Judge Rejects Google's Challenge to Warrant Seeking Data Stored Abroad

Google came up on the losing end of a previously-undisclosed third showdown with the federal government over demands for data stored overseas, a federal court in Washington has revealed. The disclosure of yet another court fight over the issue comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to decide as soon as next month whether to weigh in on the question of whether U.S. law permits authorities to use U.S. courts to obtain electronic records kept outside of the country.

In Unusual Disclosure, FTC Confirms Investigation of Equifax's Data Breach

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it was investigating Equifax Inc.’s massive data breach, a rare public confirmation, as a top Democrat suggested the credit-monitoring company’s corporate leaders might need to resign. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also compared Equifax to Enron, a U.S. energy company that was consumed in scandal after revealing in 2001 that it engaged in widespread accounting fraud.

U.S. Government Agencies Told to Stop Using Kaspersky Lab Products

The Trump administration told U.S. government agencies to remove Kaspersky Lab products from their information systems, saying it was concerned the Moscow-based cyber security firm was vulnerable to Kremlin influence. The Department of Homeland Security issued a directive to agencies ordering them to identify Kaspersky products on their information systems within 30 days, develop plans to remove and discontinue the products within 60 days, and begin discontinuing their use within 90 days.

Lawmaker Says EU States Lost 5.4 Billion Euros in Tech Tax Revenues

European Union states could have lost 5.4 billion euros in tax revenues from Google and Facebook between 2013 and 2015, according to a report of the EU lawmaker responsible for a corporate tax reform that could raise online giants’ tax bill. The document, seen by Reuters, will be published the day before EU finance ministers begin a two-day meeting in the Estonian capital Tallinn, in which they will discuss how to increase taxes on large online businesses accused of paying too little in Europe.

Kaspersky Considers Changes to Subsidiary Selling to U.S. Government

Moscow-based cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab said it is considering making changes to its subsidiary that sells products to the U.S. government, at a time when the company is facing allegations that it may be vulnerable to Russian influence. The U.S. Senate is voting on a defense policy spending bill that includes language that would ban Kaspersky Lab products from being used by U.S. government agencies.

Yelp Tells FTC Google Violating Settlement Not to Scrape Content

Online-reviews firm Yelp Inc. alleged that Google is breaking a promise it made as part of a 2012 regulatory settlement to not scrape content from certain third-party sites including Yelp, escalating its yearslong battle against the search giant. Yelp said in a letter to Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Maureen Ohlhausen that Google is using Yelp photos for local-business listings in its search results, despite Yelp’s formal request that Google not pull such content from its site.

North Korean Hackers Reportedly Target Crypto-Currency Exchanges

Over the past several months, threat actors believed to have ties with North Korea have been targeting crypto-currency exchanges to obtain hard currencies for the Pyongyang regime, FireEye says. The attacks, which FireEye has observed since May 2017, are said to be part of a campaign that started in 2016, when banks and the global financial system were hit.

Spanish Regulators Fine Facebook $1.4 Million Over Data Collection

Spanish regulators slapped Facebook with a $1.4 million fine over how it collects personal information on its users. The Spanish Data Protection Agency said that it found three cases of Facebook collecting information on ideology, sex, religious beliefs, personal tastes and browser history without properly notifying users what the data was being obtained for.

China Orders Domestic Bitcoin Exchanges to Shut Down

Chinese authorities are ordering domestic bitcoin exchanges to shut down, delivering a heavy blow to once-thriving trading hubs that helped popularize the virtual currency pushing it to recent record highs. China’s central bank, working with other regulators, has drafted instructions banning Chinese platforms from providing virtual currency trading services, according to people familiar with the matter.

European Regulations May Limit Use of Fitness Tracking Devices

Startups hoping to sell health tracking devices and software to corporate customers are worried European regulators will torpedo their business model. Employers should be banned from issuing workers with wearable fitness monitors, such as Fitbit, or other health tracking devices, even with the employees’ permission, a European Union advisory panel said in June.

Google Appeals Record $2.9 Billion Antitrust Fine in EU

Google appealed against a record 2.4-billion-euro ($2.9 billion) EU antitrust fine, with its chances of success boosted by Intel’s partial victory last week against another EU sanction. The world’s most popular Internet search engine, a unit of the U.S. firm Alphabet, launched its appeal two months after it was fined by the European Commission for abusing its dominance in Europe by giving prominent placement in searches to its comparison shopping service and demoting rival offerings.

Investigation Shows How Russians Used Twitter, Facebook in Election

An investigation by The New York Times, and new research from the cybersecurity firm FireEye, reveals some of the mechanisms by which suspected Russian operators used Twitter and Facebook to spread anti-Clinton messages and promote the hacked material they had leaked. On Twitter, as on Facebook, Russian fingerprints are on hundreds or thousands of fake accounts that regularly posted anti-Clinton messages.

France Leads European Effort to Change Taxation of Tech Companies

France, Germany, Italy and Spain want digital multinationals like Amazon and Google to be taxed in Europe based on their revenues, rather than only profits as now, their finance ministers said in a joint letter.France is leading a push to clamp down on the taxation of such companies, but has found support from other countries also frustrated at the low tax they receive under current international rules.

Best Buy Stops Selling Kaspersky Software After Russian Concerns

Best Buy is pulling internet security software from a Russian company off its shelves and from its website amid outside concerns that Kaspersky Lab could have links to the Russian government.The decision was prompted by media reports, congressional testimony and industry discussion raising questions about Moscow-based Kaspersky, a respected cybersecurity firm.

Equifax Says Data Breach Exposed Up to 143 Million People

Equifax, which supplies credit information and other information services, said that a data breach could have potentially affected 143 million consumers in the United States. The company said the exposed data include names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, addresses and some driver's license numbers, all of which Equifax aims to protect for its customers.

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