Further Reading and Other Developments (11 July)

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Other Developments

• The United States District Court of Maine denied a motion by a number of telecommunications trade associations to enjoin enforcement of a new Maine law instituting privacy practices for internet service providers (ISP) in the state that limited information collection and processing. The plaintiffs claimed the 2017 repeal of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 2016 ISP Privacy Order preempted states from implementing their own privacy rules for ISPs. In its decision, the court denied the plaintiffs’ motion and will proceed to decide the merits of the case.
• The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has debuted a “One-Stop-Shop” register “containing decisions taken by national supervisory authorities following the One-Stop-Shop cooperation procedure (Art. 60 GDPR).” The EDPB explained “[u]nder the GDPR, Supervisory Authorities have a duty to cooperate on cases with a cross-border component to ensure a consistent application of the regulation – the so-called one-stop-shop (OSS) mechanism…[and] [u]nder the OSS, the Lead Supervisory Authority (LSA) is in charge of preparing the draft decisions and works together with the concerned SAs to reach consensus.” Hence this new repository will contain the decisions on which EU data protection authorities have cooperated in addressing alleged GDPR violations that reach across the borders of EU nations.
• The chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and three subcommittee chairs wrote Facebook, Google, and Twitter asking the companies “provide the Committee with monthly reports similar in scope to what you are providing the European Commission regarding your COVID-19 disinformation efforts as they relate to United States users of your platform.” They are also asking that the companies brief them and staff on 22 July on these efforts. Given the Committee’s focus on disinformation, it is quite possible these monthly reports and the briefing could be the basis of more hearings and/or legislation. Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) signed the letters.
• Reports indicate the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are reviewing the February 2019 $5.7 million settlement between the FTC and TikTok for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). In May 2020, a number of public advocacy groups filed a complaint with the FTC, asking whether the agency has “complied with the consent decree.” If TikTok has violated the order, it could face huge fines as the FTC and DOJ could seek a range of financial penalties. This seems to be another front in the escalating conflict between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.
• Tech Inquiry, an organization that “seek[s] to combat abuses in the tech industry through coupling concerned tech workers with relevant members of civil society” revealed “an in-depth analysis of all public US federal (sub)contracting data over the last four and a half years to estimate the rankings of tech companies, both in and out of Silicon Valley, as contractors with the military, law enforcement, and diplomatic arms of the United States.” Tech Inquiry claimed “[o]ur analysis shows a diversity of contracting postures (see Tables 2 and 3), not a systemic divide from Washington. Within a substantial list of namebrand tech companies, only Facebook, Apple, and Twitter look to be staying out of major military and law enforcement contracts.”
• The United States Secret Service announced the formation of a new Cyber Fraud Task Force (CFTF) which merges “its Electronic Crimes Task Forces (ECTFs) and Financial Crimes Task Forces (FCTFs) into a single unified network.” The rationale given for the merger is “the line between cyber and financial crimes has steadily blurred, to the point today where the two – cyber and financial crimes – cannot be effectively disentangled.”
• The United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) held a virtual public hearing, “Lessons Learned from the 2020 Primary Elections” “to discuss the administration of primary elections during the coronavirus pandemic.”
• The National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC), a Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) administered program, released its “NCSWIC Strategic Plan and Implementation Guide,” “a stakeholder-driven, multi-jurisdictional, and multi-disciplinary plan to enhance interoperable and emergency communications.” NCSWIC contended “[t]he plan is a critical mid-range (three-year) tool to help NCSWIC and its partners prioritize resources, strengthen governance, identify future investments, and address interoperability gaps.”
• Access Now is pressing “video conferencing platforms” other than Zoom to issue “regular transparency reports… clarifying exactly how they protect personal user data and enforce policies related to freedom of expression.”

Further Reading

• “India bans 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok and WeChat, after deadly border clash” – South China Morning Post. As a seeming extension to the military skirmish India and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) engaged in, a number of PRC apps have been banned by the Indian government, begging the question of whether there will be further escalation between the world’s two most populous nations. India is the TikTok’s biggest market with more than 120 million users in the South Asian country, and a range of other apps and platforms also have millions of users. Most of the smartphones used in India are made by PRC entities. Moreover, if New Delhi joins Washington’s war on Huawei, ZTE, and other PRC companies, the cumulative effect could significantly affect the PRC’s global technological ambitions.
• “Huawei data flows under fire in German court case” – POLITICO. A former Huawei employee in Germany has sued the company alleging violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) through the company’s use of standard contractual clauses. This person requested the data the company had collected from him and the reasons for doing so. Huawei claimed it had deleted the data. A German court’s decision that Huawei had violated the GDPR is being appealed. However, some bigger issues are raised by the case, including growing unease within the European Union, that People’s Republic of China firms are possibly illegally transferring and processing EU citizens’ data and a case before Europe’s highest court in which the legality of standard contractual clauses may be determined as early as this month.
• “Deutsche Telekom under pressure after reports on Huawei reliance” – Politico. A German newspaper reported on confidential documents showing that Deutsche Telekom deepened its relationship with Huawei as the United States’ government was pressuring its allies and other nations to stop using the equipment and services of the company. The German telecommunications company denied the claims, and a number of German officials expressed surprise and dismay, opining that the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel should act more swiftly to implement legislation to secure Germany’s networks.
• “Inside the Plot to Kill the Open Technology Fund” – Vice. According to critics, the Trump Administration’s remaking of the United States (US) Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is threatening the mission and effectiveness of the Open Technology Fund (OTF), a US government non-profit designed to help dissidents and endangered populations throughout the world. The OTF has funded a number of open technology projects, including the Signal messaging app, but the new USAGM head, Michael pack, is pressing for closed source technology.
• “How Police Secretly Took Over a Global Phone Network for Organized Crime” – Vice. European law enforcement agencies penetrated and compromised an encrypted messaging service in Europe, leading to a number of arrests and seizures of drugs. Encrochat had billed itself as completely secure, but hackers with the French government broke into the system and laid bare the details of numerous crimes. And, this is only the latest encrypted app that is marketed to criminals, meaning others will soon step into the void created when Encrochat shut down.
• “Virus-Tracing Apps Are Rife With Problems. Governments Are Rushing to Fix Them.” – The New York Times. In numerous nations around the world, the rush to design and distribute contact tracing apps to fight COVID-19 has resulted in a host of problems predicted by information technology professionals and privacy, civil liberties and human rights advocates. Some apps collect too much information, many are not secure, and some do not seem to perform their intended tasks. Moreover, without mass adoption, the utility of an app is questionable at best. Some countries have sought to improve and perfect their apps in response to criticism, but others are continuing to use and even mandate their citizens and residents use them.
• “Hong Kong Security Law Sets Stage for Global Internet Fight” – The New York Times. After the People’s Republic of China (PRC) passed a new law that strips many of the protections Hong Kong enjoyed, technology companies are caught in a bind, for now Hong Kong may well start demanding they hand over data on people living in Hong Kong or employees could face jail time. Moreover, the data demands made of companies like Google or Facebook could pertain to people anywhere in the world. Companies that comply with Beijing’s wishes would likely face turbulence in Washington and vice versa. TikTok said it would withdraw from Hong Kong altogether.

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