Why China’s draft cybersecurity law has chilling implications for the internet and multinationals
China’s top legislature has published a draft cyber-security law that would cement government control over the internet and data, rules analysts said could further limit online debate and affect multinational companies doing business in China. The 68-article law was drafted to “safeguard cyberspace sovereignty and national security” from the threat of cyber-attack, cyber-crime and the […]
New Zealand makes internet ‘trolling’ illegal
Internet trolls face up to two years’ jail in New Zealand under a controversial new law which bans “harmful digital communications”. And under a parallel amendment to New Zealand’s Crimes Act, a person who tells another to kill themselves faces up to three years in prison. The law will help mitigate the harm caused […]
Hacker attacks gambling websites, demands Bitcoin ransom
A hacker shut down four New Jersey Internet gambling sites for half an hour last week and threatened more cyberattacks over the holiday weekend unless a ransom was paid using the online currency Bitcoin, authorities said Tuesday. David Rebuck, director of the New Jersey Gaming Enforcement Division, said Thursday’s attack was a so-called distributed denial […]
TRADING HALTED ON NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE
NEW YORK — A technical issue has triggered a system-wide halt to trading leaving investors unable to buy and sell securities. “We’re currently experiencing a technical issue that we’re working to resolve as quickly as possible,” a spokeswoman for the NYSE said in a statement. “We will be providing further updates as soon as we […]
Internet, smartphones could cause ‘digital amnesia’
A new study says smartphones and the Internet could be destroying our memories and giving us so-called “digital amnesia.” The software security group, Kaspersky Lab, looked at 1,000 people and found many people don’t even attempt to memorize or recall information, they instead just turn to the Internet or their smartphone for the answers. […]
David Cameron’s proposed encryption ban would ‘destroy the internet’
A highly respected cryptographer and security expert is warning that David Cameron’s proposed ban on strong encryption threatens to “destroy the internet.” Last week, the British Prime Minister told Parliament that he wants to “ensure that terrorists do not have a safe space in which to communicate.” Strong encryption refers to the act of […]
Cuba Opens Wi-Fi Hotspots Across Country
Cuba has opened 35 Wi-Fi access points nationwide, offering unprecedented online access in a country that until now has restricted use of the Internet to an elite few. Before the Wi-Fi signals became available on Wednesday, broadband Internet access had been limited to largely to desktops at state Internet parlours and pricey hotels. “It […]
Russia Bans Internet Database Archive
WASHINGTON— Internet users in Russia will no longer be able to access a massive database of cached webpages, apparently due to one single website authorities in Moscow don’t like. Russia’s attorney general has ordered blockage of the site, known as “The Wayback Machine,” citing legislation that bans minors from accessing sites that contain pornography, sexual […]
U.S. Seeks to Grab $300 Million in Uzbek Telecom Bribe Probe
The Justice Department is seeking to seize $300 million claimed to be the proceeds of an international bribery conspiracy involving two Russian phone companies, as the U.S. joins a group of European nations in a telecom corruption probe. The U.S. claims VimpelCom Ltd., part-owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman, and Mobile TeleSystems OJSC used […]
Verizon Threatens To Disconnect NJ Landline Customer Unless They Switch To Fiber
Copper wire is expensive and old-fashioned. Phone companies don’t want to maintain or use it anymore. Still, some customers like their reliable old land-lines, and the law creates certain obligations for phone companies to provide and maintain them. But Verizon is apparently so sick and tired of providing plain old telephone service that they’re threatening […]
FCC Commissioner Says Internet Access Is “Not a Necessity”
The FCC’s regulations preserving net neutrality took effect a couple of weeks ago, and the commission voted last week to extend phone subsidies for low-income Americans to broadband as well. But at least one member of the five-person group doesn’t view Internet as something Americans need fair and equal access to every day. In a […]
Check Out the World’s First 3-D Printed Supercar
It has a chassis about 90% lighter than the average car The “Blade” is light, sleek and — at an acceleration of 0-60 m.p.h. in 2.2 seconds — incredibly fast, just like you’d want any supercar to be. But a few things set this wondrous machine apart from others of its kind, foremost among them […]
Conservatives Worry Congress Will Trade One Internet Tax For Another
Although there is little chance of comprehensive tax reform any time soon, some believe Congress could take smaller steps, such as preventing new Internet taxes. “Keeping tax off the Internet is a clear example of a strategy that is open to bipartisan support,” Steve Forbes argues in an op-ed for Fox News. There are […]
India’s stand on Internet governance gets US backing
The US has backed India’s stand on Internet governance, saying both countries share a common vision of ensuring every global citizen has a say in decision-making on the subject. “I heard about your very well-received remark at the ICANN meeting in Argentina. As democracies, India and the United States share a joint vision for […]
NYC: Verizon demands exclusive deals from landlords before installing FiOS
When New York City officials ordered Verizon to finish the citywide fiber rollout that it promised but didn’t deliver on time, the city also said Verizon must not demand bulk agreements from landlords in exchange for faster deployment. Verizon agreed to wire up the whole city in 2008 in exchange for a lucrative cable television […]
Microsoft Office for Android is here: Now work while on the move
If you are someone who types a lot on Word, scrolls through numbers on an Excel spreadsheet or create presentations on PowerPoint, Microsoft just made it easy for you to continue working with Microsoft Office for Android. Last year, Microsoft issued a statement saying it “took the next step to bring the productivity of Office […]
Rivals say Verizon Blocking their high speed Internet
New York City said Wednesday it is fielding complaints that Verizon Communications Inc. has used stalling tactics to block competitors’ high-speed Internet service, the latest salvo in an ongoing dispute. The announcement comes a week after the city said Verizon hadn’t fulfilled a pledge to deliver fiber-optic connections for television and high-speed Internet to anyone who wants […]
Samsung’s ‘Clear’ Truck Aims to Make the Roads Safer
Samsung wants to leverage its technological expertise to make the roads a safer place. It’s a situation most drivers have experienced plenty of times: You’re driving down a two-lane highway, stuck behind a slow-moving semi truck and unsure if it’s safe to drive in the opposite lane to pass the vehicle. A prototype truck […]
Instagram users in N. Korea warned site put on blacklist
NORTH KOREA- Warnings are appearing on Instagram accounts in North Korea that say access to the popular photo-sharing app is being denied and that the site is blacklisted for harmful content. Opening the app with mobile devices on the North Korean carrier Koryolink has resulted in a notification in English saying: “Warning! You can’t connect […]
FCC votes to subsidize Internet access
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to expand a government telephone subsidy program for low-income Americans to cover Internet access. The regulators voted 4-1, although two approved only parts of the program, to begin revamping the $1.7 billion Lifeline subsidy to give recipients a choice of using it for phone service, high-speed Internet, […]