White House Order Would Require FCC to Create Internet Content Regulations

A draft executive order from the White House could put the Federal Communications Commission in charge of shaping how Facebook, Twitter and other large tech companies curate what appears on their websites, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The draft order, a summary of which was obtained by CNN, calls for the FCC to develop new regulations clarifying how and when the law protects social media websites when they decide to remove or suppress content on their platforms.

  • Read the article: CNN

Luxembourg's Privacy Regulator Questions Amazon About Alexa

Luxembourg’s privacy regulator has asked Amazon for information regarding its Alexa voice assistant, an indication of rising regulatory unease over companies’ use of personal data. The increasing popularity of Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant has triggered concerns from politicians and privacy enforcers over how some companies handle recordings from users interacting with their voice assistants.

Appeals Court Allows Facial Recognition Lawsuit Against Facebook

Facebook has to face a class-action lawsuit over whether it violated user privacy with its facial recognition tools, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. The three-judge panel agreed that Facebook can be sued under an Illinois law that requires businesses to obtain consent before using people's biometric information, including their fingerprints or face scans.

Police in Philippines Open Negligence Investigation of 8chan

Police in the Philippines said they had opened an investigation into 8chan, an online message board whose American owner lives in the country, following allegations that the site’s no-exceptions embrace of free speech has made it a platform for far-right ideologies linked to several mass shootings. The investigation is in its earliest stages and seeks to establish whether 8chan and its owner, Jim Watkins, had been negligent in their moderation of the fringe site, which was founded in 2013.

Republicans Stop Advertising on Twitter After McConnell Campaign Blocked

Major Republican committees and President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign are pulling all advertising money from Twitter as after the platform locked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) campaign account for violating the platform’s rules. Trump’s campaign, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) are promising to not spend any money on future Twitter campaign ads.

Antitrust Officials Studying Google's Digital Advertising, Search Operations

The Justice Department is scrutinizing Google’s digital advertising and search operations as authorities gear up a broad antitrust review of the market power of giant internet companies, according to people familiar with the matter. Antitrust officials have been actively meeting over the past month with third-party companies that could have grievances against Google, including publishers and consumer-facing websites, said two people familiar with the matter.

Lawsuit Accuses Apple of Privacy Violations for Listening to Siri Recordings

Apple Inc. was sued over claims that the privacy of Siri users was violated when human reviewers listened to customer recordings. The lawsuit was filed as a class action, just days after Apple said it would pause its program in which company contractors would listen to a small portion of Siri inputs to improve the voice recognition service.

Senators Question Zuckerberg About Privacy Protection in Messenger Kids

Democratic U.S. senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal have written to Facebook Inc. questioning whether there was a “worrying pattern” of poor privacy protection for children using its Messenger Kids app. The senators were "disturbed" to learn that the application allowed thousands of children to join group chats in which not all members of the group were approved by their parents, they said in a letter addressed to Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg.

Appeals Court Strikes Down Google's Class-Action 'Cookies' Settlement

A federal appeals court struck down Google’s class-action settlement meant to resolve claims it invaded the privacy of millions of computer users by installing “cookies” in their browsers, but paying those users nothing for their troubles. In a 3-0 decision, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia said it could not tell whether the $5.5 millionsettlement was fair, reasonable and adequate, and said a lower court judge should revisit the case.

Electric Utilities Face Unique Threats from Cyber Attacks, Experts Say

Electric utilities are particularly vulnerable to cyber threats, experts say, in part because fixing security flaws can interrupt services and few of their employees have security clearances that let them receive timely government alerts. Like other organizations, utilities worry about threats including targeted hacking campaigns and ransomware attacks.

White House Hosts Tech Companies to Discuss Violent Online Extremism

The White House will host top tech companies to discuss the rise of violent online extremism, marking the Trump administration’s first major engagement on the issue days after a mass shooting in Texas left 22 people dead. The gathering will include “senior administration officials along with representatives of a range of companies,” deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement.

Owner of 8chan Calls Website 'Peacefully Assembled Group of People'

The owner of online forum 8chan defended his company in a YouTube video against the Internet-services provider that effectively took it offline and against attempts to silence platforms of speech. Jim Watkins, an internet entrepreneur who took control of 8chan in 2015, said the forum has been helping law enforcement with its investigation into a mass shooting at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart store that left 22 people dead and more than 20 injured.

Researcher Links Rise in Hate Groups Online to 'Frequent Attacks'

Despite efforts from major social media companies to try to weed out hate groups that use their platforms, the reality is they are still all over the networks, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center advocacy group. "There is a direct correlation between the rise of hate groups on social media and the frequent attacks," like the El Paso and Dayton weekend killings, says Keegan Hankes, a senior research analyst for the SPLC.

Trump Accuses Google of Favoring Negative News Stories About Him

President Trump accused Google of favoring negative news stories about him in the 2016 presidential election, apparently in response to a report on Fox News. In a series of three tweets, Trump said he had met in the Oval Office with Google chief executive Sundar Pichai, who told him the company didn’t boost Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election, wouldn’t interfere with the 2020 election and wasn’t involved with the Chinese military.

Cyber Attacks Designed to Cause Damage Double in Six Months

Cyberattacks designed to cause damage have doubled in the past six months and 50 percent of organizations affected are in the manufacturing sector, researchers say. IBM's X-Force IRIS incident response team published new research based on recent cyberattacks they have been called in to assist with, and the main trend the group is witnessing is the rise of destructive malware.

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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.