World News | Latest News: April 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Cyber-stalking laws review urged

30 April 2011 Last updated at 21:06 ET By Samantha Fenwick Reporter, 5 Live Investigates

A senior police officer is calling on the government to review whether laws governing cyber-stalking in the UK are fit for purpose.

Greater Manchester Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan wants police to be given more powers to seize computers used to harass victims online.

It is hard to prove who committed stalking even though it is easy to establish which computer was used.

The Home Office says it is investigating the issue.

Mr Shewan, who is the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) leader on the issue of stalking and harassment, met ministers at the Home Office last week.

He said: "The legislation is 12 years old and I don't think anyone envisaged 12 years ago the extent that the world wide web would open up opportunities to harass and stalk people via the internet."

Cyber-stalkers can currently either be charged under the Protection from Harassment Act or the Malicious Communications Act, but charities and academics say neither is sufficient given the expansion in technology in recent years.

300% increase

As the number of people using computers has increased, so has the ability to tap into personal information online.

Mr Shewan wants it to be easier to seize computer equipment from a suspect and to get internet providers to hand over the unique identifier of each computer - the IP address.

Cyber-stalked by a stranger

Award-winning photographer Robin Cracknell was cyber-stalked by a stranger for four years.

Christopher John Hobby, aka Kris Manalien, set up bogus websites in Mr Cracknell's name and claimed online he was a paedophile.

Last month Hobby, who is also an artist, was jailed for six months for harassment.

Mr Cracknell said: "Being stalked, harassed and blackmailed by a stranger for four years is psychologically very draining."

Collectors and gallery owners searching for his award-winning work online found fake blogs and offensive Youtube clips about him instead.

His professional reputation was damaged and he was devastated to find his 12-year-old son could see the paedophile allegations on the internet.

Mr Cracknell said: "I refuse to feel like a victim but I have had my integrity and credibility damaged and am still coming to terms with the financial and psychological consequences."

Professor Carsten Maple, who heads the National Centre for Cyber-stalking Research at Bedfordshire University, said it was easy for those in-the-know to track down information.

He said Trojan spyware can be used to hack into anybody's computer, access their personal files and even secretly switch on their webcam.

Trojans are viruses which pose as harmless programmes and can be sent into computers via e-mails and other methods.

Yet currently police find it difficult to seize computer equipment unless they can prove there was an intention to cause fear or distress.

Prof Maple added his voice to calls for a review of the legislation.

He said: "The lack of power to seize computers makes it difficult to prove who is responsible for stalking, even if it can be shown beyond reasonable doubt that a particular device was used to commit a crime."

Jane Harvey from the Network for Surviving Stalking said 77% of stalking victims waited until more than 100 incidents had happened before going to the police.

She said when they finally took that step it was vital their allegations were taken seriously and the situation investigated fully.

"This is a devastating crime - being stalked online can ruin people's lives," she said.

"We urge the government and the police to do everything possible to ensure those affected by cyber-stalking get proper access to justice."

Prosecutions under the Malicious Communications Act have soared to an all-time high and increased almost 300% in five years to 899 last year.

Charges under the Protection from Harassment Act have risen from just under 12,000 to 12,549 in five years.

Separate figures from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) show that last year 33% of stalking incidents were by e-mail, 32% by text message and another 8.4% through social networking sites.

A Home Office spokesman said it was working with the police, Crown Prosecution Service and charities to try to improve the police response and make sure there were robust prosecutions.

He said: "Cyber stalking is a crime. As with all other forms of stalking we take it very seriously and we expect other agencies to do the same.

"The Home Office, Ministry of Justice and the Crown Prosecution Service are currently working together with victims and support charities to discuss whether the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and its enforcement has been effective in providing an appropriate response to stalking."

You can hear the full report on 5 live Investigates on Sunday 1 May at 2100 BST on BBC Radio 5 live. You can also listen again on the BBC iPlayer or by downloading the 5 live Investigates podcast.

Send your comments and stories to 5 live Investigates

Friday, April 29, 2011

The royal World Wide Wedding

29 April 2011 Last updated at 19:01 ET

By Iain Mackenzie Technology reporter, BBC News

The marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton was an event for the internet age.

Great traditions of state were celebrated by the modern institutions of the web.

Facebook, Twitter, Google and YouTube were all given over to the royal wedding.

And, like the streets around Westminster Abbey, cyberspace was buzzing with talk of the big day.

Leading the online celebrations was the British monarchy's own royal wedding website.

Visitors were directed to the official Clarence House Twitter feed, the royal Flickr photo account, and the wedding "event" page on Facebook.

Royal tweets

Throughout the ceremony, @ClarenceHouse tweeted updates:

"The Archbishop of Canterbury begins the solemnization of the marriage #rw2011"

"The Fanfare plays! Congratulations to The Duke and The Duchess of Cambridge! You can use our hashtag #rw2011 to send a message #royalwedding"

"The view of the couple arriving at Buckingham Palace from where we are based #rw2011 http://twitpic.com/4qxlhn"

"The Duke and The Duchess of Cambridge appear on the balcony #rw2011"

"Find out about the food being eaten at the lunchtime wedding reception http://bit.ly/jUHKup #rw2011"

Thursday, April 28, 2011

PlayStation credit cards were encrypted

28 April 2011 Last updated at 14:05 ET

Sony has revealed that credit card details held on its PlayStation Network were stored in securely encrypted files.

The news offers some hope to users worried about their personal data after the online system was hacked.

Sony had previously warned that card numbers and expiry dates may have been among the stolen data.

However, other information, including dates of birth and home addresses, did not have the same level of protection.

The full extent of the security breach was revealed on Monday, following a week-long investigation by Sony.

The company said that up to 77 million PlayStation Network members may have had their personal information taken during an "external intrusion".

