World News | Latest News: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

Ad watchdog to monitor web words

28 February 2011 Last updated at 19:01 ET

How companies talk about themselves on Twitter feeds or Facebook profiles is to be policed like adverts.

From 1 March, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) gets powers to police the claims companies make on websites and social networks.

The rules cover statements on sites that can be interpreted as marketing, even if they are not in an advert.

Until now, the ASA has only been able to oversee paid-for ads online.

Since 2008, the watchdog has received more than 4,500 complaints concerning text on websites that it could do nothing about.

"These are claims that are very similar to the claims that [the public] are used to seeing in adverts that appear in media like TV, radio, posters and print," ASA chief executive Guy Parker told the BBC.

The ASA said that the new powers would help it tackle a growing number of complaints about the way companies sell themselves on the web.

Misleading words

Extending the UK advertising code to non paid-for statements means that these, like paid-for adverts, must not harm, mislead or offend.

While aimed primarily at sites using the .co.uk domain suffix, the ASA said its powers could also cover .com sites, such as Facebook, if the online space being used was under the control of a UK firm.

However, the transient nature of online content may make the rules difficult to police, according to Vincent-Wayne Mitchell, professor of consumer marketing at London's Cass Business School.

"I could have an advert up on the internet for a week or for an hour, cause widespread confusion, get sales from that, and then withdraw it," he said.

"The only punishment that the ASA has is withdrawal, but I can have that as part of my own marketing strategy," said Professor Mitchell.

Name and shame

User-generated content, such as comments left by customers on a website, will not be covered by the extended powers.

But the ASA said that such content could be examined if a company adopted it and used positive endorsements to advertise.

To encourage firms to comply, the ASA said it would extend a name-and-shame policy which will expose firms that make unsupportable claims.

Further sanctions for offenders could see non-compliant material removed from search engines. The ASA said it might also take out adverts to warn people about companies that do not comply with the code.

In anticipation of the extra work it will have to do, the ASA has expanded the number of staff in its complaints and investigations unit by 10%.

Gmail users find accounts wiped

28 February 2011 Last updated at 11:21 ET

Thousands of Gmail users have been left with empty inboxes after their accounts were accidentally wiped clean.

As well as missing e-mails, many reported that their contacts had also disappeared.

Google, which operates Gmail, said that a small percentage of its users had been affected.

Some accounts have already been restored, suggesting the data was not permanently deleted.

In a statement, Google said: "This is affecting less than .08% of our Gmail user base, and we've already fixed the problem for some individuals."

The company said that engineers were working to restore service.

Google does not release official figures for the number of Gmail accounts, however it is believed to be between 150 million and 200 million.

That would mean that around 150,000 users were affected by the problem.

Gmail outages on this scale are rare, according to Alex Chitu, whose blog Google Operating System, charts the company's cloud computing initiatives.

He told BBC News that although service was being restored, many users were angry about the way the outage had been handled.

"Today's issue shows that Gmail is far from perfect and Google should do a better job at communicating with users.

"When you can't access your message and your Google account is disabled, it's nice to know why," he said.

Exchange serves up malicious ads

28 February 2011 Last updated at 07:55 ET

Booby-trapped adverts that hit visitors with fake security software have been discovered on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) website.

Analysis of the LSE site suggests that over the last 90 days, about 363 pages had hosted malware.

The LSE said its site was now safe and an investigation showed that ads provided by a third party were the culprit.

One victim claimed his PC was made unusable after being infected.

Security expert Paul Mutton fell victim when he viewed the site on 27 February.

He visited the LSE homepage to find out why some people reported that they could not access it.

The site was blocked by Firefox, he said, but accessible via Google's Chrome browser.

"It seemed to work with Chrome but then a few seconds later, without having to click on anything, pop-ups started to appear," he said.

The malicious code closed down several of the programs Mr Mutton was using and stopped new ones being started.

"I visited the site and it compromised my machine," said Mr Mutton.

While he was fighting to regain control of his machine, the malware kicked off fake virus alerts in pop-up windows. One window was a fake security scanner which claimed it had detected lots of different malware on the PC.

Mr Mutton said his machine fell victim despite being updated with the latest batch of virus definitions earlier in the day.

Bad ads

Analysis of the LSE homepage by Google's safe browsing scheme, which scans web pages for malicious code, found the site had been listed for "suspicious activity 6 time(s) over the past 90 days".

The last time it discovered malicious activity on the site was on 27 February, the day Mr Mutton visited.

Of the 1112 pages that Google scanned on the LSE site over the last 90 days, 363 were found to be hosting malware. The malicious code it found included scripting exploits and trojans.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security firm Sophos, said: "Our suspicion would be that it was the third-party advertising network running via the site that delivered the malware."

"This so-called 'malvertising' is big business for cyber criminals," said Mr Cluley.

"If they are able to plant their poisonous adverts in the streams being used by major websites then it can spread their attacks far and wide," he said.

While many sites rely on third-parties to provide adverts, that can have its risks, said Mr Cluley.

"Unfortunately when an infection does get through it's likely that the users will blame the website, not the ad network," he said.

Vodafone network hit by break-in

28 February 2011 Last updated at 05:15 ET

Vodafone's mobile network has been disrupted following a break-in at one of its exchange centres.

The company said some customers had lost voice, text and internet access.

Engineers are working to fix the problem, according to a Vodafone statement.

It is not known how many users have been affected, however mobile customers from across the UK were using the micro-blogging site Twitter to report loss of service.

Vodafone said: "We had a break in last night at one of our technical facilities which resulted in damage done to some of our equipment.

"We are working quickly to restore these and will be back to normal as soon as we can."

Friday, February 25, 2011

LinkedIn service resumes in China

25 February 2011 Last updated at 22:52 ET

Business networking site LinkedIn says access to its services appears to have been restored in China, a day after it was blocked there.

"We will continue to monitor the situation," a US spokesman for the site said.

Shortly before the site went offline on Friday, one user set up a forum, discussing the idea of a "Jasmine Revolution" in China.

The phrase has been used to describe the popular revolts in the Middle East.

The Agence France-Presse news agency says that one of its journalists in Beijing was able to access the LinkedIn site on Saturday.

Last weekend, a number of pro-democracy demonstrations were held across China, with police making a handful of arrests.

The protests are thought to have been organised in response to calls made on the website Boxun.com, access to which is banned inside mainland China.

Shortly afterwards, a LinkedIn user named Jasmine J created a group called Jasmine Voice.

In one posting, they wrote: "OMG, some pro-democracy fighters really did something here after the triumph of Egypt."

'Jasmine' blocked

China already exercises strict control over what citizens can view online, with many websites and politically sensitive subjects blocked. Access to Facebook and Twitter is barred.

