Google Now Says China, Not Glitch, Blocked Users

Google Inc.'s search sites in China suddenly stopped working, and the U.S. Internet giant, after initially taking the blame for a technical glitch, reversed itself and said that it had concluded China was blocking users' searches with its "Great Firewall." The episode demonstrated how fraught with confusion the relationship between China and Google remains, and it could represent a sharp escalation of the country's battle with Google a week after the U.S. Internet giant stopped obeying Chinese censorship rules.

Google, Verizon Push for FCC's Broadband Plan

In a Wall Street Journal column, the CEOs of Google and Verizon wrote that the Federal Communication Commission's recently released National Broadband Plan deserves attention. "Connecting Americans in all parts of the country and in all walks of life can help lift society by connecting minds, stimulating ideas, and unleashing the creative potential of millions of Americans," they wrote.

EU Wants States to Block Child Porn Websites

The EU Commission wants member states to agree to block access to child pornography websites and impose tougher punishments on child abusers and human trafficking gangs, it said. The Commission, the EU's executive, is proposing a package of measures to strengthen the bloc's fight against child pornography, including harmonizing the prosecution of child abuse and human trafficking, and more severe punishments for both first-time and repeat offenders.

JC Penney Identified as Hacking Victim

JC Penney was one of the victims of notorious computer hacker Albert Gonzalez, according to unsealed documents made available on by a federal judge in Boston. Penney, which during Gonzalez' trial had asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to bar the government from disclosing its identity, was revealed in the documents to be the company that had been known throughout the trial as "Company A."

Chipmaker Sues Apple Over Multitouch Technology

A Taiwanese chipmaker is suing Apple over the use of multitouch technology in several products, including the iPhone, iPod Touch, and forthcoming iPad. Elan Microelectronics filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission Tuesday, accusing Apple of violating an Elan-owned patent that covers "touch-sensitive input devices with the ability to detect the simultaneous presence of two or more fingers."

Tech Companies Want Change to Privacy Law

A broad coalition of companies including Google, Microsoft, and AT&T, joined by liberal and conservative advocacy groups, will announce a major push to update federal privacy laws to protect mobile and cloud computing users, CNET has learned. They hope to convince the U.S. Congress to update a 1986 law -- written in the pre-Internet era of telephone modems and the black-and-white Macintosh Plus -- to sweep in location privacy and documents stored on the Web through services like Google Docs, Flickr, and Picasa.

Stolen Student Loan Data Affects 3.3 Million People

Company and federal officials said they believed the theft of identity data on 3.3 million people with student loans was the largest-ever breach of such information and could affect as many as 5% of all federal student-loan borrowers. Names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other personal data on borrowers were stolen from the St. Paul, Minn., headquarters of Educational Credit Management Corp., a nonprofit guarantor of federal student loans, during the weekend of March 20-21, according to the company.

Lawmakers Want FTC Probe of Google Buzz

A group of House Energy and Commerce members are urging the FTC to investigate complaints that Google's Buzz social networking service and some of its other services may harm consumer privacy. In a letter sent to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, the lawmakers urged the agency to investigate whether Google disclosed personal information about its customers without their consent as part of the launch of Buzz in February.

Suit Says Microsoft Zune Feature Infringes Patent

As Microsoft struggles to fight off several high-visibility patent lawsuits, an ophthalmologist in Wisconsin has filed another patent infringement suit that potentially could cost the software giant an eye-popping amount. The suit, filed in U.S. District for the Western District of Wisconsin, alleges that Microsoft's Zune music player's "Buy from FM" feature infringes a pair of patents that were granted in 2002.

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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.