ICANN Submits Plan to End U.S. Oversight Role

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has submitted a plan for ending U.S. oversight of key technical Internet functions in favor of a global multi-stakeholder governance model. The complex new proposals aim to create an oversight body called the "empowered community" for enforcing community powers and include tighter rules for changes to certain bylaws of the organization.

  • Read the article: CIO

GM Highlights Program Focusing on Cybersecurity Car Risks

General Motors Co. highlighted a “coordinated disclosure” program it launched earlier this year that invites computer researchers to search for cybersecurity gaps in GM vehicles, websites and software. The effort is an offshoot of so-called bug bounty programs run by companies, including Silicon Valley electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc., that pay researchers to spot software vulnerabilities before outside hackers exploit them.

Justice Dep't Calls Apple's Claims 'False' in iPhone Case

The Justice Department filed its latest response to Apple in the fight over iPhone encryption, calling the tech giant's rhetoric in the San Bernardino, California, case "false" and "corrosive" of institutions that safeguard rights. The debate surrounds whether Apple should comply with a court order to help authorities unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters in last year's San Bernardino attack, which left 14 people dead.

  • Read the article: CNBC

French Court Overturns Ruling Against Uber

Car-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc. won a loosening of France’s strict transport rules when a court overturned a decree banning car services from showing the locations of available vehicles, a well-known feature of Uber’s app. France’s Conseil d’Etat, the country’s highest administrative court, struck down the part of a government decree that banned the showing of locations of available cars.

Americans Split on Whether Apple Should Help FBI Unlock iPhone

As the FBI and Apple continue to fight in court over whether the tech giant should help unlock a San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows Americans about evenly divided, with a slightly greater number backing the iThing maker. Forty-seven percent of respondents said that Apple should not cooperate with a Justice Department request to build a piece of software that would bypass security features on Syed Farook's iPhone 5C. Forty-two percent of those interviewed said Apple should cooperate with the request in the ongoing case.

German Court Rules Against Facebook's 'Like' Button

A German court has ruled against an online shopping site's use of Facebook's "like" button, dealing a further legal blow to the world's biggest social network in Germany. The Duesseldorf district court said that retailer Peek & Cloppenburg failed to obtain proper consent before transmitting its users' computer identities to Facebook, violating Germany's data protection law and giving the retailer a commercial advantage.

FCC Plans $9.25 Monthly Broadband Subsidy for Low-Income Households

The Federal Communications Commission circulated a final proposal to members to approve a broadband subsidy of $9.25 a month for low-income households, in the government’s boldest effort to date to narrow a technological divide that has emerged between those who have web access and those who do not. The new plan is part of an overhaul of a $2 billion phone subsidy program called Lifeline and will go to vote on March 31.

Verizon Settles with FCC Over Use of 'Supercookies' in Ads

The Federal Communications Commission said that it has reached a settlement with Verizon Wireless over that company’s use of permanent identifiers, known as “supercookies,” that it uses to deliver targeted advertising on mobile devices. Under the terms of the deal, Verizon will pay a $1.35 million fine and inform its customers about its use of the identifiers and require their consent before sharing that cookie with third parties.

Supreme Court Refuses Appeal in Apple's $450M E-Book Case

Apple Inc. must pay $450 million to end an antitrust suit after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to question a finding that the company orchestrated a scheme to raise the prices for electronic books. The justices, without comment, turned away an appeal by Apple, leaving intact a federal appeals court ruling favoring the U.S. Justice Department and more than 30 states that sued.

Justice Dep't Appeals iPhone-Unlocking Decision in New York

In the latest volley in its high-profile fight with Apple, the Justice Department said that a federal judge in Brooklyn had erred last week in refusing to order the company to unlock a drug dealer’s iPhone. “Apple is not being asked to do anything it does not currently have the capability to do,” Justice Department prosecutors said as they appealed the decision made Magistrate Judge James Orenstein of Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

National Guard's Cyber Squadron Could Help Fight ISIS

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the National Guard's cyber squadrons will play an increasingly important role in assessing the vulnerabilities of U.S. industrial infrastructure and could be asked to join the fight against Islamic State. The National Guard -- a reserve military force that resides in the states but can be mobilized for national needs -- is a key part of the military's larger effort to set up over 120 cyber squadrons to respond to cyber attacks and prevent them.

Amazon to Restore Encryption Option for Fire Tablets

Amazon.com Inc. will restore encryption as a security option on its tablets and other devices that use the Fire operating system, following a customer backlash driven by increased sensitivity about data protection as Apple Inc. grapples with the FBI over access to a terrorist’s iPhone. Amazon removed encryption from the devices in late 2015, possibly to reduce costs for its tablets and electronic readers.

Google to Extend 'Right-to-Delist' Beyond European Sites

Google has confirmed previous reports that it is to comply with European regulators requesting that the Internet giant extend the scope of the so-called “right-to-be-forgotten” legislation beyond that of European search engines. The right-to-be-forgotten ruling, or “right to delist” as Google perhaps more accurately calls it, was the result of an E.U. directive back in 2014 that was designed to help individuals hide web pages that contained out-of-date, irrelevant, and ultimately “damaging” information about them.