The FTC 4-0-1 finalized a settlement with a California online training services company over allegations it falsely claimed it was getting certified as EU-U.S. Privacy Shield compliant (see 1807020048). ReadyTech is barred from misrepresenting itself again, and for any future infractions, faces penalties up to $41,484 for each violation. Commissioner Christine Wilson didn’t vote, and the agency didn't comment.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai requested a briefing on a disputed report that China targeted U.S. companies, including Apple, with malicious chips (see 1810090029). Pai said at a news conference Tuesday he has no firsthand knowledge about the report's accuracy. Asked from whom Pai requested the briefing, an FCC spokesperson didn’t comment Wednesday.

The White House should promptly nominate a permanent Privacy Shield ombudsperson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said Friday. The functioning of the State Department ombudsperson, currently acting Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Manisha Singh, was discussed during last week’s review of the agreement. The European Commission will publish findings and recommendations on PS this year, they said. The pair cited the program’s significant growth, with nearly 4,000 companies signed on. Other efforts cited include the recent confirmation of Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board members (see personals section of the Oct. 15 issue), restoring the quorum. In light of recent privacy breaches, there's a need for “strong privacy enforcement to protect our citizens and ensure trust in the digital economy,” they said. Ross in a Financial Times opinion Wednesday defended the PS, saying it protects citizens and companies in both regions and allows cross-border data flows. The State Department ombudsperson has been available, but hasn’t received a single PS-related inquiry, he said. Facebook, a PS participant, will be removed if the FTC finds it failed to comply with program commitments, he said. “We agree that Privacy Shield works well and encourage further progress to strengthen it, such as the prompt nomination of a permanent U.S. Under Secretary and Ombudsperson,” said Computer & Communications Industry Association Senior Policy Manager Alexandre Roure.

Calling it "win for digital trade," BSA|The Software Alliance CEO Victoria Espinel, noted the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement has a default rule that data can move across borders. Ratification of the North America Free Trade Agreement replacement could be "one of the steps toward ... an international consensus on data," she said Thursday at the Washington International Trade Association. Espinel described USMCA as a great template for future negotiations with Japan and with the EU but "the next version could be better." She would like to see stronger language on encryption, with explicit language not allowing back doors for encrypted messages. She wants language to prohibit governments from using "cybersecurity as a pretext for protectionism" and from requiring disclosure of algorithms or source codes to get market access.

Mobile device manufacturers can license the Google mobile app suite separately from the Google Search App and Chrome, Senior Vice President-Platforms Ecosystems Hiroshi Lockheimer blogged Tuesday. Android partners distributing Google apps can also build “non-compatible, or forked, smartphones and tablets for the European Economic Area.” Google is appealing the European Commission’s $5 billion fine for Android anticompetitive behavior (see 1807300048).

Twitter released datasets for 3,841 accounts affiliated with Russia’s Internet Research Agency and 770 other accounts potentially linked to Iran. The data collection included more than 10 million tweets and more than 2 million images, GIFs, videos and Periscope broadcasts, the platform said Wednesday. Some activity dated to 2009.

Samsung joined the Basel Action Network’s EarthEye e-waste GPS-tracking service, said the company Tuesday. BAN launched EarthEye in June with hopes of thwarting unauthorized exports of discarded electronics (see 1806210002).

Google is exploring launching a Chinese version of Search (see 1809260050), CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed Monday. During a Wired event, Pichai discussed a project named Dragonfly: “If Google were to operate in China, what would it look like? ... We’ll be able to serve well over 99 percent of the queries.” The company previously received backlash internally and from lawmakers about the plan.

China is the largest market for IoT spending, augmented and virtual reality and robotics, while the U.S. “continues to dominate spending on software-driven markets,” said IDC Tuesday. By 2022, China will account for nearly 40 percent of worldwide robotics spending, with almost $80 billion annually, it said. It does more than a quarter of global spending on IoT and AR/VR. The U.S. does nearly 70 percent of artificial intelligence spending and more than half on big data and analytics, said IDC. It estimates U.S. annual spending on AI will grow to nearly $50 billion by 2022, as big data and analytics investments reach $140 billion.

Broadcom’s $18.9 billion buy of CA Technologies received European antitrust approval, Broadcom told the SEC Friday (see 1808240028). The decision was the final regulatory hurdle, and Broadcom expects the deal to close by Nov. 5.