U.S. communications regulators voted unanimously to support an open Internet rule that would prevent telecom network operators from barring or blocking content based on the revenue it generated. The proposed rule now goes to the public for comment until January 14, after which the Federal Communications Commissions will review the feedback and possibly seek more comment.
Nokia Files Patent Suit Against Apple Over iPhone
Top global cellphone maker Nokia Oyj charged Apple with infringing Nokia patents, accusing the iPhone maker of trying to hitch a "free-ride" on Nokia's technology investments. The 10 patents in the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. state of Delaware, relate to technologies fundamental to devices using GSM, UMTS and/or wireless local area network standards, Nokia said.
Report Outlines China's Abilities for Cyberwarfare
In war and possibly in peace, China will wage cyberwar to control the information flow and dominate the battle space, according to a new report compiled for a congressional commission.
AAA Gets aaa.net Domain Name in Consent Order
A man accused of cybersquatting has agreed to end a federal lawsuit by relinquishing an Internet domain name to AAA. A newly filed consent order requires James M. Van Johns to transfer the site AAA.net to the auto club, whose legitimate site is AAA.com.
Judge Dismisses Prostitution Suit Against Craigslist
U.S. District Judge John Grady tossed out a civil complaint, filed in March by the sheriff of Illinois' Cook County, which accused Craigslist of being a public nuisance and of violating federal, state and local prostitution laws. Sheriff Tom Dart even alleged in his lawsuit that Craigslist "solicits for a prostitute... by arranging meetings of persons for purposes of prostitution."
EU Shows Concern About Oracle's Purchase of Sun
Oracle has so far failed to produce evidence to ease concerns that its purchase of Sun Microsystems would be anti-competitive, the EU has said. Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said she was "disappointed" by the lack of proposals to placate EU worries.
AT&T, Verizon Support FCC's Open Internet Principles
AT&T and Verizon Communications are among the most vocal opponents to Net neutrality regulation, but the phone companies' top lobbyists reiterated at the Supercomm 2009 trade show that they would be alright with some regulation, so long as it isn't too far-reaching. Jim Cicconi, senior executive vice president at AT&T, and Tom Tauke, senior vice president for Public Policy at Verizon Communications, said their companies support the Federal Communications Commission's existing open Internet principles.
ChoicePoint to Pay $275,000 Fine for Data Breach
ChoicePoint Inc., one of the nation's consumer data brokers, agreed to pay $275,000 to federal regulators as a result of a data breach last year that exposed Social Security numbers and other personal information on 13,750 people. The agreement comes in response to claims by the Federal Trade Commission that ChoicePoint violated the terms of a settlement reached following a separate data breach at the company in 2005 that led to hundreds of cases of identity theft.
AT&T Urges Managers to Oppose Net Neutrality
Advocacy groups say AT&T has gone too far in its lobbying efforts to oppose the Federal Communications Commission's new proposed Net neutrality regulations. AT&T's top lobbyist Jim Cicconi sent a memo to managers urging them to encourage their families and friends "to join the voices telling the FCC not to regulate the Internet."
Twitter Lifts Veil on Documents Otherwise Kept Secret
After prevailing in a legal fight over the publication of secret documents, the editor of The Guardian in London, Alan Rusbridger, wrote that "the Twittersphere blew away conventional efforts to buy silence," as a headline on his column put it. Last month, a British judge ruled that material obtained by Guardian journalists about a multinational corporation had to be kept secret.
Political Advertising Online Raises New Questions
So far, the Federal Elections Commission has taken a mostly hands-off approach to Internet advertising, as campaigns still spend far more money reaching voters through television, radio and direct mail. The commission ruled in 2006 that campaign regulations do not apply to most Internet activity, except for paid political advertising on someone else's website. Bloggers are exempt as long as they write voluntarily and are not paid by a campaign.
Fake Anti-Virus Software Helps Cybercriminals Profit
Tens of millions of U.S. computers are loaded with scam security software that their owners may have paid for but which only makes the machines more vulnerable, according to a new Symantec report on cybercrime. Cyberthieves are increasingly planting fake security alerts that pop up when computer users access a legitimate website.
More Cybercriminals Targeting Social Networking Sites
If you're on Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking site, you could be the next victim. That's because more cyberthieves are targeting increasingly popular social networking sites that provide a gold mine of personal information, according to the FBI.
Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter Back Net Neutrality
Internet giants Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter and a slew of other high profile tech companies weighed in on new rules that are currently being written to keep the Internet open. The CEOs of Amazon, Google, Facebook and Twitter, along with some telecommunications and media firms, such as EchoStar and XO Communications, sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski supporting his efforts to create official regulation that protects Net Neutrality.
Judge Lets EMI Pursue Robertson in MP3Tunes Case
The copyright lawsuit filed by major recording company EMI against Michael Robertson, founder of MP3tunes.com, took an unexpected turn. A U.S. District judge will allow EMI to file suit against Robertson personally -- not just his company, MP3tunes, according to a copy of the judge's decision.
Don't Buy Swine Flu Drugs Online, FDA Warns
Americans should avoid buying treatments for the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, online, the Food and Drug Administration warned. The FDA issued the warning Thursday after it had purchased products over the Internet that were supposed to be Tamiflu and analyzed them.
Flash Drive with Data on 103,000 Students Missing
A flash drive containing the personal information of more than 103,000 former adult education students in Virginia was misplaced last month, state education officials reported. Officials said they do not to believe the information, which includes names, Social Security numbers and employment and demographic information, has been found or is being misused.
British ISP Calls File-Sharing Penalty "Naive"
UK ISP TalkTalk has staged a wireless stunt, aimed at illustrating why it thinks Lord Mandelson's plans to disconnect filesharers is "naive." The stunt demonstrates how innocent people could be disconnected from the network if the plans become law.
Stolen Laptop Has Data on 800,000 Doctors
About 800,000 doctors -- nearly every practicing physician in the country -- are being warned that business and personal information such as Social Security numbers, addresses and certain identification numbers may be open for a possible breach after an insurance trade group employee's laptop was stolen from a car in Chicago. The Chicago-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, a trade group for the nation's Blue Cross health insurance plans, confirmed an employee "broke protocol and transferred to a personal laptop" information that was later stolen in late August.
Advertising Group Opposes FTC's Blogging Guidelines
The Interactive Advertising Bureau has come out against new guidelines proposed by the Federal Trade Commission that would require bloggers to disclose their affiliations with sponsors, marketers, and free giveaways. The IAB claims that the rules unfairly regulate online media more than offline.
