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Supremes dubious of challenge to child porn law: Is a law designed to stop online child pornography so broad that it infringes on the First Amendment? That's the argument the Supreme Court heard today. The appellant is one Michael Williams, who was busted for offering to trade kiddie images with a federal agent. ...; Tags: Child Pornography, Law, Appellant, Williams, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-30
Congress passes 7-year Net tax ban: The House unanimously passed a seven-year extension of a ban on Internet taxes, in harmony with a bill passed by the Senate last week. The bill goes to President Bush for approval, just two days before the existing tax moratorium is scheduled to expire, Computerworld reports. While...; Tags: Tax, U.S. Congress, Final Version, Taxes, Free Trade, Internet, E-mail, Financial Planning, Finance, Online Communications, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-30
Putin allies building a pro-Kremlin network of blogs, news sites: Vladimir Putin is building a propaganda network of friendly blogs, The Washington Post reports. Allies [of Putin] are creating pro-government news and pop culture Web sites while purchasing some established online outlets known for independent journalism. They are nurturing a network of friendly bloggers ready...; Tags: Russia, Network, Blog, Blogger, pro-Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, Kremlin, Internet, Blogging, Networking, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-29
UK tech agency warns schools on Vista licensing: Becta, the British government's agency for education technology (does the U.S. have anything remotely similar?), is telling schools not to sign licensing agreements with Microsoft, Ars Technica reports. At issue: Microsoft's School Agreement program, which offers admins the comfort of a single license for all Windows PCs in the...; Tags: School, Agency, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Corp., Becta, Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Microsoft Office, Operating Systems, Microsoft Windows, Software, Office Suites, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-26
Boucher takes Comcast to task: Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) has taken notice of Comcast's tricks literally to squeeze out BitTorrent and other P2P traffic. In an interview with CNET's Crave blog, Boucher said the cable company has made a "major mistake." "The inability of customers to share files significantly diminishes their ability to utilize...; Tags: Comcast Corp., Rick Boucher, Boucher, Cable, Network Technology, Peer To Peer (P2P), Blogging, Internet, Telecom & Utilities, Telecommunications, Networking, Personal Technology, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-26

Verizon drop suit to change spectrum auction roles: Verizon had been very, very unhappy about the FCC's open access rules for the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. In September, the wireless carrier sued the FCC to block the rules, saying vaguely that the rules "arbitrary, capricious [and] unsupported by substantial evidence." Today, Verizon gave up the...; Tags: FCC, Ars Technica, Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Corp., Federal Government, Government, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-24
Using Twitter to report on SoCal fires: Cell phone networks are overwhelmed in San Diego and other parts of southern California as residents thoughtlessly make voice calls to alert relatives of their condition, W. David Stephenson, a homeland security consultant, says. "Every time we have a disaster, people use their phones inappropriately,"...; Tags: San Diego, Twitter, Wiki, Text Messaging/SMS/MMS, Telecommunications, Online Communications, Cellular Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-24
Under pressure, NASA vows to release air safety data: NASA's damage control machine has been reeling since the Associated Press reported Monday that the space agency conducted an extensive survey of pilots but is refusing to release the data. According to the AP, the survey found that near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than...; Tags: NASA, Agency, Survey, Marketing Research, Advertising & Promotion, Marketing, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-23
Mukasey says that war powers may allow for warrantless wiretaps: The love feast for attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey came to an abrupt halt Thursday, as the nominee suggested that the president's executive powers are pretty darn expansive, after all. Mukasey said that the president could ignore federal surveillance law if it infringes on his...; Tags: President, Law, Mukasey, Workforce Management, Human Resources, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-19
World Digital Library to offer the world's cultures online: Two years ago, James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress, proposed a global digital library. The vision may be realized over the coming years, The Washington Post reports. The World Digital Library -- comprised of international librarians, computer scientists and U.N. officials -- unveiled a prototype for the project ...; Tags: Culture, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-19
