Tag: law
Montana legislature passes TikTok ban (Update: Ban is now law)
UPDATE: May. 17, 2023, 2:56 p.m. PDT On Wednesday, Governor Greg Gianforte signed this bill, which is slated to go into effect on January 1, 2024. Lawyers from organizations like the ACLU of Montana have already announced their opposition, so lawsuits attempting to stop the bill from ever being enforced are widely expected to proceed. This piece was originally published April 14, 2023 when the ban had been passed by the state legislature, but not yet signed.
The Montana House of Representatives just passed a ban on TikTok, meaning the app will become illegal if Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signs the bill, which had already passed in the Montana State Senate. Past actions by Gianforte, such as his memo prohibiting use of the app on state equipment, suggest that the bill will in fact become state law.
This is not yet another ban preventing government workers from using TikTok. The bill has at least some teeth, to say the least. It at least forbids (though it appears not to penalize) the use of TikTok by individuals statewide, prohibits app stores from selling TikTok in Montana, and lays out penalties for app sellers.
This is far and away the most far-reaching and complete ban that has been passed anywhere in the U.S. since President Trump’s unsuccessful ban back in 2020.
The bill would keep TikTok out of Montana mainly by fining app stores $10,000 per violation per day if the app is ever downloaded in Montana. The bill forbids “the operation of tiktok by the company or users,” but also notes that its penalties, “do not apply to users of tiktok.” So to be clear, the $10,000 fines only go to app stores, not TikTok users.
In either case, under this new law, it would have been legally impermissible for the person who captured the following footage of a mountain goat in Glacier National Park to download TikTok and post it for all to see:
In a statement provided to CNN, TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter claimed that those who have pushed this Montana bill “have no feasible plan for operationalizing this attempt to censor American voices,” and added that “the bill’s constitutionality will be decided by the courts.”
The ACLU of Montana already signaled its opposition to the bill in the day’s before its passage, so TikTok may well be right that this will be decided in the courts.
As for TikTok’s claim that Montana doesn’t have a “feasible plan” for putting the bill into effect? That’s plausible as well, given that it’s not clear exactly how the law enforcement authorities of this sparsely populated state with just over 1 million inhabitants will go about finding perpetrators of this entirely new state cybercrime.
: Uber and Lyft drivers in Washington state gain access to unemployment and paid leave under newly signed law
DOJ charges Russian hacker linked to attacks against US law enforcement agencies
The US State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information that leads to the arrest of a prolific hacker. On Monday, the Department of Justice filed criminal charges against Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev, a Russian national and resident with links to the infamous Hive, LockBit and Babuk ransomware gangs. Starting as early as 2020, Matveev has allegedly targeted US law enforcement and healthcare organizations on multiple occasions.
In April 2021, for instance, he was linked to a Babuk ransomware attack that saw the computer systems of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington DC locked out. Last May, Matveev, whose online pseudonyms include Wazawaka, Uhodiransomwar, m1x, and Boriselcin, was allegedly involved in a Hive ransomware attack that targeted a healthcare NGO in New Jersey.
Separately, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against Matveev. “Matveev has been vocal about his illegal activities. He has provided insight into his cybercrimes in media interviews, disclosed exploit code to online criminals, and stated that his illicit activities will be tolerated by local authorities provided that he remains loyal to Russia,” the Treasury said.
Of the ransomware gangs Matveev is allegedly affiliated with, LockBit is among the most active and destructive. As of late 2022, the group’s malware has infected the computer systems of at least 1,400 victims, including a Holiday Inn hotel in Turkey. According to the Justice Department, the gang’s affiliates have extracted at least $75 million in ransom payments. Security researchers recently found evidence that suggests that LockBit recently began targeting Mac computers.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/doj-charges-russian-hacker-linked-to-attacks-against-us-law-enforcement-agencies-175740601.html?src=rss
Sunak calls for change to international law that experts think government will break
Brexit: Government suffers defeats over Retained EU Law Bill
Furious Speaker rebukes minister as Tory MPs line up to criticise EU law U-turn
TechCrunch+ roundup: Unicorn origins, red flags for investors, generative AI meets copyright law
Every startup isn’t ready to hire a full-time marketer, but that’s no excuse to toss money out the window on paid acquisition.
TechCrunch+ roundup: Unicorn origins, red flags for investors, generative AI meets copyright law by Walter Thompson originally published on TechCrunch
AMD CEO Lisa Su says Moore’s Law isn’t dead, but has slowed down
El Salvador President Signs Law Eliminating Taxes On Tech Innovations
The Innovations and Technology Manufacturing Incentives Act will likely attract tech developments to the country. Moreover, the elimination of taxes presents an economic benefit to a host of companies. Conversely, El Salvador continues to maintain its commitment to a variety of tech innovations that are being developed.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.