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☆ How to get your share of the $245 million Fortnite settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday said it has begun notifying more than 37 million people that they may be entitled to compensation from a settlement with game maker Epic Games. The FTC alleged late last year that Epic Games used deceptive design tactics to get players to make unwanted purchases. In total, Epic agreed to pay $245 million to consumers to settle the FTC complaint, in an agreement finalized in March. It will also pay a $275 million penalty to settle allegations it violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Rule. WATCH: Apple's fight with Epic Games is part of a larger antitrust battle

Persons: Jan, It's Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Epic, FTC

☆ Fortnite players can claim funds in Epic Games settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Millions of Fortnite users can now claim their small part of the $245 million that the game’s parent company agreed to pay as part of a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission. In a second and separate settlement, Epic also agreed to pay $245 million as refunds to consumers who were allegedly harmed by user-interface design choices that the FTC claimed were deceptive. The FTC is now notifying users who may be eligible to receive part of that $245 million settlement fund. Affected users may receive an email from the FTC over the next month with a claim number, or they can go directly to the settlement site and file a claim using their Epic account ID. Users have until January 17, 2024, to submit a claim to be included in the settlement class.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, US Federal Trade Commission, Epic Games, FTC Locations: New York

☆ Dutch groups sue Google over alleged privacy violations
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Google logo is seen at the Google offices in the Chelsea section of New York City, U.S., January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Google Inc FollowAlphabet Inc FollowAMSTERDAM, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The Dutch consumers' association Consumentenbond together with the Privacy Protection Foundation issued legal proceedings against Google on Tuesday for alleged large-scale privacy violations, they said in a statement. Both groups demanded that Google, part of Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), stops "its constant surveillance and sharing of personal data through online advertising auctions" and that it pays 750 euros ($804) in damages "for every consumer who has used Google". The statement said 82,000 people had so far joined the claim for damages since the groups announced the action in May 2023. ($1 = 0.9329 euros)Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, Charlotte Van Campenhout, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Google, Privacy Protection, Inc, Thomson Locations: Chelsea, New York City, U.S

They claim the Florida Constitution's privacy clause for more than 40 years has explicitly protected a right to abortion in the state. Florida officials contend the Supreme Court has in the past erroneously concluded the privacy clause covers abortion rights when it was actually intended more as a guard for “informational privacy, like the disclosure of private facts." The six-week ban DeSantis signed into law earlier this year would take effect 30 days after a Supreme Court decision to affirm the current ban. The privacy clause was put into the Florida Constitution by a voter referendum in 1980 and later affirmed as including abortion rights by the state Supreme Court. An appeals court overturned the injunction, bringing the case before the state Supreme Court.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, —, Dobbs, Roe, Wade, ”, Jennifer Canady, Charles Canady Organizations: Republican Gov, GOP, Planned, American Civil Liberties Union, Voters, Supreme, Republican, American College of Obstetricians, American Medical Association Locations: Florida, Tallahassee, “, U.S, Leon

☆ A Blockbuster-era video law is being used to ding big-name brands like General Mills, Geico, and Chick-Fil-A with privacy lawsuits
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Ryan Joe | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Brands like Chick-Fil-A and Geico are being accused of violating 1980s privacy law the VPPA. Broadcasters have long been wary of running afoul of a 1988 privacy law called the Video Privacy Protection Act that went into effect after the video rental history of then-Supreme Court nominee Judge Robert Bork was leaked to a newspaper. Since November last year, brands as diverse as Hallmark, Folgers, Mattel, Chick-Fil-A, General Mills, Mars, La-Z-Boy, Geico, and Fossil have faced lawsuits accusing them of VPPA violations. But these dismissals don't completely neutralize the threat of VPPA lawsuits. At least 70 VPPA class action lawsuits have been filed in the past year, according to Bloomberg Law.