States ask court to extend oversight of Microsoft: Parts of a consent agreement by which a federal court provided oversight of Microsoft's market behavior are due to expire Nov. 12. And although federal regulators and attorneys general from several states now say the judgment should be allowed to expire, six states and D.C. are asking the court to...; Tags: Redmond, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Corp., Web Browser, Web Browsers, Internet, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-18
French laws force Apple to offer unlocked iPhone: The French government has achieved what an army of hackers have so far failed to do: Unlock the iPhone in such a way that Apple will relock or "brick" the phone. Apple has agreed to make an unlocked version of the phone for the French market in order to comply...; Tags: Apple iPhone, Government, Apple Inc., Telecom & Utilities, Manufacturing, Wi-Fi, Wireless, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-18
Attorney general nominee says he will protect civil liberties: Even as an administration that aggressively expanded warrantless surveillance and intelligence gathering enters its final year, the nominee to replace Alberto Gonzales as attorney general spoke forcefully about the need to protect civil liberties, The Washington Post reports. Attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey said at his confirmation hearing...; Tags: Nominee, Civil Liberty, Attorney General, Workforce Management, Human Resources, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-17
Rep: Yahoo lied to Congress about Chinese journalist: Yahoo lied to Congress last year about its role in the arrest of a Chinese journalist, Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) charged Tuesday. Lantos said Yahoo general counsel Michael Callahan lied when he told a House panel that Yahoo had no information "about the nature of the investigation" by Chinese authorities...; Tags: Yahoo! Inc., U.S. Congress, Tom Lantos, Security, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-16
Verizon says it complies with warrantless requests: Verizon complied with warrantless demands for customer calling records hundreds of times since 2005, The Washington Post reports. In a letter to Democratic congressmen, Verizon also said that it had complied with FBI national security letters requesting information on a second-degree of customers, those who were not...; Tags: Verizon Communications Inc., Letter, Federal Government, Telecom & Utilities, Telecommunications, Government, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-16
Russian company is hub for all manner of cybercrime: Where is the world's hub for phishing, spam, child porn and identity theft? That would be the Russian Business Network in St. Petersburg, say computer security experts. The Washington Post reports that groups operating through the company's computers are thought to be responsible for about half of last year's incidents...; Tags: Cybercrime, RBN, Phishing, Cyberthreats, Spam, Identity Theft, Security, Viruses And Worms, Spam And Phishing, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-15
License-plate scanners are transforming police work: The suspect: A man had rammed a 12-year-old girl with his car, pulled her inside and tried to sexually assault her. The girl fought back and escaped. The officer: San Jose, Calif., Officer Max Boyer, on routine patrol discovered the car parked last Monday. By Friday, Donald Bachmann, 27,...; Tags: Car, Scanner, San Francisco Chronicle, American Civil Liberties Union, Technology, Productivity, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-15
House moves to pass broadband census bill: A House subcommittee passed a bill Wednesday to identify broadband penetration in the US and how it's being used, Ars Technica reports. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet passed the Broadband Census of America Act. The bill forces providers to break out specific subscriber numbers, the broadband...; Tags: Broadband, Broadband Internet, Network Technology, Telecommunications, Networking, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-12
DHS accused of collecting union data on travellers: Does being a union member now make you a terrorist threat? Labor leaders charge that the Dept. of Homeland Security is collecting union membership data on passengers flying from Europe to the U.S., as part of a data-sharing deal with the European Union, The Washington Post reports. As...; Tags: Data, U.S. Department Of Homeland Security, Union Membership, Transportation, Homeland Security, Leadership, Government, Management, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-12
A look inside Chinese censorship: How does China maintain its pervasive system of Internet censorship? A report from Reporters Without Borders, entitled "China: Journey To The Heart Of Internet Censorship," reveals some details of how the bureaucracy clamps down on dissent, controls the flow of information and distributes propaganda, Information Week reports. Much of...; Tags: China, Purpose, Information Week, RPF, Internet, ZDNet Government; Blog posts 2007-10-11