Gawker Media LLC said the Federal Bureau of Investigation asked it to retain documents as part of a probe into the exposure of email addresses belonging to iPad owners, the second time the blog publisher has been in a legal spotlight over a big news story it wrote involving Apple Inc. The New York-based media company said it had been contacted by the FBI to preserve the information, but Gawker Media said it doesn't believe it is a target of the probe.
Visitors to porn sites are at serious risk of being exploited by cyber criminals, a study has suggested. It found that many sites harboured malware or used "shady" practices to squeeze money out of their visitors.
Google is working with U.S. and European officials to build a case that would argue Internet censorship acts as a trade barrier, a top company executive said. Robert Boorstin, Google's director of corporate and policy communications, said the company is working with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the State Department, Commerce Department and European officials to build a case to take to the World Trade Organization.
The U.S. International Trade Commission said it plans to investigate HTC's claim that Apple's iPhone infringes on its handset technology. The trade panel will look into whether HTC's claim will justify its request that the ITC ban the import and sale of iPhones, iPads, and iPods.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will investigate whether Apple Inc.'s business practices harm competition in the market for software used on mobile devices, people familiar with the situation said. For weeks, the FTC has been engaged in negotiations with the Department of Justice over which agency would review allegations by companies that say they're being shut-out of one of the most important emerging computing platforms.
New York's attorney general Andrew Cuomo accused the social networking site Tagged.com of not responding to user reports of child pornography and sexual solicitation of minors, which has allowed the popular site to become a place where sexual predators can exploit children. Cuomo sent a letter to the site announcing his intent to sue the site for violating trade laws by not adhering to its promises to keep the site safe.
Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, agreed to pay Motorola Inc. an undisclosed amount to settle their battle over patents to wireless technology. RIM will make an upfront payment to Motorola and pay royalties for future use of the technology, the companies said in a joint statement, without providing specific terms.
Facebook is teaming up with the National PTA to spread information to kids, parents and teachers about how to responsibly and safely use the Internet, the two organizations said. The aim of the partnership is to reduce cyberbullying and other risks to children online, issues that have gained attention in recent years as parents, lawmakers and regulators in Washington struggle to keep children safe as the Internet becomes an extension of kids' lives.
Business and public interest groups praised the latest congressional effort aimed at bolstering cybersecurity but voiced concern with provisions such as one that would give the federal government emergency powers. The latest bill would give the government emergency authority to take information technology systems offline in dire situations when no other option is available.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said that it was investigating a security breach on AT&T's Web site that allowed a security group to obtain the e-mail addresses of 114,000 iPad 3G owners. "The FBI is aware of these possible computer intrusions and has opened an investigation to address the potential cyber threat," said Jason Pack, a supervisory special agent with the FBI's press office.
Google Inc.'s top lawyer said the company is asking the U.S. and European governments to press China to lift Internet censorship, describing it as an unfair barrier to free trade. David Drummond told reporters that Western countries should defend the free trade in information with the same kind of rules that they use to complain of China's below-cost sale of products.
Google is "almost certain" to face prosecution for collecting data from unsecured wi-fi networks, according to Privacy International (PI). The search giant has been under scrutiny for collecting wi-fi data as part of its StreetView project.
A new industry effort that bypasses Washington politicians and regulators indicates a cooling of hostilities over Net neutrality rules is underway. Longtime political rivals including AT&T, Google, Comcast, Verizon, and Microsoft, announced they had joined together to form a technical advisory group to "develop consensus on broadband network management practices or other related technical issues that can affect users' Internet experience," including applications and devices.
A group of hackers exploited a hole in an AT&T Web site to get e-mail addresses of about 114,000 iPad users, including what appears to be top officials in government, finance, media, technology, and military. Among the iPad users who appeared to have been affected were White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Diane Sawyer, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, movie producer Harvey Weinstein, and New York Times CEO Janet Robinson.
A new poll shows that a large majority of consumers are concerned about being tracked on the Internet and favor a proposal from privacy groups to create a "do not track list." The survey, commissioned by the tech and telecom industry research group Precursor LLC, found that 81 percent of those polled said they were "somewhat" or "very" concerned about companies tracking their Web surfing habits and using that information for advertising, while 88 percent said it is "unfair" for companies to do such tracking without an Internet user's permission.
The FTC said it has rejected a proposal by the Internet safety education group iSAFE to operate a self-regulatory program that would allow firms that sign up for it to comply with the provisions of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The FTC voted 5-0 to reject iSAFE's application to operate a "safe harbor" program in compliance with COPPA, which requires Web sites aimed at children under 13 to obtain parental consent before collecting information from them.
Whistle-blowing website Wikileaks has said that the detention of an alleged confidential source by the U.S. military does not compromise its work. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange told BBC News that other potential whistle-blowers should not be put off from sending material to the site.
Thirteen big record companies want to freeze assets of the provider of popular file-sharing service LimeWire, accusing its founder of fraudulently trying to evade hundreds of millions of dollars in damages over copyright infringement. In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, lawyers for the record companies said Gorton has moved "significant" assets, including nearly 90 percent of Lime Wire's ownership stakes, to an entity he "openly" hopes will be shielded from damages that could top $1 billion.
China will not ease state control over what can be said online and will brook no foreign criticism of its rules, according to a government white paper released after months of wrangling about freedoms for Web users. The 31-page white paper, which called the Internet "a crystallization of human wisdom," said its usage in the most populous nation on earth was "transforming the pattern of economic development."
Employees who dabble in social networking both on and off the job could expose their companies to a variety of risks, according to a study released by the ISACA. Malware, brand hijacking, lack of content control, noncompliance with rules over recordkeeping, and unrealistic expectations of Internet performance were the top five social-media risks to businesses identified by the ISACA in its study "Social Media: Business Benefits With Security, Governance and Assurance Perspectives."
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