December 23, 2011

FACEBOOK CHANGES PRIVACY RULES AFTER IRISH PROBE

Facebook agreed to overhaul privacy protection for more than half a billion users outside North America, after a three-month investigation found that its privacy policies were overly complex and lacked transparency. The probe by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) at the U.S. group’s international headquarters in Dublin said users were at risk of unknowingly publicizing personal details.

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2011/12/21/facebook-changes-privacy-rules-after-irish-probe/ (Source: Reuters)

CHINESE HACKERS BREAK INTO U.S CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

A group of hackers in China breached the computer defenses of America’s top business-lobbying group and gained access to everything stored on its systems, including information about its three million members, according to several people familiar with the matter. The break-in at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is one of the boldest known infiltrations in what has become a regular confrontation between U.S. companies and Chinese hackers.

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2011/12/21/chinese-hackers-break-into-u-s-chamber-of-commerce/ (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

December 9, 2011

JUDGE SAYS BLOGGER DOESN'T QUALIFY AS JOURNALIST

A U.S. District Court judge in Portland, Ore., ruled that a blogger who wrote about an investment firm that subsequently accused her of defamation must pay the company $2.5 million because she’s a blogger who doesn’t legally qualify as a journalist. Crystal Cox, whose blogs are a mixture of fact, opinion, and commentary, wrote several posts that were critical of Obsidian Finance Group and its co-founder, Kevin Padrick.

· Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2011/12/07/judge-says-blogger-doesnt-qualify-as-journalist/ (Source: CNET News)

December 2, 2011

FACEBOOK SETTLES PRIVACY CHARGES WITH FTC

Facebook has settled charges with the Federal Trade Commission that it deceived users by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private and then repeatedly making it public, according to the agency. The settlement of an eight-count complaint requires Facebook to warn users about privacy changes and to get their permission before sharing their information more broadly, according to the FTC.