Teenagers who are addicted to the Internet are more likely to engage in self-harm behavior, according to an Australian-Chinese study. Researchers surveyed 1,618 adolescents aged 13 to 18 from China's Guangdong Province about behavior such as hitting themselves, pulling their own hair, or pinching or burning themselves, and gave them a test to gauge Internet addiction.
Hospital Notifies Patients of Stolen Laptop with Data
Officials at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee said they are in the process of notifying more than 6,400 patients that their names, Social Security numbers, and other personal information may have been exposed after a laptop computer was stolen. A St. Luke's spokesman said the laptop was snagged from a locked office in a "secure physician office" located adjacent to the hospital.
One-Third of Youths Found to Engage in "Sexting"
According to a new survey, almost one-third of youths admit they've engaged in sexting-related activities that involved either e-mailing a photo or video of themselves in the nude or being the recipient of such images.
Defense Department Drops Parental Control Software
The Department of Defense has pulled a parental control product from its online store serving military families after learning that the company collects children's data, according to documents the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) obtained from the government agency. EPIC has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging that Echometrix, maker of FamilySafe parental control software, violates the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from children and disclosing it to third parties for market intelligence purposes.
Yahoo, Google Get Search Warrants in ESPN Case
The FBI has served search warrants at the Silicon Valley offices of Yahoo and Google in connection with the case of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, an FBI spokeswoman confirmed. A man accused of trying to sell nude videos of Andrews pleaded not guilty last month in federal court in Los Angeles to a charge of interstate stalking.
Facebook Members Notified of Beacon Settlement
An e-mail was sent to Facebook users who were members at the time that its controversial, now-defunct Beacon advertising program was operated: it's the official notice about the proposed settlement for the class-action lawsuit against Beacon. The terms of the settlement have been public since September, but the court-ordered summary notice is the last step in the process before final approval on February 26.
Court Refuses to Stop Sales of Barnes & Noble's Nook
Start-up Spring Design has been denied an injunction to halt Barnes & Noble from selling its Nook e-reader, according to court documents. The company had requested the injunction, in addition to monetary damages, as part of a recent lawsuit filed in federal court in San Jose, Calif.
Google Allows Limits on Access to Paid News Content
Amid criticism from media companies that it unfairly profits from news content, Google is closing a loophole that allowed some motivated newshounds to read large numbers of articles on subscription-based sites without paying for them. The company's "First Click Free”" program, which publishers of pay sites can choose to participate in, is designed to allow readers to get a taste of a site's content.
Internet Companies Oppose British Copyright Bill
Some of the biggest names on the web have written to Peter Mandelson to express "grave concerns" about elements of the Digital Economy Bill. Facebook, Google, Yahoo and eBay object to a clause that they say could give government "unprecedented and sweeping powers" to amend copyright laws.
Judge Refuses Amazon's Request on Google Books
A federal judge has rejected Amazon.com's request that he withdraw preliminary approval of a settlement between Google and groups of authors and publishers to digitize millions of books. In a ruling, U.S. District Judge Denny Chin said he planned to conduct a "thorough fairness analysis" of the settlement at a February 18, 2010 hearing and Amazon could argue its case then.
EBay Suit Against Craigslist Heading to Trial
A lawsuit filed by EBay against Craigslist heads to a Delaware state courtroom, for a trial that promises to reveal the inner workings of two benchmark Web companies and bring to the witness stand two Internet pioneers: former eBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark. The twice-delayed trial will likely underscore the glaring differences in the companies' approaches to business.
Fake E-mail from CDC on Swine Flu Spreads PC Virus
Hackers are spreading a vicious computer virus through spam e-mail messages that urge recipients to visit a bogus website offering vaccinations to protect them against another virus -- the one that causes swine flu. The e-mail purports to be from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, directing them to what looks like an official government website to fill out a vaccination form, said researchers from security firms Symantec and AppRiver.
Apple Settles Part of Lawsuit with Mac Clone Maker
Apple has partially settled a copyright lawsuit with a maker of clone computers that come with the consumer electronics giant's operating system software, according to documents filed in the case. Doral, Fla.-based Psystar Corp., which sells computers that run the Macintosh operating system, will pay about $2.7 million in damages and legal fees to Apple, according to papers Psystar's attorneys filed in the case.
Defense Contractor, Universities Team to Fight Cyber Attacks
Northrop Grumman Corp., the defense contractor better known for building the B-2 stealth bomber, is teaming up with several U.S. universities to fight off cyber attacks. Northrop said it plans to invest millions of dollars over the next five years to find new ways to secure computer systems from hackers who are threatening the country's economic and security interests.
EFF Sues Government, Wants Info on Social Networks
The Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the CIA, the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and three other government agencies for allegedly refusing to release information about how they are using social networks in surveillance and investigations. The nonprofit Internet rights watchdog group formally asked more than a dozen agencies or departments in early October to provide records about federal guidelines on the use of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr for investigative or data gathering purposes, according to the lawsuit.
3,500 Sex Offenders Purged from Social Network Lists
New laws passed in 25 states are making it easier for social networking giants Facebook and MySpace to purge their membership lists of convicted rapists, gropers and child molesters. More than 3,500 offenders registered in New York have been kicked off the two popular Web sites in the months since the state implemented a law requiring sex crime convicts to register their e-mail addresses, as well as their dwellings, attorney general Andrew Cuomo announced.
Online Retailer Ends Contract Over "Misleading" Practices
Another e-tailer criticized by federal lawmakers two weeks ago for participating in "misleading" and "deceptive" marketing practices appears to be rethinking its position. VistaPrint, an online printing company, announced it has "terminated its contract" with Vertrue, which came under government scrutiny, along with competitors Affinion and Webloyalty, after investigators started looking into scores of consumer complaints about the marketers -- some going back years.
French Court Fines eBay $2.6 Million in Counterfeit Case
A French court fined eBay 1.7 million euros ($2.6 million) for violating a 2008 injunction that prevents French users of the online auction site from buying or selling LVMH perfumes and cosmetics on any eBay website. EBay said that the Commercial Court of Paris' fine was too high and that the injunction blocking French eBay users from buying or selling LVMH cosmetics, including Christian Dior, Guerlain, Givenchy and Kenzo perfumes, hurts consumers.
U.S. Internet Gambling Rules Delayed Six Months
The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve are giving U.S. financial institutions an additional six months to comply with rules designed to ban Internet gambling. The two agencies said that the rules, which were to take effect December 1, would be delayed until June 1 of next year.
Largest "Spam Gang" Fined $15.2 Million, FTC Says
A U.S. district court judge has ordered the largest "spam gang" in the world to pay nearly $15.2 million for sending unsolicited e-mail messages marketing male-enhancement pills, prescription drugs, and weight-loss supplements, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said. Spamhaus, the antispam organization, called the e-mail marketing network the "No. 1 worst spam gang" on the Internet for much of 2007 and 2008.
