DeepSeek AI App Removed from Apple, Google App Stores in Italy

The Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek could not be accessed in Apple and Google app stores in Italy, the day after the country's data protection authority requested information on its use of personal data. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it had also requested information from DeepSeek about data processing in relation to Irish users.

Meta Agrees to $25 Million Settlement with Trump Over Suspended Account

Meta Platforms has agreed to pay roughly $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit that President Trump brought against the company and its CEO after the social-media platform suspended his accounts following the attacks on the U.S. Capitol that year, according to people familiar with the agreement. Of that, $22 million will go toward a fund for Trump’s presidential library, with the rest going to legal fees and the other plaintiffs who signed onto the case.

Hackers Linked to Foreign Governments Using AI Technology

Hackers linked to China, Iran and other foreign governments are using new AI technology to bolster their cyberattacks against U.S. and global targets, according to U.S. officials and new security research. In the past year, dozens of hacking groups in more than 20 countries turned to Google’s Gemini chatbot to assist with malicious code writing, hunts for publicly known cyber vulnerabilities and research into organizations to target for attack, among other tasks, Google’s cyber-threat experts said.

U.K. Regulators Find Lack of Competition in Cloud-Services Market

Microsoft and Amazon Web Services could face an investigation by U.K. regulators after an independent enquiry found that competition isn’t working in the cloud-services market. The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority said that the enquiry provisionally found that the lack of competition could result in higher costs, less choice, less innovation and lower quality of service for businesses and organizations across the U.K. economy.

Google Asks EU Court to Overturn $4.5 Billion Antitrust Fine

A record EU antitrust fine of 4.3-billion-euro ($4.5 billion) imposed on Google seven years ago punished the tech giant over its innovation, the Alphabet unit told Europe's top court, as it asked judges to scrap the EU decision. Google's appeal to the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union comes two years after a lower tribunal sided with the European Commission which said the company used its Android mobile operating system to quash rivals.

PayPal to Pay $2 Million Fine for Cybersecurity Failures Exposing SSNs

PayPal will pay a $2 million civil fine over cybersecurity failures that led to the exposure of customers' Social Security numbers in late 2022, New York state's Department of Financial Services said. Adrienne Harris, New York's financial services superintendent, said a probe by her office found PayPal failed to use qualified staff to manage key cybersecurity functions or provide adequate training to address cybersecurity risks.

Court Rules FBI's 'Backdoor' Searches Under FISA Unconstitutional

Following years of litigation, a federal court has finally ruled it unconstitutional for the FBI to search communications of U.S. citizens collected under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). In a ruling, U.S. District Court Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall decided that these “backdoor” searches violate the Fourth Amendment.

Nigerian Man Extradited to U.S. in Sextortion Scheme After Teen's Suicide

A Nigerian man has been extradited to the United States on charges that he targeted a 17-year-old South Carolina boy in a sextortion scheme that prosecutors contend led to the boy’s suicide, the U.S. Justice Department said. In July 2022, the man, Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal, posed as a college woman on social media and convinced the boy to send him sexually compromising images of himself, according to federal prosecutors.

DHS Terminates Probe of Chinese-Linked Hack of U.S. Telecoms

The Department of Homeland Security has terminated its advisory committees, wiping out decades of institutional experience and abruptly ending a sweeping investigation into the Chinese-linked hack of U.S. telecom companies, sources familiar with the move confirmed to CBS News. According to a memo signed by Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine C. Huffman, and obtained by CBS News, the decision to disband multiple advisory committees is being made "in alignment with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security."

OpenAI Tells Indian Court U.S. Obligations Prevent Removing Training Data

OpenAI has told an Indian court that any order to remove training data powering its ChatGPT service would be inconsistent with its legal obligations in the United States, according to a recent filing seen by Reuters. The Microsoft-backed AI firm also said that it was not within the jurisdiction of Indian courts to hear a copyright breach case brought by local news agency ANI as OpenAI had no presence in the country.

Indonesia's Antitrust Agency Fines Google for Play Store Payment System

Indonesia's antitrust agency ordered Google to pay fines of around 202 billion rupiah ($12.4 million) for unfair business practices related to its payment system services for Google Play Store, its software distribution platform. The agency launched an investigation into Alphabet Inc's Google in 2022 on suspicion it had abused its dominant position by requiring Indonesian app developers to use Google Play Billing, at higher rates than other payment systems, or face removal from the Google Play Store.

Trump Pardons Creator of Silk Road Drug Marketplace Serving Life Sentence

President Trump granted a pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road drug marketplace and a cult hero in the cryptocurrency and libertarian worlds. In doing so, Mr. Trump fulfilled a promise that he made repeatedly on the campaign trail as he courted political contributions from the crypto industry, which spent more than $100 million to influence the outcome of the election.

Trump Signs Executive Order Intended to Limit Restrictions on Social Media

President Donald Trump ordered that no federal officer, employee or agent may unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen, an early step toward his campaign promise to dismantle what he called government “censorship” of U.S. citizens. The president’s executive order, issued just hours after he was sworn in to a second term, comes after Trump and his supporters have accused the federal government of pressuring social media companies to take down lawful posts over concerns around misinformation.

Carr, New FCC Chair, Vows to Focus on 'Tech and Media Regulation'

Brendan Carr is now formally the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, giving him the power to set the agency’s agenda and usher through a host of regulations with major implications for the tech and media industries as soon as he has a Republican majority. In a statement, Carr named a few areas of focus: “issues ranging from tech and media regulation to unleashing new opportunities for jobs and growth through agency actions on spectrum, infrastructure, and the space economy.”

Trump Revokes Biden's Executive Order on Reducing Risks from AI

U.S. President Donald Trump revoked a 2023 executive order signed by Joe Biden that sought to reduce the risks that artificial intelligence poses to consumers, workers and national security. Biden's order required developers of AI systems that pose risks to U.S. national security, the economy, public health or safety to share the results of safety tests with the U.S. government, in line with the Defense Production Act, before they were released to the public.

Trump Signs Executive Order Delaying Ban on TikTok for 75 Days

President Trump signed an executive order to delay enforcing a federal ban of TikTok for 75 days, even though the law took effect and it is unclear that such a move could override it. The order, one of Mr. Trump’s first acts after taking office, instructs the attorney general not to take any action to enforce the law so that his administration has “an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward.”

U.S. Prosecutors Link Arrested Army Soldier to Records Theft at AT&T, Verizon

U.S. prosecutors have formally linked the arrest of a serving U.S. Army soldier in December to a massive theft of U.S. phone records from AT&T and Verizon last year. Authorities arrested Cameron John Wagenius, a U.S. Army communications specialist, in Texas on December 20 following a brief two-page grand jury indictment accusing the U.S. serviceperson of two counts of unlawfully transferring confidential phone records. Wagenius was later extradited to Washington state.

Outgoing FCC Head Warns of Chinese-Linked Cyber-Espionage Operation

The outgoing head of the Federal Communications Commission said a massive Chinese-linked cyber-espionage operation against U.S. telecoms firms known as "Salt Typhoon" is a "clarion call" to address significant telecommunications security issues. "Salt Typhoon is a clarion call that reminds us that the security of our networks is absolutely vital for our national and economic security," FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a Reuters interview.

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.