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A Montenegro court has ruled in favor of extraditing Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon to South Korea, as local media Vijesti reports. This decision overturns a previous ruling that favored his extradition to the United States, spotlighting the intricate web of legal challenges Do Kwon faces across multiple jurisdictions.
The decision by the high court in Podgorica came after a series of legal maneuvers, including an appeal by Do Kwon against his extradition to the U.S., which had initially been decided on Feb. 21. His defense argued that the legal process was flawed, leading the Montenegro Court of Appeals to revoke his U.S. extradition on March 5, according to The Block.
The twist in Do Kwon’s extradition saga underscores the global nature of the legal pursuit against him. Earlier on Thursday, South Korea’s National Police Agency sought assistance from Interpol to secure Do Kwon’s extradition from Montenegro, highlighting that South Korea had lodged its request before the United States did. This international legal tug-of-war illustrates the complexity and high stakes involved in Kwon’s case.
Do Kwon is at the center of a storm following the dramatic collapse of the Terra ecosystem in May 2022. The failure of the algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD led to a staggering $45 billion loss in market capitalization, shaking the cryptocurrency world to its core. As the co-founder of Terraform Labs, Do Kwon faces fraud charges in South Korea related to this collapse, marking a swift fall from grace for the once-celebrated crypto entrepreneur.
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Apple is set to change the iPhone user experience in the European Union with a series of significant updates aimed at complying with the EU’s new Digital Markets Act, which has just come into effect. According to The Verge, among the most notable changes, EU-based users will, by the end of 2024, have the ability to uninstall the Safari browser from their iPhones. Additionally, Apple is developing a more “user-friendly” solution for transferring data from an iPhone to non-Apple phones, expected to be rolled out by fall 2025.
The changes are outlined in a recent compliance document published by Apple, showcasing the company’s efforts to adhere to the DMA’s regulations. The document reveals plans for a “browser switching solution” that facilitates the transfer of data between browsers on the same device. This feature is projected to be available between late 2024 and early 2025. Moreover, by March 2025, users will be able to change their default navigation app on iOS devices within the EU, marking a significant shift toward enhancing user autonomy over their device settings.
Regional specificity and global implications
While the document does not explicitly confirm whether these features will be rolled out globally, it highlights Apple’s ongoing initiatives to comply with the DMA in the EU. These initiatives include enabling the use of browser engines other than WebKit and the installation of third-party app stores, which, as of now, are exclusive to the EU market. The global availability of these features remains a subject of speculation, pending further clarification from Apple.
The introduction of a more intuitive solution for transferring data to non-Apple phones builds on existing migration tools provided by other companies, such as Google’s “Switch to Android” iOS app. This app facilitates the transfer of contacts, photos, videos, free apps, texts, and notes, although it falls short of transferring paid apps, Safari bookmarks, alarms, and other miscellaneous files. Apple’s forthcoming solution aims to bridge these gaps, offering a more comprehensive data migration experience for users switching from iOS to other operating systems.
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A U.S. House committee has unanimously passed legislation aiming to compel ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to divest the social media giant, amid a tidal wave of protest from the app’s vast user base, according to recent Semafor reporting. The proposed bill, sparking heated debates and a flood of phone calls to congressional offices, underscores the growing tension between national security concerns and digital freedom of expression.
Following TikTok’s appeal to its users to voice their opposition to the bill, House congressional aides reported an overwhelming response, with offices receiving up to 50 calls. Disturbingly, the intensity of the backlash reached a peak with a reported threat of suicide if the app were banned, reflecting the profound impact TikTok has on its community. Despite this, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the bill in a decisive 50-0 vote, highlighting the bipartisan concern over the national security implications of Chinese ownership of the app, which boasts 170 million American users.
The bill, championed by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), has rapidly garnered support from both the White House and Speaker Mike Johnson, citing the necessity to protect Americans from potential adversarial control. TikTok, however, has condemned the legislation, claiming it infringes on Americans’ constitutional rights to free expression and threatens the livelihoods of millions of creators and businesses that rely on the platform.
Accusations of interference and the legislative response
Gallagher’s remark that the flood of calls from TikTok users “almost proves the point” underscores the lawmakers’ view that the platform’s campaign against the bill exemplifies the potential for foreign influence and interference, further solidifying their resolve. This perspective is shared by a diverse coalition of supporters, including conservative groups like Heritage Action and human rights organizations concerned with abuses by the Chinese government.
