FTC Refuses to Lift Ban on Founder of Consumer Spyware Company

A stalkerware maker who was banned from the surveillance industry after a data breach that exposed the personal information of its customers, as well as the people they were spying on, will not be able to go back to selling the invasive software, according the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The FTC denied a request to cancel that ban made by Scott Zuckerman, the founder of consumer spyware company Support King and its subsidiaries SpyFone and OneClickMonitor.

U.S. Detains Two in 'Sophisticated Smuggling Network' of AI Chips

Two businessmen are in custody for allegedly "violating U.S. export control laws" in a scheme that attempted to smuggle Nvidia H100 and H200 chips to China, the Department of Justice said. The alleged smuggling network "threatens our Nation's security by funneling cutting-edge AI technology to those who would use it against American interests," U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei said in a statement.

Startup Company Seeks to Cancel 'Twitter' Trademark Registrations

A fledgling social media platform has asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel trademarks for Twitter so it can take them for itself, contending that billionaire Elon Musk’s X Corp has abandoned them. The Virginia-based startup, Operation Bluebird, said in its December 2 petition that it wants to be allowed to use “Twitter” and “tweet” for a rival social media platform called “twitter.new.” It also filed an application to trademark “Twitter.”

Developer Sues Trump Officials After Apple Removes 'ICEBlock' App

For six months, Apple distributed an app called ICEBlock that allowed users to alert people when they saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. But after the Trump administration complained that the app endangered officers, Apple removed it. Now, the app’s developer, Joshua Aaron, sued top Trump administration officials, accusing them of pressuring Apple to stifle his free speech and his right to create, distribute and promote ICEBlock.

Meta to Give European Users Ad Choices, European Commission Says

Meta has committed to giving Facebook and Instagram users in the European Union a choice when it comes to personalized ads, in line with the EU's Digital Markets Act, the European Commission said. "Meta will give users the effective choice between consenting to share all their data and seeing fully personalized advertising, and opting to share less personal data for an experience with more limited personalized advertising," the Commission said in a statement.

Trump Says He'll Issue Executive Order Against State Laws on AI

President Trump said in a social media post that he will issue an executive order to curb state laws on artificial intelligence, the latest win for a tech industry lobbying for deregulation. Mr. Trump said he would create a federal order for rules and approvals for A.I. to eliminate a patchwork of state laws that have emerged in recent years.

New York Times Sues Perplexity for Copyright Infringement

The New York Times claimed in a lawsuit that its copyrights were repeatedly violated by Perplexity, an artificial intelligence start-up that has built a cutting-edge internet search engine. The Times said in its lawsuit that it had contacted Perplexity several times over the past 18 months, demanding that the start-up stop using the publication’s content until the two companies negotiated an agreement.

White House Plan to Block States' AI Laws Called Likely to Fail

Pressure from President Trump to block state-level AI regulation is falling short on Capitol Hill. Although the White House and Hill allies have landed on an AI preemption proposal and are pressing ahead, time is running out and opposition is mounting as sources familiar with the matter described the proposal from Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) as "a long shot," "it's dead" and "it will fail."

YouTube to Restrict Access for Users Under 16 in Australia

YouTube is taking steps to comply with Australia’s upcoming under-16s social media ban, even after rejecting its inclusion in the crackdown and speculation that the company was considering a court challenge. Anyone under the age of 16 in Australia will be automatically signed out of their YouTube accounts on Dec. 10 when the law takes effect, Rachel Lord, public policy senior manager for Google and YouTube Australia, said in a blog post.

India Drops Plan to Require State-Run Cybersecurity App on Phones

India's government scrapped an order to smartphone makers to preload a state-run cybersecurity app on all new devices after an outcry from politicians, privacy advocates and global tech companies over surveillance fears. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government had privately told companies including Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi on November 28 to preload new phones with an app that cannot be deleted called Sanchar Saathi within 90 days.

Missouri Becomes 25th State with Age-Verification Law for Porn

Half of the states in the U.S. are under restrictive age verification laws that require adults to hand over their biometric and personal identification to access legal porn as Missouri became the 25th state to enact its own age verification law. As it’s done in multiple other states, Pornhub and its network of sister site — some of the largest adult content platforms in the world — pulled service in Missouri, replacing their homepages with a video of performer Cherie DeVille speaking about the privacy risks and chilling effects of age verification.

Australian Boy Sues Over Law Banning Social Media for Young Teens

A teenager suing the Australian government to overturn a ban on social media for under-16s says the measure would make the Internet more dangerous for young people and be widely circumvented. The law, due to take effect on December 10, would block minors from platforms such as Meta's Instagram, TikTok and Snap's Snapchat. The government says the ban will protect children from harmful content and online predators.

Supreme Court Hears Arguments About ISP Liability for Songs

The Supreme Court grappled with the practical implications of a closely watched copyright clash testing whether Internet providers can be held liable for the piracy of thousands of songs online. Leading music labels and publishers who represent artists ranging from Bob Dylan to Beyoncé sued Cox Communications in 2018, saying it had failed to terminate the internet connections of subscribers who had been repeatedly flagged for illegally downloading and distributing copyrighted music.

Georgia Real Estate Authority Hit by Ransomware Attack

A state authority that oversees and manages a widely used database of Georgia’s real estate records said it recently suffered a sophisticated ransomware attack. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority, which operates the central database for the state’s real estate index, announced Sunday it restricted its website and halted related services because of the cyberattack.

Italy's Competition Regulator Widens Probe of WhatsApp

Italy’s competition regulator has broadened the scope of an investigation into WhatsApp-owner Meta Platforms over the social media giant’s artificial intelligence chatbot policy, saying the company could face interim measures over its rules. The Autorita Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato said it is now scrutinizing a policy WhatsApp introduced in October excluding rival chatbots from its messaging service and the company’s integration of its own AI features into the messaging platform.

Russia Threatens to Block WhatsApp for Failing to Comply with Laws

Russia's state communications watchdog threatened to block WhatsApp entirely if it fails to comply with Russian law, news agencies reported. In August, Russia began limiting some calls on WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms and on Telegram, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of refusing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases.

North Korean Hacking Group Suspected in Crypto Attack

North Korean hacking group Lazarus is suspected of being behind an exploit that saw 45 billion won (about $30 million) drained from South Korea’s largest crypto exchange Upbit, Yonhap News reported. South Korean authorities plan to carry out an on-site investigation at the crypto exchange and believe Lazarus was behind the incident, according to the report, which cited unidentified government and industry sources.

EU Lawmakers to Hold Social Media Companies Liable for Fraud

Platforms including Meta and TikTok will be held liable for financial fraud for the first time under new rules agreed by EU lawmakers. As a compromise, lawmakers agreed that banks should reimburse victims if a scammer, impersonating the bank, swindles them out of their money, or if payments are processed without consent, but social media companies will have to compensate banks if it’s clear that they failed to remove an online scam that had been reported.

U.S. Patent Office Issues Guidelines on Using AI in Inventions

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued new guidelines outlining when inventions created with the help of artificial intelligence can be patented. USPTO Director John Squires said in a notice that the office considers generative AI systems to be "analogous to laboratory equipment, computer software, research databases, or any other tool that assists in the inventive process."

Subscribe

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.