Verizon Becomes Biggest Advertiser to Join Facebook Boycott

Verizon Communications Inc said it was pausing advertising on Facebook Inc in July, in support of a campaign that called out the social media giant for not doing enough to stop hate speech on its platforms. Verizon is the biggest yet to join the advertising boycott, which has gained the backing of dozens of U.S. companies, and its announcement was a blow to Facebook’s efforts to contain the growing revolt.

Google to Start Paying Publishers to License 'High-Quality Content'

In a major departure from its long-standing practice of not paying publishers directly to distribute their work, Google executives tell Axios that the search giant is creating a licensing program to pay publishers "for high-quality content" as a part of a new news product launching later this year. Regulators around the world have been threatening Google with broad-based policies that would force it to pay publishers on policymakers' terms.

Senate Bill Would Help Law Enforcement Break Encryption Protections

Several Senate Republicans are seeking to force tech companies to help government investigators break encryption to access material that could aid in probes of terrorists, child predators, drug traffickers and other criminals. Sens. Lindsay Graham (South Carolina), Tom Cotton (Arkansas) and Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee) introduced the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act, which would put an end to what they called "warrant-proof" encryption.

Amazon Launches Counterfeit Crimes Unit to Help Fight Fraud

Amazon has announced that it’s launching a new Counterfeit Crimes Unit as the latest effort by the online retailer to fight counterfeit products on its website. The new team is said to be made up of “former federal prosecutors, experienced investigators, and data analysts,” who will work to proactively “go on the offensive” against counterfeiters, instead of just reacting by trying to identify and block bad listings.

Senators Introduce 'PACT' Bill to Reform Legal Shield for Internet Firms

Two U.S. senators on introduced legislation to reform part of a federal law that largely exempts tech platforms such as Facebook and Twitter from legal liability for the material their users post. The legislation, titled the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency Act, or PACT, from Democratic Senator Brian Schatz and No. 2 Senate Republican John Thune aims to provide more accountability and transparency for large tech platforms with respect to content moderation decisions.

Judge Dismisses Lawmaker's Defamation Suit Over Parody Twitter Accounts

A Virginia judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) in 2018 over statements made by a Republican strategist and two parody accounts, one pretending to be a cow and the other his mother. Judge John Marshall, in a letter to Nunes’s attorneys, cited a federal law that protects social media companies from being held responsible for what individuals post on their sites.

Twitter Adds Warning Notice to Another Trump Tweet, for Threatening Harm

Twitter hid one of President Trump’s tweets on with a warning label — the fifth tweet from the president that the social media company has labeled in the past several weeks. Twitter said the tweet violates its policy prohibiting abusive behavior and specifically “the presence of a threat of harm against an identifiable group.” The tweet says: “There will never be an ‘Autonomous Zone’ in Washington, D.C., as long as I’m your President. If they try they will be met with serious force!”

German Court Upholds Data-Harvesting Decision Against Facebook

In a decision that could further embolden European governments to take on large tech platforms, Germany’s top court ruled that Facebook had abused its dominance in social media to illegally harvest data about its users. The ruling by the Federal Court of Justice, upholding a decision by Germany’s antitrust watchdog, is a major victory for proponents of tougher regulation of the world’s largest technology companies.

Apple to Remove Game Apps in China That Lack Government Approval

Apple Inc. will start removing thousands of mobile games lacking government approval from its App Store in China next month, closing a loophole that the likes of Rockstar Games have relied on for years. Developers and publishers in China have been told that their iOS games will need licenses to continue operating from July, according to people familiar with the matter.

Google to Add 'Fact-Check' Label to Some Misleading Photos

Google said it will start identifying some misleading photos in its specific search tool for images with a fact-check label, expanding that function beyond its standard non-image searches and videos, as misinformation is rampant online. If a website or news article debunks an image in some way, the company will add a small “fact-check” label to the description of photos in search.

Trump to Suspend Visas for Foreign Workers Despite Tech Opposition

U.S. President Donald Trump will suspend the entry of certain foreign workers, a senior administration official said, a move the official said would help the economy, but which business groups strongly oppose. Trump will block the entry of foreign workers on H-1B visas for skilled workers and L-1 visas for workers being transferred within a company through the end of the year, the official said.

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.

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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.