Hacker Who Exposed Bush Photos Appears in U.S. Court

The international hacker who allegedly accessed personal emails and photographs belonging to the family of former president George W. Bush and whose cyber-mischief revealed that Hillary Clinton was using a private email address appeared in a U.S. court for the first time. Marcel Lehel Lazar -- better known by the moniker “Guccifer” that he is said to have affixed to the materials he stole -- is charged with cyber-stalking, aggravated identity theft and unauthorized access of a protected computer in a nine-count indictment filed in 2014 in federal district court in Alexandria, Va.

Egypt Blocked Facebook's Free Service in Dispute Over Spying

Egypt blocked Facebook's Free Basics Internet service at the end of last year after the U.S. company refused to give the Egyptian government the ability to spy on users, two people familiar with the matter said. Free Basics, launched in Egypt in October, is aimed at low-income customers, allowing anyone with a cheap computer or smartphone to create a Facebook account and access a limited set of Internet services at no charge.

FCC Expands Poor Subsidies to Include Internet Access

Federal regulators have approved a historic expansion of subsidies for the poor, fleshing out for the first time a set of Reagan-era discounts on phone service to include home Internet access. The 3-2 vote by the Federal Communications Commission will let roughly 40 million Americans on food stamps, Medicaid or other federal assistance register for and use an existing benefit worth $9.25 a month to purchase broadband service, either as part of a voice bundle on cellular or fixed networks, or on a standalone basis with no voice plan attached.

FCC Gives Initial OK to Banning ISPs from Collecting User Data

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission advanced a proposal to ensure the privacy of broadband Internet users by barring providers from collecting user data without consent. The proposed regulation from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler won initial approval with a 3-2 vote to require broadband providers to obtain consumer consent, disclose data collection, protect personal information and report breaches -- but would not bar any data collection practices.

FBI to Help Unlock iPhone in Arkansas Murder Trial

The FBI has agreed to help prosecutors gain access to an iPhone 6 and an iPod that might hold evidence in an Arkansas murder trial, just days after the agency managed to hack an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino terror attacks, a local prosecutor said. Cody Hiland, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas' 20th Judicial District, said that the FBI's Little Rock field office had agreed to help his office gain access to a pair of locked devices owned by two of the suspects in the slayings of Robert and Patricia Cogdell.

Like Apple, Google Also Faces Legal Demands to Unlock Phones

Google has been repeatedly ordered to help federal agents open cellphones, according to court records in seven states that show Apple Inc. isn’t the only company facing government demands at the center of a fierce debate over privacy and security. The American Civil Liberties Union found 63 instances where the government sought a court order under a 1789 law called the All Writs Act to compel Apple and Google to help them access data on locked phones.

China's Technology Regulator Defends Internet Rules

China's technology regulator has rejected criticism of proposed Internet rules that could block access to foreign websites, saying there was misunderstanding about what some people see as a way to tighten control over cyberspace. Experts have said the draft regulations, like many laws in China, could be interpreted broadly and, in extreme cases, could give authorities the power to shut off access to all websites that have not registered their web addresses in the country.

Cyber Insurance Rates Drop as Data Breaches Subside

A lull in high-profile data breaches prompted insurers to cut cyber insurance rates for high-risk businesses such as retailers and healthcare companies during the first three months of this year, according to insurance industry brokers. The dip comes after sudden rate hikes for many firms last year in the wake of a spate of attacks on Home Depot Inc, Target Corp, Anthem Inc and others.

Hackers Breach Networks at Biggest U.S. Law Firms

Hackers broke into the computer networks at some of the country’s most prestigious law firms, and federal investigators are exploring whether they stole confidential information for the purpose of insider trading, according to people familiar with the matter. The firms include Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, which represent Wall Street banks and Fortune 500 companies in everything from lawsuits to multibillion-dollar merger negotiations.

Chinese Junket Operator Explains $81M Banking Heist

A Chinese junket operator in Manila said that two high-rollers from Beijing and Macau were responsible for bringing $81 million stolen by hackers from Bangladesh's central bank into the Philippines. Kim Wong, a long-time Chinese resident of the Philippines, denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of who masterminded one of world's biggest cyber heists, but vowed to give back a small portion of the money with him.

FBI Tells Court It Accessed Shooter's Data on iPhone

The Justice Department is abandoning its bid to force Apple to help it unlock the iPhone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino terrorist attack because investigators have found a way in without the tech giant’s assistance, prosecutors wrote in a court filing. In a three-sentence filing, prosecutors wrote they had “now successfully accessed the data” stored on Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone, and they consequently no longer needed Apple’s court-ordered help getting in.

EU Governments Push for Greater Access to Data

After recent attacks on the Continent, like the bombings in Brussels and the wave of violence in Paris, governments across the European Union are increasingly pushing for greater access to people’s digital lives. French lawmakers are expected to debate proposals to toughen laws, giving intelligence services greater power to get access to personal data.

Man Creates Police Parody on Facebook, Faces Charges

A 27-year-old Parma, Ohio, man faces possible criminal charges that accuse him of creating a parody Facebook account that mimicked the Parma Police Department's official page. The page contained what Parma police considered "derogatory" and "inflammatory" information that appeared as though it was coming directly from department officials, Lt. Kevin Riley said.

Google Fined in France for Violating 'Right to Be Forgotten'

France’s data-protection regulator has slapped a fine on Alphabet Inc.’s Google for not implementing Europe’s “right to be forgotten” globally, rejecting a compromise offered by the search firm and setting up a court battle over the scope of the divisive rule. France’s Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés, or CNIL, said that the search engine had violated a formal order last year ordering it to apply the new right to be forgotten to “all domain names” of the search engine, including google.com, and fined the company €100,000 ($112,000).

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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.