The FBI searched the residence of the son of a Democratic state lawmaker in Tennessee over the weekend looking for evidence linking the young man to the hacking of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's personal e-mail account, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. A hacker last week broke into one of the Yahoo e-mail accounts that Palin uses, revealing as evidence a few inconsequential personal messages she has received since John McCain selected her as his running mate.
House Subcommittee Studying Organized Internet Crime
Does the freedom of selling on the Web lure otherwise law-abiding citizens into an addictive world of organized Internet crime? That's the somewhat overheated assertion being made to support three bills now under consideration by the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on crime, terrorism, and homeland security.
Electronic Arts Loosens Copyright Limits on Spore Game
Video game maker Electronic Arts has loosened copyright protection for the newest release of its game Spore. Released earlier in the month, the game received a flurry of complaints about a restriction that meant the game could only be registered to three computers.
Legislator's Son Focus of Palin E-mail Exposure
A Tennessee state legislator has confirmed that his son, a 20-year-old student at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, is the person being named on blogs and message boards in connection with the hacking of Gov. Sarah Palin's e-mail account, a Nashville paper reported. State Rep. Mike Kernell told the Tennessean that his son, David Kernell, is at the center of speculation about the identity of the hacker who gained access to Palin's account.
FTC Takes Action Against Online Cancer Cure Claims
The Federal Trade Commission disclosed actions it had taken against several companies that promoted online cancer cures. The actions were the result of a project started last year to identify websites making unsubstantiated cure claims.
Bill Would Put Limits on Online Pharmacies
Online pharmacies will face stricter regulations under new legislation Congress is considering. The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act would ban the sale or distribution of prescription drugs over the Internet without a valid prescription.
Data on Cyber Attacks Called Limited for Protection
U.S. intelligence agencies are unable to share information about foreign cyber attacks against companies for fear of jeopardizing intelligence-gathering sources and methods, cyber security expert Paul B. Kurtz told lawmakers. Kurtz, who served on the National Security Council in the Clinton and Bush administrations, spoke at the first open hearing on cyber security held by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
EBay Wants EU to Probe Limits on Retail Sales
EBay, the online auctioneer, has asked the European Union’s antitrust chief to investigate companies that prevent retailers or sellers from offering their goods on EBay or other online commerce platforms. Tod Cohen, Ebay deputy general counsel, said he had raised concerns with Neelie Kroes over distributors of perfumes in France, sports goods in Spain, schoolbags in Germany and pushchairs in Britain, among others.
Comcast Says Customers Don't Mind Traffic Limits
Comcast Corp. said its new method of managing Internet traffic may sometimes result in slower Web surfing for subscribers who use their cable modem the most, yet the company has not received a single customer complaint in trial runs in five areas. The new system is set to replace the current one, which drew a sanction from the Federal Communications Commission, for all Comcast subscribers by the end of the year.
WTO May Probe U.S. Action Again EU Online Gambling
A dispute over U.S. enforcement actions against European Union online gambling companies could be headed to the World Trade Organization soon, an European industry group said. "It looks very much as if this matter will... be sent to the WTO at the end of the commission's investigation," Lode Van Den Hende, outside counsel for the Remote Gambling Association, told reporters as EU officials were in Washington to probe U.S. Justice Department enforcement actions.
Security Firm Warns of Virus Offering Free iPhone Game
Security firm Sophos warned on that e-mails being circulated on the Web that purport to offer a free iPhone game instead are carrying a Trojan horse that can take control of infected Windows machines. The e-mails have subject lines like "Virtual iPhone games!" and "Apple: The most popular game!"
ITC to Investigate Patent Infringement by Wii
The U.S. International Trade Commission has agreed to look into Hillcrest Laboratories' allegations that Nintendo infringed Hillcrest's patents in making its popular Wii video game, the ITC said. Hillcrest has accused Nintendo of infringing four patents to make the top-selling Wii game console. Hillcrest made the filing to the ITC, which has the power to bar products such as the Wii from the United States if they are made with infringed technology.
CEO Plans to Move Forward with Yahoo Despite Probes
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.
