Facebook Executives Say They Won't Provide Access to Encrypted Messages

Facebook executives told Attorney General William Barr that the company would not provide law enforcement with investigative access to its encrypted messaging products ahead of a senate hearing on encryption. In a letter, WhatsApp and Messenger heads Will Cathcart and Stan Chudnovsky, respectively, said that any “backdoor” access into Facebook’s products created for law enforcement could be used by bad actors for nefarious purposes.

Man Gets 14-Year Prison Sentence for Trying to Steal Domain at Gunpoint

A social media influencer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison after he enlisted his cousin to hold an Iowa man at gunpoint in exchange for his Internet domain, officials said. Rossi Lorathio Adams II, also known as Polo, founded the social media company "State Snaps" in 2015 while he was a student at Iowa State University, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

YouTube Asks FTC for Clarification on Children's Privacy Settlement

YouTube is asking the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for further clarification and better guidance to help video creators understand how to comply with the FTC’s guidelines set forth as part of YouTube’s settlement with the regulator over its violations of children’s privacy laws. The FTC in September imposed a historic fine of $170 million for YouTube’s violations of COPPA (the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act).

Advocates Say Facebook Ads Mislead Users About HIV Medications

Facebook users have been bombarded with misleading ads about medication meant to prevent the transmission of HIV, according to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates, who say the tech giant’s refusal to remove the content has created a public-health crisis. The ads have been viewed millions of times in recent months, Facebook’s archive reveals, and LGBT organizations argue they’ve had a dire effect: They’ve scared patients, potentially those who may be most at risk of contracting HIV, out of taking preventative drugs, known as PrEP, even though health officials and federal regulators have said they are safe.

Online Video Games, Chat Apps Attracting More Reports of Sex Predators

Sexual predators and other bad actors have found an easy access point into the lives of young people: They are meeting them online through multiplayer video games and chat apps, making virtual connections right in their victims’ homes. Reports of abuse are emerging with unprecedented frequency around the country, with some perpetrators grooming hundreds and even thousands of victims, according to a review of prosecutions, court records, law enforcement reports and academic studies.

Reddit Blames Leak of Official US-UK Trade Documents on Russian Operatives

Reddit said that a leak of official US-UK trade documents that took place on its platform was the work of Russian operatives part of a long-running political influence campaign. The leak occurred in late October when a Reddit user named Gregoratior published multiple files from the ongoing US-UK trade talks taking place in the Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG).

FTC Opinion Says Cambridge Analytica Deceived 250,000+ Facebook Users

Cambridge Analytica deceived more than 250,000 Facebook users by falsely telling them the political ad firm would not collect any personal information, the Federal Trade Commission says. In an opinion, the FTC said app developer Aleksandr Kogan worked with Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix to enable Kogan's research app to collect Facebook data from users and, subsequently, their friends.

Trump Administration May Put Amazon Locations on 'Notorious Markets' List

The Trump administration is considering adding some of Amazon.com Inc.’s overseas operations to a list of global marketplaces known for counterfeit goods, according to people familiar with the matter. The action would be taken by the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, which publishes an annual list of “Notorious Markets” that identifies online and physical marketplaces believed to sell or facilitate the sale of counterfeit goods and pirated content.

Huawei Sues FCC Over Vote to Limit Companies' Purchases

Huawei, the Chinese technology powerhouse, is suing the Federal Communications Commission for choking off its sales in the United States, the latest in the besieged company’s widening efforts to hit back at regulators and critics across the globe. “The FCC claims that Huawei is a security threat, but FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has not provided any evidence,” Song Liuping, Huawei’s chief legal officer, said during a news conference at the company’s headquarters in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Consumer Advocates Urge FTC to Probe Collection of Children's Data Online

Pediatricians and consumer advocates are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate practices for collecting online data about children, amid concerns advertisers might be manipulating children with targeted ads. “Advertising to children is a lucrative, booming business, and not enough is understood about these new methods of surveilling and monetizing children, or the impact that it has on their privacy and wellbeing,” according to a letter to the FTC.

EU Finance Ministers Agree on Delay for Private Digital Currencies

Private digital currencies like Facebook’s Libra should not be allowed in the European Union until the risks they could pose are clearly addressed, EU finance ministers agreed. The move confirms the bloc’s tough line on Libra, which has attracted criticism from global regulators over its possible impact on the financial system since it was announced last June.

Facebook Sues Hong Kong Company for Using Malware to Run Deceptive Ads

Facebook is suing a Hong Kong–based company and two Chinese citizens it says used malware to compromise user accounts in order to run millions of dollars of deceptive Facebook ads that often featured celebrities. The company filed the federal lawsuit in California against ILikeAd Media International Company, Chen Xiao Cong, and Huang Tao.

Filmmakers Sue U.S. for Requiring Social Media Account Details in Visa Applications

A group of filmmakers have sued the U.S. government for making visa applicants hand over details about their social media accounts. The lawsuit argues that the requirement unconstitutionally discourages applicants from speaking online — and, conversely, discourages people who post political speech from trying to enter the U.S.

U.S., British Officials Charge Two Russians in Large Malware Schemes

U.S. and British law enforcement officials announced charges against two Russian nationals they believe responsible for separate global hacking schemes that deployed some of the largest pieces of malware ever seen to swipe tens of millions of dollars from the bank accounts of unsuspecting victims. Officials identified those charged as Maksim Yakubets, of Moscow, and Igor Turashev, of Yoshkar-Ola, Russia. They said a $5 million reward is being offered for information that leads to Yakubets’ capture — which they said was the largest such money offering yet for a cyber criminal.

Pelosi Wants to Remove Legal Protections for Online Content in USMCA

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pushing to strip out sweeping legal protections for online content in the new trade pact with Mexico and Canada, in what would be a blow for big technology companies. Internet firms lobbied hard to include the immunity language in the trade agreement, seeing it as a way to extend to Mexico and Canada the broad umbrella of legal protection they enjoy in the U.S.

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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.