Prager University Sues YouTube for Removing Conservative Videos

Prager University, a nonprofit that produces short, educational videos from conservative perspectives, is suing YouTube and its parent company, Google, claiming the tech giant is illegally censoring some of its content as part of a wider effort to silence conservative voices. A lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco says YouTube’s more than 30 million visitors a day make the site so elemental to free speech in the digital age that it should be treated as a public forum. 

Facebook Loses Ruling by EU Court Adviser on Data Protection

Facebook was dealt a setback when an adviser to the top European Union court said any data protection authority in the bloc had the power to take action against it for breaching privacy laws. Facebook has its European headquarters in Ireland and has argued that only the Irish data protection authority has the power to police it for its processing of Europeans’ data. 

Twitter Says It Will Start Labeling Political Electioneering Ads

Twitter said in a blog post it would clearly label political electioneering ads, which the Federal Election Commission (FEC) defines as an ad used to promote a specific candidate for elected office or affiliated party posted within 30 days of a primary election or 60 days of a general election. Electioneering ads can also include any ad clearly promoting a political candidate at any time.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Hackers Increasingly Target Schools, Getting Information on Students

Hackers looking to exploit sensitive information for profit are increasingly targeting the nation’s schools, where they are finding a relatively weak system to protect a valuable asset: student data.Cyberthieves have struck more than three dozen school systems from Georgia to California so far this year, stealing paychecks and data or taking over networks to extort money.

Social Media Site Favored by Alt-Right Plans to Drop Google Lawsuit

Gab, the social media site favored by some in the so called alt-right as a “free speech” alternative to Twitter and Facebook, plans to drop its lawsuit against Google for banning its app from the Google Play Store. Gab said in a blog post that it had been in “productive back-channel” discussions with Google since it filed the lawsuit against the internet search giant last month.

Facebook, Google, Amazon Increase Spending on Lobbying

Facebook, Google and Amazon bolstered their lobbying spending in the past three months as Washington has taken a closer look at the market power of some of America's biggest tech companies. Facebook spent $2.85 million lobbying the federal government in the third quarter, up 41 percent from the same period last year, according to disclosure reports.

U.K. Gambling Commission Shuts Websites Appealing to Children

Britain’s betting industry faces its biggest crackdown on child gambling, with the regulator demanding operators pull hundreds of casino games from their websites after a Sunday Times investigation. The Gambling Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have joined forces to order online operators to “immediately” remove controversial games that appeal to children.

Kaspersky to Submit Source Code for Review by Security, Gov't Officials

Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab will ask independent parties to review the security of its anti-virus software, which the U.S. government has said could jeopardize national security, citing concerns over Kremlin influence and hijacking by Russian spies. Kaspersky, which research firm Gartner ranks as one of the world’s top cyber security vendors for consumers, said in a statement that it would submit the source code of its software and future product updates for review by a broad cross-section of computer security experts and government officials.

DHS, FBI Warn Energy, Industrial Firms About Hacking Campaigns

The U.S government issued a rare public warning about hacking campaigns targeting energy and industrial firms, the latest evidence that cyber attacks present an increasing threat to the power industry and other public infrastructure. The Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation warned in a report distributed via email late on Friday that the nuclear, energy, aviation, water and critical manufacturing industries have been targeted along with government entities in attacks dating back to at least May.

UN Organization Considers Ban on Checking Laptops in Luggage

Laptops could be banned from checked baggage on planes due to a fire risk under a proposal being recommended by an international air safety panel. According to a report, an overheating laptop battery could cause a significant fire in a cargo hold that fire fighting equipment aboard the plane would not be able to extinguish. That could "lead to the loss of the aircraft," according to the proposal.

  • Read the article: CNN

EU Leaders Seek Proposals on How to Tax Online Companies

European Union leaders said they looked forward to seeing proposals on taxing online giants by early 2018 but in a nod to concerns from countries like Ireland said EU efforts had to be in line with work under way at a global level. European countries are split over whether online companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon should pay more tax, with smaller EU members such as Ireland and Luxembourg -- which host many online businesses -- worried that taxes would hurt their competitiveness without a global solution.

Proposals Would Require Grid Operators to Protect Against Malware

U.S. grid operators will have to take measures to guard against the risk of being infected by malware from electronic devices like laptops and thumb drives under proposals put forward by the nation’s top energy regulator. The aim is to mitigate cyber-security risks that could affect the reliability of the grid, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said in a release.

Tech Industry Working with Lawmakers on Political Ad Disclosures Online

The tech industry, which has worked to thwart previous efforts to mandate disclosures of who is purchasing online political advertising, is mobilizing an army of lobbyists and lawyers — including a senior adviser to Hillary Clinton’s campaign — to help shape proposed regulations. Long before the 2016 election, the adviser, Marc E. Elias, helped Facebook and Google request exemptions from the Federal Election Commission to existing disclosure rules, arguing that ads on the respective platforms were too small to fit disclaimers listing their sponsors.

DHS Secretary Praises Tech Firms But Wants More Action Against Extremism

Technology firms have improved cooperation with the authorities in tackling online militant material but still must act quicker to remove propaganda fueling a rise in homegrown extremism, acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said. The United States and Britain will push social media firms at a meeting of G7 interior ministers this week to do more on the issue, Duke told reporters in London where she had been meeting British Home Secretary (interior minister) Amber Rudd.

Twitter Plans Tougher Rules to Fight Harassment, Misconduct

Twitter Inc plans to toughen its rules on online sexual harassment and impose stronger penalties for misconduct, according to an email it sent to a group of safety advocates, academics and researchers that helps the social media service set its policies. The new guidelines include immediate and permanent suspensions of any account Twitter identifies as the original poster or source of non-consensual nudity.

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.