Appeals Court Ruling Allows States to Create Net Neutrality Rules

A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Federal Communications Commission and upheld its repeal of Obama-era net neutrality protections, issuing a mixed decision that also appeared to open the door for state and local governments to try to introduce their own rules. In a nearly 200-page decision, judges on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals largely sided with the FCC and its Republican chairman, Ajit Pai, over their decision two years ago to unwind Internet rules that required AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and other service providers to treat all web traffic equally.

FDA Warns Hackers Could Take Control of Medical Devices

U.S. government officials issued a warning about cybersecurity vulnerabilities in operating systems that power a variety of medical devices. Computer security researchers discovered 11 vulnerabilities that could allow a hacker to take control of medical devices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned in an “urgent” advisory along with the Department of Homeland Security.

Pakistani Hacker Claims Access to Zynga's Database of 218 Million Users

A Pakistani hacker who previously made headlines earlier this year for selling almost a billion user records stolen from nearly 45 popular online services has now claimed to have hacked the popular mobile social game company Zynga Inc. Going by the online alias Gnosticplayers, the serial hacker told The Hacker News that this time, he managed to breach "Words With Friends," a popular Zynga-developed word puzzle game, and unauthorisedly access a massive database of more than 218 million users.

Facebook Denied 'Concrete Consumer Harm' in Cambridge Analytica Scandal

Facebook argued that none of its users were harmed as a result of the Cambridge Analytica scandal in a memo the company sent to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the months before the agency announced a $5 billion fine over the incident. The Hill obtained the memo on Monday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request for communications between the FTC and Facebook ahead of their $5 billion settlement.

Facebook Not Yet Providing Promised Data to Researchers

Nearly 18 months after Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, told Congress about an ambitious plan to share huge amounts of posts, links and other user data with researchers around the world so that they could study and flag disinformation on the site, much of the data remains unavailable to academics because Facebook says it has struggled to share the information while also protecting its users’ privacy. And the information the company eventually releases is expected to be far less comprehensive than originally described.

Federal Privacy Law Unlikely, Forcing Companies to Confront Calif. Law

A U.S. online privacy bill is not likely to come before Congress this year, three sources said, as lawmakers disagree over issues like whether the bill should preempt state rules, forcing companies to deal with much stricter legislation in California that goes into effect on Jan. 1. The delay is a setback for companies ranging from Amazon and Facebook to Alphabet’s Google and retailers like Walmart, who either directly collect shopper information to run their websites, or provide free services and derive revenues from advertising that relies on online data collection.

Incoming EU Commissioners Pushing for Deal on Digital Taxes

European Union commissioners-designate said the bloc should agree on a digital tax if no deal on the matter was reached at a global level by the end of next year, ramping up pressure on multinationals accused of paying too little. In written answers to EU lawmakers, the incoming commissioners also signaled their priorities on fiscal rules and financial reforms for the bloc.

House Investigators Question Google's Use of New Internet Protocol

Congressional antitrust investigators are scrutinizing plans by Google to use a new internet protocol, concerned that it could give the company a competitive advantage by making it harder for others to access consumer data. In a letter this month, investigators for the House Judiciary Committee asked Google for information about its “decision regarding whether to adopt or promote the adoption” of the protocol, which the Alphabet Inc. company says is aimed at improving internet security.

Treaty Would Require Facebook, WhatsApp to Share Messages with U.K Police

Social media platforms based in the U.S. including Facebook and WhatsApp will be forced to share users’ encrypted messages with British police under a new treaty between the two countries, according to a person familiar with the matter. The accord, which is set to be signed by next month, will compel social media firms to share information to support investigations into individuals suspected of serious criminal offenses including terrorism and pedophilia, the person said.

Facebook’s Libra May Face Delays from Regulatory Concerns

The launch of Facebook’s Libra could be pushed back to tackle the regulatory concerns that have been raised around the world, the head of the organization set up to oversee the cryptocurrency told Reuters. Three months ago, Facebook announced plans to launch the digital currency in June 2020, in partnership with other members of the Libra Association set up by the U.S. tech giant to manage the project.

Navy Hiring New Cyber Chief to Protect Military Secrets from Chinese Hackers

The Navy is hiring a new cyber chief in an attempt to better shield its military secrets from Chinese hackers and other nation-state thieves who have aggressively targeted naval operations in recent years, according to Navy officials. The new position is part of a broader effort to improve cybersecurity in the Navy and among its private-sector industry partners, coming after a scathing internal audit earlier this year found that repeated compromises of national-security secrets threatened the U.S.’s standing as the world’s top military power.

New York Sues Dunkin' for Not Protecting Customers from Cyberattack

The parent of Dunkin’ Donuts was sued by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who accused the chain of failing to protect hundreds of thousands of customers whose accounts were targeted in a series of “brute force” cyberattacks. James said Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc did nothing in 2015 to protect 19,715 customers whose accounts had been targeted in a single five-day period, after learning about the problem from its own app developer.

Read the article: Reuters

Governments Increasingly Spreading Disinformation Online, Report Says

Despite increased efforts by Internet platforms like Facebook to combat Internet disinformation, the use of the techniques by governments around the world is growing, according to a report by researchers at Oxford University. Governments are spreading disinformation to discredit political opponents, bury opposing views and interfere in foreign affairs.

Justice Department Expected to Open Antitrust Probe of Facebook

The U.S. Justice Department will open an antitrust investigation of Facebook Inc, a source familiar with the matter said. It will mark the fourth recent investigation of the social media company which also faces probes by the Federal Trade Commission, a group of state attorneys general led by New York and the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.

California Proposal Would Require State to Create Data Protection Agency

Californians for Consumer Privacy, the nonprofit group behind a landmark privacy law, announced a plan to give Californians new data rights and place new obligations on companies. Most significant, the proposal would require California to establish a data protection agency with the power to enforce the law and issue new regulations.

Under New Copyright Regime, Google Minimizes News Content in France

Google will not pay press publishers in France to display their content and will instead change the way articles appear in search results, a senior executive said. The announcement pours cold water on publishers' hopes of obtaining more money from the tech giant for displaying their content under the European Union's new copyright regime, which France was the first to transpose into national law.

FTC Sues Match Group for Sending Emails from Fake Users

The owner of Tinder and OkCupid is being sued by U.S. regulator for seeking to draw in potential subscribers with emails from fake users expressing interest in pairing up. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission alleged that Match Group Inc. knowingly sent automated advertisements via Match.com with expressions of interest from accounts which it knew were likely fake.

EU Court Says Google Doesn't Have to Apply 'Right to be Forgotten' Worldwide

The European Union’s top court ruled that Google does not have to extend the E.U.’s “right to be forgotten” rules to search results worldwide, handing the U.S. tech giant a major win as it comes under increasing scrutiny from European regulators. In 2014, the European Court of Justice gave E.U. residents more control over what pops up when their names are searched online.

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