But LinkedIn, which is used by a relatively small number of professionals, is accessible via domestic internet servers within China.

However the authorities there appear to have increased the level of filtering in response to the wave of popular uprisings across the Middle East.

Searches for the word "jasmine" are now blocked on the country's most popular website, Sina.com.

Internet users inside the country reported that some sites were also blocking information on Jon Huntsman, the US ambassador to Beijing.

Mr Huntsman was seen attending one of last weekend's pro-democracy rallies.

Campaign group Reporters Without Borders criticised the escalation in Chinese net censorship, accusing the authorities of trying to stamp out "all forms of freedom of expression".

LinkedIn hit as China clamps down

25 February 2011 Last updated at 07:20 ET

Business networking site LinkedIn appeared to have been blocked in some parts of China, the company has said.

No explanation was given for the move, which LinkedIn is still investigating.

However, it comes amid a renewed clampdown on internet discussion groups and micro blogging sites by authorities in Beijing.

Shortly before the site went offline, one user set up a forum, discussing the idea of a "Jasmine Revolution" in China.

The phrase has been used to describe the popular revolts taking place across Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and several other countries.

Over the weekend, a number of pro-democracy demonstrations were held across China, with police making a handful of arrests.

The protests are thought to have been organised in response to calls made on the website Boxun.com, access to which is banned inside mainland China.

Shortly afterwards, a LinkedIn user named Jasmine J created a group called Jasmine Voice.

In one posting, they wrote: "OMG, some pro-democracy fighters really did something here after the triumph of Eygpt."

However, the message does not appear to be strongly for or against a Chinese revolution.

"The revolution here means turn the Chinese political system into multi-party democratic election and separation of the three powers. Who need this?" wrote Jasmine J.

At this stage, there is no evidence that the Chinese authorities were responsible for disrupting access to LinkedIn.

However, in a statement, company spokesman Hani Durzy said: "This appears to be part of a broader effort in China going on right now, involving other sites as well."

Some users in China reported that their access to LinkedIn had been restored during Friday.

'Jasmine' blocked

China already exercises strict control over what citizens can view online, with many websites and politically sensitive subjects blocked.

Authorities appear to have increased the level of filtering in response to the wave of popular uprisings across the Midde East.

Searches for the word "jasmine" are now blocked on the country's most popular website, Sina.com.

Internet users inside the country reported that some sites were also blocking information on Jon Huntsman, the US ambassador to Beijing.

Mr Huntsman was seen attending one of last weekend's pro-democracy rallies.

Campaign group Reporters Without Borders criticised the escalation in Chinese net censorship, accusing the authorities of trying to stamp out "all forms of freedom of expression".

In a recent speech, Chinese president Hu Jintao stressed the need to "build a socialist social management system."

He added: "Unhealthy practices that could harm people's rights and interests must be corrected resolutely."

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Alan Turing papers saved for UK

A last minute donation from the National Heritage Memorial Fund has saved the papers of the computing genius Alan Turing for the nation.

The collection of scientific papers and material relating to Turing's work on wartime codebreaking was in danger of going abroad.

He was one of the founding fathers of modern computing and a key figure in breaking the German Enigma code.

The National Heritage Memorial Fund's �200,000 donation filled the gap.

The papers were put up for auction last year and an internet campaign swung into action.

The aim was to save the papers for the museum at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, where Turing worked breaking codes during the war.

IT journalist Gareth Halfacree managed to raise �23,000 from public donations.

Internet search firm Google also pledged cash but the money raised was �200,000 short of the seller's reserve price.

The Fund says the papers will stand as a permanent memorial to a man who played a crucial role in the war.

Turing is famous for his code-breaking work at Bletchley Park during World War II, helping to create the Bombe machine which cracked messages enciphered using the German Enigma code.

He committed suicide in 1954 at the age of 41, two years after being prosecuted for having a sexual relationship with a man.

In 2009 thousands of people signed a Downing Street petition calling for a posthumous government apology to Turing.

The then prime minister Gordon Brown responded by saying he was sorry for the "appalling" way Turing was treated for being gay.

Mr Halfacree told the BBC: "These papers are extremely significant."

During Turing's short life he only published 18 papers and offprints of 15 of them, which were given by Turing to his friend Professor Max Newman, are included in the collection.

Mr Halfacree said: "There are handwritten notes by Turing on them and one of them has the signature of his mother on it."

Intel launches high speed cable

24 February 2011 Last updated at 13:25 ET

Chip manufacturer Intel has announced it is to roll out a new technology for connecting computers and peripherals.

The system, know as Thunderbolt, promises transfer speeds twice as fast as USB 3.0.

However it won't reach its theoretical maximum because Intel has opted to use copper wires rather than fibre optic cables.

The company said it would gradually move to higher speeds over time.

Apple will become the first manufacturer to use Thunderbolt, on its Macbook Pro computers.

The Cupertino firm is said to have been a major driver of its development, although it remains to be seen how may other manufacturers will adopt the new standard.

Light Peak

Intel has been working on the technology for several years.

It was first announced, under the codename Light Peak in 2009.

At launch, its top speed will be limited to 10 Gigabits per second - twice as fast as USB 3.0, but still well below the theoretical maximum using optical cables.

Intel claims that future versions will be able to reach 100 Gb/sec.

The faster data transfer rates are likely to be welcomed by those consumers who use high-definition video, said Sarah Rottman Epps, an analyst with Forrester Research.

"This isn't an innovation that consumers have been asking for, but it's one they'll appreciate," she said.

"Especially when transferring video, as that's when [USB] starts to feel slow."

The system also promises to reduce the number of cables a user has connecting their computer setup.

It is able to carry multiple signal types at the same time, enabling power, display and peripherals to use a single cable.

However, in the short term, users may need to invest in special adaptors to connect their older devices onto Thunderbolt sockets.

Its arrival on the consumer market also raises questions about the future of other connector standards, such as USB and Firewire.

Thunderbolt's most high profile supporter, Apple, is expected to gradually transition to a single connector, according to Karen Haslam, editor of Macworld UK.

"In the long run there will be no need for Apple to support these multiple formats with individual ports - existing products can run through an adaptor," she said.

Not everyone is convinced that Thunderbolt will become the lone standard.

Ian Chiu, editor of the website Everythingusb.com told BBC News that the cost of components could put off some manufacturers.

"I don't really know how Intel will make Thunderbolt appealing to all the other first-tier PC manufacturers," he said.

"HP, Sony, Dell, Acer, Asus make most of their money from the low-end and medium-end notebooks.

"On the other hand, Apple's Macbook Pro line-up is targeted at the prosumers, professionals and other people who aren't so price conscious," said Mr Chiu.

