The tremendous jump in online requests for sexual services that seems to occur during large political conventions has placed police departments and advocacy groups on the alert. Denver and St. Paul police, as well as nonprofits the Klaas Foundation and the Polaris Project, have turned to classified advertising Web sites like Craigslist to monitor such illegal activities during the Democratic and Republican conventions.
Police Break Up Online Child Porn Ring in Europe
Police have broken up an Internet child pornography ring operating in at least four European countries where men exchanged details about their contacts with young girls, prosecutors said. The investigation found an online pedophile forum involving hundreds of men, mainly in Germany.
Privacy Advocates Concerned About Chrome Browser
Privacy advocates are starting to sound the alarm over a feature in Google's Chrome that sends anything typed in the browser's Omnibox back to Google. Google said that it plans to store about 2 percent of the data it gets back, along with the IP address of the computer that sent it. Google said it won't receive or store data if users turn off the auto-suggest feature or if they select a default search provider other than Google or if they are using the product's "Incognito" mode.
Domain Privacy Service Changes Amid Complaints
A company that provides a controversial service to domain name registrars says it is severing ties with Estdomains amid complaints that the Eastern European company makes it too easy to register sites that are used by spammers and scammers. Directi, through a subsidiary called LogicBoxes, had been providing an array of products and services to Estdomains, including one known as PrivacyProtect, which shields the identity of domain-name owners.
Microsoft Suggests Age Limits for "Digital Playgrounds"
Microsoft has an idea for keeping children safe online: create "digital playgrounds," sites where visitors have to prove their age using digital identity credentials. The idea was detailed in a paper Microsoft was set to release as part of its Trustworthy Computing initiative.
Judge Says Ellison Wrongly Deleted E-mails
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison failed to preserve e-mails as well as interview materials related to a book called "Softwar" that should have been supplied in connection with a shareholder lawsuit filed in March 2001 against the company, a federal judge ruledy. The plaintiffs allege that Ellison and others made false statements about the company's financial results during fiscal 2001, how the economy was affecting business, and Oracle's 11i application suite, according to the decision filed in U.S. District Court-California Northern District.
Officials Warn of Gustav-Related Internet Scams
Nearly 100 domains related to Hurricane Gustav were registered in 48 hours, security experts said, some of which may be used by bogus charity and relief scams after the storm strikes the U.S. Gulf Coast. According to television station KTAL in Shreveport, La., the office of Louisiana's Attorney General Buddy Caldwell has warned residents of Gustav phishing attacks already in progress.
British Man Seeks to Stop Extradition for Hacking
Lawyers for a Briton accused of hacking into secret military and NASA computers are asking the home secretary to ensure he is not jailed in the U.S. Glasgow-born Gary McKinnon, 42, who last month lost his appeal against extradition, could face life in jail if convicted of accessing 97 computers.
Company Wants to Offer Free WiFi Nationwide
M2Z is a small wireless start-up with a big goal: free broadband for the masses. Milo Medin, M2Z's chairman and co-founder and a broadband pioneer, wants the ad-supported service to ultimately be available to 95% of the USA.
Best Western Reacts to Report of "Biggest Cyber Heist"
The headline in this week's Glasgow Sunday Herald -- "Revealed: 8 million victims in the world's biggest cyber heist" -- was a grabber. And it certainly got the attention of the Best Western hotel chain, which found itself scrambling to do damage control after the Scottish newspaper reported that hackers had broken into its online reservation system and stolen 8 million customer records.
Palin Has Limited Record on Technology Issues
Alaska is no high-tech haven, so it's understandable that Gov. Sarah Palin is a little-known quantity when it comes to tech policy and renewable energy. Edwards added that despite the lack of a major software or Internet industry, Palin has not issued any tax breaks for technology companies or technology initiatives as an incentive to bring such businesses to the state (an admittedly difficult thing to do).
European Court Clears Way for Hacker's Extradition
The European Court of Human Rights has cleared the way for the extradition of a British man who allegedly hacked into secret U.S. military computers, his lawyer said. The court refused to delay Gary McKinnon's extradition to the United States, which he says would violate his human rights. McKinnon's lawyer, Karen Todner, said his extradition could come within the next two weeks.
German Court Rules for H-P in Inkjet Case
Hewlett-Packard Co. said on a German court has found Pelikan Hardcopy to be in violation of laws on unfair competition.
Internet Gives Trademark Law More Importance
Some legal experts say trademark issues may take on a higher profile, fueled by the escalating value of brands in general and trademark holders increasingly trying to assert their rights, especially on the Internet. "Trademark is the sleeping giant of intellectual property," said Paul Goldstein, a professor at the Stanford law school.
Comcast Sets Limits for Home ISP Users
Starting October 1 customers of Comcast's residential data services will have an invisible barrier on their monthly data usage. Under the new guidelines of Comcast's Acceptable Use Policy, that cap will be set at 250 gigabytes per month, per account.
Judge Rules for Video-Sharing Site in Copyright Case
A U.S. judge has thrown out a copyright infringement case against Veoh Networks Inc., an Internet video start-up with high-profile Hollywood backers, ruling that video-sharing companies are not solely responsible for policing piracy that may take place on their sites. The California court dismissed a copyright infringement suit by adult entertainment company Io Group Inc. against Veoh and granted summary judgment to the defendants.
FBI Arrests Blogger for Streaming Guns N' Roses Album
The FBI on arrested a Los Angeles-area blogger on suspicion of violating federal copyright laws after he allegedly streamed tracks of the unreleased Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy on his Web site. Kevin Cogill, 27, caused quite a stir earlier this summer when he allegedly began streaming nine songs from the album, which has been 15 years in the making, on his blog Antiquiet.
Target Settles Website Suit with Blind Advocacy Group
Target Corp. has agreed to pay $6 million in damages to plaintiffs in California unable to use its online site as part of a class action settlement with the National Federation of the Blind, a leading advocacy group for blind people. Furthermore, the settlement requires Target to implement internal guidelines to make its site more accessible to the blind by Feb. 28, 2009, with assistance from the NFB.
Hackers Target Self-Checkout Systems in U.K.
Self-checkout systems in UK supermarkets are being targeted by hi-tech criminals with stolen credit card details. A BBC investigation has unearthed a plan hatching online to loot US bank accounts via the checkout systems.
FAA Blames Computer Problem for Massive Flight Delays
The Federal Aviation Administration blamed a computer breakdown for delaying hundreds of flights throughout the country, including Baltimore and Washington. The system handles basic flight plan data that must be distributed to air traffic controllers around the country before planes take off.
