FTC Staff Recommended Google Lawsuit in 2012

Key staff of the Federal Trade Commission concluded in 2012 that Google Inc. used anticompetitive tactics and abused its monopoly power in ways that harmed Internet users and competitors, a far harsher analysis of Google’s business than was previously known. The staff report from the agency’s bureau of competition, which hasn’t before been disclosed, recommended the commission bring a lawsuit challenging three separate Google practices, a move that would have triggered one of the highest-profile antitrust cases since the Justice Department sued Microsoft Corp. in the 1990s.

U.S. to Pressure China on Bank Cybersecurity Rules

Washington will keep pressing China to pause new bank cybersecurity rules that have upset U.S. companies and is working with Japan and the European Union to present a united front, a senior U.S. official said. Deputy Trade Representative Robert Holleyman said he raised the new rules, which would force technology vendors to Chinese banks to hand over secret source code and adopt Chinese encryption algorithms, with Chinese officials during a visit.

Premera Blue Cross Hack Exposes 11M Customers

A recently discovered cyberattack on health insurance provider Premera Blue Cross last year may have exposed the medical data and financial information of 11 million customers, the company revealed Tuesday, the latest security breach at a health industry organization. Hackers gained unauthorized access to customers' personal information, including names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, and claims information during the May 2014 intrusion, said Premera, a health benefits provider in the Pacific Northwest.

Fired Facebook Worker Sues for Sex Harassment

A former Facebook employee is suing the company for a number of claims, including sex discrimination, sexual harassment and race/national origin discrimination, according to a lawsuit filed with the San Mateo County Superior Court. Chia Hong, who worked at Facebook from June 2010 to October 2013, was treated differently during her time at the company because of her race and gender, according to court documents.

Testing Company Criticized for Monitoring Students' Tweets

Publishing giant Pearson Education has been monitoring social media to identify students who might be leaking information about certain tests administered by the company. In  a statement posted on the company’s site, Pearson said the states contractually required it to monitor public social media posts to make sure students did not disclose test questions.

German Court Bans Uber Nationwide

A German regional court issued a nationwide ban on online taxi service Uber, barring it from operating commercial services and leveling stiff fines for any violations of the country's local transport laws. Each violation of the order against Uber and its uberPOP online service was subject to a 250,000 euro ($264,825) fine, a three-judge panel of the Frankfurt regional court ruled.

Fraternity Suspended After Nude Photos on Facebook

A Pennsylvania State University fraternity has been suspended after allegedly posting on a private Facebook page compromising photos of women, including some who appeared to be asleep or passed out. The suspension of Kappa Delta Rho (KDR) fraternity comes as State College Police as well as university officials investigate the fraternity's alleged use of the online page with up to 144 active members, including current and former students.

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FCC Inspector General Probing Work on Internet Rules

The Federal Communications Commission's internal watchdog has opened an investigation into the agency's effort to draw up aggressive new rules for Internet providers, according to a top Republican lawmaker. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), who heads the House Oversight Committee, said that the FCC Inspector General had launched an investigation "in the last couple days."

Jury Says Apple Didn't Infringe Conversant Patents

A federal jury in Texas said Apple Inc. did not infringe five wireless technology patents owned by Canadian patent licensing firm Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc. Core Wireless Licensing Sarl, a subsidiary of Ottawa-based Conversant, sued Apple in 2012 in a federal court in Tyler, Texas, alleging the iPhone maker used its patents on wireless data transmission in its iPhones and iPads without permission.

U.S. Tech Companies Fighting China's Firewall

U.S. tech companies are caught in the middle of an escalating battle between China’s increasingly active Internet censors and the free-speech activists determined to thwart them. Activists outside of China say they are disguising Internet traffic banned by Beijing -- which includes anything from social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, to Gmail and news websites -- by tunneling it encrypted through cloud servers run by major U.S. companies.

Officials Expect Criminal Charges in JPMorgan Hacking

Federal authorities investigating the attack at JPMorgan are increasingly confident that a criminal case will be filed against the hackers in the coming months, said people briefed on the investigation. Law enforcement officials believe that several of the suspects are “gettable,” meaning that they live in a country with which the United States has an extradition treaty.

NSA Revelations Changed Privacy Views, Survey Says

The revelations about National Security Agency surveillance programs by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden have started to affect how Americans view their right to privacy and the actions they take to try to protect it, a new survey has found. The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center, found that nearly one-third of American adults have taken steps to protect their information from government surveillance programs that monitor phone and digital communications.

Facebook Updates Guidance on Offensive Content

Facebook will still rely on users to report offensive or inappropriate posts, but as of Sunday night, they have more guidance on what the company considers a violation of its standards. In a blog post, Facebook officials responded with an updated guidebook that adds clarity and examples to terms such as “hate speech” without changing the standards themselves.

European Body Nears Agreement on Privacy

Europe inched closer to approving new data-privacy legislation that threatens to raise tensions with U.S. technology firms. The European Union body representing member countries reached a tentative agreement on a controversial power-sharing mechanism between national privacy watchdogs that had been holding up the legislation amid furious corporate lobbying.

State Dep't Upgrades Network Against Cyber Attacks

The State Department said it was upgrading the security of its unclassified computer network to defend against cyber attacks, leaving some employees unable to send outside emails or access the internet. Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the agency, which in November said it had suffered a cyber attack, was improving "the security of its main unclassified network during a short, planned outage of some Internet-linked systems."

China Suspends Part of Counter-Terrorism Law

China has effectively put a hold on a draft counter-terrorism law that would require technology firms to hand over sensitive information to government officials, a senior U.S. official said. Tensions over cybersecurity and technology policy are a major irritant in U.S.-China relations and President Barack Obama said in an interview with Reuters on March 2 that he had raised concerns about the law directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

FCC Releases Rules for Internet Regulation

The Federal Communications Commission released extensive details of how it would regulate broadband Internet providers as a public utility, producing official wording that almost certainly sets the stage for extended legal fights. The release of the rules had been eagerly anticipated by advocates and lawmakers, as well as broadband and technology companies, since the agency approved new rules for Internet service two weeks ago.

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