Capital One Employees Raised Concerns Before Data Breach

Before a giant data breach at Capital One Financial Corp., employees raised concerns within the company about what they saw as high turnover in its cybersecurity unit and a failure to promptly install some software to help spot and defend against hacks, according to people familiar with the matter. The cybersecurity unit — responsible for ensuring Capital One’s firewalls were properly configured and scanning the internet for evidence of a data breach — has cycled through senior leaders and staffers in recent years, according to the people.

Apple Sues Corellium for Illegally Selling Copies of iPhone, iPad OS

Apple Inc. accused upstart Corellium LLC of illegally selling virtual copies of the iPhone and iPad operating systems under the guise of helping discover security flaws. In a copyright-infringement lawsuit filed in West Palm Beach, Florida, Apple said the software company Corellium has copied the operating system, graphical user interface and other aspects of the devices without permission, and wants a federal judge to stop the violations.

European Central Bank Shuts Down Website After Hacking, Infection

The European Central Bank (ECB) shut down one of its websites after it was hacked and infected with malicious software. The ECB said no market-sensitive data had been compromised during the attack on its Banks’ Integrated Reporting Dictionary (BIRD), which it uses to provide bankers with information on how to produce statistical and supervisory reports.

Woman Charged in Capital One Data Breach Linked to Other Hackings

Federal prosecutors say a woman charged in a massive data breach at Capital One may have hacked more than 30 other organizations. In a memorandum filed ahead of a court hearing, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle said servers found in the woman’s bedroom contained data stolen from more than 30 unnamed companies, educational institutions and other entities.

House Homeland Security Committee Subpoenas Owner of 8chan

The House Homeland Security Committee subpoenaed the owner of 8chan, the internet messaging board linked to three mass shootings this year, to testify before Congress. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and ranking member Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) issued the subpoena of Jim Watkins in order to support its ongoing probe into extremist content online.

LGBT Video Creators Accuse YouTube of Suppressing Their Content

A group of LGBT video creators is accusing YouTube of discrimination by suppressing their content, restricting their ability to sell advertising and culling their subscribers, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday evening against the video site and its parent, Google. The suit adds to allegations against the video streaming site — by far the world’s largest, with nearly 2 billion monthly viewers — that it enforces its policies unevenly and gives a pass to producers with large audiences, even when their content is hostile to gay, lesbian or other communities.

India's Internet Shutdown Paralyzes Kashmir, Threatening Healthcare

As the Indian government’s shutdown of internet and phone service in Kashmir enters its 11th day, the contested region has become paralyzed. The information blockade was an integral part of India’s unilateral decision last week to wipe out the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, an area of 12.5 million people that is claimed by both India and Pakistan and has long been a source of tension.

Microsoft's New Privacy Policy Says It Collects Users' Voice Data

Microsoft Corp. said it updated its privacy policy to let customers know that it had been collecting voice data of its users with the help of employees and contractors. A spokesperson for Microsoft said the company collects voice data to provide voice-enabled services for Skype and Cortana and sometimes uses vendors to assist in improving these services.

Chairman Says FTC Prepared to Break Up Tech Firms 'If You Have To'

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is prepared to break up major technology companies if necessary by undoing past mergers, Chairman Joe Simons said in an interview with Bloomberg, as the regulator probes anti-competitive practices in the sector. Simons said in the interview that breaking up a company is challenging, but could be the right remedy to rein in dominant companies and restore competition.

FAA Bans Some MacBook Pro Laptops on Flights, Citing Fire Risk

U.S. airline safety regulators banned select MacBook Pro laptops on flights after Apple Inc. recently said that some units had batteries that posed a fire risk. In a statement, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it was “aware of the recalled batteries that are used in some Apple MacBook Pro laptops” and stated that it alerted major U.S. airlines about the recall.

U.S. Delays Proposed Tariffs on Consumer Electronics from China

The United States will delay proposed tariffs on many consumer electronics imported from China, the Trump administration said today, giving a reprieve to gadget makers that are hoping to wait out a trade war between the two countries. The Office of the United States Trade Representative said in a statement that it was moving forward with plans to impose a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion in Chinese goods. President Trump said in August that, after negotiations with China had stalled, the tariffs were set to be imposed on September 1st, a timeline that the trade representative said was still in place.

European Job Sites Complain About Google to EU Competition Commissioner

Google is facing another possible anti-trust investigation overseas: Nearly two dozen European companies have signed a letter sent to European Union officials accusing the search giant of using its position to stifle competition in the online job listing market. The group of 23 European job sites signed a letter to Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner, asserting that Google is favoring its own job-search tool over other sites when individuals look for jobs.

Facebook Changes Behavior to Thwart Potential Break-Up Attempts

Facebook has started to modify its behavior — in both pre-emptive and defensive ways — to deal with threats that it should be broken apart. Late last year, the world’s biggest social network halted acquisition talks with Houseparty, a video-focused social network in Silicon Valley, for fear of inciting antitrust concerns, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.

Senators Want Internet Companies to Close Loopholes for Online Gun Sales

Eight Democratic U.S. senators signed letters to the chief executives of Google, Amazon and eBay demanding they close the loopholes allowing the sale of firearm accessories on the sites, after a rash of carnage by armed gunmen. The senators, led by New Jersey’s Robert Menendez, were responding to media reports, including in The Washington Post, that demonstrated how shoppers could easily find ammunition, rifle magazines and other firearm components, in violation of the companies’ own policies.

Read the article: The Washington Post

Schools Struggle to Combat Websites That Help Students Cheat

Colleges and high schools are struggling to combat a growing form of cheating in which students find someone online to do their homework. Hundreds of websites offer the service, with costs ranging from $15 for quick math assignments to a few hundred dollars to complete entire online courses. The websites often advertise their services as tutoring.

FBI Push for Online Threat Monitoring May Conflict with Facebook Settlement

An effort by the FBI to more aggressively monitor social media for threats sets up a clash with Facebook Inc.’s privacy policies and possibly its attempts to comply with a record $5 billion settlement with the U.S. government reached last month. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is soliciting proposals from outside vendors for a contract to pull vast quantities of public data from Facebook, Twitter Inc. and other social media “to proactively identify and reactively monitor threats to the United States and its interests.”

White House Officials Meet with Tech Leaders to Discuss Online Safety

Top officials in the Trump administration expressed interest in tools that might anticipate mass shootings or predict attackers by scanning social media posts, photos and videos during a meeting with tech giants including Facebook, Google and Twitter. The technology could serve as an early-warning system for potential attacks, White House officials proposed at the brainstorming session, perhaps compiling information from across social sites to identify deadly incidents before they occur, according to three people familiar with the matter but not authorized to discuss a private gathering on the record.

Russia Asks Google to Stop Advertising 'Illegal Mass Events' on YouTube

Russia’s state communications watchdog has asked Google to stop advertising “illegal mass events” on its YouTube video platform, it said. Tens of thousands of Russians staged what observers called the country’s biggest political protest for eight years, defying a crackdown to demand free elections to Moscow’s city legislature. Multiple YouTube channels broadcast the event live.

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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.