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Pirate Bay Proxy Operator's Bank Account Seized April 04, 2013 The Netherlands has had the damnedest time blocking The Pirate Bay. Taking a cue from the UK, as well as from Belgium and others, the Netherlands ruled last May that Dutch Internet service providers must block The Pirate Bay. Alas, the ruling didn't quite do the trick, as people began offering proxies that afforded users circuitous routes to the piracy hotbed.

SEC Lets Companies Go Social With Market-Moving News April 03, 2013 The Securities and Exchange Commission released a new set of disclosure rules Tuesday that allow executives to use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to update investors about significant corporate announcements that fall under Regulation Fair Disclosure mandates. As long as executives alert their investors about which blog or social networking sites will be used to post announcements, CEOs can fill those online venues with news about their companies.

Rubber Band Patent Rejection Could Bounce Apple Back to Court April 03, 2013 Apple apparently is not accepting the recent ruling by a U.S. patent examiner invalidating a patent it successfully used in a suit against Samsung. The "final" action does not signal the end of reexamination at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the company argues in a filing submitted Tuesday. Nor does it mean there will be no further consideration or reexamination of the patentability of the claims.

Feds Crown Winners of Robocall Whacking Contest April 03, 2013 Nothing steams consumers like robocalls, which is why the Federal Trade Commission launched a contest last year calling for ideas to tackle the nuisance. The winners of that challenge were announced Tuesday. Each of two winners will receive $25,000 to bring their robocall solutions to market.

Baidu May Be Developing a Glassy Eye April 03, 2013 Living up to its billing as the Chinese Google, Baidu, China's top search engine, reportedly is working on Baidu Eye, something that sounds a lot like Google's Glass. Worn like eyeglasses, the Internet gadget will be controlled by voice and will feature an LCD display that can recognize images. While these features are rumored to be up and running, the product's design and battery life are still works in progress.

6 Euro Nations Scream at Google Over Privacy April 03, 2013 The six leading European markets -- France, Spain, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany -- announced on Tuesday that they will take joint legal action against Google over its privacy policies. The action will involve an investigation and possible fines. This follows the company's decision last year to consolidate more than 70 privacy policies for products and services into one policy.

Court Rules Broadcasters Can't Pull the Plug on Aereo April 02, 2013 Aereo, a startup that streams TV content to Web-connected devices with the use of tiny antennas, won another legal battle Monday in its war with broadcast networks. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court's ruling that denied 17 broadcasters a preliminary injunction against Aereo on the grounds that streaming TV content to individual subscribers does not constitute a public performance.

Russian Clampdown on Web Content Raises Red Flags April 01, 2013 The Russian government is using a law passed last year to restrict online content, and three major social networks have removed content authorities deemed objectionable. The Russian law created a blacklist of sites containing child pornography, drug-related and extremist material, and other illegal content.

Zuckerberg Lobbies to Become a Bigger Difference Maker April 01, 2013 It appears Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is plunging into the controversial national debate on immigration reform. An issue-advocacy group he formed has hired two lobbying firms. It is unclear exactly what Zuckerberg's goals are, but he reportedly wants to push for comprehensive immigration reform, possibly including a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Tibet-Documentary Filmmakers Draw Ire of Chinese Hackers April 01, 2013 Members of a film crew working on State of Control, a documentary about Tibet, are convinced that the Chinese government is behind cyberattacks on their computers. They've been faced with unknown parties taking external control over a computer's cursor; abrupt log-offs; at least one fried operating system; and DDoS attacks.

Shipping Abroad: Customs and Duties and Laws, Oh My April 01, 2013 When overseas customers order smartphone and tablet repair parts and accessories from RepairsUniverse.com, they must know the laws and regulations in their individual countries regarding international shipments. Those laws and regulations might include a variety of taxes and fees. Everything from customs and duty fees to the creation of enforceable electronic agreements and contracts needs to be considered.

Survey: Drivers Texting Like Crazy March 29, 2013 Nearly half of the commuters surveyed in a poll released Thursday admitted to texting or emailing while driving. Forty-nine percent of commuters reported engaging in unsafe distracted driving activities in a survey funded by AT&T and conducted by ResearchNow. "These studies do raise awareness, so no one forgets this is an issue," said Roger Lanctot, an associate director at Strategy Analytics.

Linux Devs Take Win 8 Secure Boot Complaint to EC March 27, 2013 Microsoft is once again being challenged in Europe over alleged anti-competitive practices. A group representing Linux developers in Spain has filed a complaint with the European Commission charging that Microsoft's desktop operating system, Windows 8, supports technology that makes it difficult for users to place other operating systems on their computers.

US Judge Tosses Censorship Claims Against Baidu, China March 26, 2013 At long last, China and the United States are on the same cyberpage. A U.S. district judge in Manhattan dismissed a lawsuit brought by activists who claimed that Baidu, China's largest search engine, should be punished -- along with China itself -- for censoring them on the Web.

888's Nevada License Could Usher In New Era of Online Gambling March 25, 2013 888 Holdings announced last week that it had become the first Internet gambling company to be awarded a license to operate in the U.S., possibly opening the door to further online betting opportunities in the States. With its new license, granted by the Nevada Gaming Commission, 888 could launch an online gambling offering in the state.

Holy Spirit, Batman! Superhero Story on Vatican Website Not a Hack March 22, 2013 No, this isn't the Catholic Church's way of appealing to comic book fans. On Thursday, the website of the Vatican communications office and Vatican Twitter account ran stories on Batman. While some initially suspected hacking, Vatican officials are instead saying that there was an "internal system failure" caused by a non-native English speaker -- and apparent Batman enthusiast -- who posted the story.

Feds Probe Microsoft Whistleblower's Bribery Accusations March 20, 2013 Two federal agencies are reportedly probing the relationship between Microsoft and business partners in China, Italy and Romania that allegedly bribed foreign officials to land software contracts. Lawyers at the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating accusations made by a whistleblower who formerly worked for Microsoft in China.

Congress Puts Privacy Front and Center March 20, 2013 Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, have introduced legislation to provide stronger privacy guarantees to email. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013 calls for the government to get a search warrant before gaining access to email or other digital communication channels.

Street View Captures Sky-High Mountain Views March 20, 2013 Google Street View has unveiled shots from some of the world's highest mountains. In addition to Argentina's Mount Aconcagua, Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro and Russia's Mount Elbrus, Google has now also captured photos from Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Because Street View's camera-equipped vehicles were unable to make the trek, a tripod and digital camera were used.

FCC Twists Robocallers' Arms March 19, 2013 The FCC last week issued citations to two service providers for delivering unauthorized robocalls to millions of wireless phones. The companies that received the citations are the Dialing Services and Richard Gilmore's Democratic Dialing. The calls were made on behalf of an assortment of clients including businesses, nonprofits and political groups.