New Zealand Seizes Assets from Russian Suspected of Laundering Digital Currency

New Zealand police has seized assets worth NZ$140 million ($90.68 million) linked to a Russian man suspected of laundering billions of dollars in digital currency. The police said it seized the assets because they were being held in a New Zealand company owned by Alexander Vinnik, who is accused of masterminding a bitcoin laundering ring and is wanted by both France and the United States.

France's Constitutional Council Strikes Down Hate-Speech Law

France’s highest constitutional authority struck down the core of the country’s new hate-speech law before it could go into effect, a victory for free-expression advocates in a global debate over how — and whether — to make tech giants more liable for what people say on the Internet. France’s Constitutional Council removed the law’s provisions that would have forced tech companies to pay hefty fines if they failed to remove “manifestly illicit” online posts within 24 hours of being notified.

French Court Upholds $56 Million EU Privacy Fine Against Google

France’s top administrative court upheld a 50 million-euro fine ($56 million) imposed last year on Alphabet’s Google for breaching European Union online privacy rules, it said. Although representing a tiny fraction of Google’s financial resources, the penalty sent ripples through Silicon Valley and is still the biggest fine imposed for such a breach.

Facebook, Twitter See No Evidence of Foreign Election Interference

Top officials from Facebook, Google and Twitter were grilled by U.S. lawmakers at a virtual hearing on foreign influence and election security ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential contest. Leaders from Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. told the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee that they had not seen evidence of coordinated foreign interference in conversations about absentee voting or about recent protests on anti-racism and policing.

Facebook Sues Two Website Operators for Selling Likes, Harvesting Passwords

Social media network Facebook has filed two lawsuits against the operators of two websites that abused its platforms to sell Instagram likes and harvest passwords and information on Facebook users, respectively. Facebook sued MGP25 Cyberint Services, which operates an online website that sells Instagram likes and comments; and Mohammad Zaghar, the owner of Massroot8.com.

Small, Midsize Companies Face Increasing Number of Cyberattacks

Small and midsize companies are fighting a rising tide of cyberattacks largely out of public view, posing an underappreciated risk for the bigger companies and institutions that use their services. Attacks on high-profile targets like hospitals, retailers and airlines typically make headlines. But analysts documenting the activities of increasingly savvy cybercriminals say they are hitting lesser-known targets harder, especially those closely linked with big, influential companies.

Twitter Adds 'Manipulated Media' Warning Notice to Trump's Fake CNN Tweet

Twitter added a warning to a post from President Trump about a racist baby, saying it contained manipulated media designed to mislead people. Mr. Trump’s tweet featured a video of two toddlers running down a sidewalk. The video had been altered to appear as if CNN had broadcast it, along with a fake chyron that claimed, “Racist baby probably a Trump voter.”

Lawsuit Alleges YouTube Discriminates Against Videos Based on Race

A group of Black YouTubers is suing YouTube and its parent, Google, alleging that the companies discriminate against their videos based on race. The suit claims that YouTube uses its automated tools to "restrict, censor and denigrate" Black creators, hurting their subscribers and revenue, while videos with racist hate speech are hosted and allowed to make money on the site even after being flagged for violating YouTube's rules.

  • Read the article: CNET

Facebook Removes Trump Campaign Ads That Used Nazi Symbol

Facebook removed advertisements posted on its platform by the Trump campaign that prominently featured a symbol used by Nazis to classify political prisoners during World War II, saying the imagery violated company policy. The Trump campaign had used the ads, with a picture of a large red triangle, to inveigh against antifa, a loose collective of anti-fascist protesters that President Trump has blamed for stirring violence and vandalism during the nationwide protests against racial injustice.

'Malicious or Fake' Chrome Extensions Downloaded 32 Million Times

Google Chrome extensions downloaded more than 32 million times were used to spy on the popular browser's users in a massive global surveillance campaign, according to a new report. The report, from cybersecurity firm Awake Security, found at least 111 "malicious or fake" Chrome extensions capable of taking screenshots, stealing login credentials and capturing passwords as users typed them.

  • Read the article: CNN

Civil Rights Groups Encourage Advertisers to Drop Facebook

A coalition of civil rights groups that includes the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League is calling on major advertisers to yank their marketing messages from Facebook in July to protest the social network’s failure to remove hate speech. The campaign, coming as the nation grapples with difficult conversations about systemic racism spurred by the death of George Floyd in police custody, follows years of private discussions with the social media company that activists say resulted in little change.

Zoom Agrees to Add End-to-End Encryption for All Users

Zoom will roll out secure end-to-end encryption for all users — even those who do not pay for the service, reversing course on a previous announcement. The videoconferencing app, which has reported massive growth as people stay at home and work remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, has been skewered for privacy breaches as millions of new users logged on.

Justice Department Releases Recommendations for Limiting Section 230

The Justice Department released recommendations to pare back the legal shield for online platforms that has been crucial to their growth since the earliest days of the Internet, taking a direct shot at companies like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube that have come into the cross hairs of the Trump administration. In a 25-page recommendation, the agency called on lawmakers to repeal parts of a law that has given sites broad immunity from lawsuits for words, images and videos people have posted on their services.

U.S. Withdraws from Negotiations with EU on Digital Services Taxes

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin decided to pull out of negotiations on digital services taxes with European Union officials after they failed to make any progress, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said. Lighthizer told U.S. lawmakers that he still believed an international regime was needed to deal with taxation, but the talks with European countries were not proving fruitful.

Pelosi Urges Advertisers to Pressure Social Media Against Misinformation

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on urged advertisers to pressure social media platforms to tackle misinformation more aggressively. "Advertisers are in a position — they have power — to discourage platforms for amplifying dangerous and even life threatening disinformation," Pelosi said during a George Washington University forum focused on misinformation about the coronavirus on social media.

Facebook, Google, Twitter Executives to Testify on Election Security

Top officials from Facebook Inc, Alphabet Inc’s Google and Twitter Inc will appear before U.S. lawmakers at a hearing on foreign influence and election security, the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee announced. The remote hearing will discuss the technology industry’s actions since the 2016 U.S. elections, state-sponsored disinformation efforts, and other related issues as the country moves toward the Nov. 3 presidential contest, the panel said.

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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.