Month: April 2020

Internet Governance

Senator Blumenthal Raises Concerns Over Apple And Google’s Contact Tracing Technology: Apple and Google have teamed up to develop contact tracing technology designed to help contain the spread of coronavirus by alerting users after they’ve come in contact with a contagious person; Senator Blumenthal has warned the companies that they must balance consumer privacy with the needs of public health officials.

Supreme Court To Hear Cases Via Teleconference, Relaxes Paper Filing Rules: After delaying oral arguments last month due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Supreme Court will hear cases over teleconference in May and will live stream oral arguments; the Court also relaxed its rules for paper filings and service in an effort to protect the health and safety of personnel amid the outbreak.

Privacy

Half Of Americans Have Opted Out Of Products Or Services Due To Privacy Concerns: According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 52% of Americans have decided not to use a product or service because of the amount of personal information it collected; the study also found that Americans who were victims of hacking or fraud were more likely to opt out of services due to privacy concerns.

Singapore Bans Use Of Zoom In Schools Following Security Incidents: After a series of “very serious incidents” in the first weeks of home-based learning involving “Zoombombing,” Singapore has discontinued the use of teleconferencing service for remote learning; the move follows a series of security and privacy incidents for Zoom, as other schools and regions have also banned use of the service for learning. 

Information Security and Cyberthreats

Zoom Allows Users To Choose Routing Region: After the Taiwanese government banned Zoom due to concern about the flow of its data through China, the video-conferencing platform is now allowing users of paid accounts to opt out of having their data routed through selected regions. 

Free Expression and Censorship

Amazon Halts Delivery In France: The Nanterre Court of Justice ruled that the e-commerce giant must assess the “occupational risks inherent in the COVID-19 epidemic” at its French warehouses and is now limited to delivering only essential goods; in response, Amazon has suspended operations in the country pending a review of COVID-19 risks in its facilities.

Practice Note

Court Reverses Order Requiring Facebook To Turn Over Murder Victim’s Data: California’s Court of Appeal reversed a trial court decision that ordered Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to produce the victim’s social media messages to the defendants; the Court of Appeal found that the lower court had failed to “consider all the relevant factors” identified by the state’s Supreme Court before permitting the defendants to access the data.

On the Lighter Side

Unemployed Gamers Turn To Full-Time Video Game Coaching: As unemployment surges due to the coronavirus pandemic, some newly unemployed gamers are using their passion to earn extra money as video game coaches.

Joel R. Reidenberg
Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Chair and Professor of Law
Founding Academic Director, Fordham CLIP

Tom Norton
Executive Director, Fordham CLIP

Brittany Thomas
Sean Conners
Editorial Fellows, Fordham CLIP

Internet Governance

“Zoombombing” Now Considered A Federal Offense: The trend of gaining access to Zoom meetings and broadcasting disruptive content is now punishable by fines and possible imprisonment in Michigan, according to a press release posted on the state’s U.S. Attorney’s Office website; victims of teleconference hacking can report incidents to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.  

EU To Create Common Rules For Coronavirus Tracking Apps: In an effort to streamline coronavirus tracking efforts across the region while maintaining privacy and data protection standards, the EU Commission and member states are creating a “toolbox” of common rules for the creation and use of mobile apps designed to track the spread of coronavirus.

Privacy

Google Releases Location Data To Assist With Coronavirus Response: The tech firm is releasing a series of “Community Mobility Reports,” which include aggregated, anonymized location history data intended to help public health officials better understand changes in trips to essential businesses and inform decisions regarding regional store hours and delivery service offerings.

Information Security and Cyberthreats

New York City Bans Zoom From Public Schools: Following a series of security and privacy issues with Zoom, New York City’s Department of Education banned the teleconference service in all city schools and is transitioning to Microsoft’s Teams service for remote learning.

Intellectual Property

France Rules Google Must Pay For Reusing News Content: The French competition authority has ordered Google to negotiate with publishers and provide them payment for its use of snippets of their content in its search results; Google had unilaterally removed snippets from search results as a way of avoiding payments to publishers under the EU’s new copyright measures, but the French authority found this tactic to amount to an abuse of Google’s dominant market position.