The FBI confirmed to BBC News that it was now involved and had been in contact with Sony in the United States.

One of the main concerns for users has been the issue of card security.

In a question and answer blog, posted on the PlayStation website, the company said: "The entire credit card table was encrypted and we have no evidence that credit card data was taken.

"The personal data table, which is a separate data set, was not encrypted, but was, of course, behind a very sophisticated security system that was breached in a malicious attack."

The company has not revealed the type or strength of protection given to credit card information, and Graham Cluley from security firm Sophos warned that "encryption" could mean almost anything.

"Some are as weak as tissue paper, and others can take millions of years to crack," he told BBC News.

"For instance, you could have an encryption that made every 'A' a 'D', every 'B' an 'E' etc, but that would be trivial to crack."

Unusual transactions

Sony suggested that users should keep a close eye on their financial statements and alert their card issuer about any unusual transactions.

That advice was echoed by Visa Europe, the company behind the Visa payment system. It explained that if card data was found to have been stolen and used to make unauthorised payments, users would not have to pick up the bill.

"Cardholders who are innocent victims of fraud will get their money back, subject to the terms and conditions of their bank," it said in a statement.

PlayStation Network members were urged not to cancel their cards at this stage.

A spokesman for Barclaycard said that such action was unnecessary until it was known if card numbers had fallen into the wrong hands.

If that proved to be the case, Sony would need to hand over the information to the UK Payments Administration - the umbrella body that oversees financial transactions including bank transfers and card payments.

The card numbers would then be identified and passed to relevant banks who could block them from use or elevate the level of monitoring for unusual activity.

YouTube founders buy up Delicious

28 April 2011 Last updated at 07:24 ET

The founders of video-sharing site YouTube have bought bookmarking service Delicious from Yahoo.

Chad Hurley and Steve Chen will use Delicious as a key part of their next net venture called Avos.

The startup is thought to be based around tools that help people get to grips with the vast amount of information generated by web sites and services.

How much the pair paid to acquire Delicious has not been revealed.

Data deluge

Delicious describes itself as a social bookmarking system in which members flag and tag sites, articles and media they find interesting. These can then be shared with other Delicious users.

Its name derives from its desire to find the "tastiest" bookmarks on the web.

Delicious was acquired in 2005 by Yahoo and in late 2010 the web giant decided to sell it off or close it down if no buyer came forward.

Now Mr Hurley and Mr Chen have acquired Delicious to form part of the technology underpinning their new firm Avos.

Details about Avos and what it will do are scant. A statement from Chad Hurley following the Delicious acquisition said the company will aim to help people manage the information gushing from the web services they use.

"We see a tremendous opportunity to simplify the way users save and share content they discover anywhere on the web," Mr Hurley said.

The pair sold YouTube to Google in 2006 for $1.76bn (�1.06bn). Steve Chen left YouTube in 2008 and Mr Hurley quit working for Google in late 2010.

Delicious will continue in its current form until July 2011. Users are being asked to login to the service and agree to let Yahoo move their account to the new owners.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Apple 'not tracking' iPhone users

27 April 2011 Last updated at 11:45 ET

Apple has denied that its iPhones and 3G iPads have been secretly recording their owners' movements.

In a website posting, the company said it had never tracked user location and had no plans to do so in future.

Security researchers claimed to have found a hidden file on the devices containing a record of everywhere they had been.

Some users managed to extract the data and plot it on maps.

More than a week after the issue came to public attention, Apple released an online question and answer document.

It said: "The iPhone is not logging your location. Rather, it's maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location, some of which may be located more than one hundred miles away from your iPhone, to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested."

Planned fix

The document also addresses the fact - as some users discovered - that data going back months and even years was being stored.

"It shouldn't. This is a bug, which we plan to fix shortly," said Apple.

Ian Fogg, principal analyst at Forrester Research, said that the company was being uncharacteristically open about the functioning of its devices.

"I do not think that that the other [makers of mobile operating systems] have been as black and white about what they are doing with location data," he said.

While Mr Fogg believes that Apple is trying to do the right thing, he said that the company may have inadvertently created a security risk.

The fact that the location data file is stored on users' computers in an unencrypted form made it vulnerable to hackers.

Mr Fogg suggested that owners of Apple devices should go into their iTunes settings and select the option to encrypt their backups.

7,000 employees to go from Nokia

27 April 2011 Last updated at 06:05 ET

Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has announced it will shed 7,000 jobs as part of a plan to refocus the company on smartphones.

The firm said 4,000 jobs worldwide would be cut - including a total of 700 jobs from Nokia's UK sites.

Nokia will also transfer a further 3,000 employees to outsourcing and consultancy group Accenture, which will take over Nokia's Symbian software product.

The plan will take effect from 2012.

Nokia is hoping to increase its capacity for smartphone development.

The firm recently confirmed a deal with Microsoft to jointly develop smartphone technology.

Under the terms of that deal, Nokia agreed to start using the Microsoft's operating system on its smartphones instead of its own Symbian platform.

"With this new focus, we also will face reductions in our workforce," said Stephen Elop, Nokia president.

"This is a difficult reality, and we are working closely with our employees and partners to identify long-term re-employment programmes for the talented people of Nokia."

Nokia's response to the smartphone threat from competitors such as Apple's iPhone and phones using Google's Android system has been long been a key investor concern.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

PlayStation hacker took user info

26 April 2011 Last updated at 16:58 ET

Sony has warned users of its PlayStation Network that their personal information, including credit card details, may have been stolen.

The company said that the data might have fallen into the hands of an "unauthorised person" following a hacking attack on its online service.

Access to the network was suspended last Wednesday, but Sony has only now revealed details of what happened.

Users are being warned to look out for telephone and e-mail scams.

