The United States and Russia are locked in a fundamental dispute over how to counter the growing threat of cyberwar attacks that could wreak havoc on computer systems and the Internet. Russia favors an international treaty along the lines of those negotiated for chemical weapons and has pushed for that approach at a series of meetings this year and in public statements by a high-ranking official, while the United States argues that a treaty is unnecessary.
PC Makers Preparing for Internet Filters in China
Less than a week before a deadline for PC makers to install censorship software on all computers sold in China, some say they are prepared to implement it even as they quietly continue to lobby against it. Sources at PC makers said while they were prepared to implement the ruling, they would probably wait until the last minute before sending the software to their distributors.
Ex-Cybersecurity Leader Leader Named CEO of ICANN
Former U.S. cybersecurity official Rod Beckstrom has been named the new CEO and president of ICANN. As director of the U.S. National Cybersecurity Center, he oversaw a large, disparate agency spanning civilian, military and intelligence communities.
News of Jackson's Death Slows Some Traffic Online
The biggest showbiz story of the year -- the death of Michael Jackson -- saw the troubled star take a good slice of the Internet with him, as the ripples caused by the news of his death swept around the globe. "Between approximately 2:40 p.m. PDT and 3:15 p.m. PDT today, some Google News users experienced difficulty accessing search results for queries related to Michael Jackson," a Google spokesman told CNET, which also reported that Google News users complained that the service was inaccessible for a time.
Swedish Court Rejects Retrial for Pirate Bay
A Swedish court has thrown out a request for a retrial by the four men behind The Pirate Bay website. The four were found guilty of promoting copyright infringement in April and face jail sentences and hefty claims for damages.
China Limits Online Access to Health, Sex Material
The Chinese Health Ministry ordered sharp restrictions on Internet access to medical research papers on sexual subjects, the latest move in what it calls an anti-pornography campaign that many China experts see as a harbinger of a broader crackdown on freedom of expression and dissent. In the past month, central government officials have cited a need to control pornography in ordering that filtering software be installed on all new computers sold in China starting July 1.
British Government Plans to Create Cybersecurity Agency
The U.K. government plans to form a cybersecurity agency, with functions including cyberattack capability. The Office of Cyber Security, dedicated to protecting Britain's IT infrastructure, will be created with a model proposed -- and in part practiced by -- the U.S.
Apple Approves iPhone App with Nudity
Apple has finally allowed pornography, or at least nudity, into the iTunes App Store. The change in Apple’s porn policy is likely a result of expanded parental controls in the new iPhone 3.0 OS software.
Increase in Copyright Fees Prompts Hike from Sirius XM
The Copyright Royalty Board has raised music royalty fees and Sirius XM will pass those costs on to customers starting next month. Royalty rates have risen steadily since 2007 when the CRB established performance royalty rates for satellite radio.
U.S. Officials Urge China to Drop Internet Filtering Mandate
Top U.S. officials urged China to abandon its proposal to require Internet filters installed on personal computers starting next month, warning the step could violate world trade rules. "China is putting companies in an untenable position by requiring them, with virtually no public notice, to pre-install software that appears to have broad-based censorship implications and network security issues," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in a statement.
Venture Capitalist Inadvertently Spreads Malware on Twitter
Guy Kawasaki, a venture capitalist and avid Twitter user, inadvertently sent followers to a malware-infected site from an update posted to his account. The tweet appeared because his account is configured to show updates from NowPublic, a user-contributed news site, where, he said, a "story that shouldn't have gotten into the feed" appeared.
Blogger Arrested for Threatening to Kill Judges
A blogger and Internet radio talk-show host in New Jersey was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill three federal appeals court judges in Chicago, Illinois. The judges had recently upheld a ban on handguns in Chicago and suburban Oak Park.
U.K. Furnitre Store Apologizes for Exploiting Iran Online
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.