Microsoft update failed 1 in 10

24 February 2011 Last updated at 07:18 ET

Microsoft has revealed that 1 in 10 users who tried to install a software update on their Windows mobile experienced problems.

The company had previously said that only a "small number" of handsets were affected.

Owners have reported a range of issues following the download, from phones crashing, to becoming completely unusable.

Microsoft pulled the update soon after the problem came to light.

On Microsoft's website, company blogger Michael Stroh wrote: "Has the update process gone perfectly? No�but few large-scale software updates ever do, and the engineering team here was prepared.

"Of course, when it's your phone that's having a problem�or you're the one waiting�it's still aggravating."

The problem appears to have affected only Samsung handsets, in particular the Omnia 7 model.

Bad connection

Microsoft said that most of those affected had either a bad internet connection or too little storage on the computer that the update was being installed from.

The company's blog posting directs users to an online troubleshooting guide, as well as suggesting they visit its Windows Phone forum.

Many of the postings on that site detailed users' attempts to restore their phones.

Lphilly79 wrote: "I disconnected the phone, removed the battery, and the phone booted up again into the original ROM (v7004).

"No obvious changes were made and everything is seems ok, exactly the way is was before the upgrade attempt."

One member, called Eliuzhi, appeared to have had less luck: "Now my phone is bricked I can not do anything!"

Microsoft has said that it will issue a new update as soon as it has identified how to fix the problem.

The company is currently trying to grow its share of the lucrative smartphone market, having lost ground to Apple, Google and Blackberry.

It recently announced a tie-up with Nokia that would see the handset manufacturer running Windows Phone on its smartphone devices.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Apple faces succession questions

23 February 2011 Last updated at 13:18 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Apple faces a shareholder revolt

The health of Apple's chief executive is set to top the agenda at the company's annual general meeting, later today.

A group of shareholders is calling on the firm to make public its management succession plan.

Apple's charismatic founder, Steve Jobs, is currently on his third medical leave of absence since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004.

Meanwhile, the company is being run by chief operating officer, Tim Cook.

Although shareholders are sympathetic to Mr Jobs' ill health, some are pressing for greater clarity about Apple's future leadership.

Those calls are being led by the Central Laborers' Pension Fund, of Jackson, Illinois.

It holds nearly 11,500 Apple shares, worth around $4 million (�2.4m).

The fund wants Apple to name possible long-term successors, something the company is unwilling to do.

Visionary leader

Such is Mr Jobs reputation as a hand-on, visionary leader, that his prolonged absence from the Cupertino headquarters is seen as potentially damaging.

"Given recent rumours about his poor health, the pressure is increasing on Apple to reassure shareholders and industry watchers that there is a future beyond Steve Jobs," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesa.

However, she dismissed the notion that his continued absence meant Apple would lose its way.

"There is more to Apple than Steve Jobs," she said.

Despite his absence, Mr jobs has been spotted visiting the Apple campus since January.

He also attended a recent dinner for technology leaders, hosted by US President Barack Obama.

Microsoft update 'kills' mobiles

23 February 2011 Last updated at 09:29 ET

Microsoft has withdrawn a software update for its Windows Phone system after it made some handsets unusable.

The problem appears to have affected a small number of mobiles made by Samsung.

Owners reported their phones crashing, and in some cases failing to start up altogether.

Microsoft said it was working to fix the issue and would send out a new update as soon as possible.

The download in question was the first update for Windows Phone since it launched last October.

"In some circumstances it renders the phone completely unusable and can't be restored to a previous version," said Leigh Geary, editor of Coolsmartphone.com.

"It is going to portray Microsoft in a bad light," he added.

Angry users shared their experiences of installing it on user forums.

"I've got an unmodified Samsung Omnia 7, now bricked," wrote one contributor to Microsoft's Answers site.

"My phone is currently unusable, even after hard reset," another user wrote on the same site.

Technical issue

In a statement, Microsoft said: "We have identified a technical issue with the Windows Phone update process that impacts a small number of phones.

"We have temporarily taken down the latest software update for Samsung phones in order to correct the issue and as soon as possible will redistribute the update."

Samsung Omnia owner Alex Roebuck tried to upgrade, but found his phone became unusable.

He said it was unclear if he should take up the issue with his network provider or Microsoft.

"I do not want to be without my handset, so I have decided to wait for a few days to see if a solution can be found, either by Microsoft or the hacker community," he told BBC News.

The update problem comes at a bad time for Microsoft, as it attempts to grow its share of the lucrative smartphone market.

The company recently announced a partnership with Nokia to manufacture handsets running the Windows Phone operating system.

'Poisoned' workers turn to Apple

23 February 2011 Last updated at 07:28 ET

Chinese workers injured while making touchscreens for mobile devices, including iPhones, have written to Apple asking it to do more to help them.

137 workers suffered adverse health effects following exposure to a chemical, known as n-hexane.

They claim that the Taiwanese factory owner has not given them enough compensation.

Apple did not offer comment on the letter.

Five workers, including 27-year-old Jia Jingchuan, have signed a letter to chief executive officer Steve Jobs, asking Apple to offer more help over the incidents.

They say that the factory owner has not given enough compensation, has pressured those who took compensation to give up their jobs and failed to offer assurance that workers who may suffer fresh illnesess will have medical bills taken care of.

Long-term damage

Wintek, the Taiwanese company that owns the factory, said that it used the chemical in place of alcohol because it evaporated more quickly and speeded up production of touch screens.

It has now reverted to using alcohol to clean screens.

Workers exposed to n-hexane experienced faintness and tiredness, sweaty hands and feet, numbness in hands and swelling and pain in feet. Some claim they are still suffering ill-effects.

Experts say that daily exposure to n-hexane can cause long-term damage.

In its annual report, published last week, Apple acknowledged the incident.

"In 2010 we learned that 137 workers at the Suzhou facility of Wintek, one of Apple's suppliers, had suffered adverse health effects following exposure to n-hexane, a chemical in cleaning agents used in some manufacturing processes," the report read.

"We required Wintek to stop using n-hexane and to provide evidence that they had removed the chemical from their production lines," it said.

Apple said it also asked the firm to provide adequate ventilation in the factory. It will monitor the plant and will reaudit the facility later this year.

Wintek also supplies components to a number of other companies, including Nokia and HTC.

This is not the first problem Apple has experienced with its Chinese factories.

Its annual report also references an incident at its main China supplier Foxconn's factory, where over a dozen workers committed suicide.

"We were disturbed and deeply saddened to learn that factory workers were taking their own lives," the report read.

It said "suicide prevention specialists" were working with Foxconn to improve conditions.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Google faces new search complaint

22 February 2011 Last updated at 12:04 ET

A new complaint about Google's alleged anti-competitive behaviour has been filed by specialist French search engine 1plusV.

