The resignation of the federal government's cybersecurity coordinator highlights a power struggle underway over how best to defend the government's civilian computer networks against digital attacks. Rod A. Beckstrom resigned the post after less than a year on the job, citing a lack of funding and the National Security Agency's tightening grip on government cybersecurity matters.
Agencies Get 19 Months to Distribute Broadband Funds
Two government agencies have 19 months to distribute $7.2 billion in stimulus funds for broadband deployment projects in all 50 states -- and already thousands of potential grant recipients are knocking at their doors. President Obama's economic stimulus package dictated that all of the money set aside for broadband will have to be allocated to worthy projects by September 30, 2010.
Google Docs "Bug" Exposes Documents to Others
Google discovered a privacy glitch that inappropriately shared access to a small fraction of word-processing and presentation documents stored on the company's online Google Docs service. "We've identified and fixed a bug which may have caused you to share some of your documents without your knowledge," the company said in a note that the search giant sent to affected people.
Up to 10 Million PCs Infected by MalWare, Firm Reports
Perhaps as many as 10 million PCs are infected with sneaky programs designed to steal sensitive financial information, anti-virus vendor Panda Security reports. The company found that just over 1 percent of systems belonging to the 67 million people who tried out its free ActiveScan test site last year were infected with malicious software designed to help thieves steal sensitive information about victims.
YouTube to Block Music Videos for British Users
Google Inc.'s online video site, YouTube, said it will block all music videos to British users after it was unable to reach a rights deal with the main songwriters' collection society. The world's largest video sharing site said PRS for Music, a British collection society that collects royalties on behalf of nearly 50,000 composers, was asking it to pay "many, many times" more than the previous licensing agreement that has expired.
Student Faces New Charges in Hacking Palin's E-mail
A University of Tennessee student accused of illegally breaking into the e-mail account of Alaska governor Sarah Palin has been hit with three new felony charges in connection with the case. David Kernell pleaded not guilty to the new charges, which include fraud, unlawful electronic transmission of material outside Tennessee and attempts to conceal records to impede an FBI investigation.
New South Wales Police May Get Hacking Powers
The government of the Australian state of New South Wales has unveiled plans to give state police the power to hack into computers remotely, with owners potentially remaining in the dark about the searches for up to three years. Broadly, the new powers aim to give police the right to apply for covert search warrants from the Supreme Court to gather evidence in cases that could involve serious indictable offenses punishable by at least seven years' imprisonment.
Director of DHS Cybersecurity Center Resigns
The U.S. government's director for cybersecurity resigned, criticizing the excessive role of the National Security Agency in countering threats to the country's computer systems. Former Silicon Valley entrepreneur Rod Beckstrom said in a resignation letter published by the Wall Street Journal it was a "bad strategy" to have the National Security Agency, which is part of the Department of Defense, play a major role in cybersecurity.
Swedish Police Bust Internet Piracy Service
Swedish police reported making a major Internet piracy bust. Authorities said they seized computer equipment belonging to a Stockholm-area man whom they suspected of violating local copyright law.
Craigslist CEO Defends Site Against Prostitution Suit
Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster has responded to the lawsuit filed by the sheriff of Chicago's Cook County against the Web classified publication. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart called Craigslist one of the country's largest sources of prostitution in the complaint he filed in federal court and asked the court to force Craigslist managers to remove their erotic services section.
Facebook Rival Sues Google, Wins $761 in Ad Spat
After claiming he invented Facebook, Aaron Greenspan now says he has successfully sued Google. At a Northern California court, Mark Zuckerberg's ex-Harvard classmate won $761 from the world's largest ad broker.
Obama Picks White House's First Chief Info Officer
Vivek Kundra, the 34-year-old former chief technology officer of the District of Columbia, was named by President Obama to the new position of chief information officer of the United States. That's a different job than the chief technology officer, a White House position that Mr. Obama said he would create but has yet to define.
Music Streaming Service Spotify Targeted by Hackers
The music streaming service Spotify has been targeted by hackers. The Swedish company says people's personal details, including e-mail addresses, dates of birth and addresses, were all stolen.
Gore Pushing for New .eco Top-Level Domain
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.
