A security lapse made it possible for unwelcome strangers to peruse personal photos posted on Facebook Inc.'s popular online hangout, circumventing a recent upgrade to the Web site's privacy controls. The Associated Press verified the loophole Monday after receiving a tip from a Byron Ng, a Vancouver, Canada, computer technician.
English BBC News Articles Now Online in China
People in China are able to access English language stories on the BBC News website in full, after years of strict control by Beijing. The Communist authorities often block news sites such as the BBC in a policy dubbed the "great firewall of China".
Mozilla CEO Says Apple's Safari "Borders on Malware"
Mozilla chief executive John Lilly has lambasted Apple for its use of iTunes to offer the Safari web browser to Windows users, saying the technique "borders on malware distribution practices" and undermines the security of the Internet. "It undermines the trust relationship great companies have with their customers, and that's bad -- not just for Apple, but for the security of the whole web," Lilly wrote on his personal blog.
Czech Group Offers to Help Host Anti-Quran Film
A Czech far-right party has offered to help a Dutch lawmaker distribute an anti-Quran film on the Internet if it is banned from being released in the Netherlands. The offer was made after a U.S. company that provides Web hosting services suspended the site promoting Geert Wilders' 15-minute film, which has sparked demonstrations in the Netherlands even before it has been shown.
Turkey Blocking Access to Multimedia Web Software
The Turkish government has been blocking access nationwide to Slide Inc. and its popular multimedia Web software after a local court ruled the site let users post photos and stories insulting the Turkish republic's founder, the company said. Slide joins Web services such as YouTube, Facebook and MySpace that have been barred by countries including Turkey, Pakistan, Thailand and China for offering Web services that violate national laws restricting political speech.
Microsoft Probing Low-Risk Hack Flaw in Word
Microsoft is looking into a vulnerability that could affect Word, the company said. Overall, Microsoft said, it believes the vulnerability's risk is limited because its requires people to take multiple steps for the hack to be successful.
N.Y. Law Could Limit Targeted Online Advertising
After reading about how Internet companies like Google, Microsoft and Yahoo collect information about people online and use it for targeted advertising, one New York assemblyman said there ought to be a law. So he drafted a bill, now gathering support in Albany, N.Y., that would make it a crime -- punishable by a fine to be determined -- for certain Web companies to use personal information about consumers for advertising without their consent.
National Institutes of Health Laptop Stolen
A government laptop computer containing sensitive medical information on 2,500 patients enrolled in a National Institutes of Health study was stolen in February, potentially exposing seven years' worth of clinical trial data, including names, medical diagnoses and details of the patients' heart scans. The information was not encrypted, in violation of the government's data-security policy.
Cuban Blogger Claims Censors Limiting Access
The Cuban authorities have blocked access from Cuba to the country's most-read blogger, Yoani Sanchez, she said. Sanchez, whose critical "Generacion Y" blog received 1.2 million hits in February, said Cubans can no longer visit her Web page.
Network Solutions Suspends Anti-Islam Film Website
Network Solutions has suspended a Web site that a Dutch lawmaker was using to promote a yet-to-be-released film critical of Islam. The Web hosting service said it is investigating whether content on the site -- Fitnathemovie.com -- is in violation of the hosting service's acceptable use policy.
Canada Considering Regulations for Content Online
Nearly a decade after adopting a strict hands-off approach to the Internet, Canada's broadcast watchdog is once again mulling the thorny issue of regulating Canadian content online as people across the country turn to their computers for news and entertainment.
Antigua May OK Copying U.S. Works in Trade Dispute
The government of Antigua is likely to abrogate intellectual property treaties with the U.S. by the end of March and authorize wholesale copying of American movies, music and other "soft targets" if the Bush administration fails to respond to proposals for settling a trade dispute between the two counties, according to the lawyer representing the Caribbean island nation.
Cyber Attacks Target Pro-Democracy Chinese Sites
Human rights and pro-democracy groups sympathetic to anti-China demonstrators in Tibet are being targeted by sophisticated cyber attacks designed to disrupt their work and steal information on their members and activities. Human rights and pro-democracy groups sympathetic to anti-China demonstrators in Tibet are being targeted by sophisticated cyber attacks designed to disrupt their work and steal information on their members and activities.
China Orders 25 Video Websites to Shut Down
Chinese authorities ordered 25 video-sharing Web sites to halt operations and issued warnings to dozens of others, tightening their grip on online content in a move which could scare away future investment in the sector. Among the Web sites to be warned was Tudou.com, which is backed by a unit of venture capital heavyweight IDG and received an official warning under new rules to curb pornographic, violent and political content.
High-Tech Leader to Head U.S. Cyber-Defense Group
The Bush administration is planning to tap a Silicon Valley entrepreneur to head a new interagency group that will coordinate the government's efforts to protect its computer networks from organized cyberattacks. Sources in the government contracting community said the White House is expected to announce the selection of Rod A. Beckstrom as a top-level adviser to be based in the Department of Homeland Security.
Retailers Sued for Selling Guitar Hero Video Game
Gibson Guitar Corp. is suing Wal-Mart Stores and five other major retailers that sell the Activision Guitar Hero game, claiming it violates a patent held by the Nashville-based company. A federal lawsuit claims Wal-Mart, Target Corp., Kmart, Amazon.com, GameStop Corp. and Toys "R" Us should stop selling the game.
ITC Opens Patent Probe of Blu-ray Disc Players
The U.S. International Trade Commission said it would launch an investigation into some 30 companies including Sony Corp. on possible patent infringements related to Blu-ray disc players and other products. The commission said on its Web site that the products involved are short-wavelength light-emitting diodes and laser diodes used in such electronics as handheld mobile devices, traffic lights and high-definition DVD players.
Internet Viruses Challenging Even Anti-Virus Companies
The sheer volume and complexity of computer viruses being released on the Internet today has the anti-virus industry on the defensive, experts say, underscoring the need for consumers to avoid relying on anti-virus software alone to keep their home computers safe and secure. Approximately 5.5 million malicious software programs were unleashed on the Web last year, according to AV Test Labs, a German company that measures how quickly and accurately anti-virus products detect the latest malicious software, also known as "malware."
Music Rival Warns Apple Against Unlimited Plan
Apple is in for a fierce legal fight should it ever release a device that offers all-you-can-eat music, according to David Pakman, CEO of rival digital music service eMusic. "It smells like classic Sherman Antitrust Act to me," Pakman said. "I only know what I've read but the plan sounds very similar to the tying practices Microsoft used with Windows/Explorer."
Prosecutors Subpoena Records from JuicyCampus.com
New Jersey prosecutors have subpoenaed records of JuicyCampus.com, a website that publishes anonymous, often malicious gossip about college students. Language on the site ranges from catty to hateful and offensive.
