As you've likely heard by now, the Federal Trade Commission is trying to reign in freebie-grabbing bloggers and graft-happy social media users masquerading as unbiased critics. But "that $11,000 fine is not true," said Richard Cleland, assistant director, division of advertising practices at the FTC.
FCC Chairman Still Pushing Net Neutrality Rules
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said that recent moves by wireless companies to open their networks to more services do not eliminate the need for broader rules to force providers to allow equal access to Web content. The remarks by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski came after steps by the top cellphone service operators -- AT&T and Verizon Wireless -- to open their networks more broadly.
EU Gives Preliminary Approval to Microsoft's Pledges
The European Union has voiced its approval for Microsoft's latest pledges to curb its anti-competitive practices. The technology giant has agreed to give customers a wider choice of web browser through its Windows operating system and to share information with rivals.
Comcast Test-Launches Virus Notification Service
Comcast is launching a trial of a new automated service that will warn broadband customers of possible virus infections, if the computers are behaving as if they have been compromised by malware. For instance, a significant overnight spike in traffic being sent from a particular Internet Protocol address could signal that a computer is infected with a virus taking control of the system and using it to send spam as part of a botnet.
FBI Arrests 53 People in Financial Phishing Scam
In what law enforcement officials are calling Operation Phish Phry, the FBI began arresting 53 people on charges of conducting a vast financial fraud based on phishing -- the act of tricking Internet users into revealing passwords and other information. The arrests were in Southern California, Nevada and North Carolina, while authorities in Egypt sought to arrest 47 people whom the FBI said were co-conspirators.
EU Set to Settle Antitrust Case with Microsoft
European Union regulators said they were preparing to settle a long and costly antitrust battle with Microsoft with a deal to give Windows users a choice of web browsers. Microsoft promised the changes after the EU charged it with monopoly abuse for tying the Internet Explorer browser to the Windows operating system installed on most of the world's desktop computers.
Rights Activists Criticize Arrest of Twitter User
The arrest of a New Yorker for using Twitter to alert protesters to police movements at a meeting of world leaders in Pittsburgh would be deemed a human rights violation if it happened in Iran or China, rights activists charge. Pittsburgh police arrested Elliot Madison, 41, on September 24 as hundreds of people -- some throwing rocks and breaking shop windows -- protested on the first day of a summit of the Group of 20 rich and developing nations.
RealNetworks to Appeal Decision on DVD-Copying Software
RealNetworks, a maker of media software, has said it will file an appeal and ask that a district court decision to ban sales of its DVD-copying software, RealDVD, be overturned. In August, a federal district judge issued a preliminary injunction to halt sales of the $30 software, which enables users to create digital copies of DVDs and then store them on a hard drive.
Most Companies Limiting Employees' Use of Social Networks
Workers who want to share the latest news with Facebook friends and Twitter followers will need to wait until after hours or risk violating company policy, according to a survey released by Robert Half Technology. More than half (54 percent) of chief information officers interviewed for the survey said their firms do not allow employees to visit social networking sites for any reason while at work.
Gmail Accounts Targeted by Phishing Scheme
Google's web-based e-mail system, Gmail, has been targeted as part of an "industry-wide phishing scheme." The firm said that it had immediately safeguarded the affected accounts.
AT&T to Let iPhone Customers Use VoIP Services
AT&T said that it would no longer prevent customers with the iPhone from using Internet telephone services that bypass its own voice network. Until now, AT&T wouldn’t let users of voice chat services like Skype from connecting over its wireless data network.
YouTube Workers May Have Known of Infringing Content
Lawyers working on a $1 billion copyright lawsuit filed by Viacom against Google's YouTube may have uncovered evidence that employees of the video site were among those who uploaded unauthorized content to YouTube. In addition, internal YouTube e-mails indicate that YouTube managers knew and discussed the existence of unauthorized content on the site with employees but chose not to remove the material, three sources with knowledge of the case told CNET.
Eolas Files Patent Suit Against High-Profile Companies
Eolas Technologies, a company that ground through a years-long patent infringement lawsuit against Microsoft, now has sued a large swath of corporate powers for infringement of that same patent and another related patent concerning interactive programs on Web sites.
FTC Vote Requires Bloggers to Disclose Endorsements
The Federal Trade Commission will try to regulate blogging for the first time, requiring writers on the Web to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could bring fines up to $11,000 per violation.
Thousands of Hotmail Accounts Fall to Phishing Attack
Thousands of accounts on web-based e-mail system Hotmail have been compromised in a phishing attack, software giant Microsoft has confirmed. BBC News has seen a list of more than 10,000 e-mail accounts, predominantly originating from Europe, and passwords which were posted online.
More Republicans Oppose Network Neutrality Rules
Republican opposition is mounting as federal regulators prepare to vote this month on so-called "network neutrality" rules, which would prohibit broadband providers from favoring or discriminating against certain types of Internet traffic flowing over their lines. Twenty House Republicans -- including most of the Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee -- sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski on Monday urging him to delay the Oct. 22 vote on his net neutrality plan.
Pirate Bay Goes Offline Again After Copyright Demand
The Pirate Bay was once again inaccessible after a group representing copyright owners forced the BitTorrent search engine's bandwidth provider to cut off service, according to a published report. NForce, the Pirate Bay's latest Internet service provider, complied with a request to shut off service to The Pirate Bay made by Netherlands-based antipiracy group Brein, according to online news site Tweakers.net.
Google Says Deleting Pirate Bay Listing Was Error
Google said that an error caused the search engine to remove The Pirate Bay from its search pages. "Google received a (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) take-down request that erroneously listed Thepiratebay.org, and as a result, this URL was accidentally removed from the Google search index," Google said in a statement.
Man Arrested for Secret Videos of ESPN Sportscaster
A Chicago-area man is the creep behind the secret nude video tapes made of sexy ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews undressing in her hotel room, according to the FBI. The feds arrested Michael David Barrett, 48, of Westmont, Ill., on charges of interstate stalking, officials said.
Lawmakers Want Delay on Internet Gambling Ban
U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank and other lawmakers urged regulators to delay the December 1 implementation of financial rules to enforce a ban on Internet gambling. Enforcing the rules in two months time would put an unreasonable burden on regulators and the financial services industry at a time of economic crisis, the lawmakers said.
