YouTube Expands Definition of Banned Speech to Include More Threats

Google’s YouTube video service expanded its definition of banned speech after months of criticism, saying it will now remove clips and comments that make “veiled or implied threats” against individuals or insult people based on attributes such as race and sexual orientation. The new harassment guidelines are part of YouTube’s efforts to clean up its platform, which has been plagued by videos that advertisers, users and regulators find toxic.

N.Y. Financial Services Regulator Proposes New Rules for Virtual Currency Firms

New York State’s financial regulator proposed a plan that would allow licensed virtual currency firms that have already received approval for coin listings to introduce new coins without additional permission. The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) is asking for the public’s input about the plan, which the regulator said stems from a review of its current virtual currency framework.

Three Men Charged with Running $722 Million Cryptocurrency Fraud

Three men were charged by U.S. prosecutors with helping run a $722 million cryptocurrency fraud that amounted to a “high-tech Ponzi scheme.” From 2014 until this month, the men operated BitClub Network, which solicited money from investors in exchange for shares in purported cryptocurrency mining pools and rewarded them for recruiting new investors, according to prosecutors.

Apple Sues Ex-Architect of iPhone Microprocessors for Breach of Contract

Apple is suing Gerard Williams, its former chief architect of iPhone and iPad microprocessors, for breach of contract on the grounds that he started his own chip-design company while still working at Apple. Williams officially left Apple in February 2019 to launch Nuvia, a chip designer for data centers. In November, Nuvia said it had accumulated $53 million in funding.

Barr Says Justice Dep't Exploring 'Widespread Concerns' About Tech Firms

Attorney General William P. Barr signaled that the Justice Department plans to step up its scrutiny of Silicon Valley, exploring new legal tools to probe companies for their privacy abuses and the way they police content online. Barr didn’t mention companies such as Amazon, Facebook and Google by name, but his speech — delivered to state law enforcement officials in Washington — amounted to the latest high-profile warning for Silicon Valley at a moment when major tech companies already are under investigation for their business practices.

India Says Google Not Liable for Defamatory Content on Its Platforms

Alphabet Inc.’s Google isn’t liable for defamatory content posted on its platforms after 2009, India’s top court ruled, reaffirming immunity for Internet companies in the world’s second-most populous nation. The verdict, which reiterates a 2015 ruling, comes as a relief for social media companies, online retailers and service providers who are facing increasing pressure from the Indian government to regulate online content.

Justice Department Plans Antitrust Review of Google's Fitbit Acquisition

The U.S. Justice Department will review plans by Alphabet Inc-owned Google to buy fitness tracker maker Fitbit Inc for possible antitrust issues, a source told Reuters. The $2.1 billion deal will give search and advertising giant Google the capability to take on Apple and Samsung in the crowded market for fitness trackers and smart watches.

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.

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.