U.S. to Launch Program to Protect Voter Registration Databases

The U.S. government plans to launch a program in roughly one month that narrowly focuses on protecting voter registration databases and systems ahead of the 2020 presidential election. These systems, which are widely used to validate the eligibility of voters before they cast ballots, were compromised in 2016 by Russian hackers seeking to collect information.

U.S., France Reach Compromise on French Tax on Internet Companies

Officials from France and the United States have reached a compromise on a new French tax on services provided by large internet companies, potentially defusing the threat of a trade conflict between the two countries. Under the terms of the agreement, France would repay companies the difference between its digital tax and whatever taxes come from a planned mechanism being drawn up by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a spokesperson for France's Finance Ministry said.

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Australia to Block Domain Names Hosting Terrorist Material During Crises

Australia will block access to Internet domains hosting terrorist material during crisis events and will consider legislation to force digital platforms to improve the safety of their services, officials said. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is in France to take part in the G7 leaders’ forum, said the government intended to prevent extremists from exploiting digital platforms to post extremely violent content.

Facebook Bans Advertising from Falun Gong-Related Publication Epoch Times

Facebook has banned advertising from The Epoch Times, the Falun Gong-related publication and conservative news outlet, as the social network struggles to implement a consistent political advertising policy. Facebook issued the ban after NBC News published a report that said The Epoch Times had obscured its connection to recent Facebook ads promoting President Trump and conspiracy content.

Judge Denies Bail for Woman Accused in Capital One Hacking

The woman accused of hacking into Capital One Financial Corp.’s cloud and stealing personal information on more than 100 million people was denied bail after prosecutors portrayed her as a loose cannon with violent tendencies. Paige A. Thompson, 33, who has been jailed since her arrest in July, is a danger to herself and others and must stay locked up while the case proceeds, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michelle L. Peterson ruled after a bail hearing.

France Expects Social Media Platforms to Sign Pledge to Fight Hate

France said it was optimistic that U.S.-based social media platforms including Facebook and Snapchat would still sign a pledge to fight online hate speech despite a last-minute delay. France, which is hosting the G7 summit in Biarritz, was initially hoping to make social media giants sign a so-called “Charter for an Open, Free, and Safe Internet”, according to the official program.

U.S. Semiconductor Companies Hurt by Trump's Comments About China

Shares of Apple and Silicon Valley's semiconductor companies were pummeled as President Trump responded to new tariffs from China with a tweet saying he's demanding that American companies "immediately start looking for an alternative to China." Trump's comments were "a clear shot across the bow at Apple and the semi space," Wedbush analysts Daniel Ives and Strecker Backe wrote in a note to investors.

Trump Seeks New Ruling on Court's Decision on Twitter Blocking

President Donald Trump is challenging a federal appeals court decision that ruled he violated the U.S. Constitution by blocking people whose views he disliked from his Twitter account. In court papers filed by the U.S. Justice Department, Trump sought a rehearing by the full 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, calling the 3-0 decision “fundamentally misconceived.”

Thousands of Unsafe, Banned Items Found for Sale on Amazon

Amazon exercises limited oversight over items listed by millions of third-party sellers, many of them anonymous, many in China, some offering scant information. A Wall Street Journal investigation found 4,152 items for sale on Amazon.com Inc. ’s site that have been declared unsafe by federal agencies, are deceptively labeled or are banned by federal regulators — items that big-box retailers’ policies would bar from their shelves.

Publishers File Copyright Suit Against Audible Over Use of Captions

Amazon.com Inc.’s Audible was sued by some of the top U.S. publishers for copyright infringement, aiming to block a planned rollout of a feature called ‘Audible Captions’ that shows the text on screen as a book is narrated. The lawsuit was filed by seven members of the Association of American Publishers (AAP), including HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan Publishers.

Russian Lawyers Winning Some Fights for Fewer Internet Restrictions

As Vladimir Putin ’s Russia increasingly cracks down on Internet freedoms, a band of self-styled pirates is fighting back. The group of fewer than a dozen lawyers and techies calling themselves Roskomsvoboda — or Russian Communications Freedom — has unblocked banned websites, mounted legal cases and recently revealed that Moscow had ordered dating app Tinder to share user information with security services, setting off fresh debate over Moscow’s tightening grip on the Internet.

More Than 40 U.S. Municipalities Hit By Ransomware Attacks This Year

More than 40 municipalities have been the victims of cyberattacks this year, from major cities such as Baltimore, Albany and Laredo, Tex., to smaller towns including Lake City, Fla. Intelligence officials, using data collected by the National Security Agency and others in an effort to identify the sources of the hacking, say many have come from Eastern Europe, Iran and, in some cases, the United States.

Justice Department Indicts People Linked to Nigeria-Based Email Scam

The Justice Department has indicted dozens of individuals accused of involvement in a massive business email scam and money laundering scheme. Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Central District of California, confirmed more than a dozen individuals had been arrested during raids — mostly in the Los Angeles area.

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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.