Office Depot, Supplier Pay $35 Million FTC Fine for Unneeded Computer Repairs

Office Depot and its software supplier, Support.com, have paid $35 million to the FTC over allegations of faked malware reports that tricked customers into paying millions of dollars in computer repairs. According to the FTC, Office Depot (and Office Max, which merged with Office Depot in 2013) used a program called “PC Health Check,” which claimed to be a free tool offering a check-up to help diagnose if there were any problems or malware plaguing a device.

Microsoft Takes Control of 99 Websites Used by Group Linked to Iranian Hackers

Microsoft Corp. said that it has taken control of 99 web sites used by a malicious group connected to Iranian hackers who attacked targets including government agencies and businesses in order to steal confidential information. The group, which Microsoft refers to as Phosphorus, but is also known as APT 35, Charming Kitten, and Ajax Security Team, used spear-phishing attacks launched from web sites made to look like they belong to companies like Microsoft and Yahoo, according to the post.

British Spy Agency Finds 'New Risks' in Using Huawei's Telecom Equipment

The British government released a scathing assessment of the security risks posed by the Chinese telecom company Huawei to Britain’s telecom networks, as London weighs whether to heed U.S. calls to bar the firm from the next-generation 5G network over fears it will enable spying by the Chinese government and potential cyberattacks. This is the second consecutive year the Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ — the British spy agency equivalent to the U.S. National Security Agency — has identified serious problems. This

HUD Sues Facebook, Says Ads Violated Federal Fair Housing Act

The Department of Housing and Urban Development sued Facebook for engaging in housing discrimination by allowing advertisers to restrict who is able to see ads on the platform based on characteristics like race, religion and national origin. In addition to targeting Facebook’s advertising practices, the housing department, known as HUD, claims in its lawsuit that the company uses its data-mining practices to determine which of its users are able to view housing-related ads.

U.S. National Security Officials Order Chinese Company to Sell Gay Dating App Grindr

U.S. national-security officials have ordered a Chinese company to sell gay-dating app Grindr, citing the risk that the personal data it collects could be exploited by Beijing to blackmail individuals with security clearances, according to people familiar with the situation. The move by U.S. officials signals that a range of social-media companies and apps will now be off limits to Chinese buyers, alongside deals involving sensitive technology such as chips and weapons.

Appeals Court Rules for Gay Dating App Grindr in Lawsuit Over Fake Profiles

A U.S. federal appeals court refused to hold Grindr liable to a New York man who said his former boyfriend used the gay dating app to post fake profiles, in a harassment campaign that caused more than 1,000 men to approach the victim for sex. The 3-0 decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals against Matthew Herrick came in a closely watched case over how far the Communications Decency Act, a 1996 federal law meant to restrict pornography while allowing other speech online, should shield Internet-based companies from user abuses.

U.S. Census Bureau Seeks Help from Tech Giants to Combat 'Fake News'

The U.S. Census Bureau has asked tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter to help it fend off “fake news” campaigns it fears could disrupt the upcoming 2020 count, according to Census officials and multiple sources briefed on the matter. The push, the details of which have not been previously reported, follows warnings from data and cybersecurity experts dating back to 2016 that right-wing groups and foreign actors may borrow the “fake news” playbook from the last presidential election to dissuade immigrants from participating in the decennial count, the officials and sources told Reuters.

Facebook Says White Nationalist Content Has 'No Place on Our Services'

Facebook said that it would ban white nationalist content from its platforms, a significant policy change that bows to longstanding demands from civil rights groups who said the tech giant was failing to confront the powerful reach of white extremism on social media. The threat posed by white nationalism on Facebook was violently underlined this month when a racist gunman killed 50 people at two mosques in New Zealand, using the platform to post live video of the attack. Facebook removed the video and the gunman’s account on Facebook and Instagram but the footage was widely shared on YouTube, Twitter and Reddit.

EU Countries Required to Start Sharing 5G Cybersecurity Risks

EU nations will be required to share data on 5G cybersecurity risks and produce measures to tackle them by the end of the year, the European Commission said, shunning U.S. calls to ban China’s Huawei Technologies across the bloc. The aim is to use tools available under existing security rules plus cross-border cooperation, the bloc’s executive body said, leaving it to individual EU countries to decide whether they want to ban any company on national security grounds.

FTC Announces Investigation of Privacy Practices at Internet Providers

The Federal Trade Commission announced a broad inquiry into the privacy practices of internet service providers requesting large companies like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to hand over nonpublic information describing how they handle consumer data. It’s a major step toward monitoring and regulating how much data ISPs are allowed to collect on their customers, and how widely that data can be shared.

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal from Zappos on Class-Action Data Breach Suit

The Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Amazon's online shoe retailer Zappos, a move that will allow a class-action lawsuit over a hack that exposed the personal data of 24 million customers to move forward. Zappos was seeking to appeal a ruling by a San Francisco-based appeals court that said the lawsuit should continue because the 2012 data breach left customers vulnerable to identity theft and fraud.

French Muslim Group Sues Facebook, YouTube Over Christchurch Shooting Video

A group representing French Muslims is suing Facebook and YouTube over their handling of a video showing the mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, earlier this month, Agence France-Presse reported. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) filed the suit against the U.S. tech giants for "broadcasting a message with violent content abetting terrorism, or of a nature likely to seriously violate human dignity and liable to be seen by a minor," according to the complaint, which was seen by AFP.

European Digital Chief Wants to Share More Data, Reject U.S. Ban on Huawei

The European Commission will urge EU countries to share more data to tackle cybersecurity risks related to 5G networks but will ignore U.S. calls to ban Huawei Technologies, four people familiar with the matter said. While the guidance does not have legal force, it will carry political weight which can eventually lead to national legislation in European Union countries.

Family Tracking App Exposed Locations Without Password Protections

A popular family tracking app was leaking the real-time locations of more than 238,000 users for weeks after the developer left a server exposed without a password. The app, Family Locator, built by Australia-based software house React Apps, allows families to track each other in real-time, such as spouses or parents wanting to know where their children are.

FEMA Says Sensitive Information on 2 Million U.S. Disaster Survivors Disclosed

The Federal Emergency Management Agency shared personal addresses and banking information of more than 2 million U.S. disaster survivors in what the agency acknowledged was a “major privacy incident.” The data mishap, discovered recently and the subject of a report by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, occurred when the agency shared sensitive, personally identifiable information of disaster survivors who used FEMA’S Transitional Sheltering Assistance program, according to officials at FEMA.

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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.