Piracy

The Cult of Kim Dotcom
November 10, 2012

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom has been in the news on and off -- mostly on -- since his January arrest in New Zealand. He is fighting extradition to the U.S., where he is wanted on charges ranging from copyright infringement to money laundering. The German-born Dotcom has led a life filled with twists and turns, commercial successes and criminal convictions. His flamboyant ways have earned him some sympathy among his adopted countrymen.

Slippery Statistics Suggest Online Piracy Is on the Wane
November 08, 2012

Sandvine has released a new report on global Internet traffic that points to the growth of online data consumption and implies that the increasing use of legitimate content services such as Netflix may be softening the impact of illegal P2P file-sharing. At face value, that seems difficult to believe. "Online piracy is booming by any measure," said industry analyst Jeff Kagan.

Dotcom Loses Dominion Over Me.ga Domain
November 08, 2012

Kim Dotcom, founder of the now-defunct file-sharing site Megaupload, has long been in hot water with the big, huge United States. Now he's irked the tiny, little nation of Gabon. Gabon has reportedly blocked the Megaupload successor, which Dotcom announced last week, and which is supposed to launch on Jan. 20. The URL that Dotcom had tabbed for his new site, Me.ga, seemed a logical one.

Google Maps Loses Its Way in China
November 06, 2012

Google Maps' mobile app reportedly is losing market share to local competition in China. Statistics from the third quarter show that Google Maps has lost almost half its market share since the second quarter -- from 17.5 percent to 9.5 percent -- and fell to No. 6 from No. 2 among mobile map apps.

Canada Aims to Unmask Rioters When Protests Go Awry
November 05, 2012

The hacker group Anonymous has announced plans for worldwide protests against government surveillance for Monday, Guy Fawkes Day. Canada, however, has a plan of its own. It has imposed a ban on wearing masks during riots -- including, of course, Anonymous' famed Guy Fawkes masks. People will be allowed to wear masks during peaceful demonstrations, however.

Dotcom Suits Up for Another Round in File-Sharing Wars
November 01, 2012

Alleged digital pirate and German Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom on Thursday announced plans for Mega, a service that would replace his shut down file-sharing website Megaupload. The new Mega -- besides dropping a few letters form the name of the service -- will reportedly avoid any dealings with the United States.

Aussie Man, Wrongly Linked to Criminal, Wins Case vs. Google
November 01, 2012

A man in Melbourne, Australia, won a defamation case against Google over the search engine's image results. The plaintiff, Michael Trkulja, reportedly contacted Google in 2009 requesting that the site remove images linking him to former meth kingpin Tony Mokbel. Google used the innocent dissemination defense, arguing that it hadn't published the materials in question and was simply indexing information.

Chinese Company Rips Off iPad Mini and Its Tagline
October 25, 2012

Goophone, a Chinese company best known for cloning Apple products, reportedly will release its iPad mini doppelganger in November. The "GooPad mini," which already appears on posters, will sell for $99, while Apple's iPad mini will cost $329 but won't be sold right away in China. Goophone has even taken the liberty of ripping off Apple's "Every inch an iPad" tagline: "Every inch a GooPad mini."

FOSS' Fight Against China's Free-as-in-Pirated Syndrome
October 23, 2012

The tide of software piracy in China may be ebbing. With the clear support of the Chinese government, several software organizations and computer firms based in Europe and the U.S. are conducting events focusing on growing open source in China. The push toward China's active participation in the open source community signals a maturing of the country's computing infrastructure.

Kinder, Gentler, Perhaps More Annoying Copyright Alert System Coming Soon
October 22, 2012

The Center for Copyright Information and major Internet service providers are preparing to roll out within weeks the Copyright Alert System, designed to cut down on online piracy. AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision volunteered to work with the CCI to develop a system of electronic messages to users suspected of illegally downloading digital entertainment content.

Pirate Bay Assumes Ethereal Form to Dodge Raids
October 18, 2012

The Pirate Bay is ditching its servers and heading to the cloud in a move the popular file-sharing website says can help prevent raids by authorities. The site will no longer reside at a single physical location, the company said. It called the move to the cloud "getting rid of our earthly form" and "ascending into the next stage."

White House Lets Huawei Off the Hook
October 18, 2012

A review of security risks posed by Chinese telecommunications companies, ordered by the White House, turned up no evidence that Huawei had spied on behalf of China. The 18-month investigation reportedly concluded that Huawei was risky for other reasons, such as being susceptible to hackers.

Be Not Afraid: Calculate Your Real Risk of a Software Audit
October 06, 2012

The words "software audit" can strike fear into even the most unflappable business executive's heart. Just as the sight of a police cruiser on the freeway compels all but the most foolhardy to slow down immediately, for most organizations the mere possibility of a vendor audit prompts a flurry of anxious activity and more than a few sleepless nights.

Zuckerberg Tests Russian Waters
October 02, 2012

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg met Monday with Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev in Moscow. Russia is something of a "test case" for Zuckerberg and Facebook: a country that is commercially significant but nonetheless tightly regulates -- and censors -- its media. With more Internet users than Germany, Russia is the largest Web market in Europe.

Iran Relents to Pressure, Reopens Gmail Access
October 01, 2012

The Iranian government is reportedly reopening access to Gmail agter taking flak for its decision to block Google's email service. Even members of parliament have complained about the Gmail block. A member of parliament was quoted in Iranian media saying that the minister of telecommunications would be summoned for questioning if the Gmail ban wasn't lifted.

Facebook, Twitter Poke Holes in China's Great Firewall
September 28, 2012

Despite government-imposed bans, Facebook and Twitter have tens of millions of users in China. Facebook use in China has reportedly swelled to 63.5 million people, a roughly eightfold increase over the 7.9 million who used the site two years ago. Twitter, meanwhile, has nearly 36 million users in China.

Google, Acer and the Red-Headed Stepchild
September 27, 2012

Android may not be as fully open as many FOSS fans would like it to be, but the fact remains that it's essentially the poster child for Linux's success in the mobile world. So it was with some dismay we looked on at the impromptu battle that sprang up recently between Google and Acer over Alibaba's Aliyun OS.

Microsoft Piracy Pleas Fall on Deaf Ears in China
September 21, 2012

Microsoft has asked China to crack down on pirated Office software used by four major state-run companies. Speaking to a government panel last month, Microsoft named China National Petroleum Corp., China Post Group, China Railway Construction Corp. and Travelsky Technology as serial users of pirated software.

6-Strike Copyright Warning System: Can You Hear Us Now?
September 13, 2012

A new chapter is beginning in the antipiracy wars: A so-called six-strike warning scheme will be put into action by the end of this year, said Jill Lesser of the Center for Copyright Information. The CCI was born as a result of widespread revulsion over the ham-handed tactics deployed in the 2000s by the RIAA and, to a lesser extent, the MPAA.

Google Tightens Shackles on Pirate Bay Search Results
September 12, 2012

In a nod to the increasing pressure to root out online piracy, Google reportedly has expanded its list of censored phrases related to searches for the file-sharing site The Pirate Bay. Google has not entirely removed The Pirate Bay from its search results index, but it has nixed alternate Pirate Bay domains from appearing in autocomplete.