We and our partners will not tolerate these cyberattacks and will use the entire spectrum of measures to prevent, deter and respond to Russia's aggressive behavior in cyberspace," a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Senators Reintroduce Bill Setting Minimum Age for Using Social Media

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) are leading a group of bipartisan senators reintroducing a bill that would limit kids’ social media use by setting a minimum age for users and restricting access to the sites in schools. Schatz originally introduced a version of the legislation, called the Kids Off Social Media Act, in spring 2023.

Judge Hears Closing Arguments in U.S. Antitrust Case Against Google

The judge overseeing a landmark U.S. antitrust challenge to Google tried to poke holes in both sides’ cases during closing arguments as he weighed a ruling that could reshape the technology industry. Judge Amit P. Mehta was presiding over the first day of closing arguments in the most consequential tech antitrust case since the U.S. government sued Microsoft in the late 1990s.

Eight Newspapers Sue OpenAI, Microsoft for Illegally Using Their Articles

Eight daily newspapers owned by Alden Global Capital sued OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing the tech companies of illegally using news articles to power their A.I. chatbots. The publications — The New York Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, The Orlando Sentinel, The Sun Sentinel of Florida, The San Jose Mercury News, The Denver Post, The Orange County Register and The St. Paul Pioneer Press — filed the complaint in federal court in the U.S. Southern District of New York.

Meta Plans to Reduce Number of Staff Working on Oversight Board

Meta’s company-funded oversight body is planning to trim its workforce, a downsizing effort that could affect the board’s ability to police the world’s largest social media network. Meta’s Oversight Board, an independent collection of academics, experts and lawyers who oversee the social media giant’s thorny content decisions, told some employees that their jobs were at risk of being cut, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

FCC Votes to Restore Net Neutrality Regulations Repealed Under Trump

The Federal Communications Commission voted to restore regulations that expand government oversight of broadband providers and aim to protect consumer access to the internet, a move that will reignite a long-running battle over the open internet. Known as net neutrality, the regulations were first put in place nearly a decade ago under the Obama administration and are aimed at preventing internet service providers like Verizon or Comcast from blocking or degrading the delivery of services from competitors like Netflix and YouTube.

Biden Signs Bill Giving TikTok Nine Months to Divest or Face Ban

President Joe Biden signed a foreign aid package that includes a bill that would ban TikTok if China-based parent company ByteDance fails to divest the app within a year. The divest-or-ban bill is now law, starting the clock for ByteDance to make its move. The company has an initial nine months to sort out a deal, though the president could extend that another three months if he sees progress.

TikTok Vows Lawsuit if U.S. Bill Forcing Ban or Divestiture Becomes Law

TikTok told employees it will fight in the courts if a U.S. bill forcing a ban or divestiture of the Chinese-owned app is signed into law, as one of the world’s most valuable technology businesses tries to fend off an existential crisis in its most important market. “This is an unprecedented deal worked out between the Republican Speaker and President Biden,” Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, said in a memo to TikTok’s U.S. staff. “At the stage that the bill is signed, we will move to the courts for a legal challenge.”

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.

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.