A Santa Barbara company said that the Internet-filtering software that China has mandated for all new personal computers sold in that country contains stolen programming code. Solid Oak Software Inc. said parts of its filtering program, which is designed for parents, can be found in the Green Dam Youth Escort filtering software that must be packaged with all computers sold in China starting next month.
Many IT Workers Access Sensitive Data, Survey Says
In a survey of more than 400 senior IT professionals in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, Cyber-Ark Software, a Newton, Mass.-based security-software company, found that 35% of IT administrators admitted to accessing corporate information like human-resources records, customer databases and M&A plans, up from 33% a year ago. Moreover, if fired, 47% of the staffers surveyed said that they would take company financial reports and M&A plans with them, a sixfold increase from the previous year's survey.
Microsoft to Sell Windows Without Browser in Europe
Countering pressure from European regulators, Microsoft plans to ship the newest version of its Windows operating system in Europe without its Internet Explorer web browser. The abrupt reversal comes shortly before the European Commission is due to rule on antitrust charges brought against Microsoft in January, claiming that the world's largest software company abuses its dominant position by bundling its Internet Explorer browser, shielding it from head-to-head competition with rival products.
Microsoft Settles Miss. Antitrust Suit for $100 Million
The U.S. state of Mississippi settled an antitrust suit with Microsoft for $100 million and said businesses, individuals, schools and local government were eligible for a share of the money. "They (Microsoft) were over-charging customers and creating a monopoly... Anyone who made a purchase from January 1, 1996, to today is eligible for a share of the money," said Jan Schaefer, spokeswoman for Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood.
Group Launches Campaign Against "Ugly" Internet Laws
NetChoice, a group backed by AOL, Yahoo, eBay, Oracle and other online companies, launched a campaign against proposed laws across the country that it says would harm e-commerce and consumers. The list is dubbed iAwful, a catchy acronym for Internet Advocates' Watchlist for Ugly Laws.
Facebook Disables "I Hate Muslims" Group
While it stopped short of changing its stance with respect to Holocaust-denial groups on its Web site, Facebook has confirmed that it has disabled a group called "I Hate Muslims in Oz." "We disabled the 'I Hate Muslims in Oz' group a day or so ago because it contained an explicit statement of hate," Facebook's Barry Schnitt said in an e-mail.
Judge Dismisses Patent Suit Over Wii's Parental Controls
Nintendo Co., the maker of the Wii video-game system, won dismissal of a Texas company's claim that the system infringed its patent for a way to impose parental controls on video systems. A federal judge in Los Angeles said the Wii doesn’t use technology patented by Guardian Media Technologies Ltd.
Composers Want Copyright Law Changes for Downloads
Composers, along with publishers, are urging Congress to change copyright law so that when music airs in an audio-visual download, it is considered a public performance that earns them royalties. The stakes are high: Industry experts believe composers could potentially earn nearly $100 million in additional royalty payments annually as Internet viewing grows -- if the law was changed to deem downloads of music in audio-visual works as public performances.
French Council Limits Internet Piracy Plan
The highest constitutional body in France defanged the government's plan to cut off the Internet connections of digital pirates, saying the authorities had no right to do so without obtaining court approval. The decision, by the Constitutional Council, which reviews legislation approved by Parliament before it goes into effect, is a major setback for the music and movie industries, which had praised the French law as a model solution to the problem of illegal file-sharing.
U.S. Tech Group Wants China to Reconsider Filters
A Washington-based group representing information technology companies called on China to reconsider its requirement that Internet filtering software be bundled with new computers. Chinese regulations mandate "Green Dam," a program developed by Jinhui Computer System Engineering Co., be pre-installed on personal computers manufactured or shipped after July 1.
DOJ Formally Notifies Google of Book Investigation
Google has received formal notice from the U.S. Justice Department that antitrust investigators are looking into its settlement with publishers that would help make millions of books available online. The Justice Department's antitrust division has also sent formal information requests to Lagardere's Hachette Book Group and another publisher.
Symantec, McAfee Agree to Better Disclose Renewal Policies
Security software vendors Symantec and McAfee will pay a combined $750,000 and disclose more to consumers about their renewal policies under an agreement announced by New York's attorney general.
Court Blocks NYC in Internet Cigarette Sales Case
New York's top court says New York City lacks legal standing to sue Internet cigarette retailers for lost taxes under state business laws.
NASA Hacker Faces "Psychotic Disruption," Lawyer Says
Lawyers acting for Gary McKinnon say the self-confessed NASA hacker runs the risk of becoming psychotic and suicidal if his extradition to the U.S. goes ahead. Edward Fitzgerald, QC, described the risk during a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
T-Mobile Says Customer Data Leaked But Not Hacked
A T-Mobile spokesman said that data someone posted to a security e-mail list over the weekend was legitimate T-Mobile data but not customer information and that the phone company's network was not hacked or breached as the poster claimed. The statement raises more questions than it answers.
Spam Drops After FTC Shuts Down ISP Pricewert
According to Symantec, the Cutwail botnet -- one of the most notorious botnets, accounting for up to 35 percent of all spam in May across the globe -- experienced a major blow to its track record after the shutdown of Internet service provider Pricewert. The FTC charged that Pricewert's distribution of illegal, malicious, and harmful content and deployment of botnets that compromised thousands of computers caused substantial consumer injury and was an unfair practice, in violation of federal law.
Chinese Internet Users Criticize Filtering Requirement
Some Chinese Internet users criticized a government plan to require personal computer makers to ship Internet-filtering software with all new PCs, after state-run media publicized details of the initiative. Some worried that the program could be used to collect private user data -- something the primary developer says it has no intention of doing, though it is technically possible.
Most Companies Unaware of Plan to Expand Domain System
Two thirds of businesses are unaware they will be able to use their own name in place of domain extensions such as .com, .org, or .net when Internet domains are liberalized next year, according to a survey. The change would let the likes of Nike or Microsoft control their own domain and better exploit their brands, and also counter cyber-squatters who use variations of brands on the 280 or so existing domain extensions.
China to Require Blocking Software on All PCs
China plans to require that all personal computers sold in the country as of July 1 be shipped with software that blocks access to certain Web sites, a move that could give government censors unprecedented control over how Chinese users access the Internet. The government, which has told global PC makers of the requirement but has yet to announce it to the public, says the effort is aimed at protecting young people from "harmful" content.
T-Mobile Investigating Hacker's Allegations
T-Mobile USA is looking into claims that a hacker has broken into its data bases and stolen customer and company information. In a post, the hacker claims to have gotten access to "everything, their databases, confidential documents, scripts and programs from their servers, financial documents up to 2009."
