A federal judge approved the government's plans to pay a total of $20 million to veterans exposed to possible identity theft in 2006, calling it a welcome deal to settle lawsuits after a Veterans Affairs employee lost a laptop containing their sensitive personal information. The payments will range from $75 to $1,500 for up to 26.5 million veterans who incurred out of pocket expenses for credit monitoring or physical symptoms of emotional distress.
Mozilla Gets Access to Europe's Case Against Microsoft
Mozilla has been granted a seat at the table in the European Commission's antitrust case against Microsoft, an EC source said. Mozilla requested and was granted "third-party status," which entitles the organization behind the popular Firefox browser to receive access to confidential documents in the case and the ability to voice objections, the source said.
Germany Rejects Three-Strikes Copyright Scheme
The German federal government has decided against embracing the Olivennes Agreement -- the French model for combating illegal file-sharing activities. The French three-strikes scheme would cut off the ISP connections of repeat offenders who violated copyright by illegally downloading content.
Fugitive VoIP Hacker Arrested by Mexican Officials
A fugitive hacker accused of illegally rerouting millions of dollars worth of VoIP calls through telecommuncations companies' networks has been apprehended in Mexico. Edwin Andres Pena was arrested by Mexican authorities, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erez Liebermann said.
EU Signs Pact with 17 Social Networking Providers
The European Union has signed a pact with 17 social networking providers including Facebook, MySpace and Google to improve safeguards against the bullying of teenagers online. EU spokesman Martin Selmayr says networking sites are now used by some 42 million people in the European Union, and young users need to be protected from abusive behavior on the websites.
Authors Guild Questions Kindle's Read-Aloud Feature
Amazon.com Inc., pushing further into the digital distribution of books, unveiled a thinner and faster version of its Kindle electronic-book reader but raised controversy among publishers and others with a new text-reading feature. "They don't have the right to read a book out loud," said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild. "That's an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law."
Hackers Break Into FAA's Computer System
Hackers broke into the Federal Aviation Administration's computer system, accessing the names and Social Security numbers of 45,000 employees and retirees. The agency said in a statement that two of the 48 files on the breached computer server contained personal information about employees and retires who were on the FAA's rolls as of the first week of February 2006.
Lawmakers Debate Protecting Health Records Online
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.
