Commerce Dep't Approves Dropping U.S. Role at ICANN

Senior officials from the Commerce Department announced that they've approved a pending proposal aimed at offloading oversight of the Internet's name-and-address system to an international body made up of technologists, businesses, governments and public interest advocates. It's a move that's filled with symbolism: Supporters say it reflects the fulfillment of a longstanding promise by the United States to keep the Web an open place where no single government, corporation or other entity can singlehandedly influence how the Internet evolves.

Uber, Execs Fined $500,000 in France for Illegal Transportation

As part of the continuing global backlash over the popular ride-sharing service, Uber and two of its senior European executives were convicted and fined nearly $500,000 in France for running an illegal transportation business. In its push to expand around the world, Uber, the fast-growing start-up that is now worth $62.5 billion, has become a target in many of the 300 cities where it operates.

Justice Dep't Asks Supreme Court to Overturn Apple Patent Ruling

The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court ruling that had favored Apple Inc. over Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. in smartphone patent litigation, and asked that it return the case to the trial court for more litigation. Samsung had appealed a federal appeals court ruling to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case.

N.Y. Attorney General Warns Charter About Internet Speeds

The ink is barely dry on Charter's massive acquisition of Time Warner Cable — a deal that just formed the nation's second-largest cable company — but New York's attorney general is wasting no time pressing the firm on customer complaints about their Internet service. Thousands of Time Warner Cable's customers have written in to the attorney general's office saying they aren't getting the download speeds they paid for as part of an ongoing investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman into Internet providers' advertised speeds, according to a spokesman. And now, Schneiderman sent a letter to Charter calling for the cable company to "clean up Time Warner Cable's act" in the wake of the acquisition.

Privacy, Control Spark Web's Creator to Work on Next Phase

Twenty-seven years ago, Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web as a way for scientists to easily find information. It has since become the world’s most powerful medium for knowledge, communications and commerce — but that doesn’t mean Mr. Berners-Lee is happy with all of the consequences. So now, Mr. Berners-Lee gathered in San Francisco with other top computer scientists — including Brewster Kahle, head of the nonprofit Internet Archive and an internet activist — to discuss a new phase for the web.

Yahoo Plans to Auction 3,000 Patents, Could Raise $1B

Yahoo Inc. has kicked off an auction for a portfolio of about 3,000 patents expected to fetch more than $1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. In recent weeks, the internet company sent letters to a range of potential buyers for the patents, which date back to Yahoo’s founding in 1996 and include its original search technology, one of the people said.

FBI Privately Warns Banks About Cyber Attacks

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation last month urged banks to look for signs of possible cyber attacks in the wake of the massive heist at Bangladesh's central bank, asking them to hunt for technical clues that they have been targeted by the same group. The private "Flash" notification, which provided technical information about the attacks, said a "malicious cyber group" had compromised the networks of multiple foreign banks.

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Fed Branch Originally Blocked Fraudulent Bank Transfers

Hours before the Federal Reserve Bank of New York approved four fraudulent requests to send $81 million from a Bangladesh Bank account to cyber thieves, the Fed branch blocked those same requests because they lacked information required to transfer money, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. On the day of the theft in February, the New York Fed initially rejected 35 requests to transfer funds to various overseas accounts, a New York Fed official and a senior Bangladesh Bank official told Reuters.

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Google AdWords Case

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Google Inc's bid to throw out a class action lawsuit involving claims that the company deceived California advertisers about the placement of Internet ads through its Adwords service. The court's decision not to hear the case leaves in place a September 2015 ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the litigation could move forward as a class action representing advertisers who used the service between 2004 and 2008.

Man Gets Eight Years for Role in Illegal Drug Website

A Washington state man was sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in helping the management of the successor website to Silk Road, an online black market where illegal drugs and other goods were sold. Brian Farrell, who prosecutors say was a staff member for Silk Road 2.0, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle after pleading guilty in March to a charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Facebook Denies Using Microphones on Phones to Target Ads

Facebook has shut down rumors that it uses your mobile device's microphone to eavesdrop on conversations so it can better target ads. In a statement issued on June 2nd, Facebook said it "does not use your phone’s microphone to inform ads or to change what you see in News Feed." The company says it only shows ads based on people's interests and other profile information.

Social Media, Apps Used to Spread Malware to ISIS

The Islamic State group has used social media platforms and apps as vehicles to spread information to its followers as well as aid in recruitment. The apps, while being viewed as a trustworthy source of intelligence, can also be exploited, according to a report from Motherboard. Recent alerts sent out through official channels of the terrorist organization, also known as ISIS or ISIL, warn of fake news apps filled with malware.

Researchers Find Flaws in Europe's 'Right to be Forgotten'

Europe's so-called right to be forgotten — one of the world’s most widespread efforts to protect people’s privacy online — may not be as effective as many European policy makers think, according to new research by computer scientists based, in part, at New York University. The academic team, which also included experts from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, said that in roughly a third of the cases examined, the researchers were able to discover the names of people who had asked for links to be removed.