Google Considers Shutting Down Street View in Switzerland

Google is considering shutting down Street View in Switzerland if the supreme court there fails to throw out an April court order mandating that the tech giant give an "absolute guarantee of anonymity for people" photographed in Street View photos, according to a report. Patrick Warnking, Google's country manager for Switzerland, told the Associated Press that the company will ask the Swiss Federal Tribunal to overturn the court decision, which also would require Google to make unrecognizable not only people, but license plates as well, before images are published in Street View.

Winklevoss Twins Facing Suit Over Failed Partnership

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twins challenging a $65 million settlement with Facebook Inc., must face a lawsuit filed by a Boston businessman over a failed partnership, a judge ruled. The businessman, Wayne Chang, claims in a lawsuit filed in December 2009 that a former partnership with the Winklevosses’ ConnectU project entitles him to part of the Facebook settlement.

Developers Get Patent Threats Over In-App Purchasing

The makers of several iOS applications have received cease and desist letters over the use of in-app purchasing, from parties who claim the feature infringes on an existing patent. Computer LogicX, which makes Mix and Mash and Mix and Mash LITE, as well as developer James Thomson, who makes PCalc and DragThing, have received letters threatening legal action if the feature is not removed.

Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Customers Online

The online eyeglasses seller who terrified customers in the hopes of creating buzz about his Web site, and raising its profile in Google searches, pleaded guilty to two counts of sending threatening communications, one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. Vitaly Borker, who owned and operated DecorMyEyes.com out of his home in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, admitted in court that he had lied to and frightened his customers, suggesting that business pressures explained his behavior.

EU Board to Issue Opinion on Location Privacy

The European Union's top advisory body on online privacy will issue an opinion this month saying that information collected by phone and Internet companies on customer locations must be treated like names, birthdays and other personal data, EU officials say. That means smartphone giants like Apple Inc. and Google Inc. will likely have to obtain user consent before gathering the data, delete the information after a certain period of time and keep it anonymous.

White House Issues Cybersecurity Proposal

The White House issued a proposal to secure critical U.S. infrastructure and federal computer networks that aims to fend off attackers while assuring the privacy of Internet users. A legislative proposal from the Obama administration calls for the Department of Homeland Security to formally take over the job of ensuring the federal government's computers are protected, including oversight of intrusion detection and prevention systems.

Lawmakers Want SEC to Require Cyberattack Disclosures

A group of U.S. lawmakers wants the Securities and Exchange Commission to push companies to disclose when they have fallen victim to cyberattacks. Three weeks after Sony Corp. was forced to shut down its PlayStation network by hackers who stole users' information, the group, which includes Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, on Wednesday sent a letter to the SEC asking it to issue guidance stating that companies must report when they have suffered a major network attack and disclose details on intellectual property or trade secrets that hackers may have stolen.

Amazon May Cut More Affiliates in Tax Dispute

Amazon.com could cut its partnership with affiliates in more U.S. states that require the online retailer to collect sales tax, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said. The comments from the world's largest online retailer come less than a month after brick-and-mortar rival Best Buy expressed optimism about potential online taxation reforms that would expand the collection of sales taxes on items bought over the Internet.

After Nine Years, Microsoft's Antitrust Agreement Expires

The U.S. Justice Department said its nine-year-old antitrust agreement with Microsoft Corp., set to expire May 12, permanently changed the software marketplace, making it more open, fair and innovative. The final judgment in the Microsoft case, in effect since 2002, prevented the company from using its monopoly Windows operating system for personal computing to quash competition, the department said today in a statement.