Policy and privacy experts agree that the relentless rise of Internet data harvesting has overrun the old approach of using lengthy written notices to safeguard privacy. These statements are rarely read, are often confusing and can’t hope to capture the complexity of modern data-handling practices.
Long skittish about forums such as Facebook and Twitter, the U.S. Department of Defense says that it is now OK with social networking services and other interactive Web 2.0 applications. A memorandum makes it official policy that the agency's nonclassified network will be configured to provide access to Internet-based capabilities across all Defense components, including the various combat branches.
Facebook was awarded a patent pertaining to streaming "feed" technology, more specifically "dynamically providing a news feed about a user of a social network," complementing another patent filing that has been published but not yet approved. The implications for this, as AllFacebook.com pointed out, are far-flung: Facebook may choose to pursue action against other social-media sites that potentially violate this patent.
The top senator on antitrust matters has written to NBC to express concern that some of its Internet coverage of the Winter Olympics is limited to pay television subscribers. Senator Herb Kohl's letter said sports fans who want to see some of the Olympic coverage on the site NBCOlympics.com must first register with the site after validating a subscription with "your cable, satellite or IPTV provider."
Facebook inadvertently routed e-mails to the wrong addresses, a problem the social networking site said was quickly resolved, but not before the messages landed in the inboxes of strangers. A Facebook spokeswoman did not say how many users were affected by the Facebook e-mail botch, only that it was a "small number of users for a short period of time."
British politicians were among those caught up in the latest Twitter-based scam which hijacks users' accounts to send out sexually explicit messages to friends and followers. Those tracking the Twitter account of Ed Miliband, the British energy minister, were surprised by a message carrying an unusually direct reference to the politician's sex life.
A federal judge has dismissed a year-old lawsuit against Microsoft over alleged antitrust violations for the "downgrade" rules it set for Windows Vista and XP. In her original complaint, a Los Angeles resident accused Microsoft of coercing computer makers into forcing consumers who wanted to run Windows XP to first buy Vista, or later, Windows 7, before they were allowed to downgrade to XP.
The head of EU data protection agencies has told Google it must warn people of the impending arrival of its Orwellian Street View spymobiles. According to AP, Alex Turk has written to Google's data privacy chief Peter Fleischer insisting that it "should always give advance notice on its website and in the local or national press before it takes pictures".
Two law firms in Honolulu were scammed out of $500,000 in an e-mail scheme that's apparently targeting the legal community. During the past six weeks, six different law firms have been targeted, according to the FBI, which issued a warning.
Leading U.S. lawmakers have reached a tentative agreement to reform the nation's patent system, said Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a leader in the effort. Big computer and hardware firms, facing expensive accusations of patent infringement, have pushed for years for patent law changes.
Cyber attacks on Facebook pages set up to pay tribute to two murdered Australian children has prompted calls for the social networking site to be more accountable for its users. Social media experts say it is natural that people who use sites such as Facebook or MySpace as a major form of communication should turn to these sites with personal tragedies.
With the help of a U.S. federal judge, Microsoft has struck a blow against one of the Internet's worst sources of spam: the notorious Waledac botnet. Microsoft said that it had been granted a court order that will cut off 277 .com domains associated with the botnet.
Political strategists say it's incredibly difficult for candidates to wrest domain names back from cybersquatters. "You've got to get your domain name registered early, long before you consider running for office," said Kari Chisholm, a Democratic Web strategist based in Oregon.
Microsoft's update to its anti-piracy tool is now available via Windows Update, the company has confirmed. Called Windows Activation Technologies, or WAT, the update adds technology to detect some 70 activation exploits that pirates have come up with to bypass Windows 7's activation protections, according to Microsoft.
Business reviews site Yelp amounts to an "extortion scheme," according to a class action lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles court by two law firms and a Long Beach, Calif., veterinary hospital that claims it was "victimized" by Yelp sales representatives asking for payment in exchange for the removal of negative reviews. "The plaintiff... asked that Yelp remove a false and defamatory review from the Web site," a release from the law firms alleges.
An Italian court's ruling that Google executives violated the privacy of an individual via a YouTube video is "at complete odds" with a European law that protects service providers, said Rachel Whetstone, Google Inc.'s vice president for public policy and communications. An Italian judge convicted three Google officials of violating the privacy of a disabled boy by allowing a video of students bullying him to appear on Google's YouTube site.
A Pennsylvania educator named in a webcam spying lawsuit says she never monitored students through webcams or authorized anyone else to do so. She did not specifically address the lawsuit's accusation that she talked to a student about "improper behavior" at home, citing images taken from his school-issued laptop's built-in camera.
Broadcasters could share in the proceeds from airwaves auctions if they agree to give up spectrum to help meet the growing needs of wireless broadband, the top U.S. communications regulator said. The upcoming National Broadband Plan will propose freeing up a big chunk of airwaves over the next decade.
Twitter users were being hit with what seems to be the second phishing attack in a week, according to security firm Sophos. The latest attack features a message that says "This you????" followed by a link that leads to a fake Twitter log-in page, according to a blog post by Sophos' Graham Cluley.
A judge in Milan found three Google executives guilty of violating Italy's privacy code over a video that was uploaded on the search giant's video platform, the company said. Google said it plans to appeal the court's decision because its employees "had nothing to to do with the video in question" and for its implications on Internet freedom and censorship.
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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.