| Internet Governance FCC Commissioner Calls Upon Google and Apple to Remove TikTok from their App Stores: In a letter sent to the companies, Commissioner Brendan Carr called the popular app a “sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of personal and sensitive data,” and asked the companies to justify how its “surreptitious” data collection and “pattern of misleading representations and conduct” does not put it in violation of the their terms of service. |
| Privacy Biden to Call on FTC to Protect Sensitive Health Information in Wake of Roe v. Wade Overruling: The President is expected to issue a letter to the Commission instructing it to clamp down on unfair and deceptive practices related to the use of sensitive health information by online platforms. Earlier this month, Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced a bill that would broadly ban the sale of such information. |
| Information Security and Cyberthreats FBI Warns that Cybercriminals Are Using Deepfakes to Apply for Remote Gigs: Cybercrooks are appearing via deepfake for interviews for targeted jobs in the tech sector that would grant them access to customer information, financial data, and other corporate databases. |
| Intellectual Property Supreme Court Won’t Hear Apple’s Renewed Attempt to Invalidate Qualcomm Patents: Although the parties in 2019 settled litigation over Apple’s use of the patents, which Qualcomm alleged that Apple infringed in its iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches, Apple’s latest appeal was based on a theory that it could become subject to future suits once the settlement agreement expires in a few years. |
| Freedom of Expression and Censorship Meta Properties to Remove Posts Offering Abortion Pills: Facebook and Instagram have begun to remove posts by users offering to mail abortion pills to those who need them on the basis that the posts violate the company’s prohibition on the sale, trade, or donation of pharmaceuticals. In tests, similar posts about guns or drugs were not removed despite similar prohibitions, and Facebook has admitted to inadvertently removing non-prohibited content, such as posts declaring that “abortion pills can be mailed.” |
| Practice Note FTC Takes Action Against CafePress: A complaint against the merchandise customizer alleges that it covered up a data breach and failed to implement reasonable measures to secure customers’ sensitive information, which included plaintext Social Security numbers, poorly encrypted passwords, and the answers to password questions. |
| On the Lighter Side Facial Recognition for Four-Legged Friends: A new pet door uses an “array of infrared cameras” to recognize your pet, and comes pre-trained to recognize other types of animals, to ensure that only your animal makes it in and out of the house. |
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| Ron Lazebnik Academic Director, Fordham CLIP Tom Norton Executive Director, Fordham CLIP |