Biden Issues Executive Order to Strengthen Federal Computer Networks

President Joe Biden has signed an order to strengthen federal computer networks in the wake of damaging espionage intrusions by the Chinese government. The 53-page order builds on steps taken by the White House and federal agencies over the past four years to impose cybersecurity regulations on rail, pipeline and other critical infrastructure sectors of the U.S. economy and develop federal standards for secure software.

Trump Considers Questionable Executive Order to Stop TikTok Ban

President-elect Donald Trump is considering an executive order once in office that would suspend enforcement of the TikTok ban-or-sale law for 60 to 90 days, buying the administration time to negotiate a sale or alternative solution — a legally questionable effort to win a brief reprieve for the Chinese-owned app now scheduled to be banned on Sunday nationwide. Trump has been mulling ways to save the day for the wildly popular video app, talking through unconventional dealmaking and legal maneuvers such as an executive order that would unravel the law passed by Congress last year with bipartisan support, according to two people familiar with the deliberations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.

GoDaddy to Implement Information-Security Programs in FTC Settlement

GoDaddy will implement new information-security programs to settle charges that the technology platform failed to secure its website-hosting services and protect its customers from attacks, the Federal Trade Commission said. The settlement agreement will prohibit the company from making misrepresentations about its security practices, as well as mandate it to hire an independent assessor to oversee the program, the FTC said.

Chinese State-Sponsored Hackers Accessed 3,000 Files at Treasury Dep't

Chinese state-sponsored hackers who breached the U.S. Treasury Department got into more than 400 laptop and desktop computers, taking particular interest in the machines of staff and senior leaders focused on sanctions, international affairs and intelligence, according to an agency report reviewed by Bloomberg News. The hackers accessed employee usernames and passwords, as well as more than 3,000 files on unclassified personal computers, the report said.

London Court Hears Arguments Over Apple's App Store Commissions

Apple has abused its dominant position by charging app developers an unfair 30% commission through its App Store, costing British consumers up to 1.5 billion pounds ($1.8 billion), a London tribunal heard. The U.S. tech company is facing a mass lawsuit brought on behalf of around 20 million iPhone and iPad users in the United Kingdom, who were allegedly overcharged for app purchases.

U.S. Imposes New Limits on Chips Sales to China to Limit AI Advances

The U.S. is imposing some of its strongest measures yet to limit Chinese advances in artificial intelligence, requiring companies to get government approval to export certain information about their AI models and set up large AI computing facilities overseas. The rules are a final push by the Biden administration in a yearslong effort to use export controls to stem China’s advances in chip-making and AI, and they have sparked a backlash from companies including Nvidia.

Meta to End Fact-Checking Program Created to Limit Misinformation

Meta said that it was ending its longstanding fact-checking program, a policy instituted to curtail the spread of misinformation across its social media apps, in a stark sign of how the company was repositioning itself for the Trump presidency and throwing its weight behind unfettered speech online. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said it would now allow more speech, rely on its users to correct inaccurate and false posts, and take a more personalized approach to political content.

EU Officials Committed to Probe of X's Violation of Content Law

The European Union’s top digital officials have committed to “energetically” push forward an investigation into whether Elon Musk’s X social network breached the bloc’s content moderation law. The European Commission’s digital czar Henna Virkkunen and justice chief Michael McGrath said the executive arm will come to a conclusion “as early as legally possible,” in a letter to European lawmakers seen by Bloomberg News.

Other Agencies Spared from Chinese Cyberattack on Treasury Department

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said that there is “no indication” other federal agencies were impacted by the recent breach at the Treasury Department. The Treasury Department revealed last week that Chinese state-sponsored actors had hacked into the agency’s workstations in early December and accessed unclassified documents.

EU Court Says EC Must Pay Damages Over Data Protection Regulations

In a first, the EU General Court ruled that the European Commission must pay damages to a German citizen for failing to comply with its own data protection regulations. The court determined that the Commission transferred the citizen's personal data to the United States without proper safeguards and ordered it to pay him 400 euros ($412) in damages.

Man in Cybertruck Explosion Used ChatGPT to Plan Attack, Police Say

The highly decorated soldier who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI including ChatGPT to help plan the attack, Las Vegas police said. An investigation of 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger’s searches through ChatGPT indicate he was looking for information on explosive targets, the speed at which certain rounds of ammunition would travel and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona.

Some Indian Government Websites Link to Online Betting Platforms

Some Indian government websites continue to allow the planting of scammy links on their official domains months after TechCrunch reported the issue. TechCrunch found more than 90 “gov.in” website links associated with Indian government departments — including the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and India Post, as well as state governments and councils of Haryana and Maharashtra and others — were redirecting to sites linked to online betting and investment scams.

U.S. Launches 'U.S. Cyber Trust Mark' for Internet-Connected Products

The U.S. will begin rolling out a program to label certain internet-connected products as meeting a basic cybersecurity standard, a White House official said. Called the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, the initiative is comparable to the “Energy Star“ program, and will label products like baby monitors, fitness trackers and security cameras that have passed a U.S. cybersecurity audit.

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.