Free Expression and Censorship

YouTube Limits 5G-Coronavirus Conspiracy Videos: The social media company announced it would remove content connecting 5G to the coronavirus pandemic from the platform for violating its policies against videos promoting “medically unsubstantiated methods” of preventing coronavirus infections.

WhatsApp Restricts Message Forwarding To Limit Spread of False Information: Amid scrutiny for its role in spreading disinformation about the coronavirus, the messaging app announced that it will be attempting to minimize the dispersion of false information by restricting users’ ability to send “frequently forwarded messages” (i.e., messages that have been sent through a chain of five users) to only a single chat at a time. 

On the Lighter Side

New Hinge Feature Encourages Virtual Dates: In the wake of a recent surge in virtual dating, the popular dating app unveiled a new “Date from Home” feature to ease the transition from in-app texting to video calls; the feature allows users to indicate to matches their readiness to have a video call. 

Joel R. Reidenberg
Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Chair and Professor of Law
Founding Academic Director, Fordham CLIP

Tom Norton
Executive Director, Fordham CLIP

Brittany Thomas
Sean Conners
Editorial Fellows, Fordham CLIP



Internet Governance

African Governments Partner With Tech Companies To Fight Coronavirus Misinformation: Several African countries have partnered with Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter to combat misinformation as coronavirus infections now total around 6,000 on the continent; some countries, including Kenya and South Africa, have also resorted to punitive measures, threatening jail time and large fines for the spread of false information.

Privacy

With Massive Uptick In Users, Zoom Promises To Fix Privacy And Security Flaws: Citing a series of privacy and security concerns, including vulnerabilities that allowed users to hijack cameras and “Zoombomb” meetings, Zoom announced a 90-day feature freeze as it plans to focus on fixing privacy and security issues to better accommodate its 200 million daily users.

Washington Governor Signs Facial Recognition Technology Law: The law, signed on Tuesday, is the first U.S. state law to limit the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement and requires, among other things, that government agencies obtain a warrant before running facial recognition scans. 

Information Security and Cyberthreats

Marriott Discloses New Security Breach: After a 2018 breach impacted over 500 million guests, Marriott said the latest breach exposed the personal information of 5.2 million guests, including names, birthdates, and phone numbers; Marriott said it does not believe any payment information was leaked. 

Intellectual Property

National Emergency Library’s Expanded Offering Raises Piracy Concerns: In response to increased demand from educators who are now teaching remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, the Internet Archive-affiliated digital library suspended waitlists for access to its collection of 1.4 million scanned books and ebooks; some authors and publishers have criticized the policy change and accuse the Emergency Library of “acting as a piracy site.”

Free Expression and Censorship

“Fake News” Banned By Vietnamese Government: Effective April 15, a new law will restrict social media users from posting or sharing content the government deems to be misinformation; the law, which empowers authorities to impose substantial fines and force users to remove posts, also prohibits a swath of other content including posts “encouraging unsound customs, promoting depraved cultural products,” or disclosing state secrets.

Practice Note

Judge Rules Call Of Duty Can Depict Humvees Without A License: A New York district court judge ruled that unlicensed depictions of Humvees in the popular video game did not infringe Humvee maker AM General’s trademark because the vehicle’s presence in the game was intended to promote realism rather than to trade on the Humvee brand.

On the Lighter Side

A Micro-Mini Purse For Your Airpods: Twelve South, a company that exclusively makes accessories for Apple products, debuted a purse designed to hold Airpods and Airpods only; priced at $49, the miniature leather satchel is equipped with both a side strap and a finger-sized top handle.

Joel R. Reidenberg
Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Chair and Professor of Law
Founding Academic Director, Fordham CLIP

Tom Norton
Executive Director, Fordham CLIP

Brittany Thomas
Sean Conners
Editorial Fellows, Fordham CLIP