It follows similar complaints from price comparison site Foundem and legal search engine ejustice.fr last year.

Those triggered a European Commission probe into Google's business practices, which is ongoing.

Google said it was working with the EC, adding that there "was always room for improvement".

"We have been working closely with the European Commission to explain many different parts of our business. While we have always tried to do the right thing for our users and advertisers, we recognise that there's always room for improvement," the firm said in a statement.

Delisted sites

1plusV is the parent company of of eJustice.fr and runs so-called vertical search engines that specialise in law, music and culture.

It said that between 2006 and 2010 Google prevented vertical search firms from using its online advertising service AdSense.

"This is the only truly effective way of obtaining targeted advertising on a search engine," 1plusV said in a statement.

It also alleges that, in the weeks following the original complaint, Google delisted sites published by it.

"For eJustice.fr, Google's decision to remove it from its search results was catastrophic in terms of its traffic," it said.

Google has said that ranking on its search results depends on how valuable a given site is for its users.

It has told companies to improve their websites to help move them up the rankings.

But 1plusV said that eJustice.fr was relisted in December, without modification.

"The relisting is in complete contradiction with the Google argument that eJustice.fr was delisted because it provided no value to the internet user," 1plusV said.

The European Commission said it would give Google the opportunity to comment on the allegations before deciding what action to take.

If Google is found guilty of abusing its dominant position in the search or advertising markets it could face a hefty fine.

Anonymous denies Westboro attack

22 February 2011 Last updated at 05:44 ET

Internet activist group Anonymous has said calls for it to attack the website of controversial anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church were a hoax.

The denial follows a publication on an Anonymous-affiliated website attacking the church.

In a new statement, Anonymous urged members not to participate in any denial-of-service attacks against the church's website.

Anonymous said it had "more pressing matters to deal with at the moment".

The new statement, which claimed to be authored by more than 20 members of Anonymous, said it didn't "remember sending" the original release.

Pimple-faced nerds

Anonymous has risen to fame in recent months for its "hacktivism", which has seen it launch denial-of-service attacks against firms it saw as pursuing policies that are in oppostition to its freedom of the web ideals.

The group recently crashed a number of Egyptian government websites, in support of the country's pro-democracy protests.

It also attacked several online companies that it believed had helped clamp down on Wikileaks' activity, including Paypal and Amazon.

Anonymous's informal structure increases the chances that rogue elements can initiate action without widespread support, said Graham Cluley, of security firm Sophos.

Mr Cluley warned that its followers could potentially be led into mounting a major hack under false pretenses.

"There are dangers in future that someone may pose as Anonymous and say that they want an attack".

In its latest statement, Anonymous warned its members not to participate in DDoS attacks against Westboro Baptist Church in case it was a trap.

Westboro Baptist Church has been widely condemned for its aggressive anti-homosexual campaigning.

A number of US states have passed legislation, banning members from protesting close to military funerals.

The church's leader, pastor Fred Phelps, was banned from entering the UK by the Home Office in 2009.

The church had issued a response to the original release, branding Anonymous "a puddle of pimple-faced nerds".

Monday, February 21, 2011

XBox to welcome Kinect 'hackers'

21 February 2011 Last updated at 15:04 ET

By Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent, BBC News, Seattle

Microsoft is to open up its XBox Kinect technology to allow amateur software developers to experiment with it.

The company is to release a software development kit in the spring, which will give developers access to the secrets behind the technology.

For now it will only be for personal use, but Microsoft says it will release a commercial version in due course.

Kinect, which turns the player's body into a game controller, has been a big hit since it launched last November.

It has already captured the imagination of the hacker community, which has been demonstrating various uses for the technology, including 3D photography.

Microsoft is hoping that an army of smarter developers will now find more ways to take Kinect to the next level.

"As breakthrough technologies like these reach scale, the resulting creativity and invention will open up a whole new world of possibilities for computing," said Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer.

The announcement was made during an open day at Microsoft's research centre near Seattle.

The company is hoping that the success of Kinect, developed by its own scientists, can give it a greater presence in the home entertainment field.

Anonymous targets anti-gay church

21 February 2011 Last updated at 08:51 ET

Hacker group Anonymous appears to have singled out its next target - the controvesial anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in the US.

An open letter, purporting to be from Anonymous, accused the church of bigotry and fanaticism.

It warned that Westboro's websites would be attacked if the congregation did not stop its public protests.

In a defiant response, the church said it would not be silenced, and urged Anonymous to "bring it".

Westboro Baptist Church has been widely condemned for its aggressive anti-gay campaigning.

A number of US states have passed legislation, banning Westboro's members from protesting close to military funerals.

The church's leader, pastor Fred Phelps, was banned from entering the UK by the Home Office in 2009.

Activist hackers

Anonymous is known for its "hacktivism", targeting individuals, companies and governments whose behavior it objects to.

The group recently crashed a number of Egyptian government websites, in support of the country's pro-democracy protests.

It also attacked several online companies that it believed had helped clamp down on Wikileaks' activity, including Paypal and Amazon.

Laying out its case against Westboro Baptist Church, the letter said: "We have always regarded you and your ilk as an assembly of graceless sociopaths and maniacal chauvinists & religious zealots, however benign, who act out for the sake of attention & in the name of religion".

Despite being posted on an Anonymous news site, there was some uncertainty surrounding the provenance of the letter.

Further messages on the same website questioned its authenticity.

The confusion is understandable, according to Graham Cluley from security firm Sophos.

"Anonymous is a headless organisation," he said.

Mr Cluley warned that its followers could potentially be led into mounting a major hack under false pretenses.

"There are dangers in future that someone may pose as Anonymous and say that they want an attack".

The Westboro Baptist Church issued a statement, branding Anonymous "a puddle of pimple-faced nerds".

It called the threat a "bad miscalculation", and appeared to goad Anonymous to action, with the phrase "bring it!".

The church's website, godhatesfags.com was unavailable.

New blood pressure device hailed

20 February 2011 Last updated at 19:16 ET

A device which can be worn like a watch could revolutionise the way blood pressure is monitored in the next few years, scientists say.

Researchers at the University of Leicester and in Singapore have developed a device to measure pressure in the largest artery in the body.

Evidence shows it gives a much more accurate reading than the arm cuff.

The technology is funded by the Department of Health and backed by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

It works by a sensor in the watch recording the pulse wave of the artery, which is then fed into a computer together with a traditional blood pressure reading from a cuff.

"Start Quote

This is a great example of how research breakthroughs and innovation can make a real difference to patients' lives"

End Quote Andrew Lansley Health Secretary

Scientists are then able to read the pressure close to the heart, from the aorta.