Persons: Chick, Robert Bork, VPPA, Mills, General Mills, Scott Ferrell, FloSports, Smucker, Keith Carroll, Rebeka Rodriguez, Melissa Fox, Eversheds Sutherland, Labaton Sucharow, Corepower, Garthwaite, Fox, Julie Rubash Organizations: ., Broadcasters, Hallmark, Mattel, Pacific, Hulu, Bloomberg Law, Meta, Protection Law, Facebook, AMC, Us, GameStop, Disney, United States, Court, Southern, of Locations: Mars, California, Virginia, of New York

☆ The U.S. government is investing $22 million into developing surveillance clothing that includes shirts, pants, and underwear that can record video and audio
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The federal government has a $22 million surveillance clothing program, according to The Intercept. The initiative will develop shirts, pants, socks, and underwear that can record audio and video. In other words, funding moonshots like underwear that's as stretchable and washable as normal underwear, but can also record your every move. Some are worried, though, that the SMART ePANTS program could lay the groundwork for more invasive forms of surveillance. She added, "now suppose SMART ePANTS detects a chemical on your skin — imagine where that can lead."

Persons: Dawson Cagle, Cagle, Annie Jacobsen, they're, IARPA Organizations: Apple, Oura, Textile Systems, SMART, Intercept, Smart, National Intelligence, Intelligence, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, SMART ePANTS, United, TSA

REUTERS/Scott Morgan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Geico must face a proposed nationwide class action accusing the car insurer of violating customers' privacy by disclosing hundreds of thousands of driver's license numbers to identity thieves looking to collect fraudulent unemployment benefits. Geico, a unit of billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N), was accused of auto-populating driver's license numbers into its online system when users entered "basic" information such as names, addresses and birth dates in order to obtain insurance quotations. Matsumoto accepted a July 21 recommendation by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara to let the lawsuit proceed. She also accepted his recommendation to dismiss claims that Geico violated a New York state consumer protection law and committed negligence "per se." The case is In re Geico Customer Data Breach Litigation, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No.

Persons: Scott Morgan, District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Matsumoto, Kristen Wenger, Judge Sanket Bulsara, Geico, Jonathan Stempel, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Berkshire Hathaway, REUTERS, District, U.S, Court, Eastern District of, Thomson Locations: Omaha , Nebraska, U.S, Brooklyn, New York, Eastern District, Eastern District of New York

☆ IPG Mediabrands 'privacy alert' says clients should 'consider' a pause on Google ads product
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

Google has disputed the Adalytics report, with a spokesperson describing it in a statement to Insider as "deeply flawed and misleading." An IPG Mediabrands spokeswoman said it was not accurate to say the agency was recommending a pause on any Google product. "What worries me about this Adalytics report is that Performance Max campaigns have allegedly been observed to run on made-for children inventory," Schreurs said. The article also refers to research undertaken by 3rd party (Adalytics) and the Adalytics report also mentions the following IPG/MB clients: 1. GAF For several of the above clients, the Adalytics report references that IPG/Matterkind placed the ad.

Persons: Max, IPG Mediabrands, Adalytics, wasn't, IPG, Ruben Schreurs, Schreurs, Edward J, Markey, Marsha Blackburn, Dyson, Matterkind, Biden's Organizations: Google, YouTube, The New York Times, Federal Trade Commission, COPPA, Republican, New York Times, Brand, Adalytics, NY Times, BMO, BMW, Nike, Intuit, Honda, FTC, United States, Association, MFK Locations: Massachusetts, Tennessee, United, MFK

☆ Illinois passes a law that requires parents to compensate child influencers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A family businessThis picture shows Illinois Senator Dave Koehler with teenager Shreya Nallamothu, who helped inspire new legislation protecting child influencers. Although children are predominantly featured in these monetized videos, parents have had no legal obligation to give them any portion of the earnings. “But we know with the explosion of social media that parents are using it to monetize kids being on videos. That California law required parents to set aside a portion of 15% of child earnings in a blocked trust account that the child actor could access after the age of 18. “Even though Illinois is the first state to pass such a law, this legislation is a long time coming,” Maddox said.

