As smartphones and the applications that run on them take off, businesses and consumers are beginning to confront a budding dark side of the wireless Web. Concerns are growing among security researchers and government officials that efforts to keep out malicious software aren't keeping up with the apps craze.
The chief of the Pentagon's new cyber-security command endorsed talks with Russia over a proposal to limit military attacks in cyberspace, representing a significant shift in U.S. policy. The U.S. has for years objected to Russian proposals to establish a kind of arms-control treaty for cyber weapons, arguing that international cooperation should first focus on reducing cyber crime.
Google will publish the results of an third-party audit into its Wi-Fi data gathering gaffe and hand over the personal data that it gathered to European officials. Google CEO Eric Schmidt told The Financial Times that Google plans to turn over personal data gathered as part of its Street View project to data protection authorities in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, where investigations are pending into the revelation that Google was gathering a lot more than pictures of streetscapes with its Street View cars.
EU countries can ban online gambling if their aim is to combat fraud, Europe's highest court said, dealing a blow to the multi-billion euro online betting industry seeking to break domestic monopolies. The European Union Court of Justice issued rulings on two separate challenges involving online gambling in the Netherlands.
Germany's consumer protection minister said she would quit Facebook over what she called privacy law violations that she believed would lead to the company being fined by German data protection authorities. Ilse Aigner, an avid user of the online network, said a meeting with Facebook policy director Richard Allan led her to conclude the company was not serious about improving its privacy controls despite assurances it has given.
Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg defended the company's privacy practices and expressed regret for some of his behavior during the company's early history, speaking at the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital technology conference. In an on-stage interview, Mr. Zuckerberg continued his recent campaign to address criticism that the social network doesn't give customers proper controls over their data—criticism it moved to address by offering some simplified controls.
The FTC has settled its 2-year-old lawsuit against keylogger vendor CyberSpy, allowing the company to continue to sell its RemoteSpy product but placing a few conditions on its use. Announcing the settlement, the Federal Trade Commission said it "put the brakes" on the business practices of CyberSpy Software, which was sued by the FTC in 2008 over the sale and advertising of its RemoteSpy keylogger software.
Children's advocates, technology and legal experts, Web site operators and others struggled to determine how best to adapt a 2000 rule implementing a law aimed at protecting children's privacy to the growing list of devices people are using to get online.
Many people think of online auction sites, such as eBay and Craigslist, as virtual garage sales -- a convenient way to clean out cluttered closets and attics stuffed with old clothes, books and knickknacks inherited from Aunt Gladys. But if you're a frequent or big-time seller, the government might consider your proceeds to be income and could come after you for taxes.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Jules Genachowski, speaking at the D conference, said the most important thing we can do to improve broadband in the United States is to "unleash mobile." When asked about studies that ranked the U.S. low on broadband, Genachowski said the study that makes him most concerned is a study that rated the U.S. 6th out of 40 on innovation, but 40th out of 40th in rate of change in innovative capacity.
The Texas attorney general is making inquiries about the electronic book market, according to people familiar with the matter, a business where pricing recently has been shaken up by Apple Inc. and the way e-books are sold for the iPad. Two major publishers said they have been approached by the state agency.
The FTC is set to host its first workshop on whether to update the rule implementing a law aimed at protecting children's privacy online. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which went into effect in 2000, requires Web sites to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13.
Mac users downloading free screensavers and a video converter app from several popular download sites also got spyware that installs a back door, collects data, and sends encrypted information to remote servers, security company Intego said.
The FBI, FTC and several other federal agencies announced an education campaign aimed at making consumers more aware of mass marketing fraud schemes that use low-tech and high-tech communications tools to target their victims. "Thanks to the Internet, criminals and crime groups can also target victims halfway around the world, blasting out spam e-mails by the millions and setting up phony but realistic Web sites to lure people in," the FBI said in news release.
Facebook said that it has blocked users in Pakistan from accessing the 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day !' page on its site out of respect for local standards and customs. The Web site adopted a similar approach in India about a week ago when it was approached by Indian authorities in connection with the page, which has annoyed Muslims in many countries.
A Los Angeles-area woman is suing a Salt Lake County man and Google for an amount in excess of $100,000, alleging that Google Maps led her onto a dangerous Park City roadway where she was struck by a car.
A House of Representatives committee responsible for writing some electronic privacy laws sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking for details on when the company shared user data "without the knowledge of the account holders." The letter, written by Democratic chairman John Conyers of Michigan, suggests that the committee will eventually hold hearings on whether the Internet's second most popular site has -- at least in the minds of a handful of politicians -- acted responsibly in disclosing its data-sharing practices to its users.
Another clickjacking scam has hit Facebook, tricking hundreds of thousands of users to post messages to their pages saying that they like the malicious link, security firm Sophos said. Like most of these scams, this one relies on social engineering and piques the interest of prospective victims with messages.
Web sites like Facebook, Twitter and Yelp have given individuals a global platform on which to air their grievances with companies. But legal experts say the soaring popularity of such sites has also given rise to more cases in which a business sues an individual for posting critical comments online.
A Pakistani court ordered the government to restore access to Facebook, nearly two weeks after it blocked the social networking Web site amid anger over a Facebook page that solicited images of the Prophet Muhammad. Images or drawings of the prophet are considered blasphemous by most Muslims.
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