Professor Bryan Williams, from the University of Leicester's department of cardiovascular sciences at Glenfield Hospital, said: "The aorta is millimetres away from the heart and close to the brain and we have always known that pressure here is a bit lower than in the arm.

"Unless we measure the pressure in the aorta we are not getting an appreciation of the risks or benefits of treatment."

He said the device would "change the way blood pressure has been monitored for more than a century" and he expected the technology to be used in specialist centres soon, before being "used much more widely" within five years.

"The beauty of all of this is that it is difficult to argue against the proposition that the pressure near to your heart and brain is likely to be more relevant to your risk of stroke and heart disease than the pressure in your arm," he said.

But it was important to ensure the new device was as small as possible to encourage clinicians and patients to use it, he added.

The research work was funded by the Department of Health's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The NIHR invested �3.4m, with a further �2.2m of funding coming from the Department of Health, to establish a Biomedical Research Unit at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

The university collaborated with the Singapore-based medical device company HealthSTATS International.

Dr Choon Meng Ting, chairman of HealthSTATS, said: "This study has resulted in a very significant translational impact worldwide as it will empower doctors and their patients to monitor their central aortic systolic pressure easily, even in their homes and modify the course of treatment for blood pressure-related ailments."

Mr Lansley said the device was "a great example of how research breakthroughs and innovation can make a real difference to patients' lives".

Judy O'Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said previous research had shown that measuring pressure close to the heart was a better indicator of the effectiveness of treatment for high blood pressure than the standard method.

"However, further research is needed before we can be certain of its superiority in the doctor's surgery," she said.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Pressure mounts over Apple subs

18 February 2011 Last updated at 08:11 ET

Pressure is mounting on Apple over subscription charges it plans to levy on some mobile content.

The company wants a 30% cut of payments for newspapers and other publications downloaded to its devices.

Anti-trust regulators in the US and Europe are reportedly poised to investigate the new pricing model.

Apple has defended the changes to its terms of business, saying the system is good for customers and will give publishers new opportunities.

Under Apple's plans, companies wanting to distribute their content to iOS devices - including the iPhone and iPad - would have to offer users the option of subscribing directly from their app.

One third of the selling price would then go to Apple.

Previously, users have been able to make their purchases through a web browser, effectively circumventing Apple, and handing all of the money to the publisher.

Including such web links within apps will be banned, from June 30th.

Angry publishers

The change has provoked widespread condemnation from content providers, who have called for an official investigation.

Following a meeting of around 60 European publishers on Thursday, the International Newspaper Marketing Association issued a statement warning: "publishers simply can't afford to invest in new technology, products and services when the platform charges them 30% of total revenue."

According to the Wall Street Journal, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now examining whether Apple's plan breaches anti-trust rules.

If correct, those early stage anti-trust inquiries may not result in full investigations.

Apple has defended the new terms of business, saying that the retail model it offers is good for all concerned.

In a statement, Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs said: "We believe that this innovative subscription service will provide publishers with a brand new opportunity to expand digital access to their content onto the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone."

However the company declined to comment directly on the publishers' criticism.

Fears are also being expressed that the charges will not be limited to newspaper and magazine subscriptions.

Apple has said that the 30% figure will apply to all in-app subscriptions.

They would mean the likes of Spotify, whose current app lets users launch a browser window to become new subscribers, would lose a large portion of its mobile revenue.

"Taking a 30% toll amounts to a massive increase in the cost basis of a content business that will kill it," said James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research.

Ultimately, Apple has the entire media business in its sights, he said.

Media control

"In the end, Apple envisions a world in which people don't consume any kind of digital media without its help," added Mr McQuivey.

"Start Quote

The 10 per cent number is a shot across Apple's bow"

End Quote James McQuivey Forrester Research

He said that the charges are likely to encourage publishers on to other platforms.

One such alternative comes from Google, which also produces operating systems for smartphones and tablet computers.

Its recently announced One Pass payment system for magazine and newspapers charges a 10% fee, undercutting Apple.

One Pass also gives publishers greater freedom to offer different deals though different channels and to maintain a close relationship with their subscribers.

"You've got a very publisher-friendly approach; we basically don't make any money on this," Eric Schmidt, Google's chief executive said.

"The most important thing is to get the money to people who are producing high-quality content".

Google's cut was simply to cover its costs, Mr Schmidt added.

Warning shot

Even that lower figure may be too much for subscription services, said Mr McQuivey.

"The 10% number is a shot across Apple's bow, but it's still not low enough to sustain the market," he told BBC News.

A more realistic level would be on a par with the rates credit card processing companies charge, he added.

But both Apple and Google could be in for a shock, according to Mr McQuivey.

Media firms may give up on the app-based model of distributing content in favour of a new breed of web-based services, he said.

"It's going to be a pain, but everyone can now clearly see that in an HTML5 world, they won't have to pay taxes every single time they deliver value to consumers," he added.

Obama 'friends' Mark Zuckerberg

18 February 2011 Last updated at 05:39 ET

US President Barack Obama has met Silicon Valley bosses, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Apple's Steve Jobs and Google chief executive Eric Schmidt were also present at the private get-together in California.

The president had been seeking the views of technology leaders as he works to turn around his country's ailing economy.

Mr Obama has said he wants to encourage American businesses to invest more money in innovation.

Among those meeting the president were the bosses of Twitter, Yahoo and Oracle.

Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs was in attendance, despite media reports that his health had taken a turn for the worse.

US newspaper the National Enquirer published pictures, said to be of Mr Jobs, looking emaciated.

He is currently on his third medical leave of absence from Apple since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004.

Thursday's meeting with the president was a private event, hosted by venture capitalist John Doerr.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Scientists build first anti-laser

17 February 2011 Last updated at 13:58 ET

Physicists have built the world's first device that can cancel out a laser beam - a so-called anti-laser.

The device, created by a team from Yale University, is capable of absorbing an incoming laser beam entirely.

But this is not intended as a defence against high-power laser weapons, the researchers said.

Instead they think it could be used in next-generation supercomputers which will be built with components that use light rather than electrons.

Professor Douglas Stone and colleagues at Yale University had initially been developing a theory to explain which materials could be used as the basis of lasers.

Strange lasers

Recent advances in laser design have resulted in a number of unusual devices that do not fit the traditional concept of a laser, Professor Stone explained.

"So we were working on a theory that could predict what could be used to form a laser," he said.

That theory also predicted that instead of amplifying light into coherent pulses, as a laser does, it should be possible to create a device that absorbs laser light hitting it, said Professor Stone - an anti-laser.

The have now succeeded in building one.

