EU Antitrust Regulators Ask Google's Rivals About Search Competition

EU antitrust regulators have asked Google’s rivals if the Internet search giant unfairly demotes local search competitors, according to a questionnaire seen by Reuters, a move which could lead to a fourth case against the Alphabet unit. Google has been fined a total 6.76 billion euros ($7.7 billion) in the last 17 months for favoring its comparison shopping service and for using its dominant Android mobile operating system to reinforce its search engine market power.

European Countries Reject Compromise on Digital Revenue Tax

A group of European Union countries rejected a new compromise plan for the introduction of an EU-wide tax on digital revenues of large companies, diplomats said, making it increasingly difficult to meet a year-end deadline for a deal. Under a proposal from the EU’s executive Commission in March, EU states would charge a 3 percent levy on the digital turnover of large firms that are accused of averting tax by routing their profits to the bloc’s low-tax states.

Lawmakers Call for Data Privacy Protections After Marriott Breach

Just hours after Marriott announced a massive data breach, lawmakers on Capitol Hill called on Congress to pass data privacy and security protections to safeguard sensitive consumer information. The hack affected as many as 500 million guests who had made reservations at its Sheraton, W Hotels, Westin, Le Meridien, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and St. Regis branded hotels up until Sept. 10 of this year.

  • Read the article: CNET

Facebook Considered Giving Advertisers Access to User Data

Facebook executives in recent years appeared to discuss giving access to their valuable user data to some companies that bought advertising when it was struggling to launch its mobile-ad business, according to internal emails quoted in newly unredacted court filings. In an ongoing federal court case against Facebook, the plaintiffs claim that the social media giant doled out people’s data secretly and selectively in exchange for advertising purchases or other concessions, even as others were cut off, ruining their businesses.

Judge Sets April Trial Date in Qualcomm's Case Against Apple

A jury trial in Qualcomm’s wide-ranging legal war with Apple has been set to begin April 15 in San Diego federal court, with a settlement looking unlikely at this point. Qualcomm had sought to begin the trial in February, but U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel said the April date was needed to accommodate the court’s schedule.

Marriott Says Information on Up to 500 Million Guests Breached

The information of as many as 500 million people staying at Starwood hotels has been compromised and Marriott says it's uncovered unauthorized access that's been taking place within its Starwood network since 2014. For about 327 million people, the information exposed includes some combination of name, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation date and communication preferences.

Italian Party Considers Creating State-Controlled Broadband Network

Italy’s ruling League party is working to create a single broadband network that would be put under state control, one of its senior lawmakers, Alessandro Morelli, said. The far-right League and its coalition partner, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, want to create a company that combines the networks of former monopoly Telecom Italia and smaller, state-controlled Open Fiber to help Italy catch up with the broadband services of European rivals.

SEC Settles with Promoters Who Didn't Disclose Their ICO Fees

Pro boxer Floyd Mayweather and music producer DJ Khaled pumped up initial coin offerings without telling investors they were getting paid a promotional fee, according to a settlement announced. The Securities and Exchange Commission said they are the first cases to charge touting violations regarding ICOs, a relatively new phenomenon that has attracted billions of investor dollars to new cryptocurrencies, often with little to back them up.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Trump Administration Plans Roundtable with Technology Executives

The Trump administration, which has had sometimes strained relations with high-technology companies, will meet with top tech executives next week for a roundtable discussion on innovation, several companies attending said. Chief executives expected to participate include Microsoft Corp’s Satya Nadella, Alphabet Inc’s Sundar Pichai and Oracle Corp’s Safra Catz. Microsoft and Oracle confirmed they would take part.

Authorities in India Work with Microsoft to Raid Fake Tech-Support Centers

Law enforcement authorities, working with Microsoft, have now traced many of the fake tech-support centers to New Delhi, India’s capital and a hub of the global call-center industry. Police from two Delhi suburbs raided 16 fake tech-support centers and arrested about three dozen people. Last month, the Delhi authorities arrested 24 people in similar raids on 10 call centers.

Dell Resets All Passwords After Discovering Hackers Trying to Steal Data

Dell Inc. said that it reset passwords for all accounts on its Dell.com online electronics store on Nov. 14, five days after it discovered and stopped hackers who were attempting to steal customer data. The computer maker did not tell customers about the attack when it forced the password resets, according to a person familiar with the breach.

New Zealand Blocks Huawei from Supplying Mobile-Data Technology

New Zealand has blocked Huawei from supplying technology for a next-generation mobile data network in the country, joining the United States and other developed countries that see the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker as a security threat. New Zealand’s intelligence agency rejected a proposal from Spark, one of New Zealand’s biggest telecom carriers, to use Huawei gear in its planned fifth-generation, or 5G, mobile network.

Senators Want ZTE Sanctions Probe for Monitoring in Venezuela

Two U.S. senators will ask the Trump administration to investigate whether ZTE Corp, the Chinese telecommunications company, violated U.S. sanctions by helping Venezuela set up a database that monitors the behavior of its citizens. In a letter, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Marco Rubio will ask the U.S. secretaries of state, treasury and commerce to determine whether ZTE worked with individuals cited by U.S. sanctions, used U.S. components unlawfully or helped Venezuela’s government flout democratic processes or human rights.

Facebook, Twitter Take Action Against Babysitter-Rating System

Facebook and Twitter are taking action against an automated babysitter-rating system reported on by The Washington Post, saying the service broke the social networks' rules on user surveillance and data privacy. Predictim, a California-based start-up, analyzes babysitters' online histories, including on Facebook and Twitter, and offers ratings of whether they are at risk of drug abuse, bullying or having a “bad attitude.”

Google CEO Expected to Testify in Congress on Political Bias

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai is set to testify to Congress in December, facing off against lawmakers for the first time at a hearing that could subject the search giant to the same harsh political spotlight that has faced its tech peers all year. The scheduled Dec. 5 hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, confirmed by three sources familiar with the plan but not authorized to speak on record, comes in response to some Republicans who claim that Google is biased against conservatives.

Facebook Knew of Russian Links in 2014, British Lawmaker Says

Facebook Inc. knew that Russian-linked entities were using a feature on the social network that let advertisers harvest large amounts of data as early as October 2014, according to an internal email a U.K. lawmaker said he had reviewed. Previously, Facebook has said it was unaware of this sort of Russian activity on the social network until after the 2016 election.

In Open Letter, Google Employees Seek End to Censored Chinese Search Engine

More than 200 employees comprising engineers, designers and managers at Alphabet Inc.’s Google published an open letter, demanding that the company end development of a censored search engine for Chinese users, escalating earlier protests against the secretive project. Google has described the search app, known as Project Dragonfly, as an experiment not close to launching.

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