The Senate and House appear headed for a clash over competing visions of how to protect the privacy of patients' electronic medical records, with the House favoring strict protections advocated by consumer groups while the Senate is poised to endorse more limited safeguards urged by business interests.
Cuba to Expand Internet Access with Fiber Optics Line
Cuba wants to expand access to the Internet but has been held back by economic problems and bandwidth limitations, Cuban communications minister Ramiro Valdes said. Valdes, speaking at a computer exposition in Havana, said the situation was expected to improve when socialist ally Venezuela completes a 930-mile-long fiber optics line to the communist-run island next year.
Law Firm Discloses Confidential Facebook Settlement
Facebook paid the founders of ConnectU $65 million to settle lawsuits accusing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg of stealing the idea for the wildly successful social-networking Web site, according to a law firm's marketing brochure. Lawyers in the heavyweight fight had expended great effort to keep the settlement secret -- even going as far as persuading a judge to clear the courtroom of reporters on one occasion.
Half of European Teens Surf Web Unsupervised
Half of Europe's teenagers browse the web with no parental oversight or supervision, a survey suggests. The research into the web habits of 20,000 14 to 19-year-olds across Europe found that 51% enjoy unfettered access to any and every website.
Obama Picks Cybersecurity Leader, Orders 60-Day Review
President Barack Obama ordered an immediate 60-day review of federal cyber security efforts and named Melissa Hathaway, a top U.S. intelligence official, to oversee the effort, according to a White House statement. Hathaway, who served as a top cyber security adviser to Mike McConnell, the former director of national intelligence, will conduct the review for the White House National Security and Homeland Security Councils.
Egyptian Police Reportedly Beat, Detain Blogger
Egyptian police have beaten and detained a 22-year-old Egyptian blogger and activist who has expressed support for Gaza, an Egyptian human rights group said. A statement from the Cairo-based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said police officers on Friday beat Diaa Eddin Gad in front of his house in the Nile Delta province of Gharbiya, put him in a police car and drove off.
Maryland Blocks Legislators' Access to Facebook, MySpace
Computer gurus with Maryland's legislative body announced that they were blocking access to Facebook and MySpace from all General Assembly computers, including those of lawmakers and their staffs. They said the block was made necessary by an uptick in viruses and malicious software that were finding their way into the assembly's computer network through the popular social networking sites.
Italian Soccer Player Sues Facebook Over Nazi Links
One of the world's most famous soccer players, Alessandro del Piero of the Juventus club in Italy, is said to be suing Facebook. He is distressed because of a Facebook profile that purports to be his (it features his name and image) and carries links to Nazi propaganda sites.
Judge Lets Psystar Pursue Copyright Claims Against Apple
A federal judge is letting Mac clone maker Psystar amend its legal defense against Apple. Psystar was delivered a blow in November, when Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court in Northern California dismissed Psystar's antitrust claims against the Cupertino, Calif.-based Mac maker.
Website of Russian Antivirus Vendor Hacked
The U.S. Web site of Russian antivirus vendor Kaspersky Lab was hacked, exposing the company's customer database. But Kaspersky denies any data was compromised and says the vulnerability wasn't critical. An unidentified hacker reported over the weekend that he was able to access a complete profile of the company's databases, revealing its clients' names, activation codes, list of bugs the company tracks, and client e-mail addresses.
Intellectual Property Lawyer Joining RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America has hired Jennifer Pariser as the organization's senior vice president of litigation and legal affairs. Pariser comes to the RIAA with more than two decades of legal experience and expertise in intellectual property law.
Bahrain Cracks Down on Websites Deemed Indecent
A Bahraini crackdown on Web sites the government deems indecent or socially explosive has triggered calls for reforms by rights activists and bloggers, who say the ban tarnishes the kingdom's reputation for openness. "Instead of tackling the social issues people discuss online, the government blocks Web sites. But that does not change the reality," said Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.
Kaiser Permanente Notifies Workers of Security Breach
Kaiser Permanente is notifying 29,500 of its Northern California employees that a security breach has led to the release of their personal information, including Social Security numbers. A "handful" of employees have reported identity thefts as a result of the breach, Kaiser said.
Congressman Discloses Secret Iraq Trip on Twitter
For security reasons, the congressional delegation led by House Minority Leader John Boehner to Iraq was supposed to be secret. But Representative Peter Hoekstra Twittered his arrival into Baghdad.
As Airlines Adopt WiFi, Not All Passengers Happy
Wireless Internet service is starting to spread among airlines in the United States -- Delta and American have installed it on more than a dozen planes each, and several other carriers are planning to test it. But this new frill may be a new source of tension between passengers on packed planes.
Court Delays Hearing for Accused S.F. WAN Hijacker
The fight by Terry Childs to have a court dismiss three of the four felony charges he is facing for allegedly hijacking San Francisco's fiber optic wide-area network last year has been prolonged. Childs appeared in court for a motion hearing, but the San Francisco Superior Court has re-scheduled the hearing for February 13, said Connie Chan, deputy director at the San Francisco District Attorney's office.
Google's Latitude Service Sparks Privacy Concerns
Google's new Latitude feature, which allows users to share their locations among a chosen network of friends, has raised a number of security concerns, as many users may not be aware that it is enabled. Latitude is based on Google's My Location feature that has been in place since last year.
Phishing Attacks Misleading Hotel Consumers
Phishing fraudsters have moved on from banking sites with an attack designed to hoodwink hotel customers, according to a team of security volunteers. Hotel chains including Hyatt, TraveLodge, Comfort Inn, Ramada, Days Inn, and Wyndham are being targeted in the reported scam.
Student Charged with Using Facebook for Blackmail, Sex
An 18-year-old male student is accused of posing as a girl on Facebook, tricking at least 31 male classmates into sending him naked photos of themselves and then blackmailing some for sex acts. Anthony Stancl was charged with five counts of child enticement, two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child, two counts of third-degree sexual assault, possession of child pornography, repeated sexual assault of the same child, and making a bomb threat.
Monster.com, Government Job Sites Suffer Hacks
For the second time in less than 18 months, the job-search website Monster.com was breached, along with USAJobs.gov, which Monster's parent company runs for the federal government. And yet Monster might suffer little fallout -- because the overall state of computer security is so bad anyway.
