Hackers broke into the University of California at Berkeley's health services center computer and potentially stole the personal information of more than 160,000 students, alumni, and others, the university announced. At particular risk of identity theft are some 97,000 individuals whose Social Security numbers were accessed in the breach, but it's still unclear whether hackers were able to match up those SSNs with individual names, said Shelton Waggener, UCB's chief technology officer.
Attorney Wants Facebook to Remove Holocaust Deniers
Attorney Brian Cuban, brother of Dallas Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban, has been trying since last year to have the pages of groups with such names as "Holocaust: A Series of Lies," and "Holocaust is a Holohoax" removed from Facebook. He pointed out that Facebook has removed groups based on complaints before and said the site is "setting the subjective standard on what they remove and what they don't."
EU Proposal Would Hold Software Companies Liable
Software companies could be held responsible for the security and efficacy of their products, if a new European Commission consumer protection proposal becomes law. Commissioners Viviane Reding and Meglena Kuneva have proposed that EU consumer protections for physical products be extended to software.
Court Reinstates Suit Against Yahoo Over Nude Photos
A U.S. appeals court reinstated a breach of contract claim against Yahoo by an Oregon woman who said the company failed to remove nude photos and fake profiles posted by her estranged boyfriend after promising to do so. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Cynthia Barnes could sue Yahoo for agreeing, then failing to stop the "dangerous, cruel, and highly indecent" use of its site by the ex-boyfriend.
FBI Seeking Hackers of Pharmaceutical Records
The FBI and Virginia State Police are searching for hackers who demanded that the state pay them a $10 million ransom by for the return of millions of personal pharmaceutical records they say they stole from the state's prescription drug database. The hackers claim to have accessed 8 million patient records and 35 million prescriptions collected by the Prescription Monitoring Program.
FAA Systems Breached by Hackes, Report Says
Hackers have broken into the air traffic control mission-support systems of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration several times in recent years, according to an Inspector General report sent to the FAA. In February, hackers compromised an FAA public-facing computer and used it to gain access to personally identifiable information, such as Social Security numbers, on 48,000 current and former FAA employees, the report said.
Google Dismisses Conflict with Apple's Board
Google executives acknowledged that the Federal Trade Commission is inquiring about the antitrust implications of the ties between the Google and Apple boards. But they said they do not believe that the fact that Apple and Google share two directors -- Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Google, and Arthur Levinson, the former chief executive of Genentech -- is a problem.
Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Reverse Gambling Ban
Legislation aimed at reversing a 3-year-old ban on Americans placing online bets was introduced by U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank. The Internet Gambling Regulation Consumer Protection & Enforcement Act would establish a federal regulatory and enforcement framework for online gaming.
Pentagon Considers Cyber-Command to Protect Computers
The Pentagon is considering whether to create a new cyber-command that would oversee government efforts to protect the military's computer networks and would also assist in protecting the civilian government networks, the head of the National Security Agency said. The new command would be headquartered at Fort Meade, the NSA's director, Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, told the House Armed Services terrorism subcommittee.
European Commission Wants Better Reporting of Breaches
The European Commission said that it would pursue a new law that would require most businesses, agencies and organizations in Europe to notify consumers when they lose sensitive customer data. Viviane Reding, the European telecommunications commissioner, said the commission, the executive arm of the European Union, would seek approval by the end of 2012 for a broad mandate requiring notification when data are lost or stolen.
European Parliament Rejects Illegal Downloading Measures
The European Parliament rejected attempts by EU governments to crackdown on illegal downloaders of music and film. The measures were part of proposals to update Europe-wide telecommunications rules.
Cybercriminals Using Fake Search Site, Firm Warns
Cybercriminals have moved on from search engine optimization techniques and are now creating fake search sites designed solely to direct Web surfers to pages hosting malware, Panda Security warned.
Google's Popularity Prompts Legal Scrutiny
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.
