Officials at the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications appear to be losing patience with bloggers. They say they are preparing new rules that would restrict blogs to personal matters -- meaning no politics.
"Small Percentage" of Facebook Users Hit by Virus
Facebook's 120 million users are being targeted by a virus dubbed "Koobface" that uses the social network's messaging system to infect PCs, then tries to gather sensitive information such as credit card numbers. It is the latest attack by hackers increasingly looking to prey on users of social networking sites.
Google to Limit Sexual Content on YouTube
Google announced new rules to better control sexually suggestive content on its popular video-sharing site, YouTube. Only users claiming to be adults will be able to view sexually themed content, and such content will be banned from the site's most popular pages.
Mozilla to Drop Anti-Phishing Feature from Firefox
Mozilla will drop anti-phishing protection from the final version of Firefox 2.0 at Google 's request when Mozilla updates the browser later this month, a company executive confirmed. When Mozilla rolls out Firefox 2.0.0.19, the browser will be missing the anti-phishing feature that the aging browser has sported since it debuted in 2006, said Mike Beltzner, director of Firefox.
IT Workers Worried About Cyber-Crooks on Social Sites
Social-networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are being targeted so often by cybercrooks and other mischief-makers that half of the information-technology specialists surveyed recently by Intel expressed concern about workers under 30, who disproportionately use such sites.
Hackers Redirect CheckFree's Website to Ukraine Server
Hackers hijacked the Web site CheckFree.com, one of the largest online bill payment companies, redirecting an unknown number of visitors to a Web address that tried to install malicious software on visitors' computers, the company said. The attack, first reported by The Register, a security news Web site, began in the early morning hours of Dec. 2, when Checkfree's home page and the customer login page were redirected to a server in the Ukraine.
Net Neutrality Advocates Seek Obama's Support
With a new administration waiting in the wings, Net neutrality advocates believe they have turned a corner in their fight for an open Internet. The Open Internet Coalition, an umbrella group representing trade associations, nonprofits and technology companies, is calling on President-elect Obama's transition team to take several steps to ensure that the principles of unfettered Internet access permeate all levels of the federal government.
FCC to Consider Auction Plan with Free Internet
U.S. communications regulators will consider a controversial spectrum auction plan for free Internet and new rules governing disputes between cable operators and programmers at their December meeting, the agency's chairman said. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is proposing that the agency auction off some airwaves, with a mandate that 25 percent be set aside for free Internet.
Croatian Police Apologize for Detaining Web Activist
Croatia's police officials apologized for detaining a local web activist who had put up posters calling for an anti-government rally, but denied any political motivation for their act. The man was part of a group on Facebook, the online social networking site, which called an anti-government rally in several towns, including the capital Zagreb.
Apple Accused of Unfairly Blocking iPhone Music
Apple might be unfairly blocking rival software makers who want to sell music for its iPhone, according to some rivals and a technology rights group. The iTunes store accounts for four out of five songs sold on the Internet in the United States and is becoming more important as CDs fade.
Firefox Extension Allows Illegal Movie Downloads
A new Firefox extension called Pirates of the Amazon lets users download movies, games, TV shows and MP3s free of charge by cross referencing Amazon's product pages with torrent files from the Pirate Bay. If the content can be found on the Pirate Bay's search index it shows up as a "Download 4 Free" link on the top of the Amazon product page.
Craigslist User Charged Under Criminal Libel Law
A Colorado man accused of posting comments about his ex-girlfriend on the Web site Craigslist has been charged under a rarely used criminal libel law. J.P. Weichel faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted for unflattering statements he allegedly posted in Craigslist's "rants and raves" section.
Apple Amends Psystar Lawsuit to Seek Other Defendants
Apple has amended its lawsuit against Psystar to allow for the possibility that other parties are backing the company. It's always been a bit puzzling to ponder how Psystar emerged seemingly overnight with designs on challenging one of the tech industry's richest companies, retaining one of Silicon Valley's star law firms along the way.
Ex-Prosecutor Avoids Charges After Release of E-mails
A prominent Texas prosecutor who fell from grace after the mistaken release of racist, political and pornographic e-mails found on his office computer will not face charges stemming from the scandal, his replacement said. An eight-month investigation didn't turn up enough evidence to prosecute former Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal for criminal misconduct, said interim prosecutor Ken Magidson.
Accused British Hacker Gets Another Court Date
A British systems administrator who hacked into U.S. military computers in 2001 and 2002 will have another chance to make his case of why he shouldn't be extradited to the United States. A High Court judge will decide on Jan. 20 whether another court should review Gary McKinnon's case again, said Karen Todner, his attorney.
Apple Urges Mac Users to Install Anti-Virus Software
Apple has urged Mac owners to use anti-virus software. In a note posted on its support site in late November, Apple said it wanted to "encourage" people to use anti-virus to stay safe online.
Bush Briefed on Attack on Pentagon's Computers
Senior military leaders took the exceptional step of briefing President Bush on a severe and widespread electronic attack on Defense Department computers that may have originated in Russia -- an incursion that posed unusual concern among commanders and raised potential implications for national security. Defense officials would not describe the extent of damage inflicted on military networks.
Two-Thirds of Employers Monitor Web Use, Survey Says
Two-thirds of employers monitor staff use of the Internet during working hours and block access to sites deemed irrelevant to the job, a survey of managers revealed yesterday. The Chartered Management Institute said the censoring of employees' web browsing was an example of old-fashioned thinking in boardrooms where senior executives have not caught up with the business benefits of exploiting new technology.
Judge Affirms Ruling Against Qualcomm in Broadcom Case
A U.S. federal court affirmed a ruling against Qualcomm in its long-running battle with Broadcom over some video technology patents, but voided a part of the lower-court decision that said Qualcomm could not enforce the patents. The ruling was "slightly favorable to Qualcomm" because of the part on enforceability, Charter Equity Research analyst Ed Snyder said.
Croatian Police Detain Critical Web Activists
Croatian police have detained and questioned Web activists who are criticizing or ridiculing the government, media and the opposition say, accusing authorities of violating basic civil rights. Media said police had detained organizers of a group on Facebook, the online social networking site, which called an anti-government rally in several towns, including the capital Zagreb, for December 5.