Persons: “, ”, influencers, ” Nallamothu, Dave Koehler, Pritzker, ” Koehler, Shreya Nallamothu, Jackie Coogan’s Law, Charlie Chaplin, swindled, Jessica Maddox —, —, ” Maddox, Maddox, ” Chris McCarty —, Washington State —, ” McCarty, “ I’m, it’s Organizations: CNN, Illinois Gov, Child Labor, The University of Alabama Locations: Normal , Illinois, Illinois, California, Washington, Washington State

☆ These kids get free vacations thanks to their YouTube fame. But what happens behind the scenes?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

McCarty started a campaign called Quit Clicking Kids, aimed at stopping people using children on social media for monetary gain, in 2022. Child labor rights in the United States, from the factory to the internet: A timeline 1904 The National Child Labor Committee is founded, with the goal of ending all child labor. 1916 The first child labor bill – the Keating-Owen Act – is passed, which bans the interstate sale of any article produced with child labor and regulates the number of hours a child could work. In May 2023, the US Surgeon General’s office issued an advisory about social media and kids’ mental health. And for too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends.

Persons: Chris McCarty, McCarty, Myka Stauffer, Stauffer, it’s, –, Keating, Owen, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Coogan, ”, Instagram, Carlotta Dotto, Lilit Marcus The Coogan, Jackie Coogan, aren’t, “, Vivek Murthy, ” Stacey Steinberg, what’s, Steinberg, Yukari Schrickel, Mom Brooke Morrison, Parker, McKenzie, Morrison, ” Caz Makepeace, Craig, you’re, ’ ” Makepeace, Alex Winter, Machelle Hobson, Hobson, Makepeace, vlogging, Caz, they’re, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, Morrisons, University of Washington, Child Labor, US, Labor, California, UN, Education, Trust, Facebook, National Archives, US Department of Labor, Actors, The Federal Trade Commission, New York Department of Labor, Washington State Legislature, Center, Children, University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, YouTube, Credit, Apple, Google Locations: New Orleans, Arizona, London, Dominican Republic, United States, New York, Illinois, California, ”, Australia

☆ US watchdog to announce plans to regulate 'surveillance industry'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Signage is seen at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File PhotoAug 15 (Reuters) - The top U.S. agency for consumer financial protection will announce plans at the White House on Tuesday to regulate companies that track and sell people's personal data, part of the Biden administration's widening scrutiny of that industry's privacy practices, officials said. "The CFPB will be taking steps to ensure that modern-day data brokers in the surveillance industry know that they cannot engage in illegal collection and sharing of our data," he said in a statement. President Joe Biden last year called on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help protect the data privacy of women seeking reproductive healthcare who may face law enforcement action in some states. The CFPB in March opened a public inquiry into the conduct of companies like credit bureaus and background screening firms.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Biden, Rohit Chopra, Joe Biden, CFPB, Douglas Gillison Organizations: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, U.S, White, U.S . Consumer Financial, Bureau, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Fair, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, Idaho

☆ China’s sitting on a goldmine of genetic data – and it doesn’t want to share
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The national survey and restrictions on foreign access are part of new regulations on China’s genetic resources, which came into effect in July. The national genetic surveyBiobanking in China – meaning the collection of biological samples – is still “very fragmented,” and in an “embryonic stage,” said Zhang. But these concerns aren’t new – and the national genetic survey seems to be geared more toward scientific research than other purposes, several experts agreed. But China has another motive, too: establishing what some experts call “genomic sovereignty,” meaning full control of the genetic material within their country. While many other countries also have laws regulating the use and transfer of their population’s genetic material, few are as strict as China’s.