Their device focuses two lasers beams of a specific frequency into a specially designed optical cavity made from silicon, which traps the incoming beams of light and forces them to bounce around until all their energy is dissipated.

In a paper published in the journal Science they demonstrated that the anti-laser could adsorb 99.4 per cent of incoming light, for a specific wavelength.

Light speed

Altering the wavelength of the incoming light means that the anti-laser can effectively be turned on and off - and that could be used in optical switches, Professor Stone told BBC News.

Building something which can absorb light over a wide range of wavelengths is pretty simple, said Professor Stone, but only doing so for a particular wavelength makes the anti-laser potentially useful in optical computing.

The anti-laser's big advantage is that it is built using silicon, which is already widely used in computing.

It would not, however, be much use as a laser shield, according to Professor Stone.

"The energy gets dissipated as heat. So if someone sets a laser on you with enough power to fry you, the anti-laser won't stop you from frying," he said.

IBM's Watson crowned trivia king

17 February 2011 Last updated at 04:13 ET

Ken Jennings versus Watson the supercomputer

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Jeopardy! champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter revealed what it felt like to "represent the human race" against IBM's supercomputer Watson.

IBM's supercomputer Watson has trounced its two competitors in a televised show pitting human brains against computer bytes.

After a three night marathon on the quiz show Jeopardy, Watson emerged victorious to win a $1million (�622,000) prize.

The computer's competitors were two of the most successful players ever to have taken part in Jeopardy.

But in the end their skill at the game was no match for Watson.

Ken Jennings had previously notched up 74 consecutive wins on the show - the most ever - while Brad Rutter had won the most amount of money, $3million (�1.9m).

"I for one welcome our new computer overlords," Mr Jennings wrote along with his correct final Jeopardy question.

Search for meaning

But the victory for Watson and IBM was about more than money. It was about ushering in a new era in computing where machines will increasingly be able to learn and understand what humans are really asking them for.

Jeopardy is seen as a significant challenge for Watson because of the show's rapid fire format and clues that rely on subtle meanings, puns, and riddles; something humans excel at and computers do not.

On the night of the grand finale, IBM announced a research agreement with speech recognition firm Nuance Communications, to "explore, develop and commercialise" the Watson computing system's advanced analytics capabilities in the health care industry.

The technology behind Watson has the ability to scan and analyse information from many more resources than a human can in a short period of time, potentially aiding doctors in diagnosing patients quickly.

"We can transform the way that health care professionals accomplish everyday tasks by enabling them to work smarter and more efficiently," said Dr John E Kelly III, senior vice president and director of IBM research.

Other possible applications for Watson's technology include dealing with big sets of data commonly found in the legal and financial worlds.

Fair fight

There is little doubt that Watson's win stirred up a host of emotions.

Paul Miller of the technology blog Engadget.com was moderately impressed.

"Start Quote

I was rooting for the humans"

End Quote Daniel Terdiman CNet.com

"It's obvious that IBM's DeepQA research programme has developed some of the most sophisticated natural language AI known to man. At the same time, Jeopardy questions aren't really that hard... all three contestants knew the answer most of the time, but Watson was just quicker on the draw.

"Of course, it's no surprise that computers have quicker reflexes, so why shouldn't Watson get to use his inbuilt advantage to the utmost? It seems like a fair fight to us."

Daniel Terdiman of news website CNet watched the final with IBM staff at an event at the company's Silicon Valley research centre.

"I was rooting for the humans," he said.

Who is Bram Stoker?

Twitter was alight with praise and condemnation for the machine's victory.

The comments ranged from "Robot Apocalypse, here we come" to "IBM's Watson dominates Ken Jennings, turns attention to plotting our demise".

One user wrote: "next challenge for #Watson: The Price is Right".

The final Jeopardy category was 19th century novelists.

And the answer: William Wilkinson's "An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia" inspired this author's most famous novel.

The question - which all three contestants got right was "Who is Bram Stoker?"

Watson wagered $17,973 (�11,154) to cement his victory.

In the end Watson accumulated $77,147 (�47,923) versus Mr Jennings' total of $24,000 (�14,907) and Mr Rutter's $21,600 (�12,416).

Google unveils 10% One Pass fee

16 February 2011 Last updated at 15:11 ET

Google has launched a new payment system that allows users to subscribe to online content for a 10% commission fee.

The move comes after rival Apple was criticised over its payment system which takes 30% of the sale price.

One Pass will work on tablets and smartphones, as well as Google-related websites.

One Pass will launch initially in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The announcement came just one day after Apple announced new rules for publishers selling subscriptions on its iOS platform.

Apple says companies must now offer users the option to buy directly through an iTunes account, handing 30% of the price to Apple.

Previously, vendors were allowed to simply direct customers to an external website, keeping all of the profits.

On a Google blog posting, Lee Shirani, the company's director of business product management wrote: "Publishers can customise how and when they charge for content while experimenting with different models to see what works best for them."

Cyber crime 'costs ï¿½27bn a year'

17 February 2011 Last updated at 05:51 ET

Cyber crime costs the UK economy �27bn a year, the government has said.

The figures, published for the first time, are a mid-range estimate and the real cost could be much higher.

They are made up of �21bn of costs to businesses, �2.2bn to government and �3.1bn to citizens.

Security minister Baroness Neville-Jones said the government was determined to work with industry to tackle cyber crime.

At the moment, cyber criminals are "fearless but they do not think they will be caught", she said in a briefing in central London.

'Frightening'

But efforts to get a grip on the problem had been hampered by firms who did not want to admit they had been the victims of attacks for fear of "reputational damage".

This also meant that it was difficult to accurately estimate the cost to the economy - and "worst case scenario" was likely to be much greater than �27bn.

"It is a bit like terrorism - the more you know the more frightening it looks," said Baroness Neville-Jones.

But she said the government was not at "panic stations", adding that it had a strategy to tackle the problem and had committed �650m over the next four years to it.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague had met the bosses of some of Britain's biggest businesses, including Barclays, HSBC, Tesco and BA, on Monday to urge them to take the problem more seriously.

Baroness Neville-Jones said ministers would be unveiling a plan to disrupt cyber criminals and ensure more of them were prosecuted "in the spring" and had agreed to form a joint working group with industry to tackle the problem.

Martin Sutherland, chief executive of Detrica, the consultancy which compiled the report with the Cabinet Office, said the perpetrators of cyber crime ranged from "state-sponsored" activists to organised crime gangs down to "spotty teenagers sitting in their bedrooms".

Nearly half of the �21bn cost to business was made up of intellectual property theft - which included illegal downloading and file sharing. But industrial espionage, such as the theft of designs and commercial secrets, was also a significant problem.

The hardest-hit sectors were pharmaceuticals, biotech, electronics, IT and chemicals.