In a statement posted on the official PlayStation blog, Nick Caplin, the company's head of communications for Europe, said: "We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network".

The blog posting lists the personal information that Sony believes has been taken.

Name
Address (city, state/province, zip or postal code)
Country
E-mail address
Date of birth
PlayStation Network/Qriocity passwords and login
Handle/PSN online ID

Mr Caplin added: "It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained".

Credit cards

Sony admitted that credit card information, used to purchase games, films and music, may also have been stolen.

"While there is no evidence that credit card data was taken at this time, we cannot rule out the possibility," Mr Caplin said.

"If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, to be on the safe side we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may also have been obtained."

Sony to launch Android tablets

26 April 2011 Last updated at 06:13 ET

Sony has announced that it plans to launch two tablet computers running Google's Android operating system.

The devices, codenamed S1 and S2, will go on sale towards the end of the year.

Android is currently the fastest growing mobile platform and is expected to claim a 38% market share by 2015.

Sony's entry into the tablet market was much anticipated, but comes relatively late in the day compared to other manufacturers.

Apple launched its first version of the industry-leading iPad in April 2010.

Its iOS system is expected to remain dominant for several years to come, albeit with a diminished share of sales.

Sony said that its first tablets would come in two form factors: one will have a conventional 9.4 inch touchscreen, while the other will feature dual 5.5 inch displays that fold closed.

In addition to the base Android Honeycomb operating system, Sony will add several of its own features, including the ability to transmit video and music to TVs and stereos using the DLNA wireless streaming standard.

The company suggested that there would also be some form of integration with its PlayStation network and the possibility of gaming functions.

Branding questions

The strength of the Sony name will likely help the electronics giant to gain some traction in the fragmented tablet market.

Faced with scores of similar devices running the same Android software, recognised brands have become an important way of differentiating quality.

However, Gartner tablet analyst Carolina Milanesi expressed surprise at the company's decision to identify the devices as purely Sony.

Participants gather around the Google Android stand at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Spencer Kelly from BBC Click looks at how manufacturers differentiate their tablet devices

"It is interesting that they come in with the Sony brand rather than Sony Ericsson," she told BBC News.

"That raises questions about what they are going to do to link their tablets to their smartphone operating system because tablet users are going to want that same experience."

Ms Milanesi suggested that Sony's tablet success would depend on whether the technical specifications looked as good when the devices eventually launch as they do now.

She said that several manufacturers, including HP, had fallen into the trap of announcing machines that bested their competition, only to find that they looked less than competitive by the time they went on sale.

Sony takes on Apple in tablet war

26 April 2011 Last updated at 02:14 ET

The Japanese electronics maker Sony has announced its first foray into the popular tablet PC market, unveiling two new devices.

The gadgets will use Google's Android operating system, according to the company's deputy president Kunimasa Suzuki.

Sales of tablet PCs have been booming globally, led by the success of Apple's ipad.

Sony has said it wants to become a leading player in the market.

The success of ipad has seen many consumer electronics companies, like Samsung and HTC, launch their own versions of the tablet PC in an effort to capture a share of the growing market.

'Ambitious goal'

According to research firm Gartner, sales of tablet PCs are likely to quadruple in the next four years to almost 294m units.

Sony aims to become the second largest player in the segment behind Apple within one year.

However, analysts say that the electronics giant will find it tough to achieve that target.

"They don't have the starting advantage," said Manoj Menon of Frost & Sullivan.

"It is going to become an increasingly crowded market place and given the players, it is a fairly ambitious goal," he added.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Iran 'uncovers espionage virus'

25 April 2011 Last updated at 11:23 ET

Officials in Iran say they have found a computer virus designed to target the country's government institutions.

The malicious software - dubbed Stars - was capable of inflicting minor damage, according to the head of Iran's civil defence organisation.

If the reports are accurate, it would be the second major attack in a year.

The recently discovered Stuxnet worm is thought to have been created to take control of equipment used in Iran's nuclear programme.

It would take some time to establish Stars' intended purpose, said Gholam Reza Jalali, military head of the Iranian Passive Defence Organisation.

"The Stars virus has been presented to the laboratory but is still being investigated," he said.

"No definite final conclusions have been reached."

Mr Jalali revealed that the virus could have been "mistaken for executive files of governmental organisations", but gave no indication about who might be behind the attack.

Stuxnet

Last week, the same official suggested that Stuxnet was the work of the United States and warned that it could have caused large-scale accidents and loss of life.

Stuxnet first came to light in July 2010. Analysis by security firm Symantec showed that, while it could be transmitted via the internet, it was designed to infect specific types of industrial controllers.

The machinery in question was used to control centrifuges at Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility.

Most experts who have looked at the case agree, given the scale and complexity of Stuxnet, that a foreign state was probably behind its development.

Iranian officials have previously pointed the finger at the US and Israel, although no firm evidence has been produced.

Nintendo announces Wii 2 console

25 April 2011 Last updated at 07:10 ET

Nintendo has announced it will launch a new version of its Wii console in 2012.

No technical details about the machine have been revealed, but gamers will get an early preview at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles in June.

The original Wii proved a runaway hit for Nintendo when it launched five years ago.

However, sales have been gradually declining in the face of tough competition from PlayStation, XBox 360 and mobile gaming platforms.

Wii was the first console of the current generation to offer motion controlled gameplay.

In the past year, Microsoft has introduced its Kinect system for XBox, while Sony launched PlayStation Move.

Nintendo's chief executive, Satoru Iwata suggested that his company was preparing a fresh innovation.

"It will offer a new way of playing games within the home," he said.

Gameplay

Some observers had speculated that the Wii 2 would simply update the existing machine, adding a handful of features such as high definition graphics.

However Johnny Minkley, an editor at Eurogamer.net, believes that Nintendo could be planning a broader redesign.

