Newspaper Association Asks FTC to Investigate Ad Blockers

The Newspaper Association of America, the industry association representing 2,000 newspapers, filed a federal complaint against the ad-blocking industry, alleging that software companies which enable users to block ads are misleading the public. The complaint asks the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the government agency that oversees trade practices, to investigate ad blockers that offer “paid whitelisting,” – a service which charges advertisers to bypass ad-blocking software – along with services that substitute ad blockers’ own advertising for blocked ads or get around publishers’ subscription pages.

EU Urges Governments Against Banning 'Sharing Economy' Services

European Union governments should not ban services like home-rental site Airbnb or ride-hailing app Uber except as a last resort, the EU says in new guidelines, seeking to rein in a crackdown on the "sharing economy." In guidelines seen by Reuters, the European Commission said any restrictions by EU member states on these new online services should be justified and proportionate to the public interest at stake.

Big Tech Firms Agree to Work with EU to Fight Hate Speech

Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Microsoft have agreed to work with European officials to crack down on hateful speech published on their respective platforms. Each company has agreed to review potentially problematic posts and remove offending content within 24 hours. “The recent terror attacks have reminded us of the urgent need to address illegal online hate speech,” Vĕra Jourová, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, said in a joint statement from the European Commission and the participating companies.

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Iran Requires Messaging Apps to Store User Data in Country

Iran has given foreign messaging apps a year to move data they hold about Iranian users onto servers inside the country, prompting privacy and security concerns on social media. Iran has some of the strictest controls on internet access in the world and blocks access to social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, although many users are able to access them through widely available software.

Malware from Bangladesh Bank Attack Linked to Philippines Attack

The malware that was used to steal $81 million from Bangladesh's central bank has been linked to another cyber attack, this time on a bank in the Philippines, cyber security company Symantec Corp said in a blog post. The company said it had identified three pieces of malware that were used in limited targeted attacks against financial institutions in South-East Asia.

India Sets Rules for Apple to Open Stores Locally

India has said Apple Inc. must meet a rule obliging foreign retailers to sell at least 30 percent locally sourced goods if it wishes to open stores in the country, a senior government official told Reuters. Apple is hoping to expand its retail presence in India, one of the world's fastest-growing smartphone markets, at a time when sales in the United States and China have slowed.

Irish Privacy Watchdog Refers Facebook to EU Court

Data transfers to the United States by companies such as Facebook and Google face a renewed legal threat after the Irish privacy watchdog said it would refer Facebook's data transfer mechanisms to the top EU court. The move follows an Irish investigation into Facebook's transfer of European Union users' data to the United States to ensure that personal privacy is properly protected from U.S. government surveillance.

'Significant Shortfalls' Cited in FDIC's Cybersecurity Policies

An investigation by House lawmakers turned up “significant shortfalls” in a U.S. bank regulator’s cybersecurity policies, leaving it susceptible to stolen private information and regulatory data, House Republicans said. Following a subcommittee hearing on seven cybersecurity breaches at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., new information obtained by the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology indicates the agency may have misrepresented cybersecurity policies, hid information from lawmakers, and has a culture of obstructing whistleblowers.

Huawei Sues Samsung for Infringement of 4G Patents

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. said it has filed lawsuits against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. claiming infringement of smartphone patents, in the first such case by the Chinese firm against the world's biggest mobile maker. Huawei has filed lawsuits in the United States and China seeking compensation for what it said was unlicensed use of fourth-generation (4G) cellular communications technology, operating systems and user interface software in Samsung phones.

Tax Investigators Raid Google's French Headquarters

Dozens of tax investigators swooped into Google’s French headquarters in a surprise raid, escalating a tax dispute in which French authorities have sought more than €1 billion ($1.12 billion) from the search firm. France’s tax prosecutor said the raid is part of a newly disclosed probe, opened in June 2015, into aggravated tax evasion by the company, now a part of Alphabet Inc.

SWIFT Creates New Security Plan Amid Bank Heists

The SWIFT secure messaging service that underpins international banking said it plans to launch a new security program as it fights to rebuild its reputation in the wake of the Bangladesh Bank heist. The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT)’s chief executive, Gottfried Leibbrandt will tell a financial services conference in Brussels that SWIFT will launch a five-point plan.

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