Internet Association Supports Bill Against Online Sex Trafficking

Major U.S. internet firms said they would support legislation to make it easier to penalize operators of websites that facilitate online sex trafficking, marking a sharp reversal for Silicon Valley on an issue long considered a top policy priority.The decision to endorse a measure advancing in the U.S. Senate could clear the way for Congress to pass the first rewrite of a law adopted 21 years ago that is widely considered a bedrock legal shield for the internet industry.

Justice Department Identifies Russian Government Hackers of DNC

The Justice Department has identified more than six members of the Russian government involved in hacking the Democratic National Committee’s computers and swiping sensitive information that became public during the 2016 presidential election, according to people familiar with the investigation. Prosecutors and agents have assembled evidence to charge the Russian officials and could bring a case next year, these people said.

Qualcomm Sues Apple for Violating Software License Contract

Qualcomm Inc. has sued Apple Inc., alleging that it violated a software license contract to benefit rival chipmaker Intel Corp. for making broadband modems, the latest salvo in their longstanding dispute. Qualcomm said in a lawsuit filed in California state court in San Diego on Wednesday that Apple used its commercial leverage to demand unprecedented access to the chipmaker’s highly confidential software, including source code.

Student Charged After Instagram Post About Acts Against Roommate

A student at the University of Hartford in Connecticut was charged with criminal mischief and expelled from school after boasting about having contaminated her roommate’s toothbrush, face lotion and other belongings in an effort to drive her from the room. The student, Brianna Brochu, 18, was in court for charges that originated with an Instagram post in which she said that she had finally accomplished what had apparently been a long-held goal: ridding herself of her dorm roommate, Chennel Rowe, whom she referred to as “Jamaican Barbie.”

Senators Criticize Tech Company Officials at Election Hearing

Senators from both parties took tech company officials to task in a hearing for failing to better identify, defuse and investigate Russia's campaign to manipulate American voters over social media during the 2016 presidential campaign. In the second of three Capitol Hill hearings this week on Russian's online information operation, members of the Senate intelligence committee challenged Facebook, Google and Twitter in strikingly direct terms that, at times, seemed to carry the implicit threat of legislation that could reign in the nation's wildly profitable technology industry.

Lawmakers Frustrated at Tech Executives in Election Hearing

Executives from Facebook, Google and Twitter appeared on Capitol Hill for the first time to publicly acknowledge their role in Russia’s influence on the presidential campaign, but offered little more than promises to do better. Their reluctance frustrated lawmakers who sought stronger evidence that American elections will be protected from foreign powers.

Bill Would Boost Cyber Defenses of State Election Systems

A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators plans to introduce legislation seeking to boost the cyber defenses of state election systems, after warnings from senior U.S. officials that future elections may be vulnerable to foreign interference. The Securing America’s Voting Equipment, or SAVE, Act is the latest attempt by lawmakers to respond to what U.S. intelligence agencies say was a multi-pronged cyber operation, including hacking and online propaganda by Russia during the 2016 presidential election aimed at helping President Donald Trump.

Russian Election Ads on Facebook Far Greater Than Previously Reported

Facebook plans to tell lawmakers that 126 million of its users may have seen content produced and circulated by Russian operatives, many times more than the company had previously disclosed about the reach of the online influence campaign targeting American voters. The company previously reported that an estimated 10 million users had seen ads bought by Russian-controlled accounts and pages.

Google Says EU's Record $2.8B Antitrust Fine 'Not Warranted'

Google attacked the European Union for basing its record-breaking 2.4 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) penalty in June against the search-engine giant on untested antitrust theories and ignoring the competitive pressure exerted by the likes of Amazon.com Inc. and eBay Inc. Google contends that a fine “was not warranted” on grounds that the European Commission put forward a novel theory and previously signaled the case could be solved without a financial penalty by initially seeking an amicable solution with the Alphabet Inc. unit.

World Economic Forum Wants Tech Firms to Fight Extremism

U.S. tech firms such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. should be more aggressive in tackling extremism and political misinformation if they want to avoid government action, a report from the World Economic Forum said. The study from the Swiss nonprofit organization adds to a chorus of calls for Silicon Valley to stem the spread of violent material from Islamic State militants and the use of their services by alleged Russian propagandists.

Hackers Use Victims' Computers to Generate Digital Currency

Hackers are commandeering the horsepower of unwitting victims’ computers to secretly generate cryptocurrencies, hoping to cash in as the price of bitcoin has soared to $6,000. New forms of malicious software have mushroomed, appearing on hacked desktop computers, and hackers are sneaking code that generates digital currency on misconfigured cloud-computing servers and even on websites, which have been reprogrammed so visiting browsers become unsuspecting digital-currency generators.

Twitter Suspends Trump Adviser Stone After 'Crude' Tweets at CNN

Roger Stone, the former and maybe current adviser to Donald Trump, has been kicked off Twitter after sending a torrent of tweets directed at CNN personalities. This Deadline piece sums it up succinctly: Stone spent a chunk of Friday evening tapping out “crude, obscenity-filled, personal and vaguely threatening tweets against the network’s anchors and contributors Don Lemon, Jake Tapper, Ana Navarro, Bill Kristol, Carl Bernstein and Charles Blow.”

U.K. Report Blames North Korea for WannaCry Ransomware Attacks

The United Kingdom released its final report on the WannaCry ransomware attacks that caused mass disruption in its hospital system, with a U.K. official saying the country believes the attacks originated in North Korea. "This attack, we believe quite strongly that it came from a foreign state," Ben Wallace, a junior minister for security, told BBC 4 Radio, adding that the government was "as sure as possible" that nation was North Korea.

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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.