EU Privacy Official Criticizes Internet Monitoring

As international negotiations toward a major cross-border trade agreement to curb intellectual property crimes continue behind closed doors, a top European privacy official blasted the secrecy of the talks, sounding an alarm about Internet monitoring provisions that could press ISPs to filter traffic on their networks for pirated content. The warning from European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx comes as nations negotiating the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) recently concluded the seventh round of talks at a meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Chinese Schools Deny Role in Google Attacks

Two schools in China where computers were reportedly linked to cyberattacks on Google and other companies have denied involvement in the hack, Chinese state media said. Investigators say they have traced the attacks back to computers at Shanghai Jiaotong University, which is one of China's top universities, and Lanxiang Vocational School in eastern Shandong province, The New York Times reported.

Computer Users Confused About Online Protection

Computer jargon, a "tick box" culture and unimaginative advertising are discouraging Internet users from learning how to protect themselves online. Faced with such gobbledegook, many of the world's nearly 2 billion Internet users conclude that security is for "experts" and fail to take responsibility for the security of their own patch of cyberspace -- a potentially costly mistake.

Apple Reportedly Bans Overtly Sexual Apps

Apple reportedly has a new policy for its iPhone app store in which any application with "overtly sexual content" will be removed from the App Store, according to an e-mail obtained by TechCrunch. But just like countless previous times, this latest tweak to Apple's app rejection policy will have app developers scratching their heads trying to figure out what's going on.

FCC Votes to Expand E-Rate Program

The Federal Communications Commission voted to expand a school program that is likely to help increase Americans' access to high-speed Internet, a major goal of the upcoming National Broadband Plan. The program, called E-rate, funds schools' connectivity to the Internet under the $8 billion Universal Service Fund, a U.S. subsidy program for low-income families to gain access to phone service as well as for education and health services.

Google Attacks Traced to Chinese Computer Schools

A series of online attacks on Google and dozens of other American corporations have been traced to computers at two educational institutions in China, including one with close ties to the Chinese military, say people involved in the investigation. They also said the attacks, aimed at stealing trade secrets and computer codes and capturing e-mail of Chinese human rights activists, may have begun as early as April, months earlier than previously believed.

Student Files Class-Action Complaint Over Google Buzz

Law firms in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., Wednesday filed a class-action complaint in San Jose, Calif., federal court against Google Buzz on behalf of Eva Hibnick, a 24-year-old Harvard Law School student. The complaint alleges that Google Buzz, which automatically opted-in all Gmail users upon its launch, unlawfully shared personal data without users' permission.

Lawsuit Claims School District Uses Laptops to Spy on Students

A suburban Philadelphia school district remotely activates the cameras in school-provided laptops to spy on students in their homes, a lawsuit filed in federal court alleged. According to the lawsuit filed by a high school student and his parents, the Lower Merion School District of Ardmore, Pa. has spied on students and families by "indiscriminate use of and ability to remotely activate the webcams incorporated into each laptop issued to students by the School District."

Study Says Google Could Earn $497 Million via Typosquatting

Google could be earning some $497 million a year from the registered owners of website addresses that mimic typographical errors in existing sites, according to a new study. Harvard University researchers Tyler Moore and Benjamin Edelman estimate that Google could be making millions from the practice, known as “typosquatting,” because its network of display ads — from which it receives a cut of the profits — run on the typo’d sites.

  • Read the article: ZDNet

Microsoft, Yahoo Get Approval from U.S., EU

Microsoft and Yahoo said that their online search deal has received approval from U.S. and European Union regulators, paving the way for the two companies to combine much of their Internet search business. Under the 10-year deal, which was announced in July, Yahoo.com and Bing.com will maintain their own branding but search results on Yahoo.com will say "powered by Bing."

Judge Hears Arguments in Google Books Case

Supporters of Google's effort to create the world's largest digital library Internet told a federal judge that it would benefit society. One of the opponents -- which include authors, foreign governments, corporate rivals and even the U.S. Department of Justice -- countered at a packed court hearing in Manhattan that Google's plans were more about commerce, not access to books.

Hackers in Europe, China Break Into 2,500 Computers

Hackers in Europe and China successfully broke into computers at nearly 2,500 companies and government agencies over the last 18 months in a coordinated global attack that exposed vast amounts of personal and corporate secrets to theft, according to a computer-security company that discovered the breach. The damage from the latest cyberattack is still being assessed, and affected companies are still being notified. But data compiled by NetWitness, the closely held firm that discovered the breaches, showed that hackers gained access to a wide array of data at 2,411 companies, from credit-card transactions to intellectual property.

ITC Probing Patent Claims by Kodak Against Apple, RIM

The International Trade Commission said it launched an investigation of Research In Motion and Apple smartphones that contain digital cameras after receiving a complaint from Eastman Kodak Co. The trade body said it voted to open an investigation after Kodak alleged patent infringement by Canada's Research In Motion Ltd, maker of BlackBerry smartphones, and Apple Inc, maker of the iPhone.

"PleaseRobMe" Site Shows Social Media Concerns

The rush to share our lives over Twitter or our exploits over Foursquare and other social media sites could have the unintended consequence of inviting real world burglaries. At least that's the premise of a new website called Pleaserobme.com, which is aimed at educating users about the dangers of location sharing on sites like Twitter and Foursquare.

On Facebook, Police Officer Threatens to Kill Gunowners

Rod Tuason has become the latest person to learn that it's not very wise to post threats, especially ones involving killing someone, on a Facebook page believed to be private. Tuason is an East Palo Alto police detective who allegedly posted a note on Facebook threatening to kill anyone he found openly carrying a handgun, even if that person was carrying it legally.

Bank of America Gets Court Order Against Cybersquatter

Bank of America has won a court judgment barring a self-described cybersquatter from using the "bofaml.com" and "mlbofa.com" Internet domain names following the bank's acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co. U.S. District Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan found that J. Taikwok Yung, through his business Webadviso, had registered the names in bad faith, hoping to sell them back to the largest U.S. bank and cash in on publicity from the merger.

The GigaLaw Firm helps companies of all sizes protect their brands online, using domain name dispute policies – such as the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) – and other legal tools available to copyright and trademark owners on the Internet.