Google Bolsters Search Efforts for Upsetting, Offensive Content

With growing criticism over misinformation in search results, Google is taking a harder look at potentially "upsetting" or "offensive" content, tapping humans to aid its computer algorithms to deliver more factually accurate and less inflammatory results. Google's quality raters have been handed a new search: to hunt for "Upsetting-Offensive" content such as hate or violence against a group of people, racial slurs or offensive terminology, graphic violence including animal cruelty or child abuse or explicit information about harmful activities such as human trafficking, according to guidelines posted by Google.

Judge Rejects Class-Action Settlement Over Gmail Scanning

A federal judge rejected Google's proposed class-action settlement with non-Gmail users who said it illegally scanned their emails to Gmail users to create targeted advertising. In a decision, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, said it was unclear that the accord, which provided no money for plaintiffs but up to $2.2 million in fees and expenses for their lawyers, would ensure Google's compliance with federal and state privacy laws.

North Korean Hackers Blamed for Attacks in 31 Countries

A North Korean hacking group known as Lazarus was likely behind a recent cyber campaign targeting organizations in 31 countries, following high-profile attacks on Bangladesh Bank, Sony and South Korea, cyber security firm Symantec Corp. said. Symantec said in a blog that researchers have uncovered four pieces of digital evidence suggesting the Lazarus group was behind the campaign that sought to infect victims with "loader" software used to stage attacks by installing other malicious programs.

Tech Companies File Brief Opposing Trump's New Travel Ban

Nearly 60 tech companies have submitted an amicus curiae brief to a Hawaii district court, denouncing the Trump administration's revised travel ban. As with the the previous travel ban, these companies are seeking an immediate injunction arguing that the executive order "would inflict significant and irreparable harm on U.S. businesses and their employees."

Twitter Accounts Hijacked with Anti-Nazi messages in Turkish

A diplomatic spat between Turkey, the Netherlands and Germany spread online when a large number of Twitter accounts were hijacked and replaced with anti-Nazi messages in Turkish. The attacks, using the hashtags #Nazialmanya (NaziGermany) or #Nazihollanda (NaziHolland), took over accounts of high-profile CEOs, publishers, government agencies, politicians and also some ordinary Twitter users.

Two Russian Spies Included in Indictment for Yahoo Breach

The Justice Department announced the indictments of two Russian spies and two criminal hackers in connection with the heist of 500 million Yahoo user accounts in 2014, marking the first U.S. criminal cyber charges ever against Russian government officials. The indictments target two members of the Russian intelligence agency FSB, and two hackers hired by the Russians.

Russian Agency Finds Apple Guilty of Fixing Price of iPhones

Russia's antimonopoly agency found Apple guilty of forcing retailers in the country to coordinate over prices of iPhones, according to a statement by the group. The country's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) said Apple's local subsidiary told 16 retailers in Russia to fix the prices of iPhone 5 and 6 models, according to a report by the Financial Times.

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Justice Dep't Planning to Indict Four for Yahoo Breaches

U.S. officials are planning to issue indictments related to the hacking attacks against Yahoo! Inc., according to a person briefed on the matter. The Department of Justice is accusing four people of participating in massive online security breaches that compromised hundreds of millions of user accounts, said the person, who asked not to be identified because it was a sensitive legal matter.

SAP Patches Software Used by Multinational Firms

Europe's top software maker SAP said on it had patched vulnerabilities in its latest HANA software that had a potentially high risk of giving hackers control over databases and business applications used to run big multinational firms. While hacks on phones, websites and computers that consumers rely on every day grab headlines, vulnerabilities in big business software are more lucrative to attackers as these tools store data and run transactions which are the lifeblood of businesses.

Germany May Fine Social Media Sites for Hate Speech

Social media giants including Facebook and Twitter are not doing enough to curb hate speech on their platforms and could face fines of up to $53 million if they do not strengthen their efforts to delete illegal posts, a German government minister said. The move by the country’s authorities comes as technology companies face increasing scrutiny worldwide over how they police online material including hate speech, possible terrorist propaganda and so-called fake news.

Telegram Loses Luster in Iran as Operators Disclose Identities

Over the years, Telegram -- he most widely used messaging app in Iran -- has helped quench the thirst for online political expression in a country where Twitter and Facebook are banned. But leading up to Iran’s presidential election in May, Telegram is now seen by some as a force that’s stifling political speech. That’s because in recent months Iranian security and intelligence agencies have begun arresting Telegram users and now require those who run popular Telegram channels to apply for permits -- disclosing their identities.

Facebook Prohibits Use of Data in Surveillance Tools

A new update to Facebook's developer rules prohibits the use of Facebook data in surveillance tools, something that Facebook said was already against its policies but not explicit enough. The update explains that developers cannot "use data obtained from us to provide tools that are used for surveillance," according to a Facebook post from Deputy Chief Privacy Officer Rob Sherman.

Commerce Secretary Sees No Plans to Change U.S.-EU Privacy Pact

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross gave no indication of any plans to change U.S. privacy protections underpinning a pact enabling billions of dollars of data flows during a meeting with the EU digital chief, a source said. U.S. President Trump's administration has stoked concerns in Brussels that it may undo some of the privacy protections put in place by the previous administration that were crucial to a transatlantic pact allowing companies to store EU citizens' data on U.S. servers.

Waymo Asks Court to Stop Uber's Work on Self-Driving Car

Waymo, the self-driving car business spun out of Google’s parent company last year, asked a federal court to block Uber’s work on a competing self-driving vehicle that Waymo claimed could be using stolen technology. Waymo also filed testimony from employees and a Google security engineer describing how Anthony Levandowski, a former Google executive, discussed Uber’s interest in the technology and systematically stole proprietary company documents.

SEC Denies Application for Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund

The Securities and Exchange Commission denied an application for the first exchange-traded fund that would track the price of bitcoin, a high-profile rejection for the digital currency and the Winklevoss brothers behind the proposal. The bitcoin industry had been hoping an exchange-traded product would make the currency attractive to Wall Street and retail investors.

Bill Would Undo Calif. Internet Privacy for Students, Staff

In 2015 Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that prohibited California police and other state agencies from searching our phones and online accounts without our consent, a court order, or showing it is an emergency. That measure, the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act, affords Californians basic Fourth Amendment protections when it comes to digital data. But a bill now before the state legislature would take away those rights from students and staff at California’s public schools.

Oculus CTO Sues Zenimax for $22.5M for Unpaid Earnings

The feud between Oculus and ZeniMax Media is opening back up once again, this time with the CTO of Oculus, John Carmack, suing his former employer for earnings that he claims are still owed to him. The suit is largely unrelated to the $6 billion trade secrets suit which ended last month with a $500 million judgment against Oculus. Instead Carmack is suing Zenimax Media for $22.5 million that he says has not been paid to him for the 2009 sale of his game studio, id Software, known for such pioneering video game classics as Doom and Quake.

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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.