Google chief Eric Schmidt reaffirmed that the the company plans to push forward with its deal to serve ads to Yahoo! early next month -- even if government regulators need more time to finish their anti-competition investigation. The joint venture was voluntarily put on hold in July so antitrust regulators could probe the pact between the two tech giants and direct competitors for Internet advertising.
Hackers Break Into Palin's Personal E-mail Account
Hackers broke into the Yahoo! e-mail account that Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin used for official business as Alaska's governor, revealing as evidence a few inconsequential personal messages she has received since John McCain selected her as his running mate. "This is a shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of law. The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these e-mails will destroy them," the McCain campaign said in a statement.
Cybersquatters Target Domains in Bank Mergers
Internet addresses corresponding to recent bank mergers are already being hoarded and sold online. In "cybersquatting", likely addresses are bought cheaply in the hope of selling to the businesses involved, or as a medium for advertising.
Homeland Security Dep't Criticized on Cybersecurity
Homeland Security is weathering a deluge of criticism of its lackluster cybersecurity efforts on grounds that they have proven to be inefficient, bureaucratic, and not even able to do a decent job of monitoring federal computer networks. This week, it even led to what would have been unthinkable a year or two ago -- a suggestion that Homeland Security can no longer be trusted with its cybersecurity mission and it should be handed to another federal agency.
In Settlement, Google Allows Some Anti-Abortion Ads
Google has agreed to display abortion ads from religious groups on its search site as part of an out-of-court settlement with a British Christian organization, the group said. The Christian Institute filed a legal action against Google in April after the search giant rejected an anti-abortion ad from the group citing its policy of not accepting ads that contain "abortion and religion-related content."
YouTube Banning Some Weapons Videos in U.K.
YouTube is to ban footage showing weapons being used to intimidate people on its website in the UK. The new policy was being introduced because of "particular concern" in Britain over the subject, the site's owners, Google, said.
Sexual Predators Online Not Considered Top Risk
As more kids head back to school with increasingly sophisticated technology in their backpacks, the mischief they get up to may not have much in common with the hyperbolic tales of evening news shows that reveal humanity at low tide. Or so says Parry Aftab, executive director of WiredSafety.org, which focuses on Internet safety for children, tweens and teens.
Judge OKs Student's Suspension Over MySpace Page
An eighth-grade student who was suspended for 10 days after she created a fake page on MySpace.com that depicted her principal as a pedophile and a sex addict has lost her civil rights suit now that a federal judge has ruled that the discipline was proper and didn't violate her free speech rights. "A school can validly restrict speech that is vulgar and lewd and also it can restrict speech that promotes unlawful behavior," U.S. District Judge James M. Munley wrote in his 20-page opinion in J.S. v. Blue Mountain School District.
NFL Coach to Address Team Information on Players' Blog
Concerned that Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley displayed private team information on his blog, Washington Redskins Coach Jim Zorn plans to address players regarding their conduct while using the Internet, he said. A photo of six questions from the "Tight Ends Test," which was in the Redskins' playbook for their game against the New Orleans Saints, was posted on Cooley's blog.
Cybercriminals Using Celebrities' Names to Attract Victims
Looking for information about Brad Pitt or Beyonce on the Web? It could be risky. An internet security firm has dubbed the actor and singer the most dangerous celebrities to search for on the Internet because cybercriminals use their names to lure victims.
EU Officials Looking Into Google-Yahoo Deal
European Union antitrust watchdogs are looking into a planned deal between Internet giants Google and Yahoo to share some advertising revenue. "In mid-July, we decided to open a preliminary investigation on our own initiative into potential effects of the Google-Yahoo agreement on competition in the European Economic Area market," said Jonathan Todd, a spokesman for European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
Hackers Break Into BusinessWeek's Online Site
Hackers have broken into BusinessWeek's online site and set up an attack scenario in which visitors to a section of the site could have their own computers compromised and their data stolen, a security researcher said. It's unclear how long the site has been compromised and there is no evidence that BusinessWeek.com readers have been affected, but also no evidence that they haven't, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.
ISPs Called Bigger Privacy Threat Than Google
The increased monitoring and profiling of Internet users by companies such as Google and its DoubleClick online advertising subsidiary is widely seen as one of the biggest threats to online privacy. But in reality, said university professor Paul Ohm, the potential for the same kind of activities by ISPs poses a much greater privacy risk.
Virginia Anti-Spam Law Ruled Unconstitutional
The Virginia Supreme Court declared the state's anti-spam law unconstitutional and reversed the conviction of a man once considered one of the world's most prolific spammers. The court unanimously agreed with Jeremy Jaynes' argument that the law violates the free-speech protections of the First Amendment because it does not just restrict commercial e-mails -- it restricts other unsolicited messages as well.
YouTube Bans Videos "Inciting Others to Violence"
The video-sharing service YouTube is banning submissions that involve "inciting others to violence," following criticism from Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) that the site was too open to terrorist groups disseminating militant propaganda. The company earlier this year removed some of the videos that Lieberman targeted, many of which were marked with the logos of al-Qaeda and affiliated groups.
One Pleads Guilty in World's Largest Data Theft
Federal prosecutors won a guilty plea from one of 11 men who made up a ring that was charged with the largest data theft case in history, involving tens of millions of customers of retailers, including TJX Cos. and BJ's Wholesale Club. Separately the government also said it has evidence the group breached the security of many more businesses than previously disclosed.
Hackers Attack Large Hadron Collider
Hackers have mounted an attack on the Large Hadron Collider, raising concerns about the security of the biggest experiment in the world as it passes an important new milestone. The scientists behind the £4.4bn atom smasher had already received threatening emails and been besieged by telephone calls from worried members of the public concerned by speculation that the machine could trigger a black hole to swallow the earth, or earthquakes and tsunamis, despite endless reassurances to the contrary from the likes of Prof. Stephen Hawking.
ITU Working on Standard for Tracking Internet Sources
A United Nations agency is quietly drafting technical standards, proposed by the Chinese government, to define methods of tracing the original source of Internet communications and potentially curbing the ability of users to remain anonymous. The U.S. National Security Agency is also participating in the "IP Traceback" drafting group, named Q6/17, which is meeting in Geneva to work on the traceback proposal. Members of Q6/17 have declined to release key documents, and meetings are closed to the public.
Law Firm Sues Home Website for Posting Lawyers' Info
Jones Day has sued a website that highlights lawyers -- even posting their photos and linking to firm biographies -- and other professionals who buy and sell their homes in Chicago, Las Vegas, St. Louis and South Florida. After two Jones Day associates were featured on the BlockShopper site, the Cleveland-based BigLaw firm sued, reports the National Law Journal.
Senate Committee Approves Increase in Copyright Enforcement
A U.S. Senate panel overwhelmingly approved a bill backed by the recording industry that would give federal prosecutors the power to file civil lawsuits against peer-to-peer users who violate copyright laws. By a 14-4 margin, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted for the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act, which would create stricter IP laws, as well as increase the ability of the White House and Justice Department to enforce those laws.
