Supreme Court Case Could Impact Social Media, Free Speech Issues

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that could determine whether users can challenge social media companies on free speech grounds. The case, Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck, No. 17-702, centers on whether a private operator of a public access television network is considered a state actor, which can be sued for First Amendment violations.

  • Read the article: CNBC

EBay Sues Amazon for Illegally Poaching Sellers for Marketplace

EBay.com Inc. filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc. accusing the company of illegally poaching sellers on its marketplace via eBay’s internal messaging system. The lawsuit, filed in Santa Clara County in California, accuses Amazon of having “perpetrated a scheme to infiltrate and exploit eBay’s internal member email system” over the past few years.

Hackers Said to Infect Energy, Transport Companies in Ukraine, Poland

Hackers have infected three energy and transport companies in Ukraine and Poland with sophisticated new malware and may be planning destructive cyber attacks, a software security firm said. A report by researchers at Slovakia-based ESET did not attribute the hacking activity, recorded between 2015 and mid-2018, to any specific country but blamed it on a group that has been accused by Britain of having links to Russian military intelligence.

Apple Launches Privacy Portal Letting Customers Search Data

Apple is moving forward several privacy upgrades, including launching a portal that allows customers to search and see what kind of data the company has kept on them. The privacy portal was already tested in the European Union in May, coinciding with the EU's launch of restrictive privacy legislation called the General Data Protection Legislation (GDPR).

  • Read the article: CNBC

Advertisers Sue Facebook Over Problems in Measuring Viewership

Facebook Inc. knew of problems in how it measured viewership of video ads on its platform for more than a year before it disclosed them in 2016, according to a complaint filed by advertisers. A group of small advertisers filed a lawsuit in California federal court in 2016, alleging the tech giant engaged in unfair business conduct by disseminating inaccurate metrics that significantly overestimated the amount of time users were spending watching video ads.

Twitter Publishes Data Linked to Operatives Based in Russia, Iran

Twitter Inc. has published data sets comprising millions of tweets, images and videos and thousands of accounts linked to operatives based in Russia and Iran, who have sought to use the platform for nefarious purposes. The social media company has previously disclosed the activities, going back to 2016, but said in a blog post that it was opening up the data to the public to encourage independent analysis by researchers, academics and journalists.

N.Y. Attorney General Issues Subpoenas in Probe of Net Neutrality Comments

The New York attorney general subpoenaed more than a dozen telecommunications trade groups, lobbying contractors and Washington advocacy organizations, seeking to determine whether the groups sought to sway a critical federal decision on Internet regulation last year by submitting millions of fraudulent public comments, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation. Some of the groups played a highly public role in last year’s battle, when the Republican-appointed majority on the Federal Communications Commission voted to revoke a regulation issued under President Barack Obama that classified Internet service providers as public utilities.

All Public Companies Must 'Consider Cyber Threats,' SEC Report Says

Public companies that fail to tighten their cyber security controls could be violating federal law, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said. The regulator’s warning came in the form of a report on its investigation to assess whether nine companies that had been victims of cyber-related frauds had sufficient internal accounting controls in place as required by law.

Google to Charge for Android Apps in Europe in Response to Ruling

Google is changing the way it licenses its suite of Android apps in Europe, leading the company to charge a licensing fee for the Play Store and other Google apps for the first time. The changes come in response to a July ruling by the European Commission, which fined the company $5 billion for antitrust violations and ordered it to stop “illegally tying” Chrome and search apps to Android.

Developers' Business Models Threatened by Gmail Privacy Change

Google’s move to cut developers from scanning people’s Gmail accounts for ad targeting might go unnoticed by most users — but it could upend a whole segment of apps, highlighting the outsize power and influence Google wields as a gatekeeper of data. Google said in its updated policy that third-party apps could collect information only in ways that improve email functionality, such as drawing information from email receipts to help customers track trip itineraries or find discounts for online shopping.

Facebook to Ban False Posts About Voting, Violence, Long Polling Lines

Facebook Inc. will ban false information about voting requirements and fact-check fake reports of violence or long lines at polling stations ahead of next month’s U.S. midterm elections, company executives told Reuters, the latest effort to reduce voter manipulation on its service. The world’s largest online social network, with 1.5 billion daily users, has stopped short of banning all false or misleading posts, something that Facebook has shied away from as it would likely increase its expenses and leave it open to charges of censorship.

Italy Resists EU Push to Impose Sanctions on States Linked to Cyberattacks

Italy is resisting a European Union push to impose sanctions on states who carry out cyberattacks, a move that appears in line with Rome’s calls to de-escalate tensions with Russia but that could alienate Italy from its EU allies. Diplomats said the sanctions plan is meant to strengthen EU defenses and deterrence against cyberattacks, in particular from Russia, which has been in recent months at the center of allegations of elections meddling in various Western states as well as security breaches conducted through electronic means.

Privacy Regulators in Ireland Probe Twitter's Link-Shortening Service

Privacy regulators in Ireland have launched an investigation into exactly how much data Twitter collects from t.co, its URL-shortening system. The investigation stems from a request made by a UK professor named Michael Veale under the General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR), a comprehensive European privacy law that took effect in May.

Jihadi Terrorist Organizations Using YouTube Less, Group Says

The use of Google’s YouTube as a destination from which to spread jihadi terrorist propaganda online is dramatically declining, according to an intelligence group that tracks online extremism. New analysis of web links, conducted by the Site Intelligence Group, suggests Islamic State and al-Qaeda continue to value the file-hosting services of Dropbox Inc., Google Drive, and Google Photos, however, and remain among the top-used services to store battle footage, documentary-style productions, and video speeches.

Two U.S. Senators Ask India to Soften Stance on Data Localization

Two U.S. senators have called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to soften India’s stance on data localization, warning that measures requiring it represent “key trade barriers” between the two nations. In a letter to Modi, U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner — co-chairs of the Senate’s India caucus that comprises over 30 senators — urged India to instead adopt a “light touch” regulatory framework that would allow data to flow freely across borders.

Google Refuses to Answer Senators' Questions About China Plans

Google refused to answer specific questions from U.S. senators about plans for China, saying it’s too early to know exactly what the company’s path forward in the country will be. Google has always been interested in expanding its presence in China but it’s "unclear" if the company will restart a search engine there, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said in an Aug. 31 letter to six senators, including Virginia Democrat Mark Warner, whose office provided Bloomberg News with the letter.

Facebook Attackers Gained Contact Information for 15 Million Users

An online attack that forced Facebook to log out 90 million users last month directly affected 29 million people on the social network, the company said as it released new details about the scope of an incident that has regulators and law enforcement on high alert. Through a series of interrelated bugs in Facebook’s programming, unnamed attackers stole the names and contact information of 15 million users, Facebook said.

Trump Signs Music Modernization Act for Digital Era

American politics may be polarized, but a new law signed by President Trump suggests that liberals and conservatives agree on the need for a better system to compensate musicians and songwriters in the digital era. The Music Modernization Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), is a response to the modern world of music streaming and satellite radio — platforms that did not exist when laws governing royalty payments to music creators and license holders were drafted decades ago.

Senators 'Disappointed' That Google Didn't Disclose Data Vulnerability

Top lawmakers sent a stinging letter to Google over its handling of a data vulnerability that affected hundreds of thousands of users of its Google+ social media service. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R., S.D.), in a letter, joined two subcommittee chairmen in saying they found it “troubling” that Google failed to disclose the vulnerability after it was discovered.

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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.