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New Group Wants to Make Social Networks Safer
A group of Internet safety experts plans to announce a new start-up aimed at helping social networks provide safer Web 2.0 environments for kids and adults. The company, called Wired Trust, will be one of the first consulting companies designed specifically to help social networks and kids' virtual worlds navigate safety issues in an age of cyberbullying, Internet predators, and anything-goes content from members. MySpace Prosecution Could Impact Routine Online Tactics
Think twice before you sign up for an online service using a fake name or e-mail address. You could be committing a federal crime. Federal prosecutors turned to a novel interpretation of computer hacking law to indict a Missouri mother on charges connected to the suicide of a 13-year-old MySpace user. Spanish Police Arrest Suspected Government Hackers
Spanish police have arrested five young computer hackers who allegedly disabled Internet pages run by government agencies in the U.S., Latin America and Asia, authorities said. The National Police described the suspects as belonging to one of the most active hacker groups on the Internet and said two of the suspects are only 16 years old. Senate Committee Approves Bill Against Child Porn
A U.S. Senate panel has unanimously approved a bill that would encourage federal, state, and local police to use and create special software designed to nab child pornography swappers on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send an amended version of the Combating Child Exploitation Act, chiefly sponsored by Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), to the full slate of politicians for a vote. Woman Who Lost File-Sharing Trial May Get New Trial
A Minnesota woman ordered to pay $222,000 in the nation's first music download trial may get another chance with a jury. The issue is whether record companies have to prove anyone else actually downloaded their copyrighted songs, or whether it's enough to argue that a defendant made copyrighted music available for copying. EU Official Warns Google Against "Street View" Maps
The EU's top data protection supervisor said that Google's "Street View" map and imaging feature could pose privacy problems if it launches in Europe. Peter Hustinx said the Internet map service program would have to comply with European privacy laws as it captures and posts street-level photos. Grand Jury Indicts Woman in Internet Suicide Hoax
A federal grand jury indicted a Missouri woman for her alleged role in perpetrating a hoax on the online social network MySpace against a 13-year-old neighbor who committed suicide. Lori Drew of suburban St. Louis allegedly helped create a false-identity MySpace account to contact Megan Meier, who thought she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans. Cox Accused of Slowing File-Sharing Traffic
Cox Communications appears to be interfering with file-sharing by its Internet subscribers in the same manner that has landed Comcast Corp. in hot water with regulators, according to research obtained by The Associated Press. A study based on the participation of 8,175 Internet users around the world found conclusive signs of blocked file-sharing connections only at three Internet service providers: Comcast and Cox in the U.S. and StarHub in Singapore. British Agency Says Microsoft Discourages Competition
A British watchdog agency said it had complained to European Union regulators that Microsoft's new file format for storing documents discouraged competition. Britain's agency for education and information technology said it wanted to help the EU with an investigation it launched in January into whether the software giant deliberately withheld information from rivals. Company Challenges Constitutionality of Webcast Rates
Just when record labels thought it was safe to start charging webcasters on a per-listener, per-song basis, the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board that set the rates has been charged unconstitutional in the Federal Court of Appeals. During the royalty rate proceedings, a company called Royalty Logic proposed that it compete with SoundExchange for the collection of digital royalties from webcasters. Syrian Blogger Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
A human rights group says a 24-year-old Syrian blogger has been convicted and sentenced to three years in prison on charges of undermining the prestige of the state and weakening national morale. In a statement, The National Organization for Human Rights in Syria condemned the verdict as "outrageous" and called for Tarek Bayassi's immediate release. Software Industry Says Piracy Costs $48 Billion
Pirates caused the software industry to lose nearly $48 billion in sales last year, even as most countries experienced declines in their piracy rates, according to the latest annual study commissioned by the Business Software Alliance. The fifth annual report determined that from 2006 to 2007, overall losses grew by $8 billion and worldwide piracy rates increased by 3 percentage points to 38 percent. |
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