A brouhaha arose over a revision in the wording of Facebook's policy over what happens to profile content -- shared items, blog post-like "notes," photos -- when members delete their accounts. Consumer advocacy blog The Consumerist phrased Facebook's fresh policy as "We Can Do Anything We Want With Your Content. Forever," pointing out that Facebook's ToS spruce-up removed several sentences in which the company said its licenses on user content expired upon account deletion.
Connecticut Towns Drop Websites to Comply with Law
Since the mid-1970s, municipal governmental bodies across Connecticut have posted minutes within seven days of a meeting at town hall, under state open records laws. Last June, the legislature, in a seemingly modest enhancement, required posting on a town Web site as well, if the town had one. This requirement has unleashed a noisy backlash, prompting a dozen small towns to pull the plug on their Web sites rather than comply.
Developer of iPhone Fart App Sues Competitor
The developer behind the iPhone's top digital fart generator wants the American legal system to declare that using the phrase "pull my finger" does not run afoul of a rival's trademark. Infomedia, maker the immensely popular iFart Mobile app, is taking Pull My Finger developer Air-O-Matic to Colorado court seeking a declaratory judgment and additional "relief."
Privacy Advocates Criticize FTC's Net Ad Guidelines
The Federal Trade Commission's new Internet-advertising guidelines don't put enough pressure on companies to protect consumer data used in targeted marketing campaigns, privacy advocacy groups said. The agency released the voluntary standards to guide Web marketers' efforts at self-regulation.
Microsoft Reward in Worm Case Could Help Others
The quarter-million dollar award Microsoft is offering for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsibile for unleashing the "Conficker" worm may represent the culmination of what security experts say has been an unprecedented and collaborative response from industry, academia and Internet policy groups aimed at not just containing the spread of this worm, but also in creating a playbook for dealing with future digital pandemics.
Copyright Office Hears Debate on Unlocking iPhones
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, in a filing with the Copyright Office, argues that the government should allow iPhone owners to circumvent technical barriers meant to keep them from changing the phone's software, a process called jailbreaking. Apple, not surprisingly, filed an objection, saying that jailbreaking a phone indeed violates copyright law and that no exception should be granted.
Scottish Companies Sue Apple Over iPhone Display
A pair of small Scottish companies have filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming two of the computer maker's best-selling products include technology that infringes on their patents. Glasgow-based Picsel Ltd. and Picsel Technologies Ltd. said in a lawsuit that Apple's hot-selling iPhone and iPod Touch devices incorporate Picsel-patented technology that facilitates rapid redrawing of content displayed on devices' screens.
Microsoft Sued for Fees to Downgrade to Windows XP
Microsoft is under antitrust attack again, this time for the fees PC vendors charge to consumers who buy PCs preinstalled with Vista and then "downgrade" to Windows XP. "Microsoft has used its market power to take advantage of consumer demand for the Windows XP operating system by requiring consumers to purchase computers preinstalled with the Vista operating system and to pay additional sums to 'downgrade' to the Windows XP operating system," the suit alleges.
More Criminals Using VoIP Services in Italy
Criminals in Italy are increasingly making phone calls over the Internet in order to avoid getting caught through mobile phone intercepts, police say. Officers in Milan say organized crime, arms and drugs traffickers, and prostitution rings are turning to Skype in order to frustrate investigators.
Pirate Bay Operators Go On Trial in Sweden
File-swappers are expected to be keeping their eyes on a court in Sweden as a landmark copyright-infringement trial gets under way. The four men behind the popular file-sharing site The Pirate Bay go on trial in Stockholm, accused of helping millions of Internet users illegally download protected movies, music, and computer games.
Broadband Tax Credit Cut from Stimulus Bill
It looks like the tax credit for companies that install new broadband service was cut from the latest version of the economic stimulus bill. The bill still would award more than $6 billion in grants to help build high-speed Internet service, mainly in rural areas.
Hackers Use Celebrity Names, Digg to Snag Victims
Once again, hackers are using celebrity names in order to get people to download malware onto their PCs. This time, they are using the popular news aggregator Digg, according to PandaLabs threat researcher Sean-Paul Correll's blog.
MobileMe Users Targeted by Phishing Scam
MobileMe users are being targeted by a phishing scam. Users of MobileMe, which automatically sends e-mail, contacts, and calendar events to your computer, iPhone, or iPod, have been receiving a new e-mail that looks like it comes from Apple.
Judge Approves $20 Million Payout for VA Data Breach
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.