"The talk was about Wii HD, but I do not see Nintendo doing that. It will do something more innovative," he told BBC News.

Mr Minkley noted that Nintendo marketed the original Wii around its motion-sensing handset, rather than technical specifications - something he expects to see repeated.

"PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 were part of the graphics arms race.

"Nintendo would never launch a console based on the strength of hardware. Theirs has to have a gameplay point to it," he said.

Sales slump

The Wii took an early lead in the battle of the consoles soon after it launched in late 2006.

A combination of its relatively low price and its appeal to non-traditional gamers - including women and older players - helped the company sell 20m units in the first year.

In the financial year 2009/10, Nintendo shipped 20.1m Wii consoles. However, that fell to 15.1m in 2010/11.

Market data suggested that Wii's share of new console sales had slipped to second place behind Sony's PS3

In the first three months of 2011, PS3 held a 36% share, compared with 32% for the Wii and 31% for XBox 360.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Sony's 'father of CD' dies at 81

23 April 2011 Last updated at 14:56 ET

The former president and chairman of Sony, Norio Ohga, who was credited with developing the compact disc, has died aged 81, the company has said.

Ohga, who led the company from 1982 to 1995, died of multiple organ failure in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.

Sony's chairman, Sir Howard Stringer, said his predecessor's foresight and vision had transformed the company into a global entertainment leader.

Ohga was still a senior adviser to the company at the time of his death.

In 1953, Sony's co-founders recruited Ohga while he was still studying at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and hoping to pursue a career as an opera singer. They sensed his knowledge of sound and electrical engineering would benefit the firm.

"Start Quote

By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed"

End Quote Sir Howard Stringer Chairman, Sony

He was an executive by his 30s - a rarity in a Japanese company - becoming the president of CBS Sony Records (now Sony Music Entertainment) in 1970s.

From the start, he recognised the potential of the compact disc, and personally drove Sony's initiatives to introduce the format.

During the development of the CD, it was Ohga who pushed for a disc that was 12cm (4.8in) in diameter, because it provided sufficient capacity at 75 minutes to store all of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Sony sold the world's first CD in 1982 and CDs overtook LP record sales in Japan five years later. Ohga's specifications are still used today, and have shaped formats developed since, including MiniDisc and DVD.

In 1989, he oversaw the $3.4bn purchase of Hollywood studios Colombia Pictures, which was criticised as unwise and costly at the time.

Ohga also presided over the launch of Sony's game business, which went on to develop the successful "PlayStation" console.

"By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed," said Sony Chairman Howard Stringer, using the Japanese honorific.

"It is no exaggeration to attribute Sony's evolution beyond audio and video products into music, movies and game, and subsequent transformation into a global entertainment leader to Ohga-san's foresight and vision," he added.

Ohga stepped down as Sony's president in 1995 and continued to serve as chairman and representative director until 2000.

He was also the chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Outage hits Playstation Network

22 April 2011 Last updated at 09:27 ET

Millions of gamers are unable to play online as the Playstation Network continues to suffer a major outage.

In a blog post, makers Sony thanked users for their patience but warned the downtime - which has so far lasted more than 20 hours - could continue for "a day or two".

Users are seeing error messages stating the network is "undergoing maintenance" or is "suspended".

In recent weeks, Playstation has been targeted by hackers group Anonymous.

The network has more than 70 million users worldwide, but Sony were unable clarify how many players had been affected.

However, Twitter messages and blog posts have been posted from all over the world.

This outage is the latest in a series of problems for the network which has suffered extended periods of downtime over the past few weeks.

In response, angry gamers have flooded blogs, forums and Twitter with complaints.

"A full day and you guys still have no clue what is causing this," wrote user Slickshoes in response to the company's blog post.

Another user, Max Smith, contacted the BBC to share his frustration over the delay in news surrounding the problem.

"To be honest I think that Sony need to give more updates towards the gamers via their Twitter account. There has been no update in the past 18 hours which is really making the community go crazy."

Anonymous, the group which gained notoriety over Wikileaks-related attacks, strongly criticised the Japan-based entertainment giant over its treatment of George Hotz, an American hacker who unlocked the games console's closed operating system.

Sony filed a lawsuit against the 21-year-old, arguing that his hack had allowed pirated games to be played on the machine.

The case was dropped earlier this month after Mr Hotz agreed to sign an injunction banning him from similar behaviour in future.

A spokesperson for Sony was unavailable for comment.

Are you affected? Send us your comments and experiences.

Google fined $5m over patent row

22 April 2011 Last updated at 06:37 ET By Maggie Shiels Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

A judgement by a Texas jury against Google could have major implications for the search giant and the open source world said experts.

The internet titan was found guilty of infringing a patent related to the Linux kernel and fined $5m (�3.2m).

The software is used by Google for its server platforms and could also extend to its Android mobile platform.

The kernel is at the core of the open-source operating system meaning this verdict could be far-reaching.

The case resulted in a victory for a firm called Bedrock Computer Technologies which has also sued Yahoo, MySpace, Amazon, PayPal, Match.com and AOL.

"The amount of the fine is not what makes this an important issue," intellectual property activist Florian Mueller told BBC News.

"This is a modest amount considering Google is probably the largest scale Linux user in the world.

"The implication here is really that there is a huge number of Linux users who will be required to pay royalties if this patent holder knocks on their doors in the US. This is definitely a major impediment to the growth of Linux and makes companies, including Google, that rely on open source code particularly vulnerable to patent threats."

That is also the view of other industry watchers who expect a flood of lawsuits against companies who rely on open source code.

"Those looking to cash in on buried patents need only spend time pouring over code and looking for infringements," said Christopher Dawson of technology blog ZDNet.

