Google Hacking Exposed Its Password System

Ever since Google disclosed in January that Internet intruders had stolen information from its computers, the exact nature and extent of the theft has been a closely guarded company secret. But a person with direct knowledge of the investigation now says that the losses included one of Google’s crown jewels, a password system that controls access by millions of users worldwide to almost all of the company’s Web services, including e-mail and business applications.

Ten Countries Tell Google to Strengthen Privacy

Privacy officials from ten countries sent Google Inc. a letter demanding that the Internet giant build more privacy protections into its services, the latest sign of increasingly international anxiety over Google's power. The letter, reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, was signed by officials in Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom.

School Took 56,000 Laptop Photos, Lawyer Says

Lower Merion School District employees activated the web cameras and tracking software on laptops they gave to high school students about 80 times in the past two school years, snapping nearly 56,000 images that included photos of students, pictures inside their homes and copies of the programs or files running on their screens, district investigators have concluded. In most of the cases, technicians turned on the system after a student or staffer reported a laptop missing and turned it off when the machine was found, the investigators determined.

Supreme Court Hears Case on E-mail Privacy at Work

An Obama administration lawyer urged the Supreme Court to rule that employees usually have no right to privacy when they send personal messages on computers, cellphones or other devices supplied by their employer. Nationwide, most employers have adopted policies telling workers they have no right to privacy when they use computers and cellphones supplied by an employer, said Deputy Solicitor Gen. Neal Katyal.

Chinese Trading Platform Alibaba Reports Hack Attack

Chinese online trading platform operator Alibaba.com Ltd. said its English-language platform in beta testing was attacked by unidentified hackers over the weekend and it believes its servers in the U.S. and China were the target. Over the weekend of April 16-17, "Alibaba.com's AliExpress platform was the target of malicious attacks by unidentified hackers using a variety of intrusion measures," the company said in a statement.

TJX Hacker's Helper Gets 5-Year Sentence

Ending a chapter in one of the worst hacking cases in U.S. history, a federal judge handed down a five-year sentence to a 25-year-old man who helped steal tens of millions of credit card numbers. Damon Patrick Toey had already pled guilty to charges that he sold batches of stolen credit card data, called dumps, on behalf of convicted hacker Albert Gonzalez and helped him infiltrate the systems of a number of companies.

Laptop Photos Show Students Sleeping, Motion Says

The system that school officials used to track lost and stolen laptops wound up secretly capturing thousands of images, including photographs of students in their homes, Web sites they visited, and excerpts of their online chats, says a new motion filed in a suit against the district. More than once, the motion asserts, the camera on Robbins' school-issued laptop took photos of Robbins as he slept in his bed.

Agreement Near on Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

Countries negotiating a deal to curb trade in fake and pirated goods are close to reaching an agreement in talks that have raised concerns among digital rights advocates, U.S. trade officials said. Digital rights advocates have feared the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement could allow customs agents to confiscate laptop and music devices if they contain illegal downloads, while other groups have worried it could restrict trade in low-price generic drugs.

Israel Cites Wireless "Compliance" for Banning iPads

The Israeli Communications Ministry directed the customs authority to confiscate all iPads coming into the country -- effectively instituting a ban on Apple's newest device. The announcement "follows the refusal of the ministry's engineering staff to compromise on testing the device's suitability and compliance with Israeli wireless networks," reports Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Tapping Social Media for Marketing Worries Privacy Advocates

Some big marketers, including Sprint and eBay, are turning to small start-ups to help them tap social-networking data to find would-be clients among the friends and acquaintances of existing customers, to the dismay of some privacy advocates. EBay, for instance, used online tracking technologies to identify customers who browsed or shopped for products in the clothing, shoes and accessories section of its site.

Cyber Command to Focus on Protection, Nominee Says

The main focus of the U.S. Department of Defense's new Cyber Command will be protecting military networks, not engaging in cyberwarfare, the nominee to head the organization said. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, faced with questions about the U.S. Cyber Command's role during a Senate hearing, said the Cyber Command would work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to defend private networks, but his primary role would be to defend the U.S. military's corner of cyberspace.

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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.