Twitter said Thursday it's doing a “full internal review” after a customer service employee deactivated President Donald Trump's account on the social media platform “on the employee's last day.” Trump's account “was down for 11 minutes” Thursday before being restored, Twitter said. The company is “taking steps to prevent this from happening again.” Trump tweeted Friday that a “rogue employee” at Twitter caused the deactivation. “I guess the word must finally be getting out and having an impact,” he said.

Eighty-four percent of adults say they will be less willing to shop this holiday season at retailers that experienced past data breaches than at those that didn't, said a Thursday survey from Generali Global Assistance. It canvassed 1,016 people in early October and found 38 percent were unsure if businesses were doing enough to safeguard their personal information. Data breaches “weigh much more heavily on holiday shoppers’ minds” than being pickpocketed (11 percent), or having their cars broken into (10 percent) “when it comes to identity theft,” said the ID protection division of an insurer.

A communications law firm reminded those with websites to renew domain names and register valuable ones to those companies and not their vendors, saying it finds these "recurring problems striking regularly." Microsoft, Jeb Bush, the Dallas Cowboys and, recently, Sorenson Communications let domains lapse, blogged ICANN expert Kathy Kleiman of Fletcher Heald. Sorenson's goof meant its site was inaccessible, so "customers could not receive or place video relay service, 911, and other calls," she wrote Tuesday, in a post emailed the next day. For a “preventable, internal operational failure,” a September FCC Enforcement Bureau order (see 1709290056) said the company agreed to reimburse the Telecom Relay Service Fund $2.7 million and pay a $252,000 settlement, Kleiman noted. She recommended automatic domain renewal. Sorenson didn't comment.

"Algorithms got us into this situation. Algorithms must get us out," blogged Brookings visiting fellow and former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. The internet, once considered a democratizing tool, is under fire for delivering "a decidedly undemocratic outcome," said Wheeler: The "questionable ads" under scrutiny in congressional hearings this week (see 1710310061) are a result of algorithms that "prioritize revenue over veracity." Algorithms have become sophisticated tools creating an internet that's "become the antithesis of the community necessary for democratic processes to succeed," he said. Wheeler plugged work by Harvard researcher Wael Ghonim that proposes opening the input/output information to allow third-party access to information, a practice that wouldn't violate users' privacy but would provide more information on how algorithms operate. Ghonim calls for an open application programming interface that could be applied to monitor and report on effects of social media algorithms to help independently verify information delivered to users.

The FTC said its complaint against 1-800 Contacts for anticompetitive practices with rival online contact lens sellers was upheld by Chief Administrative Law Judge Michael Chappell. FTC alleged 1-800 Contacts restricted online ads for contact lenses by prohibiting competitors from displaying paid ads on search engine results for 1-800 Contacts’ trademarks. Chappell said the FTC demonstrated that the ad restraints caused harm to consumers and limited marketplace competition. "1-800 Contacts is disappointed," the company said in a statement Monday. The company said it appealed the decision and "expects any court that examines the facts will agree with our position," vowing to fight "as long and as far as necessary."

At updated IoT standards draft for federal agencies is expected in early 2018 and could impact the tech sector, in ongoing work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, blogged Wiley Rein attorney Kathleen Scott. NIST launched its IoT cybersecurity program in November 2016. While the work is focused on federal agencies, the tech sector is providing input in developing standards that could ultimately affect the industry, NIST said. NIST held a meeting earlier this month on security approaches for IoT devices to ensure suppliers and vendors are aligned in their security approaches. It's "clear that the debate regarding IoT cyber standards is still nascent and that NIST is still working to define the scope of IoT," Scott said. On Thursday, NIST said its current IoT guidelines draft is 200 pages and could be released for public comment early next year, Scott said.

An advisory committee would create new data security standards for certifying IoT devices, under legislation proposed Friday by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. The voluntary program would identify and promote IoT products that meet the committee's standards and best practices. The Cyber Shield Act "will help ensure consumers can reliably identify more secure products and rewards manufacturers that adopt the best cybersecurity practices," Markey said in a statement. Government and tech companies need to "build more transparency around the security of our favorite devices," Lieu's statement said. The Massachusetts Tech Leadership Council endorsed the legislation for giving tech companies room to innovate while giving policymakers tools to protect consumers, said CEO Tom Hopcroft. “Our goal should be establishing IoT device best practices that are understood by both consumers and manufacturers,” said a statement from Shane Tews, visiting fellow, American Enterprise Institute. The goal of the voluntary program is developing a type of recognizable seal of approval, similar to the Energy Star designation for appliances, to help consumers identify manufacturers that comply with the voluntary cyber and data practices, Tews said. The Center for Democracy & Technology supported the bill in a statement urging Congress to take up the measure.

Tech support scammers settled complaints with the FTC they tricked consumers into believing their computers were infected with viruses and malware, charging hundreds of dollars for unnecessary repairs, the commission announced Thursday. Defendants, which the FTC said used only online advertising to target victims, will be permanently banned from the tech support business.

President Donald Trump called for a new drone safety program Wednesday, directing the Transportation Department to work with state and local governments in select jurisdictions to safely integrate unmanned air technologies into national airspace. CTA praised the move as a "smart way to engage local governments and community stakeholders," said Vice President-Technology Policy Doug Johnson. Drone sales in the U.S. will reach 3.4 million units this year, up 40 percent from 2016, and $1.1 billion in revenue, CTA reports. The Small UAV Coalition, which joined 30 organizations in a recent letter to Trump asking for such a program, supported the move. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., praised the drone program directive, saying it would provide "sensible direction" for increasing safety. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International said the program will be helpful as more businesses deploy drones.

Microsoft will drop a lawsuit against DOJ dealing with access to personal data, after the department said it would limit the practice of requiring providers to "stay silent" when the government accesses customers' data stored in the cloud, Microsoft Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith blogged. Justice took an "important step in ensuring that people’s privacy rights are protected," Smith said Monday. The new policy "helps ensure that secrecy orders are used only when necessary and for defined periods of time," Smith said, urging Congress to update "outdated laws to better protect our digital rights while still enabling law enforcement to do its job."