FTC Fines VTech $650,000 for Allowing Access to Kids' Profiles

VTech, the maker of smart toys whose poor security practices exposed data from millions of parents and children, has been slapped on the wrist by the FTC to the tune of $650,000 and probation. The Hong Kong company makes a variety of “smart” toys, like watches and cameras, and parents and children were encouraged to set up profiles on VTech’s site with pictures and personal details. In November of 2015 a security researcher found that millions of those profiles could be accessed via one of the company’s websites.

Twitter Says It Won't Block 'Controversial' Tweets from 'World Leaders'

Twitter doesn't want to get in the way of elected officials and political leaders communicating via the platform — no matter how "controversial" their tweets may be. "Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets, would hide important information people should be able to see and debate," the company wrote in a blog post. "It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions."

  • Read the article: CNBC

U.S. Customs Reports Spike in Searches of Travelers' Electronics

Border officers dramatically increased their searches last year of photos, social media messages, emails and private files kept on cellphones and other electronic devices carried by international travelers, including U.S. citizens, according to statistics. Although fewer than 1% of travelers have their devices screened, the increase alarmed privacy advocates who say U.S. citizens should not lose their protections against warrantless searches when crossing the border.

Homeland Security Exposes Data on 240,000 Employees

A data breach at the Department of Homeland Security exposed the personally identifiable information on more than 240,000 current and former DHS employees, the department said. The breach at the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) Case Management System affected 247,167 people employed by DHS in 2014, as well as subjects, witnesses and complainants associated with DHS OIG investigations from 2002 through 2014, the department said in a statement.

  • Read the article: CNET

SEC Chairman Warns About Risks of Cryptocurrency Investments

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission warned that investors should “exercise caution” with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, noting state and federal regulators may not be able to recoup any lost investments from illegal actors. Many promoters of initial coin offerings (ICOs) and other cryptocurrency investments are not following federal and state securities laws, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and Commissioners Kara Stein and Michael Piwowar said in a statement. 

States Beginning to Draft Their Own Net Neutrality Regulations

States are moving to write their own net neutrality regulations after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in December decided to scrap the Obama-era Internet rules. California, New York and Washington are pushing their own versions of net neutrality rules and more state governments are expected to do the same, according to a report from Fast Company.

National Security Agency Losing Hackers, Scientists to Private Sector

The National Security Agency is losing its top talent at a worrisome rate as highly skilled personnel, some disillusioned with the spy service’s leadership and an unpopular reorganization, take higher-paying, more flexible jobs in the private sector. Since 2015, the NSA has lost several hundred hackers, engineers and data scientists, according to current and former U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.

Twitter Refuses to Delete Trump's Nuclear 'Button' Post

Trump’s tweet raising the prospect of nuclear war with North Korea isn’t in violation of Twitter’s guidelines, the company says, and will remain online. In the tweet, Trump boasted that his “Nuclear Button” is “much bigger” and “more powerful” than the one belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un -- a combative and childish taunt that raises serious questions about Trump’s fitness for office, as well as to what extent Twitter is complicit in allowing him to publish threats of this nature to its platform.

FTC Approves Settlement with Lenovo Over Privacy, Preloaded Software

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved a settlement with computer manufacturer Lenovo over charges that it had violated user privacy with software that came preloaded on its computers. “Lenovo compromised consumers’ privacy when it preloaded software that could access consumers’ sensitive information without adequate notice or consent to its use,” acting FTC Chairwoman Maureen Ohlhausen said in a statement when it reached the settlement in September.

Senators Introduce 'Secure Elections Act' to Eliminate Some Voting Machines

A bipartisan group of six senators has introduced legislation that would take a huge step toward securing elections in the United States. Called the Secure Elections Act, the bill aims to eliminate insecure paperless voting machines from American elections while promoting routine audits that would dramatically reduce the danger of interference from foreign governments.

Lawsuits Allege Apple Defrauded Users by Slowing Older iPhones

Apple Inc. defrauded iPhone users by slowing devices without warning to compensate for poor battery performance, according to eight lawsuits filed in various federal courts since the company opened up about the year-old software change. The tweak may have led iPhone owners to misguided attempts to resolve issues over the last year, the lawsuits contend.

Facebook's Content Reviewers Act Inconsistently on Hate Speech

Inconsistent Facebook rulings on hate speech are not unusual, ProPublica has found in an analysis of more than 900 posts submitted to us as part of a crowd-sourced investigation into how the world’s largest social network implements its hate-speech rules. Based on this small fraction of Facebook posts, its content reviewers often make different calls on items with similar content, and don’t always abide by the company’s complex guidelines.

Subscribe

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.