Lawyers for Google rested their case in defense of four executives charged in Italy with failing to comply with privacy laws, telling a judge that the company has a mechanism in place to rapidly remove objectionable video from its site. The attorneys, Giuliano Pisapia and Giuseppe Vaciago, said that Google removed a video showing high school students bullying an autistic classmate just hours after it learned it had been posted.
White House Expected to Cybersecurity Adviser
Nearly seven months after highlighting the vulnerability of banking, energy and communications systems to Internet attacks, the White House is expected to name a technology industry veteran to coordinate competing efforts to improve the nation's cybersecurity in both military and civilian life. The decision to appoint Howard A. Schmidt, an industry executive with government experience who served as a cybersecurity adviser in the Bush administration and who also has a military and law enforcement background, is seen as a compromise between factions.
FBI Probing Hacker Theft of Million at Citibank
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing a computer-security breach targeting Citigroup Inc. that resulted in a theft of tens of millions of dollars by computer hackers who appear linked to a Russian cyber gang, according to government officials. The attack took aim at Citigroup's Citibank subsidiary, which includes its North American retail bank and other businesses.
China Creates "Whitelist" of Approved Websites
China has issued new Internet regulations, including what appears to be an effort to create a "whitelist" of approved websites that could potentially place much of the Internet off-limits to Chinese readers. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ordered domain management institutions and internet service providers to tighten control over domain name registration, in a three-phase plan laid out on its website.
Original Source of "Wolverine" Leak Unidentified
The FBI has accused the man who allegedly was first, or among the first, to upload a pirated copy of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" that circulated online in April. What authorities have apparently yet to do is identify the original source of the leak.
French Court Rules Against Google for Digitizing Books
A Paris court found U.S. Internet giant Google guilty of violating copyright by digitizing books and putting extracts online, following a legal challenge by major French publishers. The court ruled against Google's French unit after the La Martiniere group, which controls the highbrow Editions du Seuil publishing house, argued that publishers and authors were losing out in the latest stage of the digital revolution.
"Iranian Cyber Army" Briefly Blocks Access to Twitter
Hackers briefly blocked access to the popular Internet messaging service Twitter, steering traffic to another website where a group reportedly calling itself the "Iranian Cyber Army" claimed responsibility. Users trying to reach Twitter were redirected to a Web page that CNN reported had a picture of a green flag and a message that said, "This site has been hacked by the Iranian Cyber Army."
Company Files Trademark Suit Against Microsoft Over "Bing"
A small St. Louis company is suing Microsoft for using the name "Bing" without permission for its recently launched search engine. The small company claims it has been using the Bing name since 2000 and has applications pending to register the trademark, while Microsoft only launched Bing in May 2009.
Companies Aim to Protect Smartphones from Hackers
Mobile phones are becoming ever more like personal computers. That means they are also becoming more vulnerable to traditional computer menaces like hackers and viruses.
Privacy Group Files Complaint Over Facebook's Changes
In a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission, a privacy organization is charging that Facebook's recent changes to its privacy policies constitute "unfair and deceptive trade practices." The Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC, says that Facebook's recent changes "violate user expectations, diminish user privacy, and contradict Facebook's own representations."
White House to Release $2 Billion for Broadband Access
The Obama administration released details of a $2 billion program in grants and loans to help dramatically expand Americans' broadband Internet access and create tens of thousands of jobs. The funds, to be released over the next 75 days, are among $7.2 billion set aside in President Barack Obama's $787 billion economic recovery package to bring broadband access to unserved or underserved U.S. communities.
China Imposes New Limits on Internet Usage
China's government censors have taken fresh aim at the Internet, rolling out new measures that limit its citizens' ability to set up personal Web sites and to view hundreds of Web sites offering films, video games and other forms of entertainment. The authorities say the stricter controls are intended to protect children from pornography; to limit the piracy of films, music, and television shows; and to make it hard to perpetuate Internet scams.
FCC Unveils Proposals to Expand High-Speed Internet
The Federal Communications Commission unveiled a laundry list of proposals to meet a congressional mandate to give every U.S. home access to high-speed Internet service. The recommendations, which come just two months before the agency must present its final national broadband plan to Congress, include revising a rural phone subsidy program, revamping the market for television set-top boxes and redirecting more airwaves to wireless services.
New York Man Charged with Uploading X-Men Movie
FBI agents arrested a New York man on charges that he uploaded a copy of the movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" to the Internet before its May theatrical release, a spokeswoman said. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the probe continues into how Gilberto Sanchez, 47, of New York City obtained the copy he posted to Megaupload.com in the spring.
Apple Gets Permanent Injunction Against Mac Clone Maker
After a long legal battle, the company won a permanent injunction against Psystar. According to the ruling, the Mac clone manufacturer is no longer allowed to sell systems running Apple's OS.
FTC Sues Intel for Stifling Microchip Competition
The Federal Trade Commission sued the chipmaker, Intel, accusing it of using its dominant market position to stifle competition and strengthen its monopoly. In its complaint, the agency accused Intel of a systematic campaign to prevent rivals from selling their microchips by cutting off their access to the market.
Europe Drops Antitrust Case Against Microsoft
European regulators dropped their antitrust case against Microsoft after the software maker agreed to offer consumers a choice of rival Web browsers. The agreement, announced in Brussels by the European competition commissioner, Neelie Kroes, calls for Microsoft to give Windows users a choice of up to 11 other browsers from competing companies, including Mozilla, Apple and Google.
Australian Internet Filters to Block Criminal Content
Australia intends to introduce filters which will ban access to websites containing criminal content. The banned sites will be selected by an independent classification body guided by complaints from the public, said Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.
AT&T Says "Open Character of Internet Critically Important"
AT&T tried to convince federal regulators that it's part of a broad coalition supporting an open and free Internet, but cautioned that new government rules currently being crafted would stifle innovation. The letter attempts to position AT&T as a champion of user rights, and make it seems that its position on the volatile issue of "net neutrality" is not far from its nemesis Google, which champions openness as a way to increase its profits.
Microsoft Says Blogging Program Copied Code
Microsoft said that a blogging application posted to its MSN China site did in fact copy code from a rival. Microsoft has said a third party and not it or its Chinese joint venture partner wrote the Juku program.
