#Facebook ’ s Free Internet Plan for India Creates Controversy @GIigalaw

Public Database Online Exposes Info on 191 Million Voters

Security bloggers and researchers claim to have uncovered a publicly available database exposing the personal information of 191 million voters on the Internet. The information contains voters’ names, home addresses, voter IDs, phone numbers and date of birth, as well as political affiliations and a detailed voting history since 2000.

Read the article: The Hill

Appeals Court Rules for Cisco in $64M WiFi Patent Case

A U.S. appeals court cleared Cisco Systems Inc. of infringing another company’s wifi technology, reversing a near $64-million judgment against the networking equipment maker in the long-running patent dispute. After eight years of litigation that also included a trip to the U.S. Supreme Court, the decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said Cisco was not liable for directly infringing or inducing others to infringe a patent held by Commil USA LLC on a way to help spread wireless signals over a large area, where multiple access points are needed.

Read the article: Reuters

Facebook Inc. Chairman Mark Zuckerberg made a personal appeal in one of India’s leading newspapers for the country to allow a free Internet service that has stirred controversy and invited questions from regulators. The backlash in India centers on net neutrality, the principle that all Internet websites should be equally accessible.

Lawmaker Calls Decryption Tools ‘Technologically Stupid’ @Gigalaw

The debate over whether companies should be forced to build in ways for law enforcement to access communications protected by encryption took a tense turn in a congressional hearing. ”It is clear to me that creating a pathway for decryption only for good guys is technologically stupid,” said Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who has a bachelor’s in computer science from Stanford University. Read the article: The Washington Post   Senate Bill Would Discourage Patent Trolls A Senate bill is aimed at slowing so-called patent trolls, by making it more difficult and more costly to bring many patent suits. The proposed Senate legislation fine-tunes an anti-troll bill in the House, patent experts say, to be less objectionable to groups, like pharmaceutical companies and universities, that traditionally resist any moves to weaken the rights of patent holders. Read the article: The New York Times   Two Face Chinese E-Commerce Insider Trading Charges The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced insider trading charges against two Beijing residents, alleging they purchased stock options ahead of Chinese e-commerce company 58.com’s purchase of a $1.6 billion minority stake in rival Ganji.com. The regulator said a court had granted its request to freeze assets in the U.S. brokerage accounts of Xia Xiaoyu and Hu Yanting. Read the article: The Wall Street Journal

 

#MEDIA European Leaders Seek #Terror Aid from Internet Providers @Gigalaw

European leaders have targeted the Internet as a key arena in the battle against violent radicalization, after the mass shootings at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the death of four hostages at a kosher supermarket in Paris. A joint statement released by EU leaders placed the onus on major Internet providers to report terror-related material online.

·         Read the article: The Wall Street Journal

U.K. Prime Minister Wants to Ban Encrypted Messaging

Popular messaging services like Snapchat and WhatsApp are in the cross hairs in Britain. That was the message delivered by Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he would pursue banning encrypted messaging services if Britain’s intelligence services were not given access to the communications.

·         Read the article: The New York Times

Obama Announces ‘Student Digital Privacy Act’

President Obama announced a package of legislative proposals aimed at safeguarding privacy across sectors including education, energy, and tech. The education bill, the Student Digital Privacy Act, would bar tech companies that manage and analyze student data from selling it to third parties that use it for anything other than educational purposes, and from engaging in targeted advertising to kids.

·         Read the article: The Wall Street Journal

Hackers Post Sex Jokes on Crayola Website

Unknown hackers took control of the Crayola social media webpage and posted dozens of links to R-rated sites and sexual jokes. The Facebook page has almost 2.5 million followers and typical posts are about crayons and gift sets.

·         Read the article: USA Today