In California, a federal court started hearing arguments in the case between Epic Games, the company that created Fortnite, and Apple and Google. Briefly, Epic Games argues that the companies’ relative app stores broke antitrust laws buy levying high commission on in-app purchases.
The US Department of Commerce published a whitepaper that helps organizations determine that sending personal data to the US is legitimate.
The background for this whitepaper is an ECJ decision from July. That decision held that requires organizations that use EU-approved data transfer mechanisms to verify, on a case-by-case basis, whether foreign legal protections concerning government access to personal data meet EU standards.
Amazon introduced a new contact-less palm reading technology, their latest way to verify users’ identity. The company explains that the technology uses configurations of veins under the skin to evaluate multiple aspects of the palm and select the most distinct identifiers on a users’ palms in order to create a palm signature. Those signatures are then encrypted and stored on a unique cloud.
New York launched its contact-tracing app, aimed to hedge the spread of Covid-19. The state related to privacy concerns, explaining that the app is anonymous, uses Bluetooth technology rather than GPS tracking, and “doesn’t give any privacy information.”
Facebook has launched a new forecasting tool that allows users to posit questions about future events and crowdsource predictions about the outcome.
Finally, the House Judiciary Committee held another hearing to discuss strengthening antitrust laws, especially with regards to tech companies.
(compiled by JSD Fellow Tomer Kenneth)