🚨 Musk's X Escapes Ban, FBI Battles Hackers, Apple Under EU Scrutiny
Good morning. It’s Thursday, September 19. Today we are covering:
Musk Finds a Way Around Brazil's X Ban
U.S. government 'took control' of a botnet run by Chinese government hackers, says FBI director
Apple Faces EU Warning to Open Up iPhone Operating System
Google offered to sell part of ad tech business, not enough for EU publishers
Nintendo and Pokémon are suing Palworld maker Pocketpair
Let’s dive in
Musk Finds a Way Around Brazil's X Ban
By Jack Nicas via The New York Times
Elon Musk's social network X briefly went live in Brazil after being blocked for three weeks due to a Supreme Court order, using a technical workaround with Cloudflare to bypass the block.
Brazilian regulators are working with Cloudflare to reblock X, as Anatel received cooperation from Cloudflare to isolate X's traffic, avoiding broader internet disruptions.
The dispute between Musk and Brazilian authorities continues to escalate, with Musk expected to seek new workarounds, turning the conflict into a "cat-and-mouse game."
𝕏: X is reportedly back online in Brazil, thanks to Cloudflare. Anyone from Brazil able to see posts again? - Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
U.S. government 'took control' of a botnet run by Chinese government hackers, says FBI director
By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai via TechCrunch
The FBI took control of a botnet run by the Chinese government hacking group Flax Typhoon, which had compromised over 260,000 devices, targeting critical infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad.
After seizing control, the FBI removed malware from the affected devices, but Chinese hackers attempted to regain control and launched a DDoS attack against U.S. authorities.
The botnet, created using Mirai malware, targeted vulnerable internet-connected devices, and U.S. officials warn of ongoing Chinese cyber threats aiming to cause "real-world harm" in potential conflicts.
𝕏: NEW: The FBI director said today that the U.S. government took over and disrupted a botnet made of 260,000 Internet of Things devices U.S government accused a company in China of running the botnet on behalf of the Chinese government. - Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai (@lorenzofb)
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Apple Faces EU Warning to Open Up iPhone Operating System
By Samuel Stolton via Bloomberg
The European Union has warned Apple Inc. to open its iPhone and iPad operating systems to rival technologies under the Digital Markets Act.
Apple has been given six months to comply with these rules or face potential penalties for non-compliance.
Apple previously suggested it might hold back future technologies from the EU market if forced to make such changes.
𝕏: Apple is set to be warned by the European Union to open up its highly guarded iPhone operating system to rival technologies, or eventually risk significant fines, according to people familiar with the matter - Samuel Stolton (@SamuelStolton)
Google offered to sell part of ad tech business, not enough for EU publishers
By Foo Yun Chee via Reuters
Google offered to sell its AdX platform to address EU antitrust concerns, but EU publishers rejected the proposal as insufficient, demanding more divestment.
The European Publishers Council had filed a complaint, leading to scrutiny of Google's ad tech business for favoring its own services in the advertising market.
The European Commission may hold off on forcing Google to divest assets, potentially ordering the company to stop anti-competitive practices first, with a divestment order possible later.
𝕏: Google as we know it is going to be gone in the next decade - Ed Zitron (@edzitron)
Nintendo and Pokémon are suing Palworld maker Pocketpair
By Jay Peters via The Verge
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair, claiming that their game Palworld infringes on multiple patents.
Pocketpair responded, stating they were unaware of any patent violations but will investigate, though they lament the time spent away from game development.
Palworld, described as "Pokémon with guns," has faced criticism for its monster designs that closely resemble Pokémon, and the game sold over 5 million copies within three days of its early access launch.
𝕏: Palworld maker Pocketpair has responded to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's patent infringement lawsuit. It says it's unaware of any patents it has violated, and will begrudgingly begin investigating the claims - Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
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