IBM's Watson crowned trivia king

17 February 2011 Last updated at 04:13 ET

IBM's supercomputer Watson has trounced its two competitors in a televised show pitting human brains against computer bytes.

After a three night marathon on the quiz show Jeopardy, Watson emerged victorious to win a $1million (�622,000) prize.

The computer's competitors were two of the most successful players ever to have taken part in Jeopardy.

But in the end their skill at the game was no match for Watson.

Ken Jennings had previously notched up 74 consecutive wins on the show - the most ever - while Brad Rutter had won the most amount of money, $3million (�1.9m).

"I for one welcome our new computer overlords," Mr Jennings wrote along with his correct final Jeopardy question.

Search for meaning

Other possible applications for Watson's technology include dealing with big sets of data commonly found in the legal and financial worlds.

Fair fight

There is little doubt that Watson's win stirred up a host of emotions.

Paul Miller of the technology blog Engadget.com was moderately impressed.

"Start Quote

I was rooting for the humans"

End Quote Daniel Terdiman CNet.com

"Of course, it's no surprise that computers have quicker reflexes, so why shouldn't Watson get to use his inbuilt advantage to the utmost? It seems like a fair fight to us."

Daniel Terdiman of news website CNet watched the final with IBM staff at an event at the company's Silicon Valley research centre.

"I was rooting for the humans," he said.

Who is Bram Stoker?

Twitter was alight with praise and condemnation for the machine's victory.

The comments ranged from "Robot Apocalypse, here we come" to "IBM's Watson dominates Ken Jennings, turns attention to plotting our demise".

One user wrote: "next challenge for #Watson: The Price is Right".

The final Jeopardy category was 19th century novelists.

And the answer: William Wilkinson's "An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia" inspired this author's most famous novel.

The question - which all three contestants got right was "Who is Bram Stoker?"

Watson wagered $17,973 (�11,154) to cement his victory.

In the end Watson accumulated $77,147 (�47,923) versus Mr Jennings' total of $24,000 (�14,907) and Mr Rutter's $21,600 (�12,416).

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Google unveils 10% One Pass fee

16 February 2011 Last updated at 15:11 ET

Google has launched a new payment system that allows users to subscribe to online content for a 10% commission fee.

The move comes after rival Apple was criticised over its payment system which takes 30% of the sale price.

One Pass will work on tablets and smartphones, as well as Google-related websites.

One Pass will launch initially in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The announcement came just one day after Apple announced new rules for publishers selling subscriptions on its iOS platform.

Apple says companies must now offer users the option to buy directly through an iTunes account, handing 30% of the price to Apple.

Previously, vendors were allowed to simply direct customers to an external website, keeping all of the profits.

Anonymous victim goes to ground

16 February 2011 Last updated at 13:33 ET

The computer security company hacked by members of activist group Anonymous has gone to ground as further revelations about its activites leak online.

HBGary has cancelled its appearances at public events, saying that members of staff had been threatened.

It follows the release of internal documents which appear to show the firm offered to smear Wikileaks' supporters.

HBGary officials said the online messages could have been altered prior to publication.

The company's founder, Greg Hoglund had been scheduled to give a talk at the RSA Security conference in San Francisco this week, but pulled out at the last minute.

The company also withdrew from an associated exhibition.

"In an effort to protect our employees, customers and the RSA Conference community, HBGary has decided to remove our booth and cancel all talks," it said in a statement posted on its website.

According to e-mails that Anonymous claims to have taken from HBGary's servers, the company had proposed a plan to undermine Wikileaks.

At the time, the whistleblowing website was planning to release documents relating to Bank of America.

The leaked emails also suggest that HBGary had discovered evidence that US officials were attempting to monitor visitors to websites affiliated to al Qaeda.

These messages have been posted online via the Anonymous-supported site Anonleaks.ru.

Government payload

What is Anonymous?

'Anonymous' describes itself as an 'internet gathering'. The term is used to describe a collective of people who come together online, commonly to stage a protest.

The groups vary in size and make-up depending on the cause. Members often identify themselves in web videos by wearing the Guy Fawkes masks popularised by the book and film V for Vendetta.

Its protests often take the form of disrupting websites and services.

Its use of the term Anonymous comes from a series of websites frequented by members, such as the anarchic image board 4Chan.

These allow users to post without having to register or provide a name. As a result, their comments are tagged "Anonymous".

In the past, groups have staged high-profile protests against plans by the Australian government to filter the internet and the Church of Scientology.

Many Anonymous protests tackle issues of free speech and preserving the openness of the net.

In a message to colleagues, dated 16 November 2009, Mr Hoglund allegedly wrote that he had obtained a document taken from a jihadist website.

"I think it has a US govvy payload buried inside," the e-mail said.

The note also urges colleagues not to open the programme unless they were in a locked-down environment.

"Don't let it fone (sic) home unless you want black suits landing on your front acre," it adds.

In e-mails from early January 2011, it is claimed that Mr Hoglund sent out proposals to develop a spying program, known as a rootkit, that would run on Windows-based computers.

"There isn't anything like this publicly," the proposal stated. It would be "almost impossible to remove" or detect.

Penny Leavy, the president of HBGary said the volume of messages published online made it impossible to verify whether any of the content had been changed.

Highly suspect

"We do have e-mails that were changed and posted," she told BBC News. "Given that Anonymous has had these e-mails for days I would be highly suspect of them."

Members of Anonymous hacked into HBGary's corporate systems after discovering that Aaron Barr, the chief executive of a subsidiary, HBGary Federal, had been threatening to reveal the identify of some of the group.

The hackers were able to access sensitive business systems, including its e-mail, and take over the company website, as well as some personal Twitter accounts.

"Start Quote

Given that Anonymous has had these e-mails for days I would be highly suspect of them"

End Quote Penny Leavy HBGary

Thousands of e-mails which the group claimed came from HBGary were then published on peer-to-peer networks.

The fallout from the affair will be difficult to overcome, said Graham Cluley of rival security firm Sophos.

"The damage to HBGary's reputation from this incident is, quite frankly, enormous," he said.

"No company deserves to be on the sharp end of a hacking attack like the one which hit HBGary, but it's particularly damaging when the victim is a specialist in the field of computer security," he added.

"You brought this upon yourself," Anonymous said in a statement detailing its actions.

"Let us teach you a lesson you'll never forget: don't mess with Anonymous."

Anonymous, which has its roots in the notorious 4Chan internet messageboard, has been involved in campaigns against the Church of Scientology and in support of Wikileaks.

Cyber war exaggerated says expert

16 February 2011 Last updated at 04:21 ET By Maggie Shiels Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

The threat of cyber warfare is greatly exaggerated, according to a leading security expert.

