China Vows Crackdown on Internet Rumors, Hoaxes

China is vowing anew to punish people who post rumors and falsehoods on the Internet as the government tries to rein in forums that have increasingly become sources of debate and criticism. A spokesperson for the State Internet Information Office, a regulatory body under China's Cabinet, said in a statement released that Internet rumors and hoaxes were "malignant tumors" that harm social stability.

Utilities Face Risk of Cyberattacks, DHS Official Says

U.S. utilities and other crucial industries face an increasing number of cyberbreak-ins by attackers using more sophisticated methods, a senior Homeland Security Department official told reporters during the first tour of the government's secretive defense labs intended to protect the nation's power grid, water and communications systems. Acting DHS Deputy Undersecretary Greg Schaffer told reporters at one of several nondescript buildings that house Control System Security Program facilities that the world's utilities and industries increasingly are becoming vulnerable as they wire their industrial machinery to the Internet.

Groups Ask FTC to Investigate Facebook's Tracking

Ten public-interest groups asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate Facebook Inc.’s tracking of Internet users after they log off the world’s most popular social-networking service. The Electronic Privacy Information Center and nine other groups, in a letter filed with the FTC, also asked it to examine whether Facebook’s new Ticker and Timeline features boost privacy risks for users by combining biographical information in an easily accessible format.

Public Interest Group Challenges Net Neutrality Rules

Public interest group Free Press filed a petition for review in the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, challenging U.S. Internet rules set to go into effect Nov. 20. The rules, adopted last December by the Federal Communications Commission and published in the Federal Register last week, forbid broadband providers from blocking legal content but leave flexibility for providers to manage their networks.

Immigration Official Indicted on Child Porn Charges

The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for South Florida has been arrested on child pornography charges, the Department of Justice said. Anthony Mangione, 50, of Parkland, Florida, was charged in a three-count indictment with transportation of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, authorities said in a statement.

  • Read the article: CNN

Microsoft Gets Court Order Against Scam-Related Domains

Microsoft has opened a front in its ongoing battle against Internet scammers, using the power of a U.S. court to deal a knockout blow to an emerging botnet and taking offline a provider of free Internet domains. Microsoft used the same technique that worked in its earlier takedowns of the Rustock and Waledac botnets, asking a U.S. court to order Verisign to shut down 21 Internet domains associated with the command-and-control servers that form the brains of the Kelihos botnet.

'Christopher Tansey' <ctansey@pegconsultant.com>

Council of Europe Plans to Create 'Charter' for Internet Users

The Council of Europe plans to establish an Internet user charter to guarantee the rights of consumers in an era of increasing government attempts to seize control of the Web, its deputy secretary general said. Internet activists say governments ranging from Egypt to Pakistan have been trying to control the Internet through tactics like filtering and blocking of content and surveillance, making the lives of users and rights campaigners difficult.

Lawmakers Want FTC to Probe Use of 'Supercookies'

Two leading lawmakers on privacy -- a Republican and Democrat -- have asked the Federal Trade Commission to look into MSN.com and Hulu.com's installation of cookies onto users' computers that cannot be deleted. In a letter, Representatives Joe Barton and Ed Markey asked FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz what plans the agency had to probe the use of the so-called supercookies.

Dutch Judge Sets Date for Ruling in Samsung-Apple Patent Case

A Dutch judge said he would rule by October 14 on Samsung's bid to ban the sale, distribution and import of Apple iPhones and iPads in the Netherlands, ahead of the next four separate patent cases due to run through to November 17 in The Hague. The two technology titans have been locked in an acrimonious global battle over smartphone and tablet patents since April.

Companies Still Struggle with Employees' Online Use

In the age of instant tweets and impulsive Facebook posts, some companies are still trying to figure out how they can limit what their employees say about work online without running afoul of the law. Confusion about what workers can or can't post has led to a surge of more than 100 complaints at the National Labor Relations Board -- most within the past year -- and created uncertainty for businesses about how far their social media policies can go.