John Lister

British business tycoon Richard Branson has prevailed in one of the first high-profile test cases of the new triple-x website address system. A US tribunal ruled that Australian Sean Truman acted in bad faith registering the richardbranson.xxx ... domain name, and ordered it be turned over to Branson immediately. (Source: adrforum.com ) Notably, Branson had not protected his name under the rules governing the new top-level domain. His victory may therefore lead more people challenging similar unwanted registrations. After a lengthy, controversial debate, the red-light domains debuted last year . ... (view more)

A senior US security official has warned that a high-profile international hacker group may currently possess the ability to cause widespread power outages in the United States. However, the hackers themselves have publicly countered that claim, ... saying they would never carry out such an attack. To underline their assertion, the hackers have attacked the newspaper that first published these claims. General Keith Alexander, director of the U.S. National Security Agency, was reported in the Wall Street Journal to have made the comments about Anonymous, a loose collection of hackers who view ... (view more)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the most respected universities in the world, is planning to launch a course that can be taken entirely over the Internet. It's not enough for a degree in itself, but those who pass will earn a ... certificate. The course will be a prototype for online learning at the university. This is the first time such a high-profile institution has offered a course that yields a passing or failing grade, rather than one where students simply access the information and receive a virtual "attendance" certificate. Existing Course Makes Electronic Leap ... (view more)

An estimated 200,000 computers may be at risk because they are running an un-patched edition of Symantec's PC Anywhere. Late last month, Symantec urged all users to cease running the program unless absolutely necessary. The firm later changed its ... mind, announcing that it was safe to run as long as new security patches were installed. PC Anywhere became vulnerable when hackers threatened to release source code originally stolen six years ago, apparently without Symantec's knowledge. The hackers attempted to extort the company for $50,000 and then released the code publicly when it refused to ... (view more)

Netflix has revealed its $9 million settlement of a claim it breached privacy laws. Surprisingly, the case involved a law intended to govern video rentals rather than Internet data. The lawsuit came to light in Netflix's latest financial filing with ... the Securities and Exchange Commission, in which it is required to detail any major legal actions. The filing said Netflix had not expected the settlement, so this was an unexpected expense. (Source: thehill.com ) The case involved the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The law bars video ... (view more)

Google has temporarily suspended one of the features on its mobile wallet system for smartphones following word the platform has at least two serious security flaws. Google Wallet allows users to make payments using "near-field communications," a ... wireless protocol like Bluetooth, but with a maximum range of just centimeters. Users can hold, tap or swipe their smartphone next to a payment device without having to worry about the signal being intercepted. 'Brute Force' Could Break Code The system can be protected with a PIN (personal identification number) code, to prevent misuse when ... (view more)

In an attempt to limit companies that make automated marketing calls to consumers, a government agency has introduced tougher restrictions and standards. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said the move was necessary because companies had ... failed to take heed of the principles behind the existing rules. The new restrictions and standards involve automated calls, often called 'robocalls' because a robot (computer program) makes them, in which consumers answer their phones and immediately hear recorded messages. Marketers find such tactics profitable because they can conduct whole ... (view more)

A woman accused of pirating an adult-oriented film says the United States Constitution prevents such movies from being copyrighted. Liuxia Wong received a letter last year from Hard Drive Productions, claiming she illegally shared a copy of "Amateur ... Allure Jen" through the BitTorrent file-sharing system. The company then threatened to sue Wong for $150,000 damages -- the maximum for a single copyright infringement -- unless she immediately paid $3,400 in compensation. Accused Woman Strikes Back Wong refused to pay, and instead filed for declaratory relief. A declaratory relief is a ... (view more)

Microsoft has released a customized edition of its popular Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) web browser, this one intended for use by children. In addition to adding links to online safety sites, the new version includes content protection that is switched ... on, by default. The new children's edition of IE9 has been developed with the help of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), a British organization that includes police officers, government officials and representatives from some major tech firms, including Microsoft. Bookmarks, Tabs Bring Safety to Forefront The updated ... (view more)

Both Facebook and Google have removed online material alleged to pose a risk of social unrest in India, following legal threats to block the sites completely. The two companies are among 21 firms hit with a civil lawsuit regarding offensive content. ... The lawsuit, brought by a private citizen, claims the material involves religious issues that could provoke unrest. Google's problems appear tied to its sites Blogger and YouTube. Google says it has taken down the material pursuant to a court request, its standard policy regarding legal issues, regardless of country. The material has been removed ... (view more)