Russia Launches 'Administrative Proceedings' Against Facebook, Twitter

Russia launched administrative action against Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. for failing to comply with its data laws, a move that comes just days after Facebook removed the accounts of what it said were two misinformation campaigns based in the country. Communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, the federal executive body responsible for censorship in media and telecommunications, said the social-media networks hadn’t submitted any formal and specific plans or submitted an acceptable explanation of when they would meet the country’s requirements that all servers used to store Russians’ personal data be located in Russia.

EU Lawmakers Delay Meeting on Copyright Reform Google Opposes

EU efforts to reform copyright rules hit a roadblock as a meeting of lawmakers and officials was called off, prompting criticism of Google from publishers after it and other tech giants lobbied against the changes. The European Commission, which launched the debate two years ago, says the overhaul is necessary to protect Europe’s cultural heritage and level the playing field between big online platforms and publishers, broadcasters and artists.

French Regulators Fine Google $57 Million for Violating GDPR

Google has been fined nearly $57 million by French regulators for violating Europe’s tough new data-privacy rules, marking the first major penalty brought against a U.S. tech giant since the region-wide regulations took effect last year. France’s top data-privacy agency, known as the CNIL, said that Google failed to fully disclose to users how their personal information is collected and what happens to it.

DNC Says It Was Targeted by Russian Hackers After Midterm Elections

The Democratic National Committee believes it was targeted in a hacking attempt by a Russian group in the weeks after the midterm elections last year, according to court documents. On Nov. 14, the documents say, dozens of DNC email addresses were on the receiving end of a so-called spearphishing campaign by one of two Russian organizations believed to be responsible for hacking into the committee’s computers during the 2016 presidential race.

Internet Celebrities Use Hackers to Recover Instagram Accounts from Hackers

Internet celebrities who have seen their Instagram accounts hacked and personal information compromised say they've had to hack back in order to get their profiles returned. Several "influencers" told VICE's Motherboard that Instagram's process to regain control of their accounts is so slow and difficult they've been forced to find alternative means to recover their profiles.

U.S. Regulators Consider Record-Setting Fine Against Facebook

U.S. regulators have met to discuss imposing a record-setting fine against Facebook for violating a legally binding agreement with the government to protect the privacy of its users' personal data, according to three people familiar with the deliberations but not authorized to speak on the record. The fine under consideration at the Federal Trade Commission, a privacy and security watchdog that began probing Facebook last year, would mark the first major punishment levied against Facebook in the United States since reports emerged in March that Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy, accessed personal information on about 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge.

Data Privacy Activist Sues Eight Tech Firms Over GDPR Compliance

Apple and Amazon are among eight tech firms named in a complaint filed in Austria by non-profit organization noyb, which cited their failure to comply with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The action by noyb, chaired by data privacy activist Max Schrems, also named Netflix, Spotify and Youtube, after it tested them by requesting private data the companies hold about the user.

ACLU Sues Federal Agencies for Records on Social Media Surveillance

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued seven federal agencies, seeking to obtain records on how the government surveils people on social media. The lawsuit seeks to compel the Justice Department (DOJ), FBI, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), State Department and others to turn over documents related to their social media surveillance, including the guidelines they use and their communications with social media platforms and private businesses.

Facebook Extending Political Advertising Rules to EU, Other Countries

Facebook Inc. told Reuters that it would extend some of its political advertising rules and tools for curbing election interference to India, Nigeria, Ukraine and the European Union before significant votes in the next few months. As the largest social media service in nearly every big country, Facebook since 2016 has become a means for politicians and their adversaries to distribute fake news and other propaganda.

Facebook Removes Hundreds of Pages from Russia Linked to State-Owned Media

Facebook said it had removed hundreds of pages that originated in Russia for engaging in “coordinated inauthentic behavior” on its site, including a network of accounts that touched on regional weather and sports but actually served as a way for Russian state-owned media to secretly reach social media users. The tech giant’s latest takedown included more than 300 pages that primarily targeted regions including Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

  • Read the article: The Washington Post

Apple CEO Calls for FTC to 'Establish a Data-Broker Clearinghouse'

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook called on the Federal Trade Commission to track data brokers and monitor how they use people’s digital information, the latest privacy push by the iPhone maker. Cook joined other technology company executives in calling for federal privacy legislation, but added his own specific idea in a column published by Time.

After Protests, Roku Quickly Reverses Decision to Allow Infowars Channel

Streaming device maker Roku pulled the plug on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars channel after having it among its content offerings for less than a day. Roku had added Infowars, which had been banned back in August from many online outlets including Apple Podcasts, Facebook, LinkedIn, Periscope, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube.

Fortnite Flaw Allowed Hackers to Use Players' Credit Cards on File

Epic Games, the maker of the hit online battle royal title, acknowledged that a flaw in the game’s log-in system could have allowed hackers to impersonate real players and purchase in-game currency using the credit cards on file. Hackers could then have siphoned off those purchases from hijacked accounts into other accounts they controlled, according to security researchers.

Bills Would Ban Sale of U.S. Chips to Some Chinese Telecom Companies

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced bills that would ban the sale of U.S. chips or other components to Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., ZTE Corp. or other Chinese telecommunications companies that violate U.S. sanctions or export control laws. The proposed law was introduced shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported federal prosecutors were investigating allegations that Huawei stole trade secrets from T-Mobile U.S. Inc. and other U.S. businesses.

Judge Rules Against Forced Use of Biometric Features in Facebook Case

A federal judge in Oakland ruled that law enforcement agencies cannot force people to use biometric features such as facial-recognition to unlock their phones and other devices in a case that highlights the fight between Big Tech and law enforcement over users’ privacy. The decision arose out of an extortion case in which two suspects allegedly used Facebook Messenger to threaten that if a man didn’t give them money, they would distribute embarrassing video of him.

Attorney General Nominee Wants Antitrust Review of Social Media Companies

President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, William Barr, said at his first confirmation hearing that he would look into whether Silicon Valley social media companies were abusing their market position to stifle competition and what the Justice Department’s role should be on the issue of consumer data privacy. The question that prompted the response came from junior Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) who dedicated his allotted time to asking Barr about issues surrounding data privacy and the centralized power companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google have on the market.

Eastern European Hackers Charged with Breaking Into SEC Database

A group of Eastern Europeans broke into the SEC’s company filings database, stole nonpublic information, and then made illicit trades worth over $4.1 million, the agency and DOJ said Jan. 15 .Oleksandr Ieremenko hacked the Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR e-filing system in 2016, then passed the information he obtained to a group of Ukrainian and Russian traders who used it to make a profit, according to two cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Appeals Court Upholds VirnetX 's $440 Million Patent Verdict Against Apple

A U.S. appeals court upheld a judgment worth $440 million that was won by intellectual property licensing firm VirnetX Inc. against Apple Inc. in a patent infringement case. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Apple’s appeal of a 2016 jury verdict originally valued at $302 million that grew to $440 million with interest, enhanced damages, and other costs.

German Court Dismisses Qualcomm's Patent Lawsuit Against Apple

A patent lawsuit filed by Qualcomm Inc. against Apple Inc was thrown out by a German court, in a reversal for the U.S. chipmaker after it won a recent court ban on the sale of some iPhones in the country. The regional court in the city of Mannheim dismissed the Qualcomm suit as groundless in an initial verbal decision, saying the patent in question was not violated by the installation of its chips in Apple’s smartphones.

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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.