EU Requests Info from TikTok About Russian Influence on Romanian Election

The European Union said it sent TikTok an urgent request for more information about Romanian intelligence files suggesting that Moscow coordinated influencers on its platform to promote an election candidate who became the surprise front-runner in the nation’s presidential election. The 27-nation bloc’s executive branch is using its sweeping digital rulebook to scrutinize the video-sharing app’s role in the vote. which saw the far-right populist Calin Georgescu coming from out of nowhere to take top spot.

FCC Chairwoman Proposes Annual Certification for Cybersecurity Plans

U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is proposing that communications service providers be required to submit an annual certification attesting that they have a plan in place to protect against cyberattacks, the agency said in a statement. The proposal is in part in response to efforts by an allegedly Beijing-sponsored group of hackers, dubbed "Salt Typhoon," to burrow deep into American telecommunications companies to steal data about U.S. calls.

Appeals Court Judges Rule Against TikTok as Ban in U.S. Approaches

TikTok is one step closer to disappearing in the United States after a panel of federal judges unanimously upheld a new law that could lead to the banning of the popular Chinese-owned video app by mid-January. The three judges, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, denied TikTok’s petition to overturn the law.

U.S. Officials Urge Encrypted Apps to Protect Against Foreign Hackers

Amid an unprecedented cyberattack on telecommunications companies such as AT&T and Verizon, U.S. officials have recommended that Americans use encrypted messaging apps to ensure their communications stay hidden from foreign hackers. The hacking campaign, nicknamed Salt Typhoon by Microsoft, is one of the largest intelligence compromises in U.S. history, and not yet fully remediated.

Lawsuit Accuses Apple of Illegally Monitoring Employees' Devices

Apple has been accused in a new lawsuit of illegally monitoring its workers' personal devices and iCloud accounts while also barring them from discussing their pay and working conditions. The complaint filed in California state court by Amar Bhakta, who works in digital advertising for Apple, claims the company requires employees to install software on personal devices that they use for work allowing Apple to access their email, photo libraries, health and "smart home" data and other personal information.

Canadian News Organizations File Copyright Suit Against OpenAI

A group of prominent Canadian news organizations sued ChatGPT maker OpenAI, extending the fight over artificial intelligence and copyright beyond the United States. The lawsuit, brought by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., the Globe and Mail, Canadian Press and newspaper owners Torstar and Postmedia, alleges that OpenAI illegally scraped their content and used it to train its AI tools.

Britain's Cyber Security Chief Warns of Greater 'Hostile Activity' in Cyberspace

Britain's cyber security chief warned of a rise in hostile activity in the country's cyberspace, with the number of incidents handled by officials rising by 16% in 2024 compared to a year ago. "Hostile activity in UK cyberspace has increased in frequency, sophistication and intensity," the National Cyber Security Centre's Richard Horne will say in a speech later on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the government agency.

Australian Lawmakers Approve Ban on Social Media for Children Under 16

Australian lawmakers approved a landmark ban on social media for children under 16 in some of the world’s toughest such controls. The ban, which aims to address the impact of excessive social media use on children’s physical and mental health, affects social media platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit, but not YouTube.

Canada's Competition Bureau Files Suit Against Google Over Advertising

Canada's Competition Bureau is suing Alphabet's Google over alleged anti-competitive conduct in online advertising, the antitrust watchdog said. The Competition Bureau, in a statement, said it had filed an application with the Competition Tribunal seeking an order that, among other things, requires Google to sell two of its ad tech tools.

FTC Launches Antitrust Probe of Microsoft for Multiple Businesses

The Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into whether Microsoft has violated antitrust law in multiple segments of its wide-ranging business, according to two people familiar with the inquiry, the latest salvo in a battle by the government to rein in the most powerful tech companies. The agency recently sent a long and detailed formal request for information to the company asking about its cloud computing, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity products, the people said.

China's Breach of U.S. Telecom System Said to Allow Phone, Text Access

China’s recent breach of the innermost workings of the U.S. telecommunications system reached far deeper than the Biden administration has described, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said, with hackers able to listen in on telephone conversations and read text messages. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, a former telecommunications executive, said he had been stunned by the scope and depth of the breach, which was engineered over the past year by a group linked to Chinese intelligence that has been named Salt Typhoon by Microsoft, whose cybersecurity team discovered the hack in the summer.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Sets Rules for Digital Wallets

Silicon Valley tech giants and others who together process more than 13 billion financial transactions annually through digital wallets and payment apps will be subject to government supervision, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said. The new rule will bring a burgeoning consumer service under the same scrutiny faced by banks while helping protect the privacy of vast amounts of consumer data and preventing fraud and the illegal closure of their accounts, the agency said.

Justice Department Asks Court to Force Chrome Sale, Put Limits on Android

The Justice Department and a group of states asked a federal court to force Google to sell Chrome, its popular web browser, a move that could fundamentally alter the $2 trillion company’s business and reshape competition on the internet. The request follows a landmark ruling in August by Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that found Google had illegally maintained a monopoly in online search.

Threatening Text Messages Sent to Black, Latino, LGBTQ+ Communities

More than a week after racist text messages threatening Black people with enslavement were sent by anonymous numbers to recipients across the country, similar threats have been sent to people in Latino and LGBTQ+ communities, according to the FBI. It was not immediately clear how many messages were sent by the anonymous users, but thousands more messages — and the numbers sending them — were blocked by wireless carriers once they were made aware of the situation, according to Nick Ludlum, senior vice president of CTIA, a trade group for the U.S. wireless communications industry.

Sabotage Suspected as Two Fiber Optic Cables Severed in Baltic Sea

Germany’s defense minister called the severing of two fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea an act of sabotage aimed at European countries that are supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. The damage disrupted some data transfers but did not endanger the internet connection or security of any of the countries, authorities said.

Indian News Agency ANI Sues OpenAI for Using Content Without Permission

Indian news agency ANI has sued OpenAI in a New Delhi court, accusing the ChatGPT creator of using its published content without permission to help train the artificial intelligence chatbot, something that OpenAI says it has stopped doing. ANI is the latest news organisation globally to take OpenAI to court following lawsuits in the U.S. by newspapers including the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Library of Congress Says Hackers Accessed Communications with Congress

The Library of Congress said hackers broke into its communications systems and were able to read its email correspondence with congressional offices for most of this year. In a private notification sent to some congressional offices, obtained by NBC News, the Library of Congress said that hackers “accessed email communications between congressional offices and some Library staff, including the Congressional Research Service.”

Justice Department Wants Judge to Force Google to Sell Chrome Browser

Alphabet Inc.’s Chrome browser could go for as much as $20 billion if a judge agrees to a Justice Department proposal to sell the business, in what would be a historic crackdown on one of the world’s biggest tech companies. The department will ask the judge, who ruled in August that Google illegally monopolized the search market, to require measures related to artificial intelligence and its Android smartphone operating system, according to people familiar with the plans.

Hackers Breach T-Mobile in Chinese Cyber-Espionage Operation

T-Mobile’s network was among the systems hacked in a damaging Chinese cyber-espionage operation that successfully gained entry into multiple U.S. and international telecommunications companies, according to people familiar with the matter. Hackers linked to a Chinese intelligence agency were able to breach T-Mobile as part of monthslong campaign to spy on the cellphone communications of high-value intelligence targets. I

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.