"Start Quote

Apple is going for the jugular by going after several Android device makers"

End Quote Florian Mueller Intellectual property activist

"It costs a lot less than $5m to hire a team of programmers in India to do code review. This, I'm afraid, is just the beginning and stands to do a fair amount of harm to industry momentum and to the private companies that provide vast incentive for the advancement of open source software."

But Google has said it will continue to defend against such attacks like this one on the open source community.

"The recent explosion in patent litigation is turning the world's information highway into a toll road, forcing companies to spend millions and millions of dollars defending old, questionable patent claims and wasting resources that would be much better spent investing in new technologies for users and creating jobs," said Google.

"Going for the jugular"

The Bedrock case underscores the increasingly bitter battle going on in the mobile space which is expected to grow globally by 58% in the next year.

The research firm Gartner also forecast that Android will account for about 39% of that growth.

Mr Mueller said competitors worried about Android are using any means necessary to thwart their rival.

He has estimated that in the last 14 months there have been 41 patent infringement suits levied at Google's Android platform and its rapidly growing developer ecosystem.

Just this week Apple said it was suing Samsung Electronics for allegedly copying the design of its iPad and iPhone.

Samsung's Galaxy products use Google's Android operating system. Samsung has in turn countersued Apple for violating its patent rights.

Last month Microsoft lodged a suit focusing on the Nook e-reader and Nook Colour tablet which run the Android OS.

Meanwhile a high profile patent trial between tech giants Oracle and Google is expected be held before November said a judge.

Oracle claimed Google's Android technology infringes on its Java patents.

Oracle bought the Java programming language through its acquisition of Sun Microsystems last year.

"Android is clearly being targeted by some of the largest tech companies as its market share grows and it becomes more of a threat to others," said Mr Mueller.

"Apple is going for the jugular by going after several Android device makers. In a way it has to do this to survive. No matter how good its financials are now, in a year or two they could see their iPhone business erode because of the Android threat.

"A Microsoft suit is just about seeking royalty bearing licence deals. And with Oracle that is about making Google pay and about who calls the shots when it comes to the Java programming language," added Mr Mueller.

Samsung returns Apple legal fire

22 April 2011 Last updated at 01:30 ET

Samsung Electronics is suing Apple, claiming its rival violated its patent rights, days after Apple accused Samsung of "slavishly" copying designs of its iPad and iPhone.

The patent lawsuits, filed in South Korea, Japan and Germany, involve infringement of up to five patents, Samsung said in a statement.

Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung last Friday for violating its patents.

It is the latest patent dispute in an increasingly competitive industry.

Rivalry intesifies

"Samsung is responding actively to the legal action taken against us in order to protect our intellectual property," the statement said.

South Korea's Samsung is one of the fastest-growing smartphone makers in the telecommunications industry.

Its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablet computers, which use Google's Android operating system, have emerged as the top competitors so far to Apple's iPhone and iPad.

However, Samsung is also one of Apple's main suppliers of components such as chips and LCD displays.

The legal battle could therefore hurt the earnings of both companies as strong sales of Apple's iPhone and iPad mean added revenue for Samsung.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Amazon fault takes down websites

21 April 2011 Last updated at 09:56 ET

Scores of well-known websites have been unavailable for large parts of Thursday because of problems with Amazon's web hosting service.

Foursquare, Reddit and Quora were among the sites taken offline by the glitch.

Amazon EC2 is the retailer's cloud computing business. It provides processing power and storage to companies that do not have their own data centres.

No reason has so far been given for the outage.

Visitors to the website of location-based social network Foursquare were greeted by an apology.

"Our usually amazing datacentre hosts, Amazon EC2, are having a few hiccups this morning, which affected us and a bunch of other services that use them.

"Everything looks to be getting back to normal now," read the statement.

Amazon's cloud service last hit the headlines when it decided to stop hosting a mirrored version of the Wikileaks website.

Like a number of American-owned web hosts, it had come under pressure from the US government over the leaking of confidential State Department files.

Several of the web services that took action against Wikileaks suffered reprisal attacks by hackers.

However, at this stage, there is nothing to suggest that the most recent outage was related to the Wikileaks controversy.

Kindle gets library book lending

21 April 2011 Last updated at 07:42 ET

Users of Amazon's Kindle e-reader will soon be able to borrow electronic books from libraries in the US.

The retailer is teaming up with Overdrive, which already offers an e-book lending service through 11,000 American libraries.

Until now Kindle owners have been unable to download titles because the device uses a unique file format.

Overdrive also operates in the UK, however Amazon would not confirm if its plans include Britain.

It said the US system would launch later in the year.

Borrowed books will be available on Amazon's own Kindle reader as well as other devices running the Kindle software, including iPads and Android tablets.

Anyone wanting to borrow a publication must be a member of their local library.

Titles are downloaded through the library's website and are automatically removed after a set number of days, with a maximum loan time of three weeks.

Publishing system

Overdrive has been in business for several years and offers hundreds of thousands of books to readers whose devices use the e-pub file format.

However, Amazon has its own, proprietary version of e-pub which includes a digital rights management system to try to prevent copying.

The fact that Overdrive is finally adopting that technology has been broadly welcomed by industry watchers, but has left some distinctly underwhelmed.

"This is a me too move," said Martin Hoscik, who runs the website eBook Magazine.

"Start Quote

This is a me too move... there is no innovation here."

End Quote Martin Hoscik eBook Magazine

"There is no innovation here. It is like congratulating Channel 5 for broadcasting their pictures in colour when everyone else has been doing it for years."

Nevertheless, the dominant position of Kindle in the e-book market is likely to raise the profile of library lending.

"I am in favour of anything that gives readers an opportunity to read more books via a library system," said Phil Bradley, vice president of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.

UK libraries

Currently in the UK, 33 out of the country's 151 library authorities make use of the Overdrive system.

