Internet - Infoworld

Eolas loses in Web patents claim against Google and others

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:41:12 +0000

A jury in Texas gave the verdict that two patents of Eolas Technologies that enable Internet browsers to host embedded interactive applications were invalid, in a protracted legal battle which involved top Internet companies like Google and Amazon.com.

Update: Trustwave admits issuing man-in-the-middle digital certificate

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:36 +0000

Digital Certificate Authority (CA) Trustwave revealed that it has issued a digital certificate that enabled an unnamed private company to spy on SSL-protected connections within its corporate network, an action that prompted the Mozilla community to debate whether the CA's root certificate should be removed from Firefox.

Google agrees to court order in India to remove content

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:20:55 +0000

Google has agreed before a court in Delhi to remove religious and other content considered objectionable, though some other Internet firms are likely to appeal the court's decision, plaintiff Mufti Ajiaz Arshad Qasmi said on Monday.

Qasmi, a private citizen, had filed a civil suit against Google and other Internet companies including Facebook, objecting to certain content on their websites. The content is said to mock gods worshipped in India. He is now pressing the companies to put in place technology for filtering out content that is considered objectionable.

Google introduces country domains on Blogger to aid content removal

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:05:08 +0000

Google is directing users to localized country domains on Blogger to provide it flexibility to comply with content removal rules in various countries.

The move suggests that Internet companies are coming to terms with the need to follow local rules, as they try to gain users in countries where there are concerns about pornography, and certain political and religious content.

The Facebook IPO: Zuck's letter to investors

Robert X. Cringely — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:52:30 +0000

Stop me if you've heard this one: Some time today, Facebook will likely confirm what may be the single worst-kept secret in the history of the InterWebs: the news of its initial public offering.

Several sources are reporting that the world's largest social network will file an S-1 form with the SEC some time today, signaling that it will offer shares for sale to the public, probably later this spring.

Hackers infect WordPress 3.2.1 blogs to distribute TDSS rootkit

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:30:40 +0000

Hackers are compromising WordPress 3.2.1 blogs in order to infect their visitors with the notorious TDSS rootkit, according to researchers from Web security firm Websense.

It's not clear how the websites are being compromised, but there are publicly known exploits for vulnerabilities that affect WordPress 3.2.1, which is an older version of the popular blog publishing platform.

You have the right to remain silent on Twitter

Robert X. Cringely — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:26:37 +0000

Thanks to social media, the Miranda warning -- you know, the one you've heard recited a million times on TV cop shows -- is in serious need of an update. To wit:

You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say on Twitter or Facebook can be used against you in a court of law, or anywhere else the authorities maintain total physical control.

Jailbreaking the Internet: For freedom's sake

Paul Venezia — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Last week, I talked a bit about the history of the Internet and its original goal of enabling the free flow of information. I also talked about the fact that moneyed interests the world over are scrambling to turn the Internet into something closer to cable TV than the open network we currently enjoy.

How tweet it isn't: Twitter's new censorship policies

Robert X. Cringely — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:03:34 +0000

Yesterday Twitter announced a policy change that has the Twitterati flapping about like bluebirds trying to hoist a Fail Whale.

In 140 characters or less: Twitter is now supporting local censorship of tweets.

SOPA's big brother signed by E.U. nations amid widespread protests

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:57:40 +0000

The European Union signed up to the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) on Thursday despite widespread opposition, particularly in Poland, where people took to the streets in protest.

The agreement was officially signed in Tokyo by 22 European member states. Cyprus, Estonia, Slovakia, Germany, and the Netherlands did not sign, but committed to do so in the near future, according to the European Parliament's Green party.

Google looks to speed up the Internet

Paul Krill — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Google technicians want an overhaul of the Web's TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) transport layer and are suggesting ways to reduce latency and make the Web faster.

Building the next Internet

Paul Venezia — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

The Internet's rapid rise and impending fall has been amazing to witness. Sure, technically it's been around for 30-plus years, but for most of humanity, the Internet showed up in 1997. In those brief 15 years, the baboons of ignorance and greed have been doing their damnedest to destroy it, as this SOPA and PIPA nonsense clearly exhibits.

Sen. Leahy criticizes 'knee-jerk' reaction to PIPA, SOPA protests

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:14:08 +0000

Sen. Patrick Leahy, (D-Vt.), the lead sponsor of the controversial Protect IP Act (PIPA), today criticized the "knee-jerk" reaction of fellow senators to this week's protests against the bill and vowed to press forward with it.

In response to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) decision this morning to delay a scheduled Jan. 24 cloture vote on PIPA, Leahy said he remains committed to dealing with the problem of online piracy.

Update: U.S. Senate postpones vote on PIPA

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:58:44 +0000

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has postponed a vote on the controversial Protect IP Act, scheduled for Tuesday, as a growing number of senators voice opposition to the copyright enforcement bill.

Twitter, Facebook fuel SOPA protests

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:53:55 +0000

Several major Internet companies and thousands of concerned users are successfully lighting up social networks to spread opposition to controversial anti-piracy bills now under debate in the U.S. Congress.

Groups launch campaign against lawmakers supporting SOPA, PIPA

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:54:16 +0000

Two activist groups, one liberal and one conservative, have joined together in a campaign to defeat U.S. lawmakers supporting two controversial copyright enforcement bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act.

SOPA and PIPA: The pros and cons

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:22:26 +0000

The Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act are getting more negative attention, as major websites such as Wikipedia protest the bills with blackouts on Wednesday. Even Google joined the action, with a link on its homepage explaining why the company opposes the legislation.

But what are SOPA and PIPA, exactly, and why are tech luminaries lambasting legislation aimed at stamping out copyright infringement? Read on for a full explanation.

SOPA hearing to resume even in the face of opposition

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:39:49 +0000

A hearing to amend and debate the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act should resume in February, its chief sponsor said, even in the face of new opposition to the copyright enforcement bill.

The House Judiciary Committee held three days of so-called markup hearings on SOPA in December, but opponents of the bill flooded the committee with more than 20 amendments. In a markup hearing, a committee votes on amendments to a bill and votes on whether to approve the bill and send it to the full House for action.

Mozilla, Firefox join anti-SOPA strike

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:41:18 +0000

Mozilla, the open source organization responsible for Firefox, joined other major technology companies today to protest antipiracy legislation by blackening the browser's home page.

From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, Firefox's default home page -- essentially a search field for Google -- will change from its usual white background with the Firefox logo to a blacked-out version displaying a modified graphic emblazoned with "Stop Censorship."

How to cope with HTML5's dueling standards bodies

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:28:13 +0000

The nice thing about standards is there are so many of them to choose from.

That old chestnut, attributed to any number of different parties, has been in circulation since long before there was an Internet, but it still speaks volumes to the curious situation developing today: