China Cracking Down on Cybersecurity Ahead of WWII Anniversary

China is preparing for a huge military parade on September 3 to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II, but the security measures it's enforcing aren't just being felt on the streets. VPN provider Astrill said the government will be "cracking down" on cybersecurity in the weeks leading up to the commemoration, rendering some of its service unavailable.

Pastor Accused of Insider-Trading Hacking Gets Bail

A Pennsylvania pastor described by prosecutors as the "linchpin" of a global insider-trading scheme was granted bail after his backers urged a judge to allow him to remain free. At least 80 supporters turned up for Vitaly Korchevsky’s hearing in Brooklyn, New York, prompting U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie to say he was persuaded to grant bail “given the faith that hundreds of people have put in him.”

 

'Spam King' Pleads Guilty to Sending 27 Million Messages

A Las Vegas man pleaded guilty to sending more than 27 million unsolicited messages through Facebook Inc. servers after gaining access to about 500,000 accounts on the social network, according to prosecutors. Sanford Wallace, 47, known as the “Spam King,” admitted to his mass spamming in 2008 and 2009 while pleading guilty Monday to fraud and criminal contempt, San Francisco U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said in a statement.

German Court Upholds 'Slide' Patent Ruling Against Apple

Apple Inc. patents covering the "slide to unlock" feature on smartphones are invalid, Germany's highest appeals court ruled, reaffirming a 2013 decision rejecting the U.S. company's claims by a lower court. The ruling by the Federal Court of Appeals in Karlsruhe covers one of the Apple iPhone's most popular defining features, of which makers of rival Android-based phones have developed their own versions.

California Class-Action Suit Filed Against Ashley Madison

Infidelity website Ashley Madison and its parent company have been sued in federal court in California by a man who claims that the companies failed to adequately protect clients' personal and financial information from theft, saying he suffered emotional distress. The lawsuit accuses Ashley Madison and parent company Avid Life Media Inc, which is based in Toronto, of negligence and invasion of privacy, as well as causing emotional distress.

Twitter Shuts Off Access to Sites Archiving Political Tweets

Twitter has shut down a network of sites dedicated to archiving deleted tweets from politicians around the world. The sites — collectively known as Politwoops — were overseen by the Open State Foundation (OSF), which reported that Twitter suspended their API access and reportedly told the OSF that its decision was the result of "thoughtful internal deliberation and close consideration of a number of factors," and that the social media site didn't distinguish between politicians and regular users.

European Commission Seeks More Info in Google Probe

The European Union is stepping up its probe into allegations that Google Inc. abuses its dominance in advertising contracts with website operators and copies content from rival sites, in a further sign that the U.S. search giant’s travails with Europe’s antitrust regulator are far from over. The European Commission, the bloc’s competition watchdog, has sent out questionnaires to companies requesting more detailed information into Google’s business practices in those areas, according to two documents seen by The Wall Street Journal.

Two Suicides Investigated for Links to Ashley Madison Hacking

At least two people may have committed suicide following the hacking of the Ashley Madison cheating website, Toronto police said on Monday, warning of a ripple effect that includes scams and extortion of clients desperate to stop the exposure of their infidelity. Avid Life Media Inc, the parent company of the website, is offering a C$500,000 ($379,132) reward to catch the hackers.

Appeals Court Says FTC Can Regulate Corporate Cybersecurity

A U.S. appeals court said the Federal Trade Commission has authority to regulate corporate cybersecurity, and may pursue a lawsuit accusing hotel operator Wyndham Worldwide Corp of failing to properly safeguard consumers' information. The 3-0 decision by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upheld an April 2014 lower court ruling allowing the case to go forward.

WordPress Owner Removes Critical Site After Irish Order

Automattic, the Californian company behind the world’s most popular blogging site, WordPress, has finally removed an anonymous site that was allegedly defamatory of an Irish exploration company, avoiding potential fines of up to €100,000 per day and possible legal action against its directors. Justice John Hedigan warned the company it faced the “most serious consequences” if it did not comply with an order given by the High Court to remove the material concerning Petroceltic International.

Firms File $578M Class-Action Suit Against Ashley Madison

Two Canadian law firms filed a $578 million class-action lawsuit against the companies that run extramarital-affairs website Ashley Madison over a recent hack that exposed the personal information of about 39 million users. Charney Lawyers and Sutts, Strosberg LLP -- two Canadian law firms -- filed the suit on behalf of Canadians whose personal information was breached in a company hack.

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Chinese Police Say 15,000 Arrested Over 'Internet Security'

Police in China said they had arrested about 15,000 people for crimes that "jeopardized Internet security", as the government moves to tighten controls on the Internet. Since taking over in 2013, President Xi Jinping has led an increasingly harsh crackdown on China's Internet, which the Communist Party views with greater importance and acknowledges it needs to control, academics and researchers say.

Spotify CEO Apologizes for New Privacy Policy

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek apologized for an updated privacy policy that "caused a lot of confusion" and sparked fears over what content the streaming music service can access on a user's device. Under a section called "Information Stored on Your Mobile Device," Spotify says "with your permission, we may collect information stored on your mobile device, such as contacts, photos, or media files."

Microsoft Sues InterDigital Over Phone Patent Licensing

InterDigital Inc. has violated U.S. antitrust law by failing to keep its promise to fairly license its technology considered essential to mobile phone communications, Microsoft Corp. said in a lawsuit. The complaint against InterDigital, filed in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, deepens a long-standing fight over patent licensing between the two companies

Google Ordered to Remove Some Links to News Articles

Google has been ordered by the Information Commissioner’s office to remove nine links to current news stories about older reports which themselves were removed from search results under the "right to be forgotten" ruling. The search engine had previously removed links relating to a 10 year-old criminal offence by an individual after requests made under the right to be forgotten ruling.

Victims of Ashley Madison Hacking Face Legal Obstacles

The release of the names and personal information of millions of potentially cheating spouses around the world will undoubtedly have disastrous consequences for many couples, but Ashley Madison members might think twice before suing over the website's hacking. Those who decide to take legal action will likely out themselves as one of the notorious website's purported 39 million members. And just like with any ordinary data breach, they would have to prove they were harmed in some way in order to collect damages.

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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.