Persons: Guang Niu, ”, Joy Y, Zhang, you’re, Wei Liang, ICHPL, Anna Puglisi, Puglisi, States –, Katherine Wang, ” –, Wang, “, Sun, Xi Jinping, Jiankui, Anthony Wallace, ” Zhang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Central South University, Centre for Global Science, biosciences, Shanxi Province Reproductive Science, Communist Party, Georgetown’s Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Gray, Group, CNN, Ministry of Science, Technology, National Health Service, National Institutes of Health, NIH Locations: Hong Kong, China, Changsha, Shanxi Province, Taiyuan, States, “, Wuhan, Xinijang, Xinjiang, Beijing, AFP, Harvard

☆ California agency probes automakers' data privacy practices
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Tesla Inc FollowWASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) - A California state agency on Monday said it is reviewing the privacy practices of automakers and vehicle technology companies amid concerns about the growing volume of data collected by cars. The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) said its Enforcement Division is making inquiries about vehicles embedded with features like location sharing, web-based entertainment, smartphone integration, and cameras. The agency said vehicle privacy considerations "are critical because these vehicles often automatically gather consumers’ locations, personal preferences, and details about their daily lives." Regulators around the world have raised concerns about the volume of personal data collected by vehicles that increasingly gather, store and transmit information for entertainment, performance and safety purposes. Mobilisights said it would operate under strict privacy safeguards, sharing only personal data with customer consent and allowing owners to opt out even after consenting.

Persons: ”, Ashkan Soltani, carmaker, carmakers, Mobilisights, David Shepardson, Mark Porter, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Tesla, WASHINGTON, California Privacy Protection Agency, Regulators, Consumer Watchdog, U.S, Chrysler, Thomson Locations: California

The update of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which first became law in 2000, would raise the age of children protected by the measure from 12 and under to 16 and under. The AM radio bill and the ticket-pricing bill both had strong bipartisan support and both have companion measures in the House of Representatives. Fees on ticket prices have become an increasing issue. They can comprise 21% to 58% of ticket prices for some events, according to studies from the New York Attorney General's office and Government Accountability Office. The AM radio bill would direct the Transportation Department to issue regulations mandating AM radio in new vehicles without additional charge.

Persons: Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Taylor Swift, that’s, David Shepardson, Diane Bartz, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S . Capitol, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Senate, Ticketmaster, New York Attorney, Transportation Department, BMW, Volkswagen, Ford, Lawmakers, National Association of Broadcasters, Alliance, Automotive Innovation, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) listens during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2023. In addition to creating the regulatory commission, the proposed law would tighten antitrust law to forbid the companies from preferencing their own products over those of rivals. "This bipartisan bill would create a new tech regulator and makes clear that reining in Big Tech platforms is a top priority on both sides of the aisle," said Warren in a statement. Graham said the creation of the regulatory commission was "the first step in a long journey to protect American consumers from the massive power these companies currently wield." Amazon declined comment while Facebook and Google did not respond to a request for comment on the proposal.

Persons: Elizabeth Warren, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Lindsey Graham, Warren, Graham, Diane Bartz, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, Capitol, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Democrat, Republican, Facebook, Google, Big Tech, Federal Trade Commission, Digital Consumer Protection, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Big Tech, Washington

☆ Amazon saved children's voices recorded by Alexa even after parents asked for it to be deleted. Now it's paying a $25 million fine.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Amazon has agreed to change how it handles children's data recorded by Alexa. Under a settlement, the company will now delete all data, including voice recordings, when requested. Amazon will also have to flag the settlement on its "Parent Dashboard," where adults can set limits on children's use of Amazon services. The division is also now responsible for Amazon having to pay the US Treasury Department a $25 million civil penalty. "For too long, Amazon has treated children's sensitive data as its own property," Golin said in a statement provided to Insider.

Persons: Tessa M, Gorman, Josh Golin, Golin, Biden, Lina M, Khan, Suzanne Bernstein, Bernstein Organizations: Amazon, Alexa, Federal Trade Commission, COPPA, US Treasury Department, FTC, Department of Justice, Trump, Privacy, Big Tech Locations: Washington

☆ Twitter to subpoena Senator Elizabeth Warren over communications with U.S. agencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - Twitter, which has asked a court to terminate a consent order struck last year with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) related to data breaches, said in a court filing on Thursday that it planned to subpoena Senator Elizabeth Warren in connection with the fight. After billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter last year, the company laid off thousands of employees and drastically cut costs, prompting questions about whether it had the resources to comply with the FTC consent order. Twitter asked last week for the consent order to be scrapped, accusing the FTC of bias and overreach in filings in federal court in San Francisco. The court filing on Thursday said the subpoena to Warren requested communications regarding Twitter or its owner Elon Musk between her office and the FTC, as well as her office and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Twitter responded to a request for comment by sending a poop emoji, as is its standard practice.

