FanDuel, DraftKings Drop Plans to Merge After FTC Opposition

FanDuel and DraftKings have decided to scrap their merger rather than fight the U.S. government, which had sought to block the combination of the country’s two top daily fantasy sports sites on grounds that it threatened competition and consumers. In a statement, FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles said the companies believed — even until the end — that the merger would have aided both companies’ growth.

Trump Hotels Reveal Data Breach Disclosing Credit Card Numbers

Guests at 14 Trump properties, including hotels in Washington, D.C., New York and Las Vegas, have had their credit card information exposed, marking the third time in as many years that a months-long security breach has affected customers of the chain of luxury hotels. The latest instance occurred between August 2016 and March 2017, according to a notice on the company's website, and included guest names, addresses and phone numbers, as well as credit card numbers and expiration dates.

Read the article: Los Angeles Times

Apple Sets Up Data Center in China, Promises 'Strong Data Privacy'

Apple has set up its first data center in China, setting the tone for how foreign companies will handle a strict new law requiring them to store Chinese users’ information in the country. Apple said in a statement that the new center would keep “strong data privacy and security protections in place,” adding that no back doors would be created in its systems.

U.S. Removes Kaspersky Lab as Approved Vendor After Kremlin Concerns

The Trump administration removed Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab from two lists of approved vendors used by government agencies to purchase technology equipment, amid concerns the cyber security firm's products could be used by the Kremlin to gain entry into U.S. networks. The delisting represents the most concrete action taken against Kaspersky following months of mounting suspicion among intelligence officials and lawmakers that the company may be too closely connected to hostile Russian intelligence agencies accused of cyber attacks on the United States.

Microsoft Proposes $10B Plan to Expand Rural Broadband Service

Microsoft is proposing a $10 billion effort to bring broadband internet to the rural U.S., an economic-development program aimed at a core constituency of the Trump administration.The plan, which calls for corporate and government cash, relies on nascent television “white-space” technology, which sends internet data over unused broadcast frequencies set aside for television channels.

More Americans Report Experiencing Harassment Online

Roughly four-in-ten Americans have personally experienced online harassment, most commonly on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The survey shows 41 percent of 4,248 respondents have been subjected to online harassing behavior such as offensive name-calling and embarrassment, up from 35 percent in 2014 when the think tank last conducted a similar survey.

Free-Speech Group Sues Trump for Blocking Twitter Users

A free-speech group said it sued U.S. President Donald Trump for blocking Twitter users from his @realDonaldTrump account, arguing the practice violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit, brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University in New York and joined by seven individual Twitter users, claims Trump blocked a number of accounts whose owners replied to his tweets with comments that criticized, mocked or disagreed with the president.

Senator Wants Answers About Threat of Hackers at Nuclear Plants

On the heels of reports of foreign hackers trying to access computer networks at U.S. nuclear power plants, Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey wrote a letter to five federal agencies demanding more information about the attacks. Specifically, the top Democrat on the International Cybersecurity Police subcommittee raised concerns with the heads of the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about how the US is defending its nuclear power plants from foreign attacks and threats.

China Orders Telecom Carriers to Block Virtual Private Networks

China’s government has told telecommunications carriers to block individuals’ access to virtual private networks by Feb. 1, people familiar with the matter said, thereby shutting a major window to the global internet. Beijing has ordered state-run telecommunications firms, which include China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, to bar people from using VPNs, services that skirt censorship restrictions by routing web traffic abroad, the people said, asking not to be identified talking about private government directives.

Trump Administration Delays 'International Entrepreneur Rule'

The Trump administration is delaying a rule that would have made it easier for foreign investors and entrepreneurs to enter the U.S. The International Entrepreneur Rule, which was scheduled to go into effect on July 17, has been delayed until March 14, 2018, according to a notice from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted to Federal Register’s website.

Read the article: The Hill

After Criticism, Trump Says U.S., Russia Won't Cooperate on Cyber Security

U.S. President Donald Trump backtracked on his push for a cyber security unit with Russia, tweeting that he did not think it could happen, hours after his proposal was harshly criticized by Republicans who said Moscow could not be trusted. The idea appeared to be a political non-starter. It was immediately scorned by several of Trump's fellow Republicans, who questioned why the United States would work with Russia after Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Google, Facebook to Join 'Day of Action' on Net Neutrality

The fight over net neutrality just got more interesting as two tech giants said they will step off the sidelines and join a so-called "day of action" on July 12, which aims to preserve rules that forbid Internet providers from favoring some websites over others. The participation of Google and Facebook in the day-of-action campaign could be a game-changer because their sites are visited by hundreds of millions of Americans, and a message from them could rally new opposition to the FCC plan.

Waymo Drops Most Patent Claims in Suit Against Uber

Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving car division, dropped three of four patent-infringement claims in its lawsuit against Uber Technologies Inc. over the startup’s autonomous vehicle program.Waymo’s decision to include patent claims in its complaint against Uber was a surprise move for Google parent Alphabet, which normally prides itself on limiting patent fights. 

German Cyber Agency Reports 'Millions of Euros of Damage'

Germany's BSI federal cyber agency said that the threat posed to German firms by recent cyber attacks launched via a Ukrainian auditing software was greater than expected, and some German firms had seen production halted for over a week. Analyses by computer experts showed that waves of attacks had been launched via software updates of the M.E.Doc accounting software since April, the BSI said in a statement.

Hackers Penetrate Nuclear Power Stations, Says Report from DHS, FBI

Since May, hackers have been penetrating the computer networks of companies that operate nuclear power stations and other energy facilities, as well as manufacturing plants in the United States and other countries.Among the companies targeted was the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, which runs a nuclear power plant near Burlington, Kan., according to security consultants and an urgent joint report issued by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Judge Rules for Twitter in Lawsuit Over Surveillance Requests

A U.S. judge ruled on that Twitter Inc. could move forward with a lawsuit that aims to free technology companies to speak more openly about surveillance requests they receive from the U.S. government. The U.S. government had failed to show the kind of "clear and present danger" that could possibly justify restraints Twitter's constitutional right to talk about surveillance requests, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, said in a written order.

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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.