Bruce Schneier claims that emotive rhetoric around the term does not match the reality.

He warned that using sensational phrases such as "cyber armageddon" only inflames the situation.

Mr Schneier, who is chief security officer for BT, is due to address the RSA security conference in San Francisco this week

Speaking ahead of the event, he told BBC News that there was a power struggle going on, involving a "battle of metaphors".

He suggested that the notion of a cyber war was based on several high profile incidents from recent years.

They include blackouts in Brazil in 1998, attacks by China on Google in 2009 and the Stuxnet virus that attacked Iran's nuclear facilities.

He also pointed to the fall out from Wikileaks and the hacking of Republican presidential candidate Sarah Palin's e-mail.

"What we are seeing is not cyber war but an increasing use of war-like tactics and that is what is confusing us.

"We don't have good definitions of what cyber war is, what it looks like and how to fight it," said Mr Scheier.

His point of view was backed by Howard Schmidt, cyber security co-ordinator for the White House.

"We really need to define this word because words do matter," said Mr Schmidt.

"Cyber war is a turbo metaphor that does not address the issues we are looking at like cyber espionage, cyber crime, identity theft, credit card fraud.

"When you look at the conflict environment - military to military - command and control is always part of the thing.

"Don't make it something that it is not," Mr Schmidt told a small group of reporters on the opening day of the conference.

A report last month by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development also concluded that the vast majority of hi-tech attacks, described as acts of cyber war, do not deserve the name.

Tanks and bombs

The issue is likely to receive a lot of attention at RSA this week as a number of panels seek to define what is and what is not cyber warfare.

"Stuxnet and the Google infiltration are not cyber war - who died?", asked Mr Schneier.

"We know what war looks like and it involves tanks and bombs.

"However all wars in the future will have a cyber space component.

"Just like we saw in the Iraqi war we [the US] used an air attack to soften up the country for a ground offensive.

"It is probably reasonable you will see a cyber attack to soften up the country for an air attack or ground offensive," he added.

Mr Schneier claimed that the heated rhetoric is driving policy in ways that might not be appropriate.

"The fear is that we are going to see an increased militarisation of the internet," he said.

Recently the FBI and Department of Defence squared off over who got to control defence in cyber space and the multimillion dollar budget that goes with the job.

Mr Schneier said that battle was won by the Defence Department.

He also claimed there was a worrying trend of politicians who try to introduce legislation as a way to deal with the issue as nothing short of knee jerk politics.

"Start Quote

Stuxnet and the Google infiltration are not cyber war - who died?"

End Quote Bruce Schneier Security analyst

Last week the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act was introduced in the Senate, following confirmation by oil companies and Nasdaq officials that their computer systems were repeatedly hacked by outsiders

"My worry is these ill thought-out bills will pass," said Mr Schneier.

Treaty talk

Talk of drawing up the equivalent of a Geneva Convention for cyber space has been gaining attention.

The proposal was raised by international affairs think-tank, the EastWest Institute at a security conference in Munich last week.

Mr Schmidt said he is sceptical because he does not believe every country will sign up to an agreed set of norms or standards.

"I don't know that a treaty is going to solve anything at this juncture.

"Not everyone thinks about this unilaterally around the world. We can't do this by ourselves," he said.

Industry commentator Declan McCullagh, who is chief potlicial writer for online news site CNET.com, believes the idea of doing nothing is untenable.

"Before we get to the stage of having to launch a cyber war, and that will eventually come, lets have a public discussion about what this involves," he said.

"A Geneva Convention for cyber war makes sense at least to start that discussion.

"What that would do is put certain types of attacks off the table like you are not going to target the enemy's hospitals or certain types of civilian systems that innocents depend on for their livelihood.

"I don't think everyone is going to respect it, and maybe the US won't respect it at times, but at least it starts the discussion and will probably have a positive effect," said Mr McCullagh.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the RSA event, which began as a purely technical cryptography conference and has evolved into a broader forum that includes issues of policy and governance as well as technology.

US defends Twitter data request

15 February 2011 Last updated at 18:31 ET

The US has defended its request for the personal details of three Twitter users, as part of its inquiry into Wikileaks.

At a court in Virginia, the justice department said it was seeking the account information of three associates of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

The trio are fighting the request, arguing it is an invasion of privacy.

A justice department lawyer told the court the request was a standard investigative measure.

US prosecutors say the request forms part of their ongoing investigation into the Wikileaks site, which released thousands of confidential diplomatic cables online.

The trio appealing against the request - Icelandic MP Birgitta Jonsdottir, Dutch hacker Rop Gonggrijp and US computer programmer Jacob Appelbaum - all know, or have worked with, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Lawyers representing the trio appeared before the US district court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday to argue against the release of their private information.

"What's at stake here is the ability to use the internet freely and privately, without the government looking over their shoulder," said Aden Fine, of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Mr Fine, who is representing Birgitta Jonsdottir, spoke on behalf of all three plaintiffs in court.

The trio say the demand for this information "intrudes upon important First Amendment rights" and "will not directly further the government's purported interests".

Mr Fine said he had also asked the judge to reveal whether similar orders for information had been issued to other websites, such as Facebook and Google.

On Monday, Mr Assange said the order was "an outrageous attack by the Obama administration on the privacy and free speech rights of Twitter's customers".

'Investigative measure'

The order calling on Twitter to release account details, IP addresses, user names and sign-up information was made by District Judge Theresa Buchanan in December 2010.

The order, only made public earlier this month, also requested details of the general Wikileaks Twitter account, thought to be run by Julian Assange, and that of Bradley Manning, the army intelligence analyst suspected of leaking the documents to Wikileaks.

A justice department spokesman said the terms of the request had since been narrowed to data from 15 November, 2009, to 1 June, 2010, and to four accounts - those belonging to Mr Appelbaum, Mr Gonggrijp and Ms Jonsdottir and the official Wikileaks account.

The US government is allowed to ask for the communication records of service providers up to 180 days in the past.

Appearing at the hearing on Tuesday, Assistant US Attorney John Davis said the government was seeking routine data, no different to phone records or credit card bills.

"This is an investigative measure used in criminal investigations all over the country, every day," Mr Davis said.

A justice department spokesman stressed the government was "not seeking any content" and that this was a routine part of its investigation.

The judge did not rule on the appeal made by the three, and will issue a written ruling at a later date.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Friday, February 25, 2011

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Monday, February 21, 2011

"Start Quote

Friday, February 18, 2011

"Start Quote

Thursday, February 17, 2011

"Start Quote

"Start Quote

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

What is Anonymous?

"Start Quote

"Start Quote

Subscribe News

Daily News by Date

Popular Posts