Persons: Elizabeth Warren, Elon Musk, Warren, Twitter, Diane Bartz, David Holmes Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Twitter, FTC, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: San Francisco

☆ EU seals new US data transfer pact, but challenge likely
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, July 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission announced a new data transfer pact with the United States on Monday, seeking to end the legal uncertainty plaguing thousands of companies that transfer personal data across the Atlantic. The move was immediately criticised by non-profit group noyb, led by privacy activist Max Schrems, which said it would challenge the agreement. U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the data transfer pact and said it reflected a "joint commitment to strong data privacy protections." Earlier this year, the EU's privacy watchdog, the European Data Protection Board, said the latest data agreement still fell short and urged the commission to do more to protect Europeans' privacy rights. Europe's top court scuppered the previous two deals after challenges by Schrems because of concerns about U.S. intelligence agencies' accessing European citizens' private data.

Persons: Max Schrems, Joe Biden, Didier Reynders, Schrems, Cecilia Bonefeld, Dahl, Foo Yun Chee, Kanishka Singh, Philip Blenkinsop, Christina Fincher, Leslie Adler Organizations: European Commission, Atlantic, European Court, Justice, Airbus, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, Data Protection, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, United States, Washington

☆ EU blesses transatlantic data sharing deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Those data flows had been threatened when a previous EU-US agreement was struck down in 2020 by Europe’s top court over insufficient privacy protections for EU citizens. With the EU’s approval, the new agreement again allows businesses to transfer European data to the United States as if it were another EU member state, without requirements to implement additional privacy safeguards. Monday’s so-called “adequacy decision” by the European Commission paves the way for companies to sign up for the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which entered into force the same day. The order also provided for the creation of a new court-like body that can force US companies to delete EU citizens’ data if an investigation determines that EU citizens’ privacy rights were violated. EU citizens will be able to file individual complaints to the Data Protection Review Court.

Persons: Joe Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, ” von der Leyen, “, Max Schrems Organizations: Washington CNN, Union, Monday, Europe’s, European Commission, EU, Data Locations: United States, EU

☆ Mark Zuckerberg reportedly wants to follow in Elon Musk and Tim Cook's footsteps, and sell products in China — but his past criticisms of China could haunt him
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Meta is in talks with Chinese tech company Tencent to bring its VR headsets to the country, WSJ reported. But CEO Mark Zuckerberg's past criticisms of China's policies may pose a challenge to his plans. Mark Zuckerberg will likely not be getting a royal welcome in China — like the one Elon Musk got in May — anytime soon. Meta is reportedly in talks with Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings to bring its Quest virtual-reality headsets to the country, The Wall Street Journal first reported. In that same speech, Zuckerberg said he was worried that China's values could spread to other parts of the world.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg's, Zuckerberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Meta, Tencent didn't Organizations: Morning, Elon, Holdings, Street Journal, Apple, Georgetown University, Facebook, Quest Locations: China, —, Hong Kong, TikTok

☆ TikTok may have a path forward in the US without a sale or ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A bipartisan bill reintroduced this week would regulate how companies including TikTok share US data. TikTok has faced increased scrutiny around its ties to China, as well as calls for a US sale or ban. TikTok may have a path forward in the US without a sale or ban. TikTok has faced increased scrutiny from US lawmakers around its ties to China, where its parent company, ByteDance, is based. At the core of the issue are concerns that TikTok's Beijing-based parent company could be compelled to give the Chinese Community Party access to US user data.

