Ireland Data Protection Commission Reports 10 Ongoing Facebook Probes

An office that’s responsible for enforcing European data privacy laws against many of the biggest U.S. tech firms is spending much of its time on one company: Facebook. The Ireland Data Protection Commission said in a report that as of Dec. 31 it had 15 ongoing investigations of multinational tech companies. Ten of the investigations were about Facebook or its subsidiaries, Instagram and WhatsApp.

TikTok Video-Sharing App Agrees to $5.7 Million Child Privacy Settlement

TikTok, a popular video-sharing app, has agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that it illegally collected personal information from children. The FTC’s complaint, filed by the Department of Justice, alleged that TikTok, formerly known as Musical.ly, violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act or COPPA.

Russia Sentences Cyber Intelligence Official to Prison for Treason

A court in Moscow sentenced a senior Russian cyber intelligence official and an executive at a cybersecurity firm to lengthy prison sentences on treason charges. Moscow's District Military Court, which has been hearing the top-secret case for nearly two years behind closed doors, sentenced Col. Sergei Mikhailov, former deputy head of the FSB's Information Security Center, to 22 years in prison and a fine.

Justice Dep't, Lawmakers Consider Changes to Music-Licensing Rules

Justice Department officials and lawmakers are considering an overhaul of longstanding music-licensing rules that have pitted songwriters and publishers against the businesses, broadcasters and digital streaming services that want to play their compositions. The government’s review could have major implications on the multibillion-dollar music industry.

FTC Settles Complaint with Company for Posting Fake Amazon Reviews

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has successfully brought the first ever case against using fraudulent, paid Amazon reviews to falsely advertise an online product, the agency announced. The company in question, named Cure Encapsulations, Inc. and owned by Naftula Jacobowitz, paid a third-party website to write five-star Amazon reviews for a weight-loss supplement called garcinia cambogia.

Twitter Permanently Suspends Far-Right Activist Trying to Influence 2020 Election

Twitter has permanently suspended Jacob Wohl, a far-right activist who previously tried to fabricate evidence about special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, for creating fake accounts in an alleged attempt to manipulate the 2020 presidential election. Twitter confirmed in a statement that Wohl’s efforts violated its rules that prohibit users from creating misleading accounts to influence conversations on the site — a policy Twitter has sought to enforce aggressively since Russian agents tried to destabilize U.S. politics on social media during the presidential election four years earlier.

European Leaders Seek Calm, Not Concern, Over U.S. Ban on Chinese Tech Vendors

Facts not fears should decide the future of telecoms network security in Europe, industry leaders and policy chiefs said, brushing off U.S. calls for a ban on Chinese vendors. Europe has become the main battleground in a U.S. campaign to rid Western networks of Chinese telecoms equipment, with Washington accusing Huawei Technologies of spying for Beijing, allegations the company has repeatedly denied.

Far-Right Figure Tommy Robinson Permanently Banned from Facebook, Instagram

Tommy Robinson, the far-right founder of the English Defence League, has been permanently banned from Facebook and Instagram for repeatedly breaking policies on hate speech, Facebook said. The company said Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, broke rules that ban public calls for violence against people based on protected characteristics; rules that ban supporting or appearing with organised hate groups; and policies that prevent people from using the site to bully others.

FTC Plans Task Force to Monitor Competition in Technology Markets

The Federal Trade Commission will be launching a task force to monitor competition in the U.S.’s technology markets, commissioners announced. The task force will include current officials working in the agency’s Bureau of Competition in order to “enhance the Bureau’s focus on technology-related sectors of the economy, including markets in which online platforms compete.”

U.S. Military Blocks Russia's Internet Research Agency During Midterm Elections

The U.S. military blocked Internet access to an infamous Russian entity seeking to sow discord among Americans during the 2018 midterms, several U.S. officials said, a warning that the Kremlin’s operations against the United States are not cost-free. The strike on the Internet Research Agency in St. Petersburg, a company underwritten by an oligarch close to President Vladi­mir Putin, was part of the first offensive cyber campaign against Russia designed to thwart attempts to interfere with a U.S. election, the officials said.

Swatch Sues Samsung for Trademark Infringement on Smart Watch Faces

Swatch Group has filed a complaint against Samsung Electronics Co. and Samsung Electronics America Inc., saying the two companies infringed its trademark on designs for downloadable smart watch faces. The Swiss watchmaker said the Korean companies’ watch faces that “bear identical or virtually identical marks,” to the trademarks it owns and uses on its brands which include Longines, Omega, Swatch, and Tissot.

Facebook to Lift Suspension on Pages Linked to Russian-Backed Media Outlet

Facebook said that it would allow a network of millennial-focused pages tied to the Russian state-backed media outlet RT back on its platform after having previously suspended them following inquiries by CNN. Facebook had suspended the pages, run by a company called Maffick Media, as CNN was preparing a report on Maffick's ties to RT, which is funded by the Russian government.

  • Read the article: CNN

Microsoft Workers Want Augmented-Reality Agreement with Army Canceled

Employees at Microsoft demanded that the company cancel a contract to supply its augmented-reality headsets to the U.S. Army, warning in a letter that putting HoloLens in the military’s hands could “help people kill.” Writing to chief executive Satya Nadella, more than 50 workers said the devices would be “turning warfare into a simulated ‘video game.’”

Draft Policy Would Let India 'Retain Control of Data to Ensure Job Creation'

India outlined a new draft policy for its burgeoning e-commerce sector, focusing on data localization, improved privacy safeguards and measures to combat the sale of counterfeit products. The proposed overhaul, which would likely increase operating costs for the sector, comes two months after the country modified regulations governing foreign direct investment in e-commerce.

YouTube Deletes Millions of Comments Following Pedophile Report

YouTube cracked down on pedophilic content on the site by purging tens of millions comments, which serve as a kind of powerful but overlooked social network. A video blogger published a report on YouTube documenting how comments and recommendations on the platform direct users to potentially sexual videos of children, allowing them to participate in a “soft-core pedophile ring,” according to the report.

Huawei Chairman Says Company Would Deny 'Back Doors' to Chinese Government

Huawei Technologies Co. would deny any Chinese government request to open up “back doors” in foreign telecommunications networks because they aren’t legally obliged to do so, the company’s chairman says. Liang Hua, speaking to reporters in Toronto, said the company had received an independent legal opinion about its obligations under Chinese law and said there is nothing forcing companies to create what he called “back doors” in networks.

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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.