Furniture store Habitat has apologised for causing offence after accusations it exploited unrest in Iran to drive online Twitter users to its products. Keywords -- called hashtags -- such as 'Iran' and 'Mousavi' were added to its messages so people searching for those subjects would see the firm's adverts.
Defense Secretary Creates Cyber Security Military Command
Defense Secretary Robert Gates created a new military command dedicated to cyber security, reflecting the Obama administration's plans to centralize and elevate computer security as a major national-security issue. In a memo to senior Pentagon officials, Mr. Gates said he intends to recommend that Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, take on the additional role as commander of the Cyber Command with the rank of a four-star general.
TJX Cos. to Pay $9.75 Million in Data Theft Settlement
The parent company of retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshall's will pay $9.75 million in a settlement with multiple states related to a massive data theft that exposed tens of millions of payment card numbers. Framingham, Mass.-based TJX Cos. said it will pay $2.5 million to create a data security fund for states as well as a settlement amount of $5.5 million and $1.75 million to cover expenses related to the states' investigations.
EU Sets Privacy Guidelines for Social-Networking Sites
European regulators have laid out operating guidelines for Facebook, MySpace and other social-networking Web sites to ensure they comply with the region's privacy laws, in a move to address concerns about the handling of users' personal information. Regulators here say social-network users are protected by the 27-nation EU's strict privacy laws, which require Web sites to warn users of privacy risks and limit the sites' ability to target advertising based on members' race, religion or other sensitive categories.
Former Net Gambling Executives Enter Guilty Pleas
Three former executives of the online sports gambling website BetOnSports, including two of the Costa Rica-based company founder's siblings, pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges. Company founder Gary Kaplan's brother and sister -- Neil Scott Kaplan, 43, and Lori Beth Kaplan-Multz, 48 -- and former personal assistant, Penelope Ann Tucker, 64, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
German Court Allows Students to Rate Teachers Online
A German court ruled that schoolchildren may rate their teachers online, rejecting the case of a woman who argued her rights had been infringed by pupils who gave her bad grades on a popular website. The Federal Court of Justice found that the rights of the woman, a teacher of German and religion, had not been compromised by the ratings and that pupils had a right to offer an opinion as long as they did not hinder her professionally.
Italian Court Postpones Trial Over Google Videos
An Italian court postponed the trial against four Google executives accused of defamation and violating privacy for allowing a video to be posted online showing an autistic youth being abused. The case could set the tone for new limits on sharing videos and other content on the Web.
New Guidelines Would Let FTC Go After Bloggers
New guidelines, expected to be approved late this summer with possible modifications, would clarify that the Federal Trade Commission can go after bloggers -- as well as the companies that compensate them -- for any false claims or failure to disclose conflicts of interest. It would be the first time the FTC tries to patrol systematically what bloggers say and do online.
Chinese Web Users Call for Boycott Over Filtering
Chinese Internet users are calling on fellow web surfers to stay offline on July 1, the debut of a controversial software filter that critics say the Chinese government is using to tighten censorship. New regulations from Beijing mandate "Green Dam," a program sold by Jinhui Computer System Engineering Co., be pre-installed on personal computers manufactured or shipped after July 1.
European Commission Want Smaller U.S. Role for ICANN
The European Commission has called on the United States to let the Internet's main governing body become accountable to the whole of the world. ICANN should be accountable to the governments of the world, but is currently accountable only to the U.S. government, the Commission said.
Mitnick Tells Hackers: "Don't Follow in My Footsteps"
In the first in a three-part Q&A series with hackers, CNET News talked to Kevin Mitnick -- who pleaded guilty to wire and computer fraud charges -- about what got him interested in computers in the first place, the differences between hacking today and three decades ago, and whether it's wise to hire a former black hat hacker to do security work.
Survey Shows 8% Admit to Illegal Video Downloads
Eight percent of all consumers in Britain, France, Germany and the United States admit to downloading video illegally from the Internet, according to a survey, showing the scale of the ongoing fight against piracy. Two-thirds of those surveyed in Britain often or sometimes watched TV, movies and video on their PC or laptop computer, with U.S. consumers not far behind.
City Stops Requiring Passwords from Job Applicants
The city of Bozeman, Mont., has rescinded its long-standing policy that job applicants provide user names and passwords to social-networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. According to a press release: "The extent of our request for a candidate's password, user name, or other internet information appears to have exceeded that which is acceptable to our community."
In N.C. Tax Spat, Amazon Threatens Sales Commissions
Amazon.com has threatened to cut off sales commissions in North Carolina for referrals to the online retailer if a new tax proposal becomes law. Multiple media outlets reported the Legislature is considering a way to collect sales taxes for so-called "click-through" transactions.
European Technology Helps Iran Censor Internet
The Iranian regime has developed, with the assistance of European telecommunications companies, one of the world's most sophisticated mechanisms for controlling and censoring the Internet, allowing it to examine the content of individual online communications on a massive scale. Interviews with technology experts in Iran and outside the country say Iranian efforts at monitoring Internet information go well beyond blocking access to Web sites or severing Internet connections.
Woman Ordered to Pay $1.92 Million for File-Sharing
Jammie Thomas-Rasset was found guilty of willful copyright infringement in a Minneapolis federal court and must pay the recording industry $1.92 million. In a surprise decision, the jury imposed damages against Thomas-Rasset, who was originally accused to sharing more than 1,700 songs, at a whopping $80,000 for each of the 24 songs she was ultimately found guilty of illegally sharing.
PC Makers Say China Not Relaxing Censorship Stance
American computer makers say the Chinese government has not backed down from a requirement that Internet censorship software be preinstalled on all computers sold in China after July 1, despite reports that the rule had been relaxed. In a further sign that Chinese officials are trying to assert more Internet control, the city of Beijing wants to recruit 10,000 volunteers by summer's end to monitor online content, said an employee of the city government's Spiritual Civilization Office.
China Complains About "Vulgar Links" on Google
China's Internet watchdog condemned the Chinese-language version of Google for "disseminating pornographic and vulgar information." The China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center said it had complained twice to Google about the "pornographic and vulgar links" available through its search engine.
Facebook Defends Its Behavioral Targeting Practices
Facebook's targeted advertising program is "materially different from behavioral targeting as it is usually discussed," Chris Kelly, the social network's chief privacy officer, said in remarks prepared for a earing before two House subcommittees. "In offering its free service to users, Facebook is dedicated to developing advertising that is relevant and personal without invading users' privacy, and to giving users more control over how their personal information is used in the online advertising environment," read the remarks for two subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce.
French Music Group Sues YouTube for Infringement
A rights collection org repping indie Gallic record labels has filed a lawsuit accusing YouTube of copyright infringement. Gaul's Societe Civile des Producteurs de Phonogrammes en France (SPPF) lodged the suit with Paris superior court Tribunal de Grand Instance, which handles civil offenses, the org's director general, Jerome Roger, told Agence France Presse.
