Myanmar Citizens Use Protester Toolkit to Skirt Internet Ban
Sidestepping a crackdown on internet use since the military seized power almost two months ago, hundreds of thousands of protesters and citizens in Myanmar are finding different ways to communicate online, downloading tools to bypass censorship restrictions and turning to alternative media sources and underground networks.
Myanmar citizens are following the lead and help of protesters in Hong Kong, Belarus and elsewhere who have found creative ways around government internet restrictions. Protest movements in countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong coalesced under the umbrella of the Milk Tea Alliance to show their support and to share documents and tips, including how to set up anonymous web chats. The situation is evolving however, as the government continue to block different types of communication – what works now may not work in the coming weeks.
China Said to Mull State-Backed Company to Oversee Tech Data
China’s government has proposed establishing a joint venture with local technology giants that would oversee the lucrative data they collect from hundreds of millions of consumers. This signals an intent on the part of the CCP to tighten its grip over the internet, e-commerce and digital-finance spheres after decades of adopting a relatively hands-off approach that spawned a generation of billionaires. China’s efforts to regulate its internet giants coincide with growing global scrutiny over the industry, as governments from the U.S. to the European Union and Australia have clashed with companies including Twitter Inc. and Facebook. One of the key hurdles for such envisioned joint venture would be existing rules around data privacy, which give individuals the right to decide how their information is used.
UK trade unions call for legal curbs on AI in workplace
New legal protections are urgently needed to regulate the use of AI in UK workplaces and prevent algorithmic hiring and firing. With the employers increasingly turning to AI to help them recruit remotely, sift candidates for redundancy, determine performance, allocate work and monitor productivity, the employment law has failed to keep pace with the rollout of new technology. In particular, TUC advocated for a new legal right for workers to have a human review of decisions made by AI algorithms, so that they can challenge facially unfair or discriminatory decisions. The proposed reform also includes a legal duty on employers to consult trade unions on the use of “high risk” and intrusive technology in the workplace.
Biden nominates Lina Khan, a vocal critic of Big Tech, to the F.T.C.
President Biden on Monday nominated Lina Khan to the Federal Trade Commission, subject to the approval by the Senate. Ms. Khan, recognized for her prominent advocacy of curbing the abusive monopoly power of the large tech companies, would get to vote on important antitrust and consumer protection cases, including a decision whether to bring an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon.
Facebook Can Claim Work Product in App Developer Investigation
Materials generated by counsel as part of Facebook’s highly publicized “App Developer Investigation” are covered by the work product doctrine, and the social media platform is entitled to withhold information that would reveal counsel’s undisclosed strategic decision-making, Massachusetts’ highest court ruled Wednesday, in connection with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s investigation focused on whether Facebook “misrepresented the extent to which it protected or misused user data.
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts reversed a lower court ruling that would have required Facebook to give the state attorney general’s office documents “sufficient to identify” thousands of apps at the center of its internal investigation, along with additional factual information for some of the apps, including, among other things, the identity of the app developer and the “basis and initial source(s) of reports, allegations or concerns of data misuse of user information obtained or accessed through the app.” Consequently, Facebook will now be able to hold back materials and information constitution “opinions” work product.