Big Tech Compliance Tracker: Amazon Antitrust Complaint Expands; Epic Games Pays Apple $6M for Breach on Fortnite

Here’s the latest news from the technology industry, which is coming under increasing global scrutiny.

Georgetown Privacy Professor Bedoya Is Biden’s FTC Commissioner Nominee

President Joe Biden will nominate Georgetown University law professor and privacy law expert Alvaro Bedoya as a Democratic commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission.

Bedoya, who is the leader of the Center of Privacy & Technology at Georgetown’s law school, would replace Rohit Chopra as FTC commissioner if he’s approved. Chopra has been nominated to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Bedoya was one of the authors of a 2016 report on the privacy and civil liberty risks related to police using facial recognition technology on their beats.

DC AG Racine Expands Scope of Amazon Antitrust Complaint

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine has widened the scope of his antitrust complaint against Amazon, focusing this time on its relationship with wholesale suppliers.

In May, Racine sued Amazon, charging the company with developing monopolistic powers because of its pricing contracts with the third-party sellers that sell on Amazon. Now, he said Amazon is engaged in anticompetitive acts with wholesalers.

China Regulators Tell Wall Street Execs New Rules Won't Stifle Tech

Chinese regulators told Wall Street executives that their crackdown on industries that have disrupted the market aren’t supposed to crush tech companies.

China Securities Regulatory Commission Vice Chairman Fang Xinghai has said the recent actions were meant to boost regulations for companies as well as data privacy and national security, while cutting down on social anxiety, including through the education and gaming industries.

The regulations have targeted Big Tech companies and other aspects of the economy in President Xi Jinping’s push for “common prosperity.”

Apple Nets $6M From Fortnite Maker Following Court Order

Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite and other online multi-player games, recently paid Apple $6 million for breaching App Store guidelines, according to a report from Apple Insider, following a Sept. 10 court ruling. Epic had initially indicated that it would appeal the ruling.

The fee paid to Apple represents damages from funds generated by Fortnite sales on the App Store after Epic violated Apple’s policies and offered it elsewhere, according to the report.

FTC: Health Apps, Wearables Need to Tell Consumers of Data Breaches

Health apps and connected devices must comply with the Health Breach Notification Rule, forcing them to notify users when data is breached, the FTC said last week.

The FTC said health apps and wearables have been attracting sensitive, personal data. The apps have a responsibility to make sure the data is secure, including making sure unauthorized data access can’t happen.