Calif. Law Limits Schools' Use of Students' Online Posts

Students' public posts on social media collected by school officials must be discarded within a year after a student leaves the district and parents must be notified that school officials are analyzing social-media posts under a new law signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown. The new legislation stems from AB 1442, which Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) introduced in January as a result of Glendale Unified officials hiring Geo Listening to monitor students' posts on social media without telling students or parents that their children's public posts on sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were being tracked.

Putin Says He Plans No Limits on Internet Access

President Vladimir Putin said he would not restrict Internet access for Russians but Moscow must protect state domains against a surge of cyber attacks since the Ukraine crisis began. His remarks were intended to douse speculation that he plans a crackdown on use of the Internet, which he has called a "CIA project" used to organize protests against him, as tensions mount with the West over the Ukraine crisis.

Hackers Plead Guilty to Stealing from Microsoft, U.S. Army

Two members of an international hacking ring pleaded guilty for their roles in stealing $100 million worth of intellectual property and other data from the U.S. Army, Microsoft and several other technology companies, and two other people also have been indicted, the Department of Justice said. The indictment says the defendants gained unauthorized access to networks belonging to the Army, Microsoft Corp., Epic Games Inc., Valve Corp. and Zombie Studios from January 2011 to March 2014 and conspired to use and sell information they stole.

Holder Criticizes Smartphone Encryption Technology

Joining a cry from law enforcement officials concerned about data encryption on Apple's newest operating system, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that officers should not be blocked from the information they need to investigate a crime. Apple's new iPhone 6, released this month, and Google's coming update of the Android smartphone have data encryption so sophisticated that only the user may unlock it.

German Official Issues Privacy Order to Google

A German data protection watchdog told Google Inc. to seek users' permission for creating data profiles from its various services, adding to pressure on the U.S. technology giant in Europe over its privacy policy. "Google is ordered to take the necessary technical and organizational measures to guarantee that their users can decide on their own if and to what extend their data is used for profiling," the data protection commissioner for the German city state of Hamburg said in a statement.

EU Calls Apple's Irish Tax Arrangement Illegal

European Union regulators laid out for the first time reasons why they believe tax deals granted to Apple Inc. in Ireland and Fiat SpA in Luxembourg constituted illegal state support for the companies -- the next stage of an investigation which could result in the companies paying huge sums in extra taxes to the governments concerned. In documents, the EU explained the reasoning behind their decision to open formal tax investigations in June.

Judge Rules Against Grooveshark in Copyright Case

In the music industry’s second big legal victory in a week, a federal judge in New York ruled that Grooveshark, an online music service long vilified by the major record companies, infringed on thousands of their copyrights. Like Napster, LimeWire, Grokster and other online outlets before it, Grooveshark came under fierce attack from the recording industry for hosting music files without permission.

CEO Indicted for Mobile Device Spyware App

The Justice Department has indicted a software CEO in what the government says is the first-ever criminal case involving the advertisement and sale of a mobile device spyware app. In its complaint, the authorities charged Hammad Akbar, chief executive of InvoCode, the company that sells the StealthGenie app, with conspiracy, the sale of a surreptitious interception device, advertisement of a known interception device and advertising a device as a surreptitious interception device.

FCC Considers Regulations for Online Video Services

The Federal Communications Commission is considering regulations for companies that provide cable-like subscription video services via the Internet, according to several people with knowledge of the matter. The move could have major implications for companies such as Sony Corp., Dish Network Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc., all of which are planning to launch online video services -- often called over-the-top, or OTT -- aimed at consumers who don't have traditional pay-TV subscriptions.

High-Profile Authors Urge Amazon Monopoly Investigation

Hundreds of other writers, including some of the world’s most distinguished, are joining a coalition publicly protesting Amazon’s actions discouraging customers from buying books published by Hachette. And they have goals far broader than freeing up the Hachette titles. They want the Justice Department to investigate Amazon for illegal monopoly tactics.

Tech Companies Encourage EU to Pursue Google

Yelp, TripAdvisor and their allies launched a new effort to convince European antitrust officials to force Google to stop promoting its own online services at the expense of its rivals. The companies unveiled a new website, Focus on the User, which explains why they’re concerned that Google is making it harder for consumers to find their competing services.

Instagram Blocked in China Amid Pro-Democracy Protests

Instagram, the popular photo-sharing service owned by Facebook Inc., has been blocked in China, according to numerous reports, including from Hong Kong-based reporters with the New York Times. The reports came amid pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, where many have posted photos and videos, including of Hong Kong police firing tear gas at demonstrators.

CEO Says Microsoft Will Cooperate in China Probe

Microsoft Corp. chief executive Satya Nadella promised to cooperate fully with Chinese authorities in their antitrust investigation into his company during a meeting with a top regulator in Beijing, the Chinese government said. Microsoft has been ensnared in an anti-monopoly investigation launched this summer by China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), which has already seized evidence from multiple Microsoft offices across China and summoned high-level executives for questioning.

German Courts Uphold Bans Against Uber

Courts in Berlin and Hamburg upheld bans on online transportation service Uber, saying the company did not comply with German laws on the carriage of passengers. U.S. start-up Uber had appealed against the bans in Germany, the latest front in its global battle to win regulatory approval in the face of stiff opposition from taxi services under threat from Uber's business model.

District Attorneys Say Ride-Sharing Services Violate Law

The district attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles accused ride-sharing service Sidecar Inc. of violating California business law and threatened an injunction on its service following a joint investigation, according to a letter sent to Sidecar and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Similar letters were also hand-delivered to Sidecar's larger rivals in San Francisco, Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc., according to a spokeswoman for the San Francisco district attorney's office.

EU Regulators Give Privacy Guidelines to Google

European data privacy regulators handed Google a package of guidelines to help it bring the way it collects and stores user data in line with EU law after six regulators opened investigations into the Internet giant. The group of European data protection authorities, known as the Article 29 Working Party, sent Google a list of measures it could implement, such as spelling out clearly for what purposes it collects user data and what third-party entities would also be able to collect people’s information.

'Shellshock' Bug Called Huge Threat to Linux Systems

A newly discovered bug in the world’s widely used Linux and Unix operating systems could allow hackers to take control of hundreds of millions of machines around the world, according to security experts. The bug, named Shellshock, is similar to the Heartbleed bug that generated widespread fear last spring because it would allow anyone with knowledge of the vulnerability to exploit a large number of computer servers.

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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.