EU Antitrust Regulators Plan New Look at Google

European Union antitrust regulators are preparing to step up their investigations into Google Inc. on several fronts, including revisiting a proposed settlement over its search-engine practices that has met with unprecedented opposition. The European Commission is likely to revise some terms of a settlement announced in February, aimed at dealing with concerns that the company abuses its dominance of online searches in Europe, a person with knowledge of the situation said.

Fake Facebook Profiles Using Malaysia Airlines Victims

In a sick revelation, scammers have set up fake Facebook profiles using the identities of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 victims amid claims that credit cards may have been stolen from the crash site. Ukrainian MP Anton Gerashchenko said via his Facebook page that "death hunters" were collecting cash, jewelry and the credit cards of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine.

Italy Gives Google 18 Months to Change Privacy Practices

Italy's data protection regulator has given Google 18 months to change the way it treats and stores user data, bringing to an end an investigation that is part of a European drive to reform the Internet giant's privacy practices. Regulators in several European nations including Italy began a joint inquiry last year after Google consolidated its 60 privacy policies into one, combining data collected on individual users across its services, including YouTube, Gmail and social network Google+.

Snowden Says He'll Work on High-Tech Data Privacy

NSA leaker Edward Snowden says he plans to work on technology to preserve personal data privacy and called on programmers to join his efforts. Speaking via a Google Hangout at the Hackers on Planet Earth Conference in New York, Snowden repeated a call he’s made before for the tech industry to embed more security and privacy-protecting technology into everyday tech products.

Microsoft's General Counsel Takes Lead Role for Tech Industry

Bradford L. Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel, has become the elder statesman of Microsoft and a de facto ambassador for the technology industry at large. As Microsoft’s chief representative on public policy matters, including privacy -- an issue under close scrutiny around the world -- Mr. Smith plays a significant role in many of the most critical decisions affecting the company’s fortunes.

N.Y. Financial Regulator Unveils Bitcoin Proposal

New York's top financial regulator proposed the toughest restrictions on bitcoin companies to date, unveiling a plan that would require firms dealing in virtual currencies to hold certain levels of capital, hire compliance officers and obtain special licenses. Regulators around the country are grappling with how to oversee virtual currencies as more entrepreneurs create bitcoin trading exchanges and merchants accept it as a method of payment.

Judge Gives Prosecutors Access to Gmail User's E-mails

A federal judge in New York has granted prosecutors access to a Gmail user's emails as part of a criminal probe, a decision that could fan the debate over how aggressively the government may pursue data if doing so may invade people's privacy. U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gorenstein said he had authorized a warrant to be served on Google Inc for the emails of an unnamed individual who is the target of a money laundering investigation.

FedEx Indicted for Shipping Illegal Drugs Bought Online

FedEx was indicted for allegedly shipping prescription drugs from illegal online pharmacies to dealers and addicts , according to documents filed in federal court. "The advent of Internet pharmacies allowed the cheap and easy distribution of massive amounts of illegal prescription drugs to every corner of the United States, while allowing perpetrators to conceal their identities through the anonymity the Internet provides," said U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag.

  • Read the article: CNN

Nasdaq Hacking Incident Reveals Vulnerabilities

Bloomberg Businessweek spent several months interviewing more than two dozen people about a Nasdaq attack and its aftermath, which has never been fully reported. While the hack was successfully disrupted, it revealed how vulnerable financial exchanges -- as well as banks, chemical refineries, water plants, and electric utilities -- are to digital assault.

EU Privacy Group Wants to Meet with Google, Microsoft, Yahoo

European Union privacy watchdogs are raising concerns about Google Inc.'s implementation of the bloc's new "right to be forgotten" rule ahead of a meeting with search engines, EU privacy officials said, raising the specter of a conflict over how to apply the court decision. The main body grouping together the EU's 28 national privacy regulators said that it has invited Google, Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. to a meeting in Brussels to discuss the surprise May ruling that gives individuals the right to request the removal of information about them from search results.

Aereo Doesn't Qualify for TV License, Copyright Office Says

The U.S. Copyright Office said in an opinion that Aereo does not qualify for a compulsory license that would allow it to continue to stream content from local television stations. Aereo had sought the license after the Supreme Court ruled that the start-up company, which streams the signals of local television signals over the Internet via remote antennas, violated Copyright Law.

Microsoft Accepting Bing Removal Requests in Europe

Microsoft Corp. started taking requests from individuals in Europe who want to be removed from its Bing search engine results following a court judgment in May guaranteeing the "right to be forgotten." Microsoft, whose Bing search engine has 2.5 percent of the European search market, follows market leader Google Inc which complied with the ruling in May, and started removing some search results last month.

Noriega Sues Over Use of His Image in Video Game

Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama, filed a lawsuit against the maker of the popular Call of Duty: Black Ops II video game, saying his image was used in the game without his permission. Mr. Noriega, who is serving a prison sentence in Panama after being convicted of money laundering, filed his suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming that Activision Blizzard, the developer of the video game, portrayed him as a “kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state,” according to the suit.

Apple Agrees to Pay $450M in E-Book Settlement

Apple Inc. has agreed to pay $450 million to resolve U.S. state and consumer claims the iPad manufacturer conspired with five major publishers to fix e-book prices, according to court records. The settlement, which would provide $400 million for consumers, is conditioned on the outcome of a pending appeal of a New York federal judge's ruling last year that Apple was liable for violating antitrust laws.

Site Lists Links Removed from Google After EU Ruling

Hidden from Google has curated a set of links removed following the ruling, which states that individuals can request links to be removed from Internet searches if the pages contain information about them that is deemed "unfair, outdated and objectionable." After a European Court ruled that individuals hold "the right to be forgotten" online, Google was forced to remove some links from search results upon user request. One website aims to keep a record of these hidden sites.

Treasury Secretary Urges Financial Firms on Cyber Attacks

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew planned to urge American financial firms to do more to protect themselves from cyber attacks, according to excerpts of his remarks released by the Treasury Department. "Far too many hedge funds, asset managers, insurance providers, exchanges, financial market utilities, and banks should and could be doing more," Lew planned to say in remarks at the 2014 Delivering Alpha Conference hosted by CNBC and Institutional Investor.

  • Read the article: CNBC

House Approves Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to permanently extend a ban on Internet access taxes that Congress has temporarily extended three times over the past 16 years. The House passed the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, which, in addition to permanently banning states and local governments from taxing Internet access, the bill would ban any other form of Internet-only taxes, although its aimed primarily at taxes on Internet access service.

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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.