| Internet Governance Facebook Petitions FTC For Kahn Recusal In Antitrust Suit: The company argues that the recently-elevated Chair of the Commission “has already drawn factual and legal conclusions and deemed [Facebook] a lawbreaker,” pointing to her prior work and public statements about the company’s position with respect to antitrust law. India Bans Mastercard From Issuing New Cards: The Reserve Bank of India issued the ban after Mastercard allegedly failed to comply with data storage rules requiring that certain data be maintained in the country; while the ban will not affect existing customers, it is expected to impact banks and businesses, who must now strike new deals with other networks. |
| Information Security and Cyberthreats Ring Rolls Out End-To-End Encryption Globally: The opt-in feature, which ensures that footage from the home-security camera is viewable only on its owner’s enrolled device and can’t be accessed by Ring itself, is now available on 13 different Ring products and is rolling out globally. Prominent Cybercriminal Group Goes Offline: REvil, the hacking group that is largely blamed for the cyberattack that affected software used by hundreds of businesses just before the Fourth of July, inexplicably went offline; signs suggest that the disappearance is not the result of an offensive campaign or government action against the group |
| Intellectual Property French Competition Regulator Fines Google €500 Million For Violating News Copyright Order: The fine was levied after Google was found to have violated an April 2020 ruling requiring that it negotiate in good faith with publishing and news companies to license their copyrighted content for reuse on the basis that Google’s licensing deals with the French press failed to contemplate remuneration for uses of content covered by the press’s “neighboring rights.” |
| Free Expression and Censorship Twitter Account Verification Hits Snags As Fake Accounts Are Verified: The company claims that gaps in training and procedures in a verification process rolled out in May have led to a number of fake accounts being verified; verification is designed to help users determine whether an account is authentic. |
| Practice Note Texas AG Paxton Stops Blocking Twitter Critics: Attorney General Paxton and the Knight First Amendment Institute filed a joint stipulation in Texas federal court to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Paxton’s blocking of critics on his official Twitter account is unconstitutional. |
| On the Lighter Side Clippy The Paperclip Lives Again: The cartoon-paperclip virtual assistant that famously guided users through Microsoft Office’s features until the mid-2000s has been resurrected as the newest emoji in Microsoft 365 products. |
Olivier Sylvain, Academic Director, Fordham CLIP
Tom Norton, Executive Director, Fordham CLIP