Google is more than a fabulously successful company -- it is a cultural phenomenon facing increasing U.S. government scrutiny despite its chief executive's campaign support for President Barack Obama. The No. 1 Internet search company and provider of text-based search ads is finding size attracts attention from antitrust enforcers still party to a settlement with personal computer operating system giant Microsoft Corp.
Tech Companies Worried About Obama's Tax Proposal
President Obama's plan to impose U.S. taxes on corporate America's overseas profits threatens to open a big crater in the financial statements of technology companies. While additional taxes are rarely popular, Obama's decision to go after corporate earnings outside the United States is a particularly prickly subject for technology executives because the industry has been steadily boosting its overseas sales amid rising demand for its gadgetry and services.
12 Million PCs Hijacked Since January, Report Says
The Conficker worm, which has set off many a recent security alarm bell, may just be a small fry, compared to the growing number of botnets, viruses, and worms infecting cyberspace. According to a report released from security vendor McAfee, cybercriminals have hijacked 12 million new computers since January with an array of new malware.
Libraries Seek Stimulus Grants for Internet Access
The American Library Association is trying to convince the federal agencies in charge of doling out stimulus grants that libraries are the best way to extend high-speed service to the most people. The group released a survey in which nearly 60% of libraries said their Internet connections couldn't meet bandwidth demands at peak hours.
House Hearing to Focus on Peer-to-Peer Service Notices
The U.S. House of Representatives has scheduled a hearing to examine a bill that would force peer-to-peer applications to provide specific notice to consumers that their files might be shared. The hearing before a House Energy subcommittee comes about a month after reports that specifications about the helicopter used as Marine One may have been leaked through a P2P network.
EU Info Chief Wants ICANN to Drop U.S. Ties
The body in charge of assigning Internet addresses such as .com and .net should be shorn of its U.S. government links from October and made fully independent, the European Union's information society chief said. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a not-for-profit organization set up in 1998 but operates under the aegis of the U.S. Department of Commerce, a set-up that raises concerns for some as the Internet is seen as belonging to a wider constituency.
Craiglist to Discuss Sex Ads with Attorneys General
Three state attorneys general plan to meet with Craigslist representatives to begin negotiations toward eliminating advertisements from the site for prostitution and other suspected illegal sexual activities. State attorneys general from Missouri, Illinois, and Connecticut will represent a group of state attorneys general in a meeting in New York City with representatives of the Web site.
EU to Propose Sweeping Copyright License Online
Two European commissioners are proposing the creation of a Europewide copyright license for online content that could clear the way for cross-border sales of digital music, games and video -- and lower prices for consumers. The plan, to be offered by Viviane Reding, the European telecommunications and media commissioner, and Meglena Kuneva, the consumer affairs commissioner of the bloc, would allow consumers to shop online for media from any retailer in the 27-nation European Union.
FTC Investigating Board Ties Between Apple, Google
The Federal Trade Commission has begun an inquiry into whether the close ties among the boards of two of technology's most prominent companies, Apple and Google, amount to a violation of antitrust laws, according to several people briefed on the inquiry. Apple and Google share two directors, Eric E. Schmidt, chief executive of Google, and Arthur Levinson, former chief executive of Genentech.
British Spy Agency Disavows Broad Internet Plans
The UK's electronic intelligence agency has taken the unusual step of issuing a statement to deny it will track all UK internet and online phone use. Government Communications Headquarters said it was developing tracking technology but "only acts when it is necessary" and "does not spy at will."
Court Rejects Nebraska's Attempt to Tax Vonage
The latest attempt to level state taxes on VoIP service has failed after the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned down an appeal by the Nebraska Public Service Commission to compel Vonage users to pay taxes on their service.
Experts Want Cybersecureity Chief in White House
The cybersecurity chief named to battle Internet viruses and larger challenges facing the information technology networks used by U.S. companies and national defense should be based in the White House, experts told a congressional panel. Cybersecurity is important enough to warrant a White House staffer with real authority and a real budget, said Larry Clinton, president of the Internet Security Alliance and one of those who made recommendations to the Obama team.
E-mail Promoting Swine Flu Vaccine Called Malware
An e-mail referencing a vaccine for swine flu is circulating that includes a link to a malicious file on a Mexican Web site that is designed to steal bank log-in information, security firm SonicWall said. The e-mail, which is in Spanish, has a link to the Qhost.NJI Trojan on a Web site that appears to be legitimate but has probably been hacked, said Nick Bilogorskiy, manager of antivirus research at SonicWall.
LimeWire Tells Congress Its File-Sharing is "Most Secure"
In response to the reopening of an investigation into inadvertent file sharing with peer-to-peer software, an executive for Lime Wire told Congress in a letter that the new version of the program is "the most secure file-sharing software available." The main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives reopened a probe of Lime Wire and other peer-to-peer file-sharing companies, citing data breaches blamed on the technology.
More Countries Controlling Information Flow Online
The Internet is no longer just an essential channel for commerce, entertainment and information. It has also become a stage for state control -- and rebellion against it. Computers are becoming more crucial in global conflicts, not only in spying and military action, but also in determining what information reaches people around the globe.
Minnesota Wants ISPs to Block Gambling Websites
The state of Minnesota has handed Internet providers a 7-page blacklist of gambling Web sites that they're supposed to prevent customers from accessing, a move that raises First Amendment and technical concerns. "We are putting site operators and Minnesota online gamblers on notice and in advance," said John Willems, a Minnesota Department of Public Safety official, in a statement. Companies that received the list of off-limits Web sites include AT&T, Comcast, Qwest, and Sprint/Nextel.
FERC May Get New Powers to Defend Cyber Attack
Key lawmakers in the House and Senate are seeking to grant federal regulators new powers to protect the U.S. power grid in the face of an imminent or actual cyber attack on the nation's electric infrastructure. The proposal would grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authority to require companies that own and operate critical portions of the power grid to take emergency actions to mitigate a specific cyber threat against power generation equipment or the communications networks that support those systems.
Facebook Stops Phishing Attack for Second Day
Facebook stopped a phishing attack, its second day in a row of dealing with a worm on the site that lures people to a fake Facebook page and prompts them to log in. Unsuspecting Facebook users get a message from a friend urging them to "check this out" and including a link to a Web page that appears to be a Facebook log-in page, but it is a fake site that steals their information when they type in their username and password.
France Revives Debate on Internet Piracy Bill
French parliamentarians revived debate on a bill to crack down on Internet piracy at the behest of President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday after it had been the subject of an embarrassing defeat for the ruling party. France's parliament rejected on April 9 the government-backed bill that proposed disconnecting Internet users if they downloaded music or films illegally, after the ruling UMP party failed to turn out in force to back the law.
Microsoft Files Defense in EU Antitrust Case
Microsoft has submitted a lengthy defense in the latest European antitrust case it faces, saying its practice of bundling the Internet Explorer Web browser with the Windows operating system did not violate European law. Microsoft filed the response of roughly 250 pages to European competition authorities.
