FTC Report Accuses Social Media Platforms of Privacy Violations

Top social media and video streaming companies are facing new scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which released a report accusing the platforms of vastly violating users’ privacy and failing to provide safeguards for kids and teens. The 129-page report found that several social media and video streaming platforms carried out practices in the last four years that “did not consistently” prioritize consumers’ privacy.

More Than Half of U.S. States Urge Limits on AI in Election Communications

As the 2024 election cycle ramps up, at least 26 states have passed or are considering bills regulating the use of generative AI in election-related communications, a new analysis by Axios shows. The review lays bare a messy patchwork of rules around the use of genAI in politics, as experts increasingly sound the alarm on the evolving technology's power to sway or disenfranchise voters.

FBI Says It Disrupted Chinese Hackers Targeting U.S. Infrastructure

The FBI has disrupted a group of Chinese hackers who were working at the direction of the Chinese government to infiltrate critical infrastructure in the U.S. and other countries and to spy on and steal data from universities, government agencies and others, Director Chris Wray said. The hacking campaign known as Flax Typhoon installed malicious software on thousands of internet-connected devices, including cameras, video recorders, and home and office routers, to create a massive botnet — a network of infected computers.

California Governor Signs Laws Against AI-Created Election 'Deepfakes'

California will now require social media companies to moderate the spread of election-related impersonations powered by artificial intelligence, known as “deepfakes,” after Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed three new laws on the subject. The three laws, including a first-of-its kind law that imposes a new requirement on social media platforms, largely deal with banning or labeling the deepfakes.

Pokemon Company Wins $15 Million in Copyright Suit Over Characters

The Pokémon Company has won around $15 million in a copyright lawsuit against a Chinese company that appeared to blatantly use Pokémon characters in its game. As reported by GamesBiz and translated by Automaton, The Pokémon Company announced its success in the lawsuit over Pocket Monster Reissue, also known as Koudaiyaoguai Fuke, a turn based role-playing mobile game alleged to include characters such as Ash Ketchum and Pikachu.

  • Read the article: IGN

Well-Known Russian Influence Group Targets Harris Campaign, Microsoft Says

Russia is now throwing all of its disinformation resources behind operations designed to undermine the Harris-Walz campaign, according to a Microsoft report. Starting in late August, a well-known Russian influence group, called Storm-1516, created and spread two fake videos online to discredit the Harris-Walz campaign, according to the Microsoft report.

Instagram Mandates New 'Teen Accounts' to Restrict Younger Users

Instagram announced its most dramatic effort yet to protect young users from dangers on its platform, implementing new “teen account” settings that will automatically make millions of teen accounts private and restrict what kinds of content those users can view on the app. The change to how Instagram lets teens use its platform comes nearly three years after the explosive “Facebook Papers” first drew mass attention to the risks the platform poses for young users.

  • Read the article: CNN

Appeals Court Appears Skeptical of Government's Efforts Against TikTok

A federal appeals court signaled skepticism with TikTok’s legal effort to prevent the U.S. government from forcing the popular social-media app to sever ties with China to keep operating in this country. During morning oral arguments, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit repeatedly questioned TikTok’s challenge to legislation that requires its parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, to sell the platform by Jan. 19.

Meta Bans Russian Media Outlet RT Over 'Foreign Interference Activity'

Social media giant Meta announced that it is banning Russian media outlet RT, days after the Biden administration accused RT of acting as an arm of Moscow’s spy agencies. “After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

Jury Finds Zynga Owes $44.9 Million to IBM for Damages in Patent Case

IBM has convinced a federal jury in Delaware that mobile-game maker Zynga owes $44.9 million in damages for violating IBM's patent rights in what the tech giant called "foundational" Internet technology. The jury determined that Zynga games including entries from its "Farmville" series infringed two IBM patents related to web-based communications.

EU Antitrust Officials Reportedly Not Considering Google Breakup Order

EU antitrust officials are considering ordering Alphabet's Google to end anti-competitive practices in its adtech business, but will not order a breakup as they had previously warned, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. European Union regulators are due to issue a decision with a hefty fine in the coming months after antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager last year threatened to break up Google's lucrative adtech business.

Apple Asks Court to Dismiss Suit Against Spyware Company NSO Group

Apple asked a court to dismiss its three-year-old hacking lawsuit against spyware pioneer NSO Group, arguing that it might never be able to get the most critical files about NSO’s Pegasus surveillance tool and that its own disclosures could aid NSO and its increasing number of rivals. A redacted version of the filing in San Francisco federal court cited a July article in the Guardian, which reported that Israeli officials had taken files from NSO’s headquarters.

Judge in Brazil Lifts Freezes on Bank Accounts for X, Starlink

Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes decided to lift freezes previously imposed on Starlink and X bank accounts after ordering the transfer of 18.35 million reais ($3.3 million) from the accounts to the national coffers. According to a court statement, the lift was ordered because the amount transferred to Brazil reached the total X owed the country in fines, which had been imposed amid a feud between billionaire owner Elon Musk and Moraes.

Judge Blocks Utah's Law Requiring Social Media Age Verification

A federal judge blocked Utah from enforcing an ambitious new law that would have required social media companies to verify people’s ages, apply privacy settings and impose certain restrictions on minors. U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby issued the preliminary injunction against the Utah Minor Protection in Social Media Act, which was set to take effect Oct. 1.

EU's Highest Court Rules Against Apple, Google in Landmark Cases

The European Union’s highest court delivered the 27-nation bloc a major victory in its yearslong campaign to regulate the technology industry, ruling against Apple and Google in two landmark legal cases. The decisions, issued by the Court of Justice of the European Union, were seen as an important test of efforts in Europe to clamp down on the world’s largest technology companies.

Trial Opens in Antitrust Case Against Google Over Online Ads

The Justice Department told a federal judge that Google had built a monopoly in lucrative technology that delivers online ads, kicking off a second federal antitrust trial against the tech giant amid mounting scrutiny of the industry. Google used its acquisition of the advertising software company DoubleClick in 2008 to dominate technology that auctions off ads on web pages as users visit, Julia Tarver Wood, the government’s lead trial lawyer, said in opening statements.

Australian Government Plans Minimum Age for Using Social Media

The Australian government plans to set a minimum age limit for teens to use social media, citing mental health concerns, a move that has broad political support but that has some experts warning of harmful unintended consequences. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Tuesday that his government would introduce the legislation in Parliament this year — ahead of an expected May election — but that the precise age limit was yet to be decided.

42 State Attorneys General Pushing for Social Media Warning Labels

The attorneys general of 42 states and U.S. territories joined together to call on Congress to pass legislation implementing Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s proposal to require official warnings on social media platforms. “Young people are facing a mental health crisis, which is fueled in large part by social media,” read the letter, which was addressed to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Facebook Admits Scraping Posts from Australian Users to Train AI Models

Facebook has admitted that it scrapes the public photos, posts and other data of Australian adult users to train its AI models and provides no opt-out option, even though it allows people in the European Union to refuse consent. Meta's global privacy director Melinda Claybaugh was pressed at an inquiry as to whether the social media giant was hoovering up the data of all Australians in order to build its generative artificial intelligence tools, and initially rejected that claim.

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.