Persons: TikTok, Sen, Ron Wyden, Cynthia Lummis, Biden, ByteDance, walling, It's, Wyden Organizations: Republican, CNN, Street, Foreign Investment, Congress, Wall, Chinese Community Party, CCP, Oracle Locations: China, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, TikTok, Beijing, Texas, Russia

☆ US lawmakers seek new law to protect TikTok user information
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of six senators and two members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday introduced legislation to protect Americans’ data from being used by U.S. adversaries. TikTok denies any improper data use and says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security measures. TikTok said on Wednesday it is "well underway in cutting off access to protected U.S. user data to any employee — wherever they are." The bill also would regulate exports of personal data by data brokers and firms like TikTok directly to restricted foreign governments. It would apply export control penalties to senior executives who knew or should have known that employees were directed to illegally export Americans’ personal data.

Persons: Ron Wyden, TikTok, Joe Biden, Warner, David Shepardson, Jonathan Oatis, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Senate, U.S, Commerce Department, U.S ., Democratic, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Montana

☆ New bipartisan bill in Senate could address TikTok security concerns without a ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Much of the existing legislation addressing TikTok at the federal and state level has focused on bans of the app. Wednesday’s legislation, known as the Protecting Americans’ Data From Foreign Surveillance Act, does not identify TikTok by name. TikTok has faced criticism from US officials who say the company’s links to China pose a national security risk. Congress has made several attempts in recent months to address data transfers to foreign adversaries. In February, House lawmakers advanced a bill that would all but require the Biden administration to ban TikTok over national security concerns about the app.

Persons: Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyoming Republican Sen, Cynthia Lummis, —, ” Wyden, Wyden, TikTok, ByteDance, Biden, Justin Sherman, ” Sherman, Rhode Island Democratic Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee Republican Sen, Bill Hagerty, New Mexico Democratic Sen, Martin Heinrich, Florida Republican Sen, Marco Rubio, Warren Davidson, Anna Eshoo Organizations: CNN, Oregon Democratic, Wyoming Republican, ByteDance, Commerce Department, Oracle, Texas, Commerce, Duke University’s Sanford School of Public, Rhode, Rhode Island Democratic, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee Republican, New Mexico Democratic, Florida Republican, Ohio Republican, California Democratic Locations: China, United States, Russia, Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee, New Mexico, Florida

☆ Analysis: There is now some public evidence that China viewed TikTok data
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Multiple security experts told CNN that this appears to be the first reported instance of the CCP accessing actual TikTok user data. TikTok announced its withdrawal from Hong Kong in 2020 after China imposed a national security law there. There have been isolated reports of improper access to TikTok data in the past. The improper access, company officials have said, was a misguided attempt at identifying the source of leaks to the press. TikTok has also said it is implementing a plan to store US user data on third-party US-based servers, with access to that data controlled by US employees.

Persons: Yintao Yu, Yu, ByteDance, —, ” Yu, ’, Yu’s, Flipagram, “, TikTok, James Lewis, John Scott, Rob Joyce, ” Joyce, ”, Shou Chew, Chew Organizations: CNN, Chinese Communist Party, Hong Kong, Wall Street, Flipagram, CCP, Center for Strategic, International Studies, University of Toronto’s, National Security Locations: TikTok’s Beijing, Hong Kong, California, Beijing, Hong, China

☆ Microsoft to pay $20 million to settle Xbox Live privacy allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —Microsoft will pay $20 million to settle US government allegations that the tech giant violated children’s privacy by illegally collecting their personal information through its Xbox Live gaming service. Microsoft also allegedly kept for years the personal information of millions of people, including children, who started creating accounts with Xbox Live but who never completed the sign-up process. For example, Xbox Live’s default settings restrict who children can interact with on the service, the FTC said. In agreeing to settle the claims, Microsoft committed to several additional measures beyond the financial penalty. Microsoft agreed to delete any personal information it collects from kids if they don’t complete the account registration process.

Persons: “, Microsoft’s Organizations: Washington CNN, Microsoft, Xbox, Federal Trade Commission, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, COPPA, Activision, European Union, US Locations: European

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