In a case of piracy that some analysts called unprecedented, untold thousands of people watched a version of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" online, a full month before its scheduled theater release. The film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, said it did not know how the unfinished copy of the comic book adaptation was leaked onto the Internet.
Conficker Worm Fails at Large-Scale Attack
Malicious software that has infected millions of computers across the globe failed to wreak havoc as some feared, but researchers warned the powerful Conficker worm could still strike. The fears of an attack, however, may have been a windfall for anti-virus software makers, who warned consumers about the worm, industry analysts say.
Chinese Officials Calls Online Spy Ring a Lie
China denied a research report's contention that a China-based computer spy ring stole sensitive information from thousands of hard drives worldwide, calling the accusation a lie meant to feed anxiety over Beijing's growing influence. In the government's first reaction to the report, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the conclusions were symptoms of a "Cold War virus" that causes people overseas to "occasionally be overcome by China-threat seizures."
Legislation Calls for New Cybersecurity Adviser
Two U.S. senators introduced legislation that calls for naming a national cybersecurity adviser who reports directly to the president and who would have the authority to disconnect federal or critical infrastructure networks from the Internet if they were deemed to be at risk of attack. This proposed legislation comes amid a review ordered by the Obama administration into the government's policies for defending itself against cyberattacks and follows the resignation of Rod Beckström as director of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity Center in response to what he said was a power grab by the NSA for cybersecurity leadership.
Google Agrees to Pay Up to $20 Million in Ad Spat
Google has agreed to a settlement of up to $20 million in a class-action lawsuit on behalf of search marketers who alleged that the company served more ads than they had agreed to pay for. The lawsuit stemmed from a dispute about the meaning of "daily budget" in Google's AdWords contract with search marketers.
YouTube Pulls Music Videos in Germany in Royalty Flap
YouTube has pulled the plug on music videos in Germany as Western Europe starts to look like a hostile environment for Web music services. A YouTube spokesman confirmed that YouTube is no longer playing music videos belonging to the largest music labels after talks with Germany's biggest royalty collections group, GEMA, broke down.
Swedish Antipiracy Law Goes Into Effect
A new antipiracy law went into effect in Sweden, and five audio book publishers have already used it to try to out the person behind an IP address they say is linked to illegal file swapping. The so-called IPRED law requires Internet service providers to reveal subscribers' Internet Protocol addresses to copyright holders in cases where a court finds ample evidence of illegal activity.
Texas Budget Could Restrict Buying Windows Vista
A "rider" in the proposed two-year, $182.2 billion Texas budget would require state agencies to get written approval from the Legislative Budget Board before buying Windows Vista technology related to an operating system, equipment or licenses. Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, added the provision in committee and said it's meant to block purchases of the technology, which has been targeted by criticism: "Don't buy it, because it's not worth it."
Security Experts Await Attack from Conficker Worm
A malicious software program that has infected millions of computers could enter a more menacing phase, from an outright attack to a quiet mutation that would further its spread. Computer security experts who have analyzed the Conficker worm's code say it is designed to begin a new phase on April 1, and while it's unclear whether it will unleash havoc or remain dormant, its stubborn presence is rattling businesses with multimillion-dollar budgets to fight cyber crime.
Spam Levels Increase to 94% of All E-mail
Spam, that annoying but ignorable scourge of the Web, has finally recovered from the jolt it received last November, when Internet backbone providers cut off McColo Corporation, a California Web-hosting service that spammers were using to coordinate e-mail attacks. The average seven-day spam volume during the latter half of March is now at roughly the same levels as October of last year -- around 94 percent of all e-mail -- according to the antispam company Postini, a division of Google.
Supreme Court Lets Ruling Against Va. Spam Law Stand
The Supreme Court said it is refusing to consider reinstating the Commonwealth of Virginia's junk e-mail law. The court's inaction upholds an earlier ruling of the Virginia Supreme Court that Virginia's Computer Crimes Act violates First Amendment rights.
EU Leader Wants Limits on Use of Personal Data
Some Internet companies are abusing consumers' personal data and this cannot be allowed to continue, a top European Union official planned to warn the industry. Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, in a speech whose text was obtained by Reuters in advance, will threaten EU intervention to set tougher rules on how Internet users' personal data is collected, analyzed and shared by search engines and service providers.
Online Fraud Rises 33% Amid Recession, Report Says
Fraud on the Internet reported to U.S. authorities increased by 33 percent last year, rising for the first time in three years, and is surging this year as the recession deepens, federal authorities said. Internet fraud losses reported in the United States reached a record high $264.6 million in 2008, according to a report released from the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, run by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.
TomTom Ends Patent Suit with Microsoft via License
GPS navigation device vendor TomTom has agreed to pay Microsoft to settle patent-infringement cases the companies filed against each other in the last five weeks, but Microsoft will not pay fees to TomTom. TomTom will pay Microsoft to license patents for technologies in its car navigation and file-management system, effectively settling a case Microsoft filed against it last month in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and with the International Trade Commission, Microsoft said.
Google Offers Free Music Downloads in China
Google launched free downloads of licensed songs in China, while sharing advertising revenue with major music labels in a market rife with online piracy. Lee Kai-Fu, president of Google in greater China, said one reason Google lagged in the mainland search market was because it did not offer music downloads, the missing piece to its strategy in a market where it trails leader Baidu.com.
Canadian Lawmaker Wants to Question Google on Maps
An Ottawa-area MP is to ask a federal committee to request the head of Google appear to defend a controversial venture that saw camera-equipped cars prowling 11 Canadian cities taking images. The motion, to be filed by Nepean-Carleton Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, a member of the access to information, privacy and ethics committee, will ask Google Inc. chief executive Eric Schmidt to appear before the Canadian government.
Espionage Network in China Said to Threaten PCs
Nearly 1,300 computers in more than 100 countries have been attacked and have become part of an computer espionage network apparently based in China, security experts alleged in two reports. Computers -- including machines at NATO, governments and embassies -- are infected with software that lets attackers gain complete control of them, according to the reports.
EC Says U.S. Gambling Ban Violates WTO Commitments
A U.S. Justice Department crackdown on European online gambling companies violates U.S. commitments under the World Trade Organization, the European Commission said in a draft report. But the European Union executive, which oversees trade policy for the 27-nation bloc, said it would seek a negotiated solution with the United States rather than file a groundbreaking complaint at the WTO.
Egypt Releases Blogger-Activisit After Seven Weeks
Egyptian authorities have released a 22-year-old Egyptian blogger and activist after nearly seven weeks in detention, an Egyptian human rights group said. Police detained Diaa Eddin Gad on February 6 outside his home in the Nile Delta province of Gharbiya. London-based rights group Amnesty International said in February that his incommunicado detention in an unknown location put him at danger of torture.
Kodak Revises Storage Rules, Highlighting Online Risks
The Kodak Gallery's decision to change its policies on online photo storage illustrates the risks people face as they increasingly rely on privately run services to handle their digital memories and communications. These services often state in the fine print that they can change the rules at any time, and users have little recourse when they do.