If that was to be extended to Kindles, questions would need to be answered about its implementation, said Mr Bradley.

In particular, he called for more details about Amazon's plan to let users add notes to e-books. "How will those remain confidential?" he asked.

Amazon has indicated that it will respect the terms of lending use laid out by publishers.

In the case of Harper Collins, the company has stipulated that its books, once purchased by a library, can only be made available for 26 loans, before being erased permanently.

Nokia market share falls further

21 April 2011 Last updated at 06:57 ET

Mobile phone maker Nokia has posted better-than-expected profits for the first three months of 2011, down 1% to 344m euros (�304m).

But its market share fell 4% to 29% as cheaper rivals and the popularity of competitors' smartphones ate into Nokia's dominance.

Nokia also said that it had struck a long-awaited deal to develop smartphone technology with Microsoft.

Investors welcomed the news, sending Nokia shares up almost 3%.

Stephen Elop, chief executive, said: "In the first quarter, we shifted from defining our strategy to executing our strategy. On this front, I am pleased to report that we signed our definitive agreement with Microsoft and already our product design and engineering work is well underway."

The Finnish comany's slow response to the smartphone threat from Apple's iPhone and the Blackberry handsets has been one of investors' key concerns.

On Wednesday Apple unveiled a 95% rise in first-quarter profits, and said it sold a record 18.65 million iPhones during the quarter.

Under the Microsoft deal Nokia will start using the US company's software on its smartphones instead of its own Symbian platform.

Nokia said the deal will enable it to cut annual costs by around 1bn euros.

Nokia's group sales rose by 9% to 10.40bn euros, while smartphone sales were up 6% at 7bn euros.

The company's key phone unit reported an operating profit margin of 9.8% for the January-March period, well ahead of analysts forecast of 8.6%.

However, Nokia said that for the full year, margins would fall to within a 6%-9% range.

"Finalisation of the agreement with Microsoft means Nokia can now focus on execution, but margin guidance underlines that difficult times lie ahead as it transitions the portfolio," said analyst Geoff Blaber from CCS Insight.

Despite the drop in Nokia's market share - the first time in a decade it has fallen below 30% - Sami Sarkamies, analyst at Nordea, said: "The first quarter was very strong, much better than expected.

"It seems the situation is under control, there were no dramatic changes," he added.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Apple iPhone sales double in 2011

20 April 2011 Last updated at 17:23 ET

Latest profits for the computer giant Apple beat hopes, including a higher-than-expected rise in iPhone sales.

Net income for the three months to March jumped 85% on the same period a year ago, with iPhone sales of 18.65m - a rise of 113%.

The figures are the latest in a string of good results from the US's technology companies.

Intel's figures, released on Wednesday, were also well above hopes and helped share prices to a three-year high.

Apple reported quarterly net profits of $5.99bn (�3.6bn), 95% up on the $3bn it made a year ago. Revenue was $24.67bn, a rise of 83%.

Sales of the company's computers were strongly higher, up by 28% from a year ago driven by its tweaked MacBook Pro.

Apple's figures were not uniformly positive. It sold 4.69m iPad tablet computers in the quarter, below expectations.

Another disappointment was sales of its one-time star, the iPod, down by 17% on the year at 9m units.

Most analysts were enthusiastic about the figures.

Channing Smith, portfolio manager at Capital Advisors growth fund, said: "Dynamite numbers across the board. The only hiccup is lower than expected iPad numbers."

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said in a statement: "With quarterly revenue growth of 83% and profit growth of 95% we're firing on all cylinders."

Mr Jobs, who went on medical leave in January with an undisclosed illness, continued: "We will continue to innovate on all fronts throughout the remainder of the year."

The day-to-day running of Apple is currently being done by chief operating officer Tim Cook.

iPhone tracks users' movements

20 April 2011 Last updated at 12:41 ET

Apple iPhones and 3G iPads are secretly recording and storing details of all their owners' movements, researchers claim.

Location data is kept in a hidden, unencrypted file according to security experts Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden.

With the right software, it can be used to map exactly where a person has been.

Apple has yet to comment on the revelation, however there in no suggestion that it has been uploading or using the information.

The findings, first reported by the Guardian newspaper, will come as a surprise to most iPhone users, as their devices do not give any visual indication that such data is being recorded.

However, although the practice is not explicitly flagged-up, it appears to be covered in the company's terms of use.

"We may collect information such as occupation, language, zip code, area code, unique device identifier, location, and the time zone where an Apple product is used so that we can better understand customer behaviour and improve our products, services, and advertising"

Clearly intentional

Writing on the technology website O'Reilly Radar, Mr Allan and Mr Warden said they did not know why iPhones and iPads were collecting location information but it was "clearly intentional".

The men claim that the facility to record users' positions was added with the iOS4 software update, released in June 2010.

The data is also transferred to the owner's computer and stored in a file there each time the two devices are connected to carry-out a backup or synchronisation.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security firm Sophos, told BBC News that it was unlikely Apple planned to use the information for commercial purposes.

"I think there are some legitimate privacy concerns and people will probably look for a way of obscuring that data," he said.

"But it is an object lesson about reading the terms and conditions," he added.

Digital Act court challenge fails

20 April 2011 Last updated at 06:01 ET

A legal challenge to the Digital Economy Act has failed get the controversial legislation overturned.

The judicial review, requested by BT and Talk Talk, rejected claims that Parliament had overstepped it powers with anti-piracy measures.

However, Justice Kenneth Parker upheld one of the objections, relating to who pays for the legislation's enforcement.

The ruling pleased groups representing copyright holders who said it would help reduce illegal file sharing.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

EU to investigate net-neutrality

19 April 2011 Last updated at 13:20 ET

The European Union is to investigate whether internet service providers (ISPs) are providing fair access to online services.

