Despite Garland's Warning, Judiciary Failed to Protect PACER

Several years ago, then-Attorney General Merrick B. Garland invited a group of federal judges to the Justice Department’s headquarters. Once inside a secure room used for handling classified information, the judges were given a grave warning: The nationwide computer system that held court documents, including sealed records about wiretaps, cooperating witnesses and investigative targets, was vulnerable to hackers.

China's 'Salt Typhoon' Cyberattack Stole Info from Almost All Americans

A sweeping cyberattack by a group known as Salt Typhoon is China’s most ambitious yet, experts and officials have concluded after a year of investigating it. It targeted more than 80 countries and may have stolen information from nearly every American, officials said. They see it as evidence that China’s capabilities rival those of the United States and its allies.

Disney Agrees to Pay $10 Million to Settle Child Privacy Suit Over Videos

The Walt Disney Company said it has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a children's privacy lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission related to videos it uploaded on YouTube mostly during the pandemic. It's the first known case in which a YouTube content provider has settled with the FTC over children's privacy violations since the agency's landmark settlement with YouTube and its parent Google in 2019.

Judge Requires Google to Share Search Results, Doesn't Require Breakup

Google must hand over its search results and some data to rival companies but does not need to break itself up by selling its Chrome web browser, a federal judge ruled. The decision, by Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, falls short of the sweeping changes proposed by the government to rein in the power of Silicon Valley.

House Republicans Open Probe of Bias at Wikipedia

Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee opened a probe into alleged organized efforts to inject bias into Wikipedia entries and the organization’s responses. Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), chair of the panel’s subcommittee on cybersecurity, information technology, and government innovation, sent an information request on the matter to Maryana Iskander, chief executive officer of the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia.

FTC Chair Warns Google Not to Suppress Emails Sent by Republicans

The Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission is warning Google not to filter or suppress emails sent by Republicans over Gmail, according to a letter sent from the FTC chair to Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc. The FTC isn't announcing a new investigation into Google, but FTC chair Andrew Ferguson is putting CEO Sundar Pichai on notice that he is taking allegations from Republicans about suppressing emails seriously.

U.S. Internet Forums Sue Britain's Media Regulator Over Free Speech

U.S. internet forums 4chan and Kiwi Farms have filed a legal case in the United States against Britain's media regulator Ofcom, saying its enforcement of the country's online safety law violated Americans' right to freedom of speech. The suit escalates a clash between tech groups and regulators in Britain and the European Union. The regulators say they are trying to protect users online, while critics, led by U.S. President Donald Trump, accuse them of threatening free speech and targeting U.S. companies.

Chinese-Government Hacking Campaign Said to Hit 200 U.S. Groups

The FBI and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies around the world warned that a Chinese-government hacking campaign that previously penetrated nine U.S. telecommunications companies has expanded into other industries and regions, striking at least 200 American organizations and 80 countries. The joint advisory was issued with the close allies in the Five Eyes English-language intelligence-sharing arrangement and also agencies from Finland, the Netherlands, Poland and the Czech Republic, an unusually broad array meant to demonstrate global resolve against what intelligence officials said is a pernicious campaign that exceeds accepted norms for snooping.

Anthropic Blocks Hackers from Using Claude to Write Phishing Emails

Anthropic said it had detected and blocked hackers attempting to misuse its Claude AI system to write phishing emails, create malicious code and circumvent safety filters. The company's findings, published in a report, highlight growing concerns that AI tools are increasingly exploited in cybercrime, intensifying calls for tech firms and regulators to strengthen safeguards as the technology spreads.

DOGE Official Risked Social Security Data on Cloud, Whistleblower Says

A whistleblower says that a former senior DOGE official now at the Social Security Administration copied the Social Security numbers, names and birthdays of over 300 million Americans to a private section of the agency's cloud. That private cloud environment is accessible by other former DOGE employees at the SSA and is lacking adequate security, the whistleblower claims, potentially putting an enormous amount of private information at risk to being revealed and possibly used by identity thieves.

  • Read the article: NPR

Musk's xAI Sues Apple, OpenAI, Alleging Illegal Thwarting of Competition

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence firm, xAI, sued Apple and OpenAI, accusing Apple of manipulating its App Store rankings to give preferential treatment to OpenAI. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, said that Apple and OpenAI “locked up markets to maintain their monopolies and prevent innovators like X and xAI from competing.”

Russian Hackers Leveraging Vulnerability in Older Cisco Software

Hackers associated with some of Russia’s most prolific cyber espionage units have over the last year been leveraging a vulnerability in older Cisco software to target thousands of networking devices associated with critical infrastructure IT systems, the FBI and Cisco said. Hackers working within the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Center 16 are extracting “device configuration information en masse, which can later be leveraged as needed based on then-current strategic goals and interests of the Russian government,” Cisco Talos researchers Sara McBroom and Brandon White wrote in a threat advisory, published to the company’s blog.

Microsoft Stops Providing Advance Threat Notices to Chinese Companies

Microsoft Corp. has curtailed Chinese companies’ access to advance notifications about cybersecurity vulnerabilities in its technology after investigating whether a leak led to a series of hacks exploiting flaws in its SharePoint software. The change, which occurred last month, will limit access for program participants in “countries where they’re required to report vulnerabilities to their governments,” which would include China, according to David Cuddy, a Microsoft spokesperson.

Masimo Sues CBP to Stop Apple from Using Blood-Oxygen Feature Again

U.S. Customs and Border Protection unlawfully let Apple Inc. reactivate a blood-oxygen tracking feature on Apple Watches that infringes patents for the technology, Masimo Corp. said in a federal lawsuit. CBP exceeded its authority in an Aug. 1 internal advice ruling that overturned its own January decision without notice or input from Masimo, the medical-device maker said in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Minnesota Sues TikTok, Accusing It of Preying on Young People

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) sued TikTok, accusing the popular video-sharing platform of preying on young people with addictive algorithms and other design features. Ellison argues the social media company is driven “by an out-of-control pursuit of profit above all else” that seeks to keep young users on the app with features like its recommendation engine, endless scroll, push notifications, filters, live videos and a virtual currency system.

Google to Pay $30 Million to Settle YouTube Children's Privacy Suit

Google will pay $30 million to settle a lawsuit claiming it violated the privacy of children using YouTube by collecting their personal information without parental consent, and using it to send targeted ads. A preliminary settlement of the proposed class action was filed in San Jose, California, federal court, and requires approval by U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen.

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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.