Rival environmental groups are lining up supporters to try to take control of a new net domain aimed at green groups. At least two consortiums are known to be preparing bids to control .eco.
Twitter, Facebook Hit by Denial-of-Service Attacks
Social networks Twitter, Facebook and LiveJournal were overwhelmed by denial-of-service attacks disrupting access to more than 300 million users. Botnets -- thousands of infected home and workplace PCs -- flooded the websites with nuisance requests, thus cutting off access to anyone else.
Phishing Attacks Up 52% in July, Symantec Reports
Phishing attacks rose 52 percent in July while spam as a percentage of all e-mail stayed about the same compared with the previous month, according to the latest reports from Symantec that tracked spam and phishing activity for the month.
Chinese Police Probe Death at Internet Addict Camp
Chinese police are investigating a bootcamp for Internet addicts after a teenage boy died, apparently following a severe beating, just hours after checking in, the official Xinhua news agency said. Four trainers from the camp were detained in connection with 15 year-old Deng Senshan's death, after injuries were found all over his body, Chinese media quoted local government officials as saying.
Apple Rejects iPhone App Over "Urban Slang"
Apple insists it didn't reject a dictionary app for including common swear words. It rejected the app for "providing access" to offensive "urban slang."
Pentagon Considers Rules for Social Networking Sites
The Pentagon has launched a study of social networking websites and tools, part of an effort to craft policies on how the military should utilize services such as Twitter, MySpace and Facebook. Officials said they needed to develop rules that would allow the military to take advantage of the speedy communications that social networking sites offer without exposing sensitive information or computer networks to risks.
ESPN Limits Employees' Use of Twitter, Facebook
ESPN has apparently banned its workforce from posting any sports-related content on social-networking tools such as Twitter and Facebook without its permission. In a memo, ESPN tells employees that it is "currently building and testing modules designed to publish Twitter and Facebook entries simultaneously" on ESPN Web sites and mobile platforms, and it plans to roll out the modules this fall.
Company Sues Twitter for Patent Infringement
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.
