• Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc. and Google told Hong Kong government officials that they might stop their services in the city if it moves forward with planned rules that could make the companies criminally liable for users who post individuals’ personal information online with malicious intent, according to a letter sent by Singapore-based Asia Internet Coalition and seen by The Wall Street Journal. (The Wall Street Journal)
• The Russian-language hacking group REvil is asking for $70 million to unlock the computer systems of thousands of businesses that experts say it targeted in a ransomware attack over the holiday weekend. (The Washington Post)
• Social media website GETTR, which was recently created by allies of former President Donald Trump, was hit by a cyberattack over the weekend that targeted the accounts of former Trump spokesman Jason Miller and other conservative figures. (Insider)
• India’s government said in a court filing that Twitter has lost its liability protection for user content in the country, citing the social media company’s failure to comply with new local information technology rules that went into effect in May. (TechCrunch)

56% of Americans oppose the right to sue social media companies for what users post
Pew Research Center

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Jim Whitehurst steps down as president at IBM just 14 months after taking role
Ron Miller, TechCrunch

In a surprise announcement, IBM announced that Jim Whitehurst, who came over in the Red Hat deal, would be stepping down as company president just 14 months after taking over in that role.

Biden Nominates Former Charter SVP Hoehn-Saric to head CPSC
John Eggerton, Multichannel News

President Joe Biden has nominated Alex Hoehn-Saric, former senior VP of government affairs for Charter and FCC and Capital Hill veteran, to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Amazon begins new chapter as Bezos hands over CEO role
Alexandra Olson, The Associated Press

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO on Monday, handing over the reins as the company navigates the challenges of a world fighting to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

Rioters accused of erasing content from social media, phones
Jacques Billeaud, The Associated Press

They flaunted their participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol on social media and then, apparently realizing they were in legal trouble, rushed to delete evidence of it, authorities say. Now their attempts to cover up their role in the deadly siege are likely to come back to haunt them in court.

Programs that write programs
Bryan Walsh, Axios

A new AI tool can work with human programmers to analyze computer code they’ve written and generate new matching code to complete programs.

Amazon is destroying millions of unsold goods, from smart TVs to laptops
Lucy Wishart, Fast Company

A recent undercover investigation in an Amazon warehouse in Dunfermline, Scotland, reported the disposal of more than 130,000 “new or lightly used” objects in a single week in just that one location. Public outrage was clear. Questions were asked about how Amazon could be so wasteful and why weren’t the usable objects sent to those in need?

FTC Rescinds Antitrust Enforcement Guidance
John Eggerton, Multichannel News

The Federal Trade Commission has signaled it is rethinking its enforcement principles regarding its Sec. 5 authority to prevent unfair methods of competition, saying under the current FTC guidance, the commission “has doubled down on the Commission’s longstanding failure to investigate and pursue ‘unfair methods of competition.’”

Broadcom Settles FTC Chip Monopolization Complaint
John Eggerton, Multichannel News

The Federal Trade Commission has struck a deal with broadband and TV semiconductor components supplier Broadcom.

Top esports league faces Justice Department inquiry
Stephen Totilo, Axios

The Department of Justice is reportedly looking into a potential antitrust violation tied to Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch League.

Court ruling sets up ever more bruising fight over tech
Chris Mills Rodrigo and Rebecca Klar, The Hill

The nascent effort to rein in the power of America’s tech giants hit a snag this week, but the lawmakers behind the movement are not folding so easily.

US hits anti-robocall milestone but annoying calls won’t stop any time soon
Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica

The nation’s largest phone companies have met a federal deadline to deploy a new anti-robocall technology, but unwanted calls and scams will continue to be an annoying problem for Americans for the foreseeable future.

ByteDance starts selling AI that powers TikTok to other companies
Tim Bradshaw, Financial Times

New unit will help other companies personalise their websites and apps.

National Lab Researchers Boost Chip Design Processes With Artificial Intelligence
Brandi Vincent, Nextgov

Argonne National Laboratory researchers uncovered and continue to explore new ways to advance a semiconductor chips design technique using artificial intelligence.

Dutch court will hear another Facebook privacy lawsuit
Natasha Lomas, TechCrunch

Privacy litigation that’s being brought against Facebook by two not-for-profits in the Netherlands can go ahead, an Amsterdam court has ruled. The case will be heard in October.

Apple wins privacy battle in China
Patrick McGee, Financial Times

Tracking system for iPhones developed by Chinese tech groups fails to gain traction.

In crosshairs of ransomware crooks, cyber insurers struggle
Frank Bajak, The Associated Press

In the past few weeks, ransomware criminals claimed as trophies at least three North American insurance brokerages that offer policies to help others survive the very network-paralyzing, data-pilfering extortion attacks they themselves apparently suffered.

DHS hails cybersecurity hiring blitz that puts dent in thousands of vacancies
Tim Starks, CyberScoop

The Department of Homeland Security is touting its “most successful cybersecurity hiring initiative” ever after bringing on nearly 300 pros, with job offers extended to 500 more.

TikTok and Instagram inch closer to the streaming wars as competitive barriers blur
Alex Sherman, CNBC

Instagram wants to be more like TikTok. TikTok is extending the length of its videos to be more like YouTube. Roku seems to be following the Netflix playbook and investing in original video.

TikTok is taking the book industry by storm, and retailers are taking notice
Conor Murray, NBC News

“BookTok” is a community of users on TikTok who post videos reviewing and recommending books, which has boomed in popularity over the past year. 

Okta’s CEO is so concerned about burnout that he told employees to email him their vacation plans
Ari Levy, CNBC

As CEO of a high-growth software company in San Francisco that employs 3,500 people and recently closed a $6.5 billion acquisition, Okta co-founder Todd McKinnon has plenty to worry about. But few things these days concern him as much as employee burnout.

Why many Uber and Lyft drivers aren’t coming back
Jessica Bursztynsky, CNBC

After a dramatic decline in traveling this past year, people are moving again. Yet, despite offering cash incentives, rideshare giants Uber and Lyft are still struggling to bring drivers back to full speed, leading to longer wait times for customers and soaring prices.

Tech CEOs were wary of vaccine mandates. That’s changing.
Allison Levitsky, Protocol

Most tech giants say they’ll “encourage, but not require” employees to get vaccinated before returning to the office. But as more companies reopen their doors, four software makers now say they’ll turn away unvaccinated workers.

Lina Khan’s Power Grab at the FTC
The Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal

Independent federal agencies have power over American life that the Founders never imagined, and that reign is about to expand with a vengeance in the Biden era. Witness the unprecedented power grab engineered last week at the Federal Trade Commission by the new chair, Lina Khan.

Older workers are a secret weapon against cyber attacks
Elisabeth Braw, Financial Times

The value of employees who began their careers before the digital age is underestimated.

Amazon Transformed Seattle. Now, Its Workers Are Poised to Take It Back.
E. Tammy Kim, The New York Times

In the coming years, Amazon will most likely become the largest private employer in the United States — perhaps even the world. It already employs nearly a million U.S. workers and indirectly commands many more thousands of contracted drivers. This isn’t uncommon knowledge, but few Americans have confronted the stakes of Amazon’s economic and political dominance — except, perhaps, in the company’s hometown.