Alex Kozinski, chief judge of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, has apologized for having maintained an e-mail "gag list" in which he distributed crude jokes and other humorous material, according to an opinion. Kozinski was admonished earlier this year in a separate case for being "judicially imprudent" and "exhibiting poor judgment" by placing sexually explicit photos and videos on an Internet server that could be accessed by the public.
Microsoft Warns Users About Windows Upgrade Limits
Microsoft has wagged its finger at users to dissuade them from hacking upgrade versions of Windows 7 to get a full copy on the new operating system on their PC. Reacting to tips being served up online, Microsoft's warned while it's technically possible to perform what's known as a "clean" install of Windows 7 on a PC you'll be breaking the law.
Trojan Horse Appears to Come from "The Facebook Team"
A new variant of the Bredolab Trojan horse is attached to a fake "Facebook Password Reset Confirmation" e-mail, security firm MX Labs is reporting. Some users are receiving the e-mail from "The Facebook Team," according to the security firm.
5.8 Million Web Pages Infected With Malware
The number of Web sites hosting malicious software, either intentionally or unwittingly, is rising rapidly, according to statistics to be released from Dasient. More than 640,000 Web sites and about 5.8 million pages are infected with malware, according to Dasient, which was founded by former Googlers to offer services to help Web sites stay malware-free and off blacklists.
Phishing Attacks Up 200% in Recent Months After Lull
After a lull at the start of this year, phishing attacks suddenly spiked 200% from May through September, according to IBM's X-Force research team. Phishers are going after log-ons to Web mail, social networking and online gaming accounts, security experts say.
Financial Regulators Challenged by Social Networking Sites
Social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn raise "serious new challenges" for financial regulators, the head of the largest U.S. independent securities regulator said. Wall Street bankers and analysts increasingly want to use social networking to connect and interact with customers, Richard Ketchum, the chief executive of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) said.
U.S. Regulators Move Toward Intel Antitrust Complaint
U.S. antitrust regulators are moving toward filing a complaint against Intel after the European Union fined the world's biggest chipmaker $1.45 billion for engaging in anticompetitive practices, sources said. Three of the four commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission, which opened a formal inquiry in June 2008, are in favor of filing a complaint against Intel, said the sources, who asked not to be named.
ICANN Board Set to Approve Internationalized Domains
The Internet is on the brink of the "biggest change" to its working "since it was invented 40 years ago", the Net regulator ICANN has said. The body said it that it was finalising plans to introduce web addresses using non-Latin characters.
Judge Rejects Settlement Over Stolen Brokerage Data
A federal judge has refused to approve a class-action settlement over contact information stolen from online brokerage TD Ameritrade. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco says the deal offers little significant benefit to the more than 6 million current and former customers affected.
Man Gets Three Years for Illegal Software Sales on eBay
A Virginia man was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for selling more than $1 million in pirated software on eBay. Gregory W. Fair, 46, pleaded guilty in April to charges of criminal copyright infringement and mail fraud for selling pirated copies of Adobe Systems programs between 2001 and 2007.
Defense Department to Lift Ban on USB Thumb Drives
The U.S. Department of Defense ban on USB thumb drives instated nearly a year ago will eventually be partially lifted to allow authorized people to use official flash drives for mission-critical functions, according to a top military official.
FCC Chair Worries About iPhone's Demand on Spectrum
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has expressed concerns about the available wireless spectrum for broadband devices. "The demands that are being created by the iPhone and other mobile broadband technologies threaten to outstrip the amount of spectrum that's available for commercial mobile, and it's important for the country that we get long-term planning right here because it takes time to identify spectrum and put it on the market," he said.
Two Groups Want to Seek .gay Top-Level Domain
Should there be a .gay Internet suffix? Two for-profit groups are pushing for one. The Dot Gay Alliance (dotgay.org), out of New York City, is being led by a longtime gay activist. And dotGay (dotgay.com) is being spearheaded by a heterosexual German man in Riga, Latvia, who has incorporated a company in San Francisco.
Court Gives Early OK to Facebook's Beacon Settlement
A class action suit over Facebook's controversial Beacon program received preliminary approval in U.S. District Court, allowing the company to clear the matter without long -- and expensive -- court proceedings. The proposal (PDF), which was made public last month, calls for Facebook to discontinue Beacon and cough up $9.5 million to set up a nonprofit foundation to "fund projects and initiatives that promote the cause of online privacy, safety and security."
FCC Moves Forward with Rule Supporting Net Neutrality
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.