It may lead to new rules banning ISPs from restricting access to data-heavy services during peak periods.

ISPs argue that traffic management is key to maintaining a quality service.

However, the EU's annnouncement falls short of the demands of net-neutrality campaigners, who want all traffic to be treated equally.

The investigation will cover both mobile and fixed providers and will be published by the end of the year.

Announcing the action, the EU's commissioner for the digital agenda, Neelie Kroes, said: "I am absolutely determined that everyone in the EU should have the chance to enjoy the benefits of an open and lawful internet, without hidden restrictions or slower speeds than they have been promised.

"The Commission has asked the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (Berec) to undertake a rigorous fact-finding exercise on issues crucial to ensuring an open and neutral internet."

She added that the investigation will also ask businesses and consumers to highlight shortcomings, and if the findings indicate "outstanding problems" they will assess further measures.

Consumer choice

In her statement, Ms Kroes referred to a claim that an unnamed UK provider was reportedly making "Skype calls technically impossible in afternoons and evenings without warning the users."

She also pointed to reports that some internet providers were slowing video-streaming services provided by a competitor.

"Start Quote

A consumer's experience is not affected if an e-mail reaches him a few seconds after it has been sent"

End Quote Neelie Kroes European Union

"Mark my words," she said. "If measures to enhance competition are not enough to bring internet providers to offer real consumer choice, I'm ready to prohibit the blocking of lawful services or applications."

However, Ms Kroes said it was "widely accepted" that some services needed to be slowed down to allow others to work.

"A consumer's experience is not affected if an e-mail reaches him a few seconds after it has been sent, whereas a similar delay to a voice communication would cause it to be significantly degraded, if not rendered entirely useless."

She argued that consumer pressure and media scrutiny would mean providers blocking or charging extra for bandwidth-heavy services would soon lose custom.

Campaigner worry

Tuesday's announcement has left some campaigners for "net-neutrality" - the concept that access to all services on the internet should be treated equally - disappointed.

They had hoped for a firmer decision from the commission, and worry that without stricter measures ISPs may begin charging companies for unrestricted access to consumers.

This would, they argue, create a "two-tiered" internet, with big businesses offering faster access to consumers while smaller businesses suffer.

Advocates of net-neutrality insist a fair internet is vital to foster competition and innovation, and that policies to prevent such practices should be put in place sooner rather than later.

"The internet after all is about openness, choice and participation," said Monique Goyens, director general of the European Consumers' Organisation.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee believes legislation may be needed to protect net neutrality

"If ISPs misuse their control of internet traffic, then these essential qualities are lost.

"This race of technological advances is high-speed and, to remain fair, requires a referee. The EU needs take on this role while giving national regulatory authorities the means to do the same."

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the web, told the BBC that governments must act if the industry can not self-regulate.

He has been asked by the UK government to negotiate an agreement on an open internet between service providers and content firms like the BBC and Skype.

"If it fails, the government has to be absolutely ready to legislate," he said.

Many under-13s 'using Facebook'

19 April 2011 Last updated at 08:49 ET

Almost half of British children aged 9 to 12 use social networking, ignoring minimum age limits, a report claims.

One in five has a Facebook page, a quarter of which are publicly viewable, according to EUKidsOnline.

The report's authors suggest that removing age requirements would make it easier to monitor young people's online activity.

However, children's charity Kidscape criticised the idea and warned it would lead to more cyber bullying.

The research, carried out by the London School of Economics for the European Commission, was based on a survey of 25,000 young people - aged between nine and 16 - from across Europe.

It asked if they maintained a social networking profile.

In the UK, 43% of 9 to 12-year-olds answered yes, along with 88% of 13 to 16-year-olds.

The Netherlands had the highest percentage of children on social networks at 70% - however many of these were users of Hyves, a site that does not have a minimum age.

Across Europe the average figure for 9 to 12-year-olds was 38%.

Report author Elisabeth Staksrud, from the University of Oslo, told BBC News that it was inevitable children would be drawn to sites such as Facebook: "If you're twelve you want to be where your peers are".

"Start Quote

Children are children, adults are adults. Sometimes you have to say no to your child."

End Quote Peter Bradley Kidscape

Parental guidance

The report also suggests that where parents do impose a strict policy on social networking, the majority of young people respect that guidance.

In France, 45% of parents said their children were forbidden from using social networking sites, the highest of any country in the survey.

Consequently, that country had the lowest proportion of children using social networking at 25%.

Peter Bradley, from child protection charity Kidscape, said it showed that parents must be firm with their children when it comes to internet use.

"Children are children, adults are adults. Sometimes you have to say no to your child," he said.

'Cop out'

However, Elisabeth Staksrud believes that by acknowledging children below the age of 13 are using services, social networking sites could develop measures to protect them.

"Since children often lie about their age to join 'forbidden' sites it would be more practical to identify younger users and to target them with easy-to-use protective measures," she said.

The report concedes that while this approach would help keep existing users safer, it could also lead to a substantial increase in underage children signing up.

Mr Bradley told the BBC he strongly believed that lowering the minimum age for Facebook would be wrong.

"Without doubt, if the age limit was removed from Facebook, the effect would be an increase in the number of young people accessing the site," he told the BBC.

"Automatically you'll have a greater increase of those at risk of bullying online.

"Abolishing the age limit is an absolute cop out really."

Police put court news on Twitter

19 April 2011 Last updated at 05:20 ET

Results from cases heard at Birmingham Magistrates' Court are being put on Twitter by West Midlands Police.

Ch Supt Stephen Armstrong said there had been a decline in court reporting in recent years and the initiative was designed to make the public more aware of the cases police deal with.

The force is sending its own staff into court to cover the cases.

