June 28, 2010

ICANN EXPECTED TO APPROVE .XXX DOMAIN

The company that oversees Web addresses is expected to give the go-ahead for the creation of a .xxx suffix for websites with pornographic content, company officials indicated. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees the Internet on behalf of the U.S. government, has in the past resisted creating a .xxx generic domain name system akin to those for .com and .net.

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2010/06/24/icann-expected-to-approve-xxx-domain/ (Source: Reuters)


June 11, 2010

GOOGLE ACCUSED OF CRIMINAL INTENT OVER STREET VIEW DATA

Google Street View camera

Source: BBC NEWS

Google is "almost certain" to face prosecution for collecting data from unsecured wi-fi networks, according to Privacy International (PI). The search giant has been under scrutiny for collecting wi-fi data as part of its StreetView project. Google has released an independent audit of the rogue code, which it has claimed was included in the StreetView software by mistake. But PI is convinced the audit proves "criminal intent". "The independent audit of the Google system shows that the system used for the wi-fi collection intentionally separated out unencrypted content (payload data) of communications and systematically wrote this data to hard drives. This is equivalent to placing a hard tap and a digital recorder onto a phone wire without consent or authorisation," said PI in a statement. This would put Google at odds with the interception laws of the 30 countries that the system was used in, it added.

Scotland Yard

"The Germans are almost certain to prosecute. Because there was intent, they have no choice but to prosecute," said Simon Davies, head of PI. In the UK the ICO has said it is reviewing the audit but that for the time being it had no plans to pursue the matter. PI however does intend to take the case to the police. "I don't see any alternative but for us to go to Scotland Yard," said Mr Davies.

The revelation that Google had collected such data led the German Information Commissioner to demand it handed over a hard-disk so it could examine exactly what it had collected. It has not yet received the data and has extended the original deadline for it to be handed over. The Australian police have also been ordered to investigate Google for possible breach of privacy.

'Systematic failure'

According to Google, the code which allowed data to be collected was part of an experimental wi-fi project undertaken by an unnamed engineer to improve location-based services and was never intended to be incorporated in the software for StreetView.

"As we have said before, this was a mistake. The report today confirms that Google did indeed collect and store payload data from unencrypted wi-fi networks, but not from networks that were encrypted. We are continuing to work with the relevant authorities to respond to their questions and concerns," said a Google spokesman.

"This was a failure of communication between and within teams," he added. But PI disputes this explanation. "The idea that this was a work of a lone engineer doesn't add up. This is complex code and it must have been given a budget and been overseen. Google has asserted that all its projects are rigorously checked," said Mr Davies.

"It goes to the heart of a systematic failure of management and of duty of care," he added.

June 10, 2010

MOST INTERNET USERS WORRIED ABOUT PRIVACY

A new poll shows that a large majority of consumers are concerned about being tracked on the Internet and favor a proposal from privacy groups to create a “do not track list.” The survey, commissioned by the tech and telecom industry research group Precursor LLC, found that 81 percent of those polled said they were “somewhat” or “very” concerned about companies tracking their Web surfing habits and using that information for advertising, while 88 percent said it is “unfair” for companies to do such tracking without an Internet user’s permission.

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2010/06/08/most-internet-users-worried-about-privacy-poll-shows/ (Source: National Journal)

CHINA SAYS IT WON'T REDUCE INTERNET RESTRICTIONS

China will not ease state control over what can be said online and will brook no foreign criticism of its rules, according to a government white paper released after months of wrangling about freedoms for Web users. The 31-page white paper, which called the Internet “a crystallization of human wisdom,” said its usage in the most populous nation on earth was “transforming the pattern of economic development.”

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2010/06/08/china-says-it-wont-reduce-internet-restrictions/ (Source: Reuters)

SOCIAL NETWORKING EXPOSES EMPLOYERS TO RISKS, STUDY SAYS

Employees who dabble in social networking both on and off the job could expose their companies to a variety of risks, according to a study released by the ISACA. Malware, brand hijacking, lack of content control, noncompliance with rules over recordkeeping, and unrealistic expectations of Internet performance were the top five social-media risks to businesses identified by the ISACA in its study “Social Media: Business Benefits With Security, Governance and Assurance Perspectives.”

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2010/06/08/social-networking-exposes-employers-to-risks-study-says/ (Source: CNET News)

June 9, 2010

CONN. AG SEEKS ANSWERS FROM GOOGLE WIFI PRIVACY

Connecticut’s attorney general is asking Google Inc. whether it collected personal information sent over wireless networks in the state, as a growing privacy controversy involving the Internet giant continues to ripple around the world. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said his office would determine whether the company violated state privacy laws when Google gathered private data transmitted over unsecured networks used by residents and businesses.

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2010/06/07/conn-ag-seeks-answers-from-google-on-wi-fi-privacy/ (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

U.K PLAN WOULD REQUIRE ISPs TO IDENTIFY INFRINGERS

Lists of Britons who infringe copyright are to be drawn up by the UK’s biggest ISPs, under proposals from the regulator Ofcom. The plan is contained in a draft code of practice it hopes will curb copyright infringement.

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2010/05/30/u-k-plan-would-require-isps-to-identify-infringers/ (Source: BBC News)

FTC HOLDING WORKSHOP ON CHILDREN'S PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT

The FTC is set to host its first workshop on whether to update the rule implementing a law aimed at protecting children’s privacy online. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which went into effect in 2000, requires Web sites to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13.

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2010/06/01/ftc-holding-workshop-on-childrens-privacy-protection-act/ (Source: National Journal)

LAWMAKERS INDICATES FACEBOOK PRIVACY HEARINGS LIKELY

A House of Representatives committee responsible for writing some electronic privacy laws sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking for details on when the company shared user data “without the knowledge of the account holders.” The letter, written by Democratic chairman John Conyers of Michigan, suggests that the committee will eventually hold hearings on whether the Internet’s second most popular site has — at least in the minds of a handful of politicians — acted responsibly in disclosing its data-sharing practices to its users.

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2010/06/01/lawmaker-indicates-facebook-privacy-hearings-likely/ (Source: CNET News)

AUSTRALIAN POLICE ASKED TO PROBE GOOGLE ON PRIVACY

Australian police have been asked to investigate Internet giant Google over possible breaches of telecommunications privacy laws, the attorney general said. The investigation follows complaints from members of the public about activities of Google employees while taking photographs for Google Maps, the search engine’s maps page.

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2010/06/06/australian-police-asked-to-probe-google-on-privacy/ (Source: Reuters)

EU COURT SAYS COUNTRIES CAN BAN INTERNET GAMBLING

EU countries can ban online gambling if their aim is to combat fraud, Europe’s highest court said, dealing a blow to the multi-billion euro online betting industry seeking to break domestic monopolies. The European Union Court of Justice issued rulings on two separate challenges involving online gambling in the Netherlands.

Read the article: http://gigalaw.com/2010/06/03/eu-court-says-countries-can-ban-internet-gambling