Meta

• The U.S. government moved closer to banning the video social media app TikTok after the House of Representatives attached the measure to an emergency spending bill on Apr.
• The move could improve the bill’s chances in the Senate, and President Joe Biden has indicated that he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
• The bill would force ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, to either sell its American holdings to a U.S. company or face a ban in the country.
• For one, ByteDance can be required to assist the Chinese Communist Party in gathering intelligence, according to the Chinese National Intelligence Law.
• The fact that China, a country that Americans criticize for its authoritarian practices, bans social media platforms is hardly a reason for the U.S. to do the same.
• Here’s why I think the recent move against TikTok misses the larger point: Americans’ sources of information have declined in quality and the problem goes beyond any one social media platform.

The deeper problem

• But the proposed solution of switching to American ownership of the app ignores an even more fundamental threat.
• The deeper problem is not that the Chinese government can easily manipulate content on the app.
• It is, rather, that people think it is OK to get their news from social media in the first place.
• In other words, the real national security vulnerability is that people have acquiesced to informing themselves through social media.

Media and technology literacy

• Research suggests that it will only be alleviated by inculcating media and technology literacy habits from an early age.
• My colleagues and I have just launched a pilot program to boost digital media literacy with the Boston Mayor’s Youth Council.
• Some of these measures to boost media and technology literacy might not be popular among tech users and tech companies.

The Applied Ethics Center at UMass Boston receives funding from the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. Nir Eisikovits serves as the data ethics advisor to Hour25AI, a startup dedicated to reducing digital distractions.

• Finding an
  effective response to these concerns would support competition, foster innovation and increase choice for
  consumers with mobile wallets on their iPhones.
• We note that Apple?s proposed commitments would not give third parties full access to the secure element (SE),
  but only allow for the usage of Host Card Emulation (HCE).
• If the proposed commitments
  would also be applicable to a potential digital euro, they would not, per se, guarantee that digital euro payments
  made using iPhones were seamless and user-friendly.
• Crucially, access to the SE is vital for mobile device based offline digital euro payments.
• 3 4 Therefore, Apple?s
  proposed commitments, which do not provide full access to the SE of iOS smart phones, would not facilitate
  offline payments with digital euro on iPhones.
• We understand that the Commission?s antitrust investigation, and Apple?s proposed commitments on access to
  NFC technology, are limited to in-store payments with iOS smart phones.
• As a result, the ability of merchants to accept payments with Apple devices other than
  through ApplePay might be limited.
• 9

  An effective implementation of Article 33 on FRAND access to a series of mobile devices is of paramount importance for the offline variant
  of the digital euro.

• The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against an alcohol addiction treatment service for allegedly disclosing users’ personal health data to third-party advertising platforms, including Meta and Google, for advertising without consumer consent, after promising to keep such information confidential.
• As part of a proposed order settling the FTC allegations, New York-based Monument, Inc. will be banned from disclosing health information for advertising and must obtain users’ affirmative consent before sharing health information with third parties for any other purpose.
• “This action continues the FTC’s work to ensure strict limits on how firms handle sensitive health data, rather than putting the onus on consumers to protect themselves,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
• Monument used these pixels and APIs to track “standard” and “custom events,” meaning instances in which consumers interacted with Monument’s website.
• If the company is found to have misrepresented its finances, it will be required to pay the full amount.

• The Commission voted 3-0 to refer the complaint and stipulated final order to the Department of Justice for filing.
• The DOJ filed the complaint and stipulated order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

• WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the NBH class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=23445 or call Phillip Kim, Esq.
• WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles.
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