It said the updates on the micro-blogging site were the first ever "tweet-a-thon" from a justice centre.

The tweets from the Grade-I listed Victorian courthouse began on Tuesday morning. Police said it was too early to say if Tuesday's initiative would be repeated.

'Peace of mind'

Mr Armstrong said: "We've seen over recent years a bit of a decline in court reporting, particularly through local newspapers as they've faced their own financial constraints.

"That's tended to result in the general public not knowing what happens in court and what the outcomes at courts are.

"And this is our opportunity to raise that interest again and to show people there is a vast amount of police business going through courts and people are being dealt with and sentenced and punished for what they've done."

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Forsyth said: "West Midlands Police has truly embraced social media in our attempts to engage with audiences we have traditionally struggled to reach, including young people.

"Many officers across the force region now regularly update their communities via Twitter, blogs and Facebook... and we're about to launch a new Twitter account to track our police helicopter.

"We hope that the 'tweet-a-thon' from Birmingham Magistrates' Court will give people a flavour for the range of offenders we deal with, an insight into the court system and, importantly, peace of mind that justice is being done."

Monday, April 18, 2011

Attacks on critical systems rise

18 April 2011 Last updated at 19:09 ET

Internet-based attacks on critical systems such as gas, power and water have increased around the world, a report suggests.

Security firm McAfee surveyed 200 IT executives working for utility companies in 14 countries.

Eight out of 10 said their networks had been targeted by hackers during the past year.

China was seen as the most likely source of attacks, followed by Russia and the United States.

The number of reported incidents was higher than in 2009 when just over half of those asked said they had fallen victim.

Denial of service

Most of the reported security breaches took the form of distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks.

These typically involve a network of computers, under the control of criminals, overwhelming a company's internet-connected systems.

While such incidents have the potential to impact websites and corporate networks, researchers said it was unlikely they were intended to cut off energy supplies.

However, there remained a possibility that DDOS attacks could do more harm in future, according to Stewart Baker, a former US national security advisor to President George W Bush and one of the report's authors.

"We asked what what the likelihood was of a major attack that causes significant outage.

"That is one that causes severe loss of services for at least 24 hours, loss of life or personal injury or failure of a company.

"Three quarters thought it would happen within the next two years," he said.

Stuxnet

Arguably the best known example of an internet-bourne threat disrupting an industrial system is the Stuxnet worm, which was discovered in 2010.

Analysis suggests that the malicious computer code was specifically designed to take control of machinery in either Iran's Bushehr or Natanz nuclear facilities.

While it was known that the worm had spread more widely than its intended target, McAfee's research suggested the full extend of its reach.

Among those utility companies that had carried out a search for Stuxnet on their computer systems, 40% found traces of it.

"It probably didn't result in any obvious interference with the systems, because it wasn't designed to do that," said Mr Baker.

"But the fact that it spread so widely and could have done so if it had been differently designed is very, very troubling if you are worried about cyber attacks by hostile nations or extortion attempts by well organised criminal gangs."

Government help

Respondents were also questioned about how much involvement they had with their governments on tackling cyber security issues.

Japan came out on top, along with China and the United Arab Emirates, although the survey did not ask if that cooperation was voluntary or enforced.

The United Kingdom scored lowest of all those taking part in the study.

A Cabinet Office spokesman told the BBC that the situation had improved dramatically since the launch of its National Security Strategy in October 2010.

The policy document recognises cyber attacks as one of the top four national security threats facing the country.

"We have recently launched an initiative with the private sector to help develop greater awareness of the threats and better protection for dealing with them," said the spokesman.

Piracy hunt law firm facing costs

18 April 2011 Last updated at 11:31 ET

A controversial law firm that tried to get money from computer users by accusing them of illegal file sharing could be hit with massive legal fees.

ACS:Law and its one solicitor, Andrew Crossley, sent thousands of letters threatening recipients with court action if they did not pay out.

Now a judge has ruled that the company may be responsible for wasted costs in the case and ordered a full hearing.

Mr Crossley's lawyers declined to comment.

The proceedings represent something of a role reversal. Originally the Patents County Court had been asked to hear the cases brought by Mr Crossley's firm.

After those collapsed, it was decided that he might be liable for costs.

Those could run into thousands of pounds, although that money is likely to be covered by solicitors' insurance.

Lawyer's letters

ACS:Law had originally teamed-up with a company called MediaCAT, which purported to represent copyright owners, such as film and music producers.

Together they sent letters to around 10,000 people in the UK, alleging that the IP addresses of their computers had been linked to illegal file sharing.

Individuals were given the option of paying �500 or facing court action.

Many of those contacted said they had never engaged in such activity and accused ACS:Law of carrying out a speculative "fishing" exercise.

Mr Crossley eventually brought 26 cases to court, but soon after hearings began he tried to have them dismissed, claiming he had been attacked and received death threats.

Judge Colin Birss QC refused to allow proceedings to stop and accused Mr Crossley of trying to "to avoid judicial scrutiny".

Soon after, both ACS:Law and MediaCAT were wound-up.

Profit share

It emerged in court that the two companies had agreed on a profit-sharing model, with ACS:Law receiving 65% of any money recovered.

In his most recent ruling, Mr Birss said that arrangement had "brought the legal profession into disrepute".

He also branded the now-defunct firm "amateurish and slipshod".

The court's decision to press ahead with a hearing on wasted costs was welcomed by lawyers representing those people who received ACS:Law letters.

Michael Forrester, from Ralli Solicitors, said his firm was also planning to pursue claims for harassment against Mr Crossley and urged anyone who was affected to join the action.

"It can be incredibly upsetting for people to receive these letters and they may well have a claim in harassment, so I am urging them to come forward."

Mr Crossley's application for permission to appeal was refused. He is also being investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.