Qualcomm Asks Judge Not to Enforce Decision in FTC Antitrust Case

Qualcomm Inc. asked a federal judge not to enforce her decision that it illegally squeezed out rivals in the smartphone chips market as it plans to file an appeal that could take more than a year to wind through the courts. In a filing in federal court in San Jose, California, Qualcomm said that it believes it can succeed in appealing the May 21 decision by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in an antitrust case brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in January 2017.

Huawei Asks Court to Declare National Defense Authorization Act Unconstitutional

China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has filed a motion for summary judgment in its lawsuit against the U.S. government, according to a court filing in the United States, in the telecoms equipment maker’s latest attempt to fight sanctions from Washington that threaten to push it out of global markets. The motion, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, asks it to declare the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) unconstitutional in an update to the lawsuit brought by the telecommunications equipment maker in March.

Pro-Iranian Influence Campaign Created Fake Social Media Accounts

A pro-Iranian influence campaign created fake Facebook and Twitter accounts to push Tehran's viewpoint in the U.S. and succeeded in having a number of American newspapers publish their letters, according to new research published. Facebook, operating on a tip from the threat intelligence company FireEye who authored the research, announced that it had removed 51 accounts, 36 pages, and seven groups, as well as three Instagram accounts that it believed were part of the same campaign.

  • Read the article: CNN

Mortgage Company Reportedly Exposed Hundreds of Millions of Customers

A leading mortgage settlement and title insurance company, First American Financial Corporation, left hundreds of millions of customer records accessible on the web, including personal information such as Social Security numbers, according to a report on a security blog. Though no data is known to have been taken, the scale of the security lapse was massive, putting at risk 885 millions records from an unknown numbers of customers, wrote Brian Krebs, of KrebsonSecurity, which covers breaches, hacks and online crime.

WHO Adopts Update to Diseases Classification to Add 'Gaming Disorder'

The World Health Organization adopted the latest update to its International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which adds "gaming disorder" to its list of modern diseases. The organization last June added gaming addiction under its section of potentially harmful technology-related behaviors, including too much use of "the internet, computers, smartphones" and more.

  • Read the article: CNET

FTC Commissioners Can't Agree on Possible $5B Facebook Privacy Settlement

A long-awaited multibillion-dollar settlement between Facebook Inc. and federal regulators over privacy missteps has been bogged down by a split between Republicans and Democrats on the Federal Trade Commission, according to people familiar with the matter. Facebook said April 24 that it was expecting to pay up to $5 billion in an accord with the FTC. At the time, people closely following the talks said a settlement was expected within days.

NSA Lost Control of Tool Used in Baltimore's Ransomware Attack

For nearly three weeks, Baltimore has struggled with a cyberattack by digital extortionists that has frozen thousands of computers, shut down email and disrupted real estate sales, water bills, health alerts and many other services. But here is what frustrated city employees and residents do not know: A key component of the malware that cybercriminals used in the attack was developed at taxpayer expense a short drive down the Baltimore-Washington Parkway at the National Security Agency, according to security experts briefed on the case.

Twitter Bans Anti-Trump Krassenstein Brothers for Creating Fake Accounts

Twitter has permanently banned prominent anti-Trump brothers Brian and Ed Krassenstein, alleging that two of the biggest stars of #Resistance Twitter had broken the site’s rules about operating fake accounts and purchasing fake interactions with their accounts. “The Twitter Rules apply to everyone,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

Altered Video of Pelosi, Slurring Words, Spreads Across Social Media

Distorted videos of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), altered to make her sound as if she’s drunkenly slurring her words, are spreading rapidly across social media, highlighting how political disinformation that clouds public understanding can now grow at the speed of the Web. The video of Pelosi’s onstage speech Wednesday at a Center for American Progress event, in which she said President Trump’s refusal to cooperate with congressional investigations was tantamount to a “coverup," was subtly edited to make her voice sound garbled and warped.

Baltimore City Workers Creating Gmail Accounts Trigger Security System

Gmail accounts used by Baltimore officials as a workaround while the city recovers from the ransomware attack were disabled because the creation of a large number of new accounts triggered Google’s automated security system, a spokesman for the company said. James Bentley, a spokesman for Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young, initially said the city had been told by Google that the accounts were “circumventing” the paid service the city would need for a business account.

Facebook Stops Commissions for Employees Who Sell Political Ads

Facebook Inc. said it stopped paying commissions to employees who sell political ads, as the tech giant overhauls how it engages with campaigns ahead of elections in 2020. Once seen as a growth area, political ads are now viewed within Facebook as more of a headache, according to former employees and campaign staffers who work on digital strategies.

Facebook Reports Removing 3 Billion Fake Accounts in 6 Months

Facebook said it had removed more than 3 billion fake accounts between October and March, a spike in banned activity that underscores the social-networking company’s ongoing struggle to clean up its platform. Facebook revealed the new figure as part of its updated transparency report, which also detailed the prevalence of hate speech, graphic photos and videos, and other abusive content on its platform.

EUIPO, EURid Offer Service Alerting Trademark Owners to Domain Registrations

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and EURid, the registry manager of the .eu and .ею country code top-level domains, has launched a new service designed to help European Union trade mark (EUTM) applicants tackle cybersquatting and bad faith domain name registrations. The new service will allow rights holders and applicants to opt-in to receive alerts as soon as a .eu or .ею domain name identical to their EUTM application is registered.

Data Protection Commission Probes Google's Advertising Program in EU

Ireland’s data privacy watchdog announced the launch of an inquiry into Google over the tech giant’s collection of data when it comes to online advertising. The Data Protection Commission, which acts as the lead supervisory authority for Google in the European Union, said its probe would examine whether Google’s processing of data in advertising transactions breaches the bloc’s privacy rules.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Judge Says Qualcomm's Patent-Licensing Practices Violated Antitrust Law

Qualcomm abused its position as a giant of the semiconductor industry to harm competition and overcharge cellphone makers, a federal judge has ruled, striking at the heart of the company’s business and sending shock waves through the smartphone industry. In a decision, Judge Lucy Koh of the Federal District Court in San Jose, Calif., found that Qualcomm’s patent-licensing practices violated antitrust law.

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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.