Army Analyst Linked to Leak on Chinese Google Attack

An Army analyst jailed for allegedly leaking a video of a controversial Iraq air strike also allegedly leaked classified information about a U.S. investigation into cyberattacks on Google that originated in China, the hacker who turned in the analyst told CNET. U.S. Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning had confided to well-known hacker Adrian Lamo in e-mails and instant messages that he was the one who provided the 2007 video of a military helicopter gunning down journalists and civilians in Iraq, as well as other information, to whistleblower Web site Wikileaks, Lamo has said.

Jury Rules for Novell in SCO's Unix Suit

A federal jury found that Novell owns the rights to the Unix operating system, foiling SCO's plan to seek millions of dollars in licensing fees from companies it accused of illegally distributing its proprietary Unix code with the Linux OS. SCO, while obviously struck low by the verdict, evidently intends to forge on with its suit against IBM, which it also claims misappropriated Unix and built it into Linux.

Google Says Wi-Fi Data Collection Was Legal

Google Inc. said it doesn't believe it broke U.S. law by accidentally collecting data from Wi-Fi networks, according to a letter the company sent three U.S. congressmen who are urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the matter. In a letter, Google's director of public policy, Pablo Chavez, wrote that the search company doesn't believe collecting information from openly accessible networks, which it admitted last month to accidentally doing, was illegal.

FBI Asks Gizmodo Publisher to Keep Documents in iPad Probe

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.

Google, U.S. Working on Chinese Internet Censorship

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.

FTC Plans Probe of Apple's Mobile Device Practices

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 to Sue Tagged.com for Child Porn

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.

  • Read the article: Wired

Facebook, PTA Working Together on Internet Safety

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.

Groups Praise, Criticize Cybersecurity Bill

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.

FBI Investigating Leak of iPad E-mail Addresses

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 Wants U.S., EU to Press China on Censorship

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.

Tech Rivals Join Forces on Broadband Policies

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.

Hackers Got E-mail Addresses of iPad Users

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.

Most Internet Users Worried About Privacy, Poll Shows

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.

FTC Rejects Safe Harbor Application for COPPA

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.

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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.