This legislative effort follows previous attempts to address the national security concerns posed by TikTok, which faltered amid debates over free speech implications. The current bill aims to circumvent these issues, yet the passionate response from the TikTok community indicates a potentially protracted struggle over its future. With the Biden administration’s recent engagement with TikTok for campaign purposes, despite acknowledging the app’s security risks, the debate over TikTok’s place in American society and politics is set to intensify.
Warnings from top U.S. security officials about the risks posed by TikTok’s potential for foreign influence and surveillance have persisted. While TikTok has attempted to assuage these fears by storing American user data domestically, the possibility of data being compelled by the Chinese government remains a contentious point, underscored by ByteDance’s admission of using TikTok to spy on journalists.
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Action has been taken by a group of cross-party US lawmakers to introduce legislation against ByteDance which would force the company to divest its dominant social media platform TikTok or risk a ban in the United States.
The move is driven by fears over national security concerns emanating from TikTok’s Chinese ownership and its links to the Beijing government. It follows previous efforts in Congress to address perceived risks from the video-hosting app with a ruling in late 2022 banning federal employees from using the platform on government-issued devices.
Now, Mike Gallagher, Republican chair of the House of Representatives China select committee has joined with leading Democrat figure, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi to face down ByteDance.
“This is my message to TikTok, break up with the Chinese Communist Party or lose access to your American users,” Gallagher stated.
“America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States.”
What is the response to the US action against TikTok?
If approved, the bill would instruct the Chinese tech giant to divest TikTok within 165 days, otherwise, action could be taken to make it unlawful for Apple, Google and other app store providers to offer it to the market.
The seriousness of the confrontation is underlined by the 170 million active users of the app in the US, but ByteDance has slammed the proposed legislation.
“This bill is an outright ban of TikTok, no matter how much the authors try to disguise it,” a company spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs.”
Conversely, a White House National Security Council spokesperson welcomed the bill as “an important and welcome step” commenting that the Biden administration would work together with Congress “to further strengthen this legislation and put it on the strongest possible legal footing.”
Whether anything meaningful comes to fruition in the coming weeks and months remains to be seen in what is election season in the states, and is further clouded by President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign joining TikTok last month.
Image credit: Ideogram
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An Australian government financial intelligence agency has launched a probe into British gambling company Bet365 over concerns about its adherence to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism regulations.
The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) is the watchdog investigating the leading betting brand, registered locally as Hillside (Australia New Media).
Specifically, the investigation is seeking to establish if the gambling platform has met its obligations, following a supervisory campaign targeting firms within the betting sector and Austrac’s review of an external audit report on Bet365.
Brendan Thomas, Austrac CEO stated, “Corporate bookmakers must have robust systems in place to ensure they can manage and mitigate risks associated with money laundering and terrorism financing.”
“Businesses without adequate processes in place to manage those risks leave themselves vulnerable to exploitation by criminals,” he added.
The government body also monitors banks and casinos, those who handle large volume transactions, to ensure they have effective compliance systems in place to act as a bulwark against the flow of the proceeds of criminal activity.
Any company found in breach of its responsibilities can be fined by Austrac, with financial institutions Westpac and Commonwealth Bank of Australia being two high-profile entities to have been sanctioned in recent times.
Who owns Bet365?
Earlier this year, it was revealed Bet365 boss Denise Coates was paid around £221 million in remuneration for the last financial year, taking her overall earnings over the last four years to over £1 billion. ($1,275b).
The figure was £7m higher than the previous year with Ms Coates also receiving at least £50m worth of additional dividends, despite reported a pre-tax loss of £72.6 million for the company, compared to the £49.8 million profit they achieved in the 12 months prior.
A Sunday Times report listed the Coates family as the third-biggest taxpayers in the United Kingdom with their tax bill relating to their business interests, primarily Bet365, coming in at £375.9m ($476.02m).
Ms Coates, who is believed to be one of Britain’s richest women, founded the Bet365 website in humble beginnings, based in Stoke-on-Trent, England, where the company still has its headquarters.
The company has enjoyed a meteoric rise to becoming one of the biggest online gambling platforms in the world, contributing to Coates’ ownership of Stoke City Football Club.
Image credit:  Dan Freeman on Unsplash
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