The FBI said an investigation into the sale of counterfeit Chinese computer components to the U.S. government has recovered about 3,500 bogus devices with a retail value of $3.5 million. The criminal probe, code-named Operation Cisco Raider, came amid concerns that counterfeit network components could enable hackers to access secure U.S. government databases, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.
Apple Settles Class-Action Suits Over iPod Batteries
Apple has agreed to settle a pair of class-action lawsuits in Canada alleging it misled customers about the staying power of their iPods, the latest courtroom truce over the dwindling battery life of early generations of the device. According to a court document, the Cupertino-based company is offering credits for its online store of about $44.75 to people who live in Canada and bought certain iPods there on or before June 24, 2004.
Microsoft Appealing $1.39 Billion European Fine
Microsoft announced it's appealing the $1.39 billion fine the European Commission imposed for failure to comply with its historic 2004 antitrust order against the Redmond giant. Microsoft filed an application with the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg, seeking to annul the Commission's decision from late February, in which it imposed a fine of 899 million Euros, or $1.39 billion, against Microsoft.
Appeals Court Reinstates One of Two Alcatel Patent Cases
A federal appeals court reinstated one of two patent cases tossed out last year in the ongoing user-interface technology dispute pitting Alcatel-Lucent against Microsoft and Dell. The appeals court said the San Diego district court erred in its determination of a "terminal device" and remanded the case, which was dismissed, back to the court for further proceedings.
TorrentSpy Lawyer Promises Appeal in $110 Million Case
A TorrentSpy lawyer vowed to appeal a $110 million legal judgment against the website for directing people to unauthorized online copies of films and television shows. Valence Media shut its TorrentSpy website down in March and filed for bankruptcy in the face of a lawsuit brought against it by the Motion Picture Association of America.
States Debate Role in Fighting Piracy at Schools
The debate over the proper role of higher education institutions in fighting piracy has shifted to some state legislatures. What appears to be the first such proposal in the country became law in Tennessee -- home to Nashville, the country music capital of the world.
Cell Phone Executives Worry About New Spam Problem
If you thought spam on your computer was a bother, brace yourself for round two: spammers want to find you on your cellphone. Some industry executives, along with consumer groups and security experts, are concerned that unwanted messages will be an even greater headache on phones.
Senate Warns of Increasing Internet Use by Al Qaeda
Al Qaeda and other radical groups have dramatically increased their use of the Internet in recent years to lure and train recruits worldwide, a U.S. Senate report warned. The report by the Senate Homeland Security Committee found that these groups run production houses and distribution centers that digitally send anti-American messages to thousands of Web sites around the globe.
Facebook to Add Tools to Fight Sex Predators, Bullies
Facebook, the world's second-largest social networking Web site, will add more than 40 safeguards to protect young users from sexual predators and cyberbullies, attorneys general from several states said. The changes include banning convicted sex offenders from the site, limiting older users' ability to search online for subscribers under 18 and building a task force seeking ways to better verify users' ages and identities.
China Refuses to Make Net, Copyright Promises for Olympics
China will not guarantee it won't censor the Internet over this summer's Beijing Olympics, nor can it guarantee to stamp out piracy of Olympic-branded goods, officials said. Wang Wei, executive vice president of the Beijing Olympic organizers, had promised media would have "complete freedom" to report over the event, but rights groups have regularly criticized China's commitment to that pledge.
Lawmaker Reintroduces Net Neutrality Legislation
The only Net neutrality proposal to encounter some measure of success in the U.S. Congress is back again for another try. As foreshadowed at a March hearing, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) reintroduced the Internet Freedom and Non-discrimination Act, which passed by a 20-13 vote in the same committee in 2006.
Hackers Add Harmful Images to Epilepsy Foundation Site
In a rare example of an attack apparently motivated by malice rather than money, hackers recently bombarded the Epilepsy Foundation's website with hundreds of pictures and links to pages with rapidly flashing images. The breach triggered severe migraines and near-seizure reactions in some site visitors who viewed the images.
McAfee Identifies Largest Trojan File in Three Years
Almost 500,000 people have been caught out by a booby-trapped media file, says security firm McAfee. The fake file poses as a music track, short video or movie and has been widely seeded on file-sharing networks to snare victims.
Digital Rights Management Coming Back, RIAA Predicts
News of DRM's death has been greatly exaggerated, according to an executive with the Recording Industry Association of America. At a time when the top recording companies appear to be phasing out digital rights management (DRM), the RIAA is predicting that the highly controversial software will make a comeback.
Judge Orders TorrentSpy to Pay $100 Million in Damages
In a major win for Hollywood studios, a California federal judge has ordered TorrentSpy to pay $110 million in damages for infringing the copyright of thousands of films and TV shows through its BitTorrent search engine. The Los Angeles judge, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper, also issued a permanent injunction against TorrentSpy, which was once one of the most popular indexes of BitTorrent files before it shut down in March after a two-year copyright battle with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
Microsoft Denies Copyright-Scanning Plans for Zune
The New York Times suggested that future versions of the Zune might come with a tiny cop capable of catching digital lawbreakers. Microsoft issued a statement denying that there was any agreement to filter content.
Universal Music Reaches Free File-Sharing Deal with Qtrax
Universal Music Group confirmed that it has reached a deal with file-sharing site Qtrax to allow free, legal downloads of UMG music. Qtrax announced in January that it had the backing of"all the major labels" to distribute music free online, generating revenue with ads.
FBI Withdraws Request for Internet Archive Data
The FBI has backed down on a secret request for information about a user of the Internet Archive digital library, thanks to a legal challenge from two prominent advocacy groups. The case, which was brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the archive, dates to last year but only became public.
News Corp. Official Says He Kept Hackers on Payroll
A high-ranking News Corp. official testified that he kept two hackers on the payroll for years after one of them was accused of infiltrating the security system of rival satellite television company DISH Network Corp. Abraham Peled, a member of News Corp's executive management committee headed by Rupert Murdoch and CEO of affiliate NDS Group, said he continued to employ Christopher Tarnovsky after he was told by another former hacker that Tarnovsky posted information on the Internet to let users unscramble DISH's network and receive free service.
Hundreds of State Dep't Laptops Unaccounted For
Hundreds of employee laptops are unaccounted for at the U.S. Department of State, which conducts delicate, often secret, diplomatic relations with foreign countries, an internal audit has found. As many as 400 of the unaccounted for laptops belong to the department’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, according to officials familiar with the findings.
