Italy Fines Apple, Samsung $5.7 Million for Slowing Down Phones

Italy’s anti-trust watchdog said it was fining Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. 5 million euros ($5.7 million) each following complaints they used software updates to slow down their mobile phones. Apple was hit with an additional 5 million euro fine for failing to give clients clear information about how to maintain or eventually replace handset batteries.

Yahoo Agrees to Pay $50 Million, Offer Credit Monitoring for Breach

Yahoo has agreed to pay $50 million in damages and provide two years of free credit-monitoring services to 200 million people whose email addresses and other personal information were stolen as part of the biggest security breach in history. The restitution hinges on federal court approval of a settlement filed in a 2-year-old lawsuit seeking to hold Yahoo accountable for digital burglaries that occurred in 2013 and 2014, but weren't disclosed until 2016.

Android Apps Discovered as Part of Digital Advertising Fraud Scheme

An investigation by BuzzFeed News reveals that seemingly separate Android apps and companies are today part of a massive, sophisticated digital advertising fraud scheme involving more than 125 Android apps and websites connected to a network of front and shell companies in Cyprus, Malta, British Virgin Islands, Croatia, Bulgaria, and elsewhere. More than a dozen of the affected apps are targeted at kids or teens, and a person involved in the scheme estimates it has stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from brands whose ads were shown to bots instead of actual humans.

U.S. Cyber Command Targets Individual Russians to Protect Elections

The United States Cyber Command is targeting individual Russian operatives to try to deter them from spreading disinformation to interfere in elections, telling them that American operatives have identified them and are tracking their work, according to officials briefed on the operation. The campaign, which includes missions undertaken in recent days, is the first known overseas cyberoperation to protect American elections, including the November midterms.

Apple CEO Expected to Call EU's GDPR 'Good Policy,' Praise Privacy

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook is expected to praise new European privacy rules and to voice the company’s support for strong laws in Europe and the United States to protect the use of data, according to prepared remarks for delivery at a Brussels event. Cook will describe Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, as an example of how “good policy and political will can come together to protect the rights of us all,” according to the remarks, seen by Reuters ahead of a gathering of international privacy regulators.

Senator Wants Tech Companies to Investigate Saudi Propaganda

A Senate Democrat is asking major tech companies to investigate Saudi propaganda efforts on their platforms following reports of social media operations promoting the country’s talking points in the wake of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent letters to Facebook, Google, Reddit and Twitter on Monday asking them to look into the matter as well as asking them to look into whether Saudi Arabia had employed social media tactics to boost then-candidate Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Saudi Investment Conference Website Defaced by Gov't Critics

A high-profile Saudi investment conference that was due to begin this week experienced another setback after its website appeared to be defaced by hackers critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The home page for the conference — which markets itself as “Davos in the Desert” — was overtaken and replaced with a message calling for Saudi officials to be held “responsible for its barbaric and inhuman action, such as killing its own citizen Jamal khashoggi and thousands of innocent people in Yemen.”

Portuguese Court Stops Google from Removing Android Apps

Portuguese app store Aptoide said that a local court had ruled against Alphabet Inc.’s Google in a landmark case, ordering the U.S. giant to stop removing its app from users’ mobile phones without their knowledge. Aptoide’s lawyer Carlos Nestal said it was the first case of an EU national court enforcing separation of the Android operating system and services that run on it, to allow competitors like Aptoide to compete with Google apps.

U.S. Government Woos 'Patriotic Citizens with Technical Expertise'

The White House plans to convene technology giants including Amazon.com, Google, Microsoft and IBM and urge them to make it easier for their workers to leave behind their big paychecks and snazzy office perks and do brief tours of duty in government. For the Trump administration, the hope is that private companies might encourage employees to take leaves of absence to help modernize state and federal agencies — bringing a Silicon Valley sensibility to challenges like improving veterans' health care and combating cybersecurity threats.

Online Trolls, Including Saudi Twitter Employee, Worked Against Khashoggi

Jamal Khashoggi’s online attackers were part of a broad effort dictated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his close advisers to silence critics both inside Saudi Arabia and abroad. Hundreds of people work at a so-called troll farm in Riyadh to smother the voices of dissidents like Mr. Khashoggi. The vigorous push also appears to include the grooming — not previously reported — of a Saudi employee at Twitter whom Western intelligence officials suspected of spying on user accounts to help the Saudi leadership.

Government Healthcare Computer Hacked, Compromising 75,000

A government computer system that interacts with HealthCare.gov was hacked earlier this month, compromising the sensitive personal data of some 75,000 people, officials said. Officials said the hacked system was shut down and technicians are working to restore it before sign-up season starts Nov. 1 for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

DHS Official Promises 2018 Election Will Be 'One of the Most Secure'

Chris Krebs, the under secretary for the Department of Homeland Security's National Protection and Programs Directorate, says election security is "a race without end." On "The Takeout" podcast this week, Krebs said that while Americans should be reassured that while the 2018 election will be "one of the most secure" elections of the modern era, DHS is constantly on the forefront of battling attempted interference.

Vermont Faces Suit Over Plan to Implement Net Neutrality Rules

Internet, cable and wireless providers are suing Vermont because of the state’s efforts to impose net neutrality rules following the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of its popular national open Internet regulations. The coalition accused the state’s lawmakers of defying federal rules and arguing that their industries can’t navigate competing state laws governing Internet access.

U.S. Semiconductor Companies Accuse Huawei of Stealing Tech

An escalating battle between the U.S. and China for supremacy in semiconductor technology is playing out in federal court between Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co. and a Silicon Valley startup backed by Microsoft Corp. and Dell Technologies Inc. CNEX Labs Inc., based in San Jose, Calif., and its co-founder Yiren “Ronnie” Huang alleged in Texas federal court that Huawei and its Futurewei unit have engaged in a multiyear plan to steal CNEX’s technology.

French Finance Minister Wants Decision on Taxing Internet Companies

Europe has talked long enough about whether to make internet giants like Google, Apple and Facebook pay more taxes and it is time for a decision, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said. Le Maire said the blockage was purely political and that all technical questions surrounding how to impose a levy on revenues earned on online services in the European Union had been dealt with.

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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.