As the organization responsible for overseeing Internet domains prepares to expand the number of top-level domains available, Al Gore is advocating for a special domain to promote environmental awareness. Two Internet entrepreneurs have formed Dot Eco LLC for the purpose of securing the .eco domain through the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' new gTLD application process.
Student Sues Ex-Classmates, Facebook Over Group
Denise Finkel, currently a student at the University of Albany, accused four of her ex-classmates at Oceanside High School of setting up a Facebook group "calculated to hold the plaintiff up to public hatred, ridicule, and disgrace." The group, whose page was password-protected, allegedly said she had AIDS, was an intravenous drug user, and had "inappropriate conduct with animals."
FTC Probing Online Stimulus-Related Scams
President Obama's economic stimulus plan has already spurred activity in at least one online industry, though not one the administration was hoping to encourage. Deceptive Web sites, advertisements, and e-mail campaigns have cropped up across the Web in recent weeks, luring consumers into scams by promising them federal grant money from the stimulus package, the Federal Trade Commission said.
Decisions Await on Spending Broadband Stimulus Funds
Federal regulators have some critical decisions to make in the coming weeks that could determine whether the $7.2 billion in stimulus funds designated for broadband will create the optimal number of jobs or be distributed wisely, Internet experts said. The stimulus funds will already take too long to distribute, contended some speakers on a panel at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but decisions such as whether to withhold the money until new policies are developed or broadband data is collected could make the funds even less effective at creating jobs.
ToysRUs Pays $5.1 Million for toys.com Domain Name
Toy retailer ToysRUs has paid $5.1 million for the Toys.com domain name. The amount has surprised onlookers and hints at a deeper commitment to online retailing for the toy giant.
Obama's FCC Nominee Favors Net Neutrality
President Obama nominated Julius Genachowski as the nation's top telecommunications regulator, picking a campaign advisor who has divided his career between Washington, D.C., political jobs and working as an Internet executive. Genachowski had been mentioned as a likely candidate for the Federal Communications Commission post, in part because he participated in the Obama campaign's Internet efforts and previously worked as chief counsel to Democratic FCC Chairman Reed Hundt.
Researchers Warn YouTube Users About Malware
Researchers are warning that YouTube users may be next at risk as malware authors look for ways to take advantage of some of the most popular social networking and content-sharing sites on the Web. In recent weeks, they've targeted social bookmarking site Digg, spreading malware by adding malicious links into innocuous-seeming comments or in the guise of legitimate posts.
Calif. Lawmaker Wants Google to Blur Some Map Images
A lawmaker in California wants to force Google Earth and similar services to blur images of so-called "soft targets" like schools, hospitals, churches and government buildings to protect them from terrorists. Assemblyman Joel Anderson, a Republican from San Diego, said he decided to introduce his bill after reading reports suggesting that terrorists used online map imagery to plan attacks in Mumbai and elsewhere.
European Groups Share Data to Fight Child Porn Online
A broad European alliance of industry and police began sharing private financial information in a bid to crack down on criminals who profit from distributing child pornography on the Web. Credit card companies, Internet firms, police forces, NGOs and the European Commission officially launched the initiative in London to stop the trade in the images.
Behavioral Advertising Online Prompts Legal Moves
Behavioral advertising -- the tracking of consumer's Internet surfing activity to create tailored ads -- has triggered an intense legal controversy that has law firms scrambling to stay on top of a burgeoning practice. Attorneys say that behavioral advertising is raising privacy, litigation and regulation fears among consumer advocates, the electronic commerce and advertising industries and legislators.
Woman Sues AT&T, RadioShack Over Netbook 3G Plan
An Oklahoma woman has filed a lawsuit against AT&T and RadioShack after purchasing a netbook with a 3G data plan and receiving a $5,000 bill for exceeding her monthly data cap. Last December, RadioShack offered a $99 Acer Aspire One netbook for customers willing to sign a two-year contract for AT&T's mobile broadband service.
Netbook Users Face Additional Security Threats
Netbook Web surfers beware. Their no frills nature, combined with low computing power and relative lack of sophistication among their users could combine to create the perfect storm for hackers and virus creators looking for easy targets, analysts say.
ICANN's CEO Announces He'll Leave By Year-End
The president and CEO of ICANN, the nonprofit responsible for the Internet's domain name system, announced he will be stepping down from his position at the end of 2009. Paul Twomey, president and CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, made the announcement at the organization's 34th International Public Meeting in Mexico City.
Md. Court Upholds Privacy for Online Posters
Operators of newspaper Web sites, blogs and chat rooms that allow readers to post anonymous comments using pseudonyms do not have to readily reveal the posters' identities in defamation suits, Maryland's highest court ruled, further shaping an emerging area of First Amendment law in the Internet age. The Maryland Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling and ordered that NewsZap.com, an online forum run by Independent Newspapers, does not have to disclose the identities of forum participants who engaged in an online exchange about the cleanliness of a Dunkin' Donuts shop in 2006.
Supreme Court to Hear Freelance Writers' Case
The U.S. Supreme Court said that it would hear an appeal by a group of publishers seeking to reinstate a settlement with freelance writers in a copyright case involving work included in online databases. The settlement, worth as much as $18 million, was reached in 2005 after about four years of negotiations over claims by the freelance writers that their contracts did not allow for publication of their work electronically.
White House Drops YouTube for Official Videos
Responding to complaints by privacy activists, the White House has quietly abandoned YouTube as the provider of the embedded videos on the president's official home page. With the release of the latest weekly video address, the White House has shifted to a Flash-based video solution using Akamai's content delivery network.
Norwegian ISP Refuses to Black Access to Pirate Bay
Norwegian telecom group Telenor will not block access to the Swedish file-sharing website The Pirate Bay, despite demands from representatives of the entertainment industry, Telenor said. Telenor said that a demand from international and Norwegian music and film industry associations to block access to The Pirate Bay had no legal grounds and Internet service providers could not be held liable for actions by Internet users.
German Police Use eBay Tips to Snag Counterfeiters
German police used tips from EBay Inc. to score the biggest success in their probe of a counterfeiting ring, snaring 20 tons of knock-off La Martina dress shirts, Ed Hardy tank tops and other brands. EBay, the world’s largest Internet auctioneer, is helping such investigations as part of a larger effort to rid its site of fakes the San Jose, California-based company says damage its reputation as a trusted shopping place.
EU Agency Alters Approach to VoIP Investigations
Eurojust, an EU agency that co-ordinates judicial co-operation across member states, has significally altered a statement in which it said criminals were using Skype to avoid detection by the authorities. One week earlier, Eurojust announced it planned to "play a key role in the coordination and cooperation of the investigations on the use of internet telephony systems (VoIP), such as Skype."
Some News Sites Worry More About Copyright Infringement
Some media executives are growing concerned that the increasingly popular curators of the Web that are taking large pieces of the original work -- a practice sometimes called scraping -- are shaving away potential readers and profiting from the content. With the Web's advertising engine stalling just as newspapers are under pressure, some publishers are second-guessing their liberal attitude toward free content.
