Twitter is being sued for alleged patent infringement by a Texas company that makes mass notification systems for public safety organizations, the military and utilities. Sugar Land, Texas-based TechRadium claims it has three patents, one issued in 2006 the other two this year, protecting the idea for mass notifications, according to the federal suit, which was filed in Houston.
ICANN Study Finds No Evidence of Domain "Front-Running"
ICANN's study of front running -- when "insider information" is gathered by a party from monitoring attempts by an Internet user to check the availability of a domain name, and then that info is used to by that party to register that domain name -- has found no evidence of this actually happening.
Online Scammers Targeting Job Seekers
With unemployment high and rising, more people are streaming onto the Web in search of jobs -- but running into costly scams. Like job seekers, criminals are after moneymaking opportunities online.
Chinese Clinics Treat "Internet Addiction"
So-called "Internet addiction" among Chinese youths has led to a proliferation of clinics around the country that claim to be able to treat the recently defined disorder. China's netizens have played a key role in drawing nationwide attention to recent cases of deaths in prisons and detention centers, so it should be no surprise that they are up in arms over the fate of one of their own.
Harvard Website Tracks Censorship Issues Online
A new Harvard-based website that tracks online censorship. Herdict users report their website problems anonymously -- numeric Internet addresses are recorded but only general location is displayed -- so people can post more freely, encouraging reports about sensitive topics like HIV and AIDS-related sites, and from people in countries with possible government repercussions.
Amazon's Patents Indicate Advertising in E-Books
Amazon is taking steps toward integrating ads into its Kindle e-books with two patents filed that outline the process of incorporating targeted advertising in on-demand generated content. The plan is to serve ads throughout Amazon's Kindle e-books, possibly between chapters or after every 10 pages, and in margins, according to the document.
Obama Still Searching for Cybersecurity Leader
President Barack Obama is still searching for the right person to lead the fight against an epidemic of cybercrime, the White House said as it came under fire following the resignation of a top cybersecurity adviser. Melissa Hathaway, who led a 60-day White House review of cyber policies, resigned and said she had withdrawn her application for the position of cybersecurity coordinator out of frustration over the administration's delays in filling the post.
White House Acting Cybersecurity Czar Resigns
The White House's acting cybersecurity czar announced her resignation, in a setback to the Obama administration's efforts to better protect the computer networks critical to national security and the global economy. The resignation highlights the difficulty the White House has had following through on its cybersecurity effort.
Jury Orders Student to Pay $675,000 for File-Sharing
A federal jury ordered a Boston University graduate student who admitted illegally downloading and sharing music online to pay $675,000 to four record labels. Joel Tenenbaum, of Providence, admitted in court that he downloaded and distributed 30 songs.
Man Charged with Stealing, Selling Domain Name
A northern New Jersey man is charged with stealing a prime piece of Internet real estate and reselling it for $111,000 in the first prosecution of a suspected domain name thief in state history. Authorities say Daniel Goncalves, 25, of Union, hacked into an online account belonging to one of the owners of the P2P.com domain name.
FTC to Continue Google-Apple Board Investigation
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said that the agency will continue to investigate the board of director relationship between Apple and Google. Richard Feinstein, director of the FTC bureau of competition, commended the two companies for recognizing that sharing directors raises competitive issues, in light of the resignation of Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt from Apple's board.
U.S. Worried About "Collateral Damage" from Cyber-Attack
Senior White House officials remain so concerned about the risks of unintended harm to civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure in an attack on computer networks that they decline any official comment on the topic. And senior Defense Department officials and military officers directly involved in planning for the Pentagon's new "cybercommand" acknowledge that the risk of collateral damage is one of their chief concerns.
Student Sues Amazon for Deleting Book from Kindle
A 17-year-old from Michigan has filed a lawsuit against e-commerce powerhouse Amazon after it deleted a book he had purchased for his Kindle device. Justin Gawronski's complaint alleges that he was reading "1984" as summer reading for an advanced-placement class and had to turn in "reflections" on each hundred pages.
FCC Probing Apple's Exclusion of Google Voice App
The Federal Communications Commission is examining a recent decision by Apple to reject an iPhone application developed by Google. The commission sent letters to executives at Apple, Google and AT&T, which is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the United States, saying it was "interested in a more complete understanding of this situation."
British Hacker Loses Appeal Against Extradition
A Briton wanted in the United States for breaking into NASA and Pentagon networks in "the biggest military hack of all time" lost an appeal against his extradition, making a U.S. trial more likely. Gary McKinnon, 43, has fought a three-year battle to avoid extradition, including going to the European Court of Human Rights, but he appeared to have run out of options as Britain's High Court ruled against his latest appeal.
iPhone Has Flaws for Hackers, Security Experts Say
Security experts have uncovered flaws in Apple's iPhone that they said hackers can exploit to take control of the popular device, using the tactic for identity theft and other crimes. Users need to be warned that their iPhones are not entirely secure and Apple should try to repair the vulnerability as soon as possible, they said at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, one of the world's top forums for exchanging information on computer security threats.
Court Orders Pirate Bay Blocked in Netherlands
A Dutch court has ruled in favor of antipiracy foundation BREIN, giving three of The Pirate Bay's co-founders 10 days to block traffic to and from the Netherlands, effectively revoking access to its residents.
EBay Works on Technical, Legal Fights with Skype
EBay is working on software to replace the guts of Skype but is worried that it may not succeed, may lose a court battle with Skype's founders over rights to the core technology and may need to do something drastic in the next few years. The company said in a regulatory filing that if it fails in both the legal and technical avenues it's pursuing then "continued operation of Skype's business as currently conducted would likely not be possible."
Regulators Face Complex Issues in Microsoft-Yahoo Deal
Microsoft and Yahoo's blockbuster deal to form a 10-year partnership in Internet search and advertising lands at a time when the Obama administration is taking an especially hard look at consolidation in the high-tech industry. But the companies say it is the only way to form a credible competitor to the industry's Goliath, Google, which holds 65 percent of the market for Internet search advertising.
Lawmaker Wants Regulation of File-Sharing Services
A senior U.S. lawmaker said that it may be time for the government to regulate companies that provide online file-sharing services after a number of people managed to access FBI files, medical records and Social Security numbers. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns said during a hearing on the safety of peer-to-peer software that he was astonished at privacy breaches involving LimeWire, operated by the Lime Group.
