Senate Delays Vote on European Privacy Rights

Legislation that would grant U.S. privacy rights to Europeans is being delayed in the U.S. Senate, which may complicate negotiations over a broader trans-Atlantic data transfer pact that faces a January deadline for completion, sources said. The Judicial Redress Act, which would allow citizens of European allied countries to sue over data privacy in the United States, is "likely to be held" from a scheduled vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, a panel aide said.

10 Men Arrested in Netherlands for Bitcoin Online Drug Deals

Ten men suspected of using the digital currency Bitcoin to launder up to 20 million euros ($22 million) of criminal money made from online drug deals have been arrested in the Netherlands, Dutch prosecutors said. The men, described as all in their 20s and with Dutch nationality, were arrested in coordinated raids on 15 locations around the country, said spokeswoman Valentine Hoen of the country's Fiscal Information and Investigation Service.

Judge Allows Suit to Proceed Against Founder of Oculus VR

Part of a lawsuit can proceed against the founder of Facebook's virtual reality glasses unit Oculus VR Inc, but a U.S. judge also dismissed several claims filed by another company which alleged the Oculus founder had passed off its confidential information as his own. U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that a breach of contract claim could proceed against Oculus founder Palmer Luckey.

Pakistan Restores Access to YouTube After 3-Year Ban

Pakistan restored access to YouTube in the country, more than three years after the government blocked the video-sharing website because of content that officials described as blasphemous. The “Innocence of Muslims,” a movie uploaded on YouTube in 2012, triggered the ban after violent protests against it in many countries, including Pakistan.

EU Considering Data Transmissions, Antitrust Rules

The European Union is considering whether the way large Internet companies, such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google or Facebook Inc., collect vast quantities of data is in breach of antitrust rules, the bloc’s competition chief said. “If a company’s use of data is so bad for competition that it outweighs the benefits, we may have to step in to restore a level playing field,” said Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition, according to a text of her speech delivered at the Digital Life Design conference in Munich, Germany.

Facebook Launches Campaign in Europe Against Extremism

Facebook Inc. began a Europe-wide campaign to thwart extremist posts on social media, after German politicians in particular raised concerns about a rise in xenophobic comments linked to an influx of refugees. The U.S.-based group launched its "Initiative for Civil Courage Online" in Berlin, pledging over 1 million euros ($1.09 million) to support non-governmental organizations in their efforts to counter racist and xenophobic posts.

Supreme Court to Hear Microsoft Xbox 360 Case

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider Microsoft Corp's bid to fend off class action claims by Xbox 360 owners who contend that the videogame console has a design defect that causes game discs to be gouged. The court will review a March 2015 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on the question of whether a lower court decision denying class certification to the plaintiffs could be challenged.

Fraudsters Pose as Dell Technicians, Ask for Payment

Scammers are contacting Dell customers with detailed account information that should only be available to the company, reports SCMagazine, a publication for IT security pros. Fraudsters pose as a computer technician (in this case from Dell) and claim there is a virus or malware on your computer that needs to be fixed immediately. The scammer inevitably asks for hundreds of dollars in payment to fix the problem.

51% Oppose Targeted Ads in Free Social Media

A new poll found more people are comfortable with office surveillance cameras than they are with a social media company using their information to serve up targeted ads. Despite the widespread adoption of social media, a majority of people, 51 percent, said they do not see it as an acceptable trade-off to get free access to a social media service in exchange for that company using their information to deliver targeted ads.

German Court Calls Facebook's Invitation Process Illegal

A German court has ruled that Facebook Inc.’s current find-a-friend function is illegal, labeling it an unacceptable and intrusive form of advertising. The decision by the Federal Court of Justice upholds a previous ruling by a lower court against Facebook, which has faced a number of legal disputes in Europe regarding privacy protection.

Woman Sues Twitter for Husband's Death by Militants

The widow of an American killed in a shooting attack at a Jordanian police training center has sued Twitter Inc, blaming the social media company for making it easier for Islamic State to spread its message. Tamara Fields, a Florida woman whose husband Lloyd died in the Nov. 9 attack, accused Twitter of having knowingly let the militant Islamist group use its network to spread propaganda, raise money and attract recruits.

'Anonymous' Attacks Thai Gov't Sites Over Death Sentences

International hacking movement Anonymous said it attacked hundreds of Thai government websites over death sentences handed down to two migrant workers for the murder of two British tourists. A court sentenced Myanmar migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 22, to death on Dec. 24 after finding them guilty of murdering tourists Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on a beach on the island of Koh Tao in 2014.

Hacker Targets Director of National Intelligence

One of the hackers who boasted last fall of breaking into the private email account of the CIA director apparently has struck again — this time targeting the director of national intelligence. A prankster who goes by the nickname “Cracka” told a reporter for the online magazine Motherboard that he had broken into a series of accounts linked to National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper.

Cyber Attacks on Industrial Control Systems Increase

A U.S. government cyber security official warned that authorities have seen an increase in attacks that penetrate industrial control system networks over the past year, and said they are vulnerable because they are exposed to the Internet. Industrial control systems are computers that control operations of industrial processes, from energy plants and steel mills to cookie factories and breweries.