Law

Internet Society Responds to FBI vs Apple Encryption Debate

The Internet Society today expressed concern over the recent order from the United States District Court for the Central District of California requiring Apple to bypass or disable the auto-erase function on a seized iPhone and to enable the FBI to more effectively conduct a brute force attack on the device.

US Senate Gives Final OK to Ban Internet Taxes

The U.S. Senate today passed legislation placing a permanent ban on states' taxing Internet access, sending the measure to President Obama for signing into law.

Proposed UK Bill Will Make it Criminal Offence for Tech Firms to Warn Users of Government Spying

Yahoo recently become the latest company to join Twitter, Facebook and Google for promising to alert users suspected of being spied on by state-sponsored actors. However UK ministers want to make it a criminal offence for tech firms to warn users of requests for access to their communication data made by security organizations.

U.S. Senators Introduce SEC Cybersecurity Disclosure Legislation

U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have introduced the bipartisan Cybersecurity Disclosure Act of 2015 on Thursday, a bill that seeks to encourage the disclosure of cybersecurity expertise, or lack thereof, on corporate boards at publicly traded companies.

French Police Pushing to Outlaw Anonymous Web Browsing

According to reports today, French police is planning to develop tough laws following the Paris terror attacks to help crack down on anonymous web browsing technology Tor, as well as free WiFi in public places.

New Bill Bans Internet Companies From Offering Unbreakable Encryption

Companies such as Apple, Google and others will be banned from offering encryption so advanced that even they cannot decipher it when asked to under the UK's Investigatory Powers Bill.

European Court Invalidates EU-US Data Pact

The personal data of Europeans held in the United States by Internet companies is not safe from US government snooping, the European court of justice ruled today, in a landmark verdict that hits Facebook, Google, Amazon and many others.

Google Ordered to Remove Search Results of ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ Removal Stories

Google has been ordered by U.K.'s Information Commissioner's office to remove nine links to current news stories about older reports which themselves were removed from search results under the 'right to be forgotten' ruling.

Newly Released “Domain Name Arbitration” Book Offers Guide for Navigating UDRP

Legal Corner Press, LLC recently announced the publication of Domain Name Arbitration: Asserting and Defending Claims of Cybersquatting Under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, authored by Gerald M. Levine, intellectual property attorney, with Foreword by Hon. Neil A. Brown QC, former member of the Australian Parliament and a UDRP panelist.

ICANN Asks U.S. Federal Trade Commission Whether .SUCK is Violating Any Laws

Allen Grogan, ICANN's Chief Contract Compliance Officer, has written a blog post today concerning a formal letter it has received asking the agency to halt the rollout of .SUCKS, a new gTLD operated by Vox Populi Registry Inc. As it stands, a ruling against Vox Populi by ICANN could result in federal prosecution or other legal action, according to ICANN officials.

Canadian Regulator CRTC Issues $1.1 Million Penalty to Compu-Finder for Spamming

Neil Schwartzman writes: "The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's (CRTC's) Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer today issued a Notice of Violation to Compu-Finder, which includes a penalty of $1.1 million, for breaking Canada's anti-spam law. Compu-Finder has 30 days to submit written representations to the CRTC or pay the penalty. It also has the option of requesting an undertaking with the CRTC on this matter."

Google Shutting Down Engineering Office in Russia Amid Tighter Data Law

Google is closing its engineering office in Russia as a result of new law coming into force next year requiring foreign firms to store Russian users' personal data on servers located in Russia.

German Court Holding Domain Registrar Responsible for Its End User Actions

A German appeals court has held a German domain name registrar (Key Systems) responsible for issuing a domain name to H33t, a torrent-tracking site. The case was appealed, but the appeals court upheld the lower court ruling.

U.S. Court Overrules Attempt to Seize Iran’s, Syria’s and North Korea’s Domains

In a landmark ruling, a U.S. federal court has agreed with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) that the country code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs) are not property subject to attachment and thus overruled an attempt to seize Iran's, Syria's and North Korea's domains as part of a lawsuit against those countries' governments.

Turkish Parliament Approves Internet Bill, Lets Government Block Websites, Seize Personal Data

Turkey's Parliament has passed a bill that includes controversial arrangements concerning the protection of online privacy despite concerns raised by the European Union as well as Turkish NGOs and opposition parties, according to a report today by Turkey's Daily News.