Twitter Bans Anti-Trump Krassenstein Brothers for Creating Fake Accounts

Twitter has permanently banned prominent anti-Trump brothers Brian and Ed Krassenstein, alleging that two of the biggest stars of #Resistance Twitter had broken the site’s rules about operating fake accounts and purchasing fake interactions with their accounts. “The Twitter Rules apply to everyone,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

Altered Video of Pelosi, Slurring Words, Spreads Across Social Media

Distorted videos of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), altered to make her sound as if she’s drunkenly slurring her words, are spreading rapidly across social media, highlighting how political disinformation that clouds public understanding can now grow at the speed of the Web. The video of Pelosi’s onstage speech Wednesday at a Center for American Progress event, in which she said President Trump’s refusal to cooperate with congressional investigations was tantamount to a “coverup," was subtly edited to make her voice sound garbled and warped.

Baltimore City Workers Creating Gmail Accounts Trigger Security System

Gmail accounts used by Baltimore officials as a workaround while the city recovers from the ransomware attack were disabled because the creation of a large number of new accounts triggered Google’s automated security system, a spokesman for the company said. James Bentley, a spokesman for Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young, initially said the city had been told by Google that the accounts were “circumventing” the paid service the city would need for a business account.

Facebook Stops Commissions for Employees Who Sell Political Ads

Facebook Inc. said it stopped paying commissions to employees who sell political ads, as the tech giant overhauls how it engages with campaigns ahead of elections in 2020. Once seen as a growth area, political ads are now viewed within Facebook as more of a headache, according to former employees and campaign staffers who work on digital strategies.

Facebook Reports Removing 3 Billion Fake Accounts in 6 Months

Facebook said it had removed more than 3 billion fake accounts between October and March, a spike in banned activity that underscores the social-networking company’s ongoing struggle to clean up its platform. Facebook revealed the new figure as part of its updated transparency report, which also detailed the prevalence of hate speech, graphic photos and videos, and other abusive content on its platform.

EUIPO, EURid Offer Service Alerting Trademark Owners to Domain Registrations

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and EURid, the registry manager of the .eu and .ею country code top-level domains, has launched a new service designed to help European Union trade mark (EUTM) applicants tackle cybersquatting and bad faith domain name registrations. The new service will allow rights holders and applicants to opt-in to receive alerts as soon as a .eu or .ею domain name identical to their EUTM application is registered.

Data Protection Commission Probes Google's Advertising Program in EU

Ireland’s data privacy watchdog announced the launch of an inquiry into Google over the tech giant’s collection of data when it comes to online advertising. The Data Protection Commission, which acts as the lead supervisory authority for Google in the European Union, said its probe would examine whether Google’s processing of data in advertising transactions breaches the bloc’s privacy rules.

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Judge Says Qualcomm's Patent-Licensing Practices Violated Antitrust Law

Qualcomm abused its position as a giant of the semiconductor industry to harm competition and overcharge cellphone makers, a federal judge has ruled, striking at the heart of the company’s business and sending shock waves through the smartphone industry. In a decision, Judge Lucy Koh of the Federal District Court in San Jose, Calif., found that Qualcomm’s patent-licensing practices violated antitrust law.

India's Antitrust Watchdog Evaluating E-Commerce Industry

India’s antitrust watchdog is assessing the domestic e-commerce sector, a step that could have consequences for Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc.’s Flipkart, which dominate online sales in the country. In a questionnaire dated May 17, the Competition Commission of India says it is seeking to understand the evolution of the e-commerce industry, the sector’s methods and strategies, business practices and “implications for competition,” according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

After Trump's Executive Order, Microsoft Stops Selling Huawei Laptops

Microsoft looks set to be the latest in a long line of U.S.-based technology companies that are complying with President Trump’s new executive order to crack down on Chinese tech companies. Google cut off Huawei’s Android license over the weekend, but Microsoft has stayed silent on whether it will prevent the Chinese company from obtaining Windows licenses.

Ransomware Attack Takes Down 10,000 Government Computers in Baltimore

About 10,000 city government computers in Baltimore remain frozen two weeks after a disruptive cyberattack that has delayed home sales and halted water bills. The city was hit May 7 by hackers demanding an undisclosed sum to unlock computers. The city hasn’t paid, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing the incident. Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young has warned it could take months to recover some systems.

U.S. Antitrust Officials Investigating Broadcom's Semiconductor Products

U.S. antitrust officials investigating Broadcom Inc. are significantly broadening their scrutiny to focus on whether the chipmaker abused its dominance to sell some of its most important semiconductor products, according to documents and a person familiar with the probe. The Federal Trade Commission is seeking evidence that Broadcom’s conduct harmed competition in Wi-Fi and switch-chip markets, according to a civil investigative demand issued last week and obtained by Bloomberg News.

Database of Instagram Influencers, Celebrities, Brand Accounts Exposed

A massive database containing contact information of millions of Instagram influencers, celebrities and brand accounts has been found online. The database, hosted by Amazon Web Services, was left exposed and without a password allowing anyone to look inside. At the time of writing, the database had over 49 million records — but was growing by the hour.

Senator to Introduce 'Do Not Track' Legislation to Limit Data Collection

Sen. Josh Hawley wants to make opting out of online tracking as easy as adding your number to the “Do Not Call” list. Hawley, a Missouri Republican, will introduce legislation to create a “Do Not Track” program: It would require companies to limit data collection on Americans who check a setting in their web browsers or install a special app on their phones.

U.S. Chipmakers Indicate They'll Stop Supplying Parts to Huawei

Chipmakers including Intel Corp., Qualcomm Inc., Xilinx Inc. and Broadcom Inc. have told their employees they will not supply Huawei Technologies Co. until further notice, according to people familiar with their actions. Alphabet Inc.’s Google cut off the supply of hardware and some software services to the Chinese mobile phone equipment giant, another person familiar said, asking not to be identified discussing private matters.

ICANN Allows Amazon to Proceed with Applications for .amazon Domains

Amazon has provisionally won the right to the “.amazon” domain name, following a years-long dispute with eight Latin American governments. After a seven-year argument, the international body that monitors Internet addresses sided with the tech giant against the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation, a coalition of Latin American governments that had argued the name referred to their geographic region and should belong to them.

Airbnb Users Wrongly Charged for Reservations, Some at Fake Destinations

Airbnb users have been charged for non-refundable reservations at fake destination homes and in some cases, users report that money was taken from their bank and PayPal accounts. Airbnb confirms that there have been some occurrences, but said in a statement sent to USA Today that “these are isolated incidents and at no point was the Airbnb platform compromised.”

The GigaLaw Firm helps companies of all sizes protect their brands online, using domain name dispute policies – such as the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) – and other legal tools available to copyright and trademark owners on the Internet.