Technology
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Technology
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The video sharing app TikTok was fined 345 million euros, or roughly $368 million, Friday by a European regulator that said the platform failed to protect children’s privacy. |
The Irish Data Protection Commission said its investigation into TikTok found the video streaming app’s policies were inadequate in a number of ways, including setting children’s accounts to public by default and failing to provide sufficient transparency about rules to users.
The commission also identified TikTok’s “Family Pairing” setting as not strict enough. The setting allowed a non-child user — who could not be verified as a parent or guardian — to pair their account with one of a child aged 16-17 and enable direct messages on the child’s account, according to the commission. The regulator also said the company was “nudging users towards choosing more privacy-intrusive options during the registration process.”
In response to the decision, TikTok’s head of privacy in Europe, Elaine Fox, published a blog post detailing how the platform has updated its policies since the investigation in the European Union began in September 2021. Read more in a full report at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, I’m Rebecca Klar — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. |
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How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: |
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Caesars Entertainment, the casino company, reported that it was hit by a cyberattack Thursday, according to The Associated Press. In a report to federal regulators, the company said its casino and online operations were not disrupted. The reported cyberattack comes after MGM Resorts International, another casino company, said “cybersecurity issues” resulted in a shutdown of some casino and hotel computer systems Sunday. Caesars … |
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President Biden said Friday that record-high corporate profits should be shared with workers, hours after the United Auto Workers (UAW) went on a historic strike. Biden said that while he appreciates that the Big Three automakers have been working to make a deal on workers’ contracts with UAW, they failed to reach an agreement because the companies didn’t offer enough. |
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Workers at three U.S. auto plants are on strike after the Big Three automakers and the United Auto Workers (UAW) failed to reach an agreement by Thursday night’s strike deadline.
In July, negotiations began between the UAW and Ford, Stellantis and General Motors focused on pay increases, pensions and career security. The workers also have concerns about electric vehicles and how a shift toward EVs could affect their jobs and pay. |
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U.S. industrial production came in hot in August, with gains in mining output and defense production contributing to an upside surprise. The index for industrial production rose by 0.4 percent in August after advancing by 0.7 percent in July, the Federal Reserve reported Friday. Total production increased to 103.5 percent of its 2017 level, 0.2 percent above where it was the year before.
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News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: |
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Google announces Chromebook updates |
Google announced new automatic updates for Chromebooks that are intended to help the devices last up to 10 years, Mashable reported. |
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Democrats seek info on Ukraine Starlink access |
Three Democratic senators wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with questions over whether Ukrainian military’s access to communications networks were disabled or restricted by Elon Musk or other commercial satellite providers, NBC News reported.
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Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching: |
- The Senate Commerce Committee will consider nominations to Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET.
- American songwriters and composers will meet with legislators for the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers’ (ASCAP) “Stand with Songwriters” advocacy day at the Capitol on Thursday in a push to ensure copyrights are protected amid the artificial intelligence boom.
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Branch out with other reads on The Hill: |
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce took a swing at the Biden administration Friday, saying its pro-union stances caused the recent United Auto Workers strike. Suzanne Clark, president of the Chamber, said the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) decision to strike at midnight Friday “will have far-reaching negative consequences for our economy.”
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Autoworkers launched a historic strike on Ford, General Motors and Stellantis early Friday morning after union negotiations failed.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) and the “Big Three” automakers failed to reach an agreement before the workers’ contracts expired at midnight, triggering the first simultaneous strike by UAW workers against all three auto giants. |
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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COVID-19 is moving back into the news, a trend that could have a political impact on the Republican primary. In particular, the issue is being weaponized … Read more |
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Delaware Democrat Sarah McBride, who in June launched a potentially history-making bid to become the nation’s first openly transgender member of Congress, … Read more |
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Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: |
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You’re all caught up. See you next week! |
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