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Immigration Bill Would Open the Gates to More Tech Talent April 17, 2013 
A group of senators known as the "Gang of Eight" on Tuesday introduced a bipartisan immigration bill that could permit an increase in H-1B visas for high-tech workers. The group is led by Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and John McCain, R-Ariz. Another notable member is Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the GOP's latest rising star. Of particular interest to the tech industry, the new bill would raise the current caps on H-1B visas.
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Samsung Under the Gun for Alleged Anti-HTC Rumormongering April 17, 2013 
Taiwan authorities have launched a probe into charges that Samsung hired students to post disparaging comments about HTC online. If the false advertising accusations are upheld, Samsung and its local advertising agent could be on the hook for about $835,000. The complaints sprouted earlier this month when Internet users claimed that Samsung had contracted students to write online content attacking HTC and lauding Samsung.
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CenturyLink Hauls DoI to Court April 17, 2013 
The U.S. Department of the Interior has big plans to implement a major cloud-based information technology program, with a potential investment of $1 billion over 10 years. However, those plans will have to be put on hold a little longer. One of the potential contractors for the project, CenturyLink, is taking the department to federal court in a challenge to the contracting terms for the project.
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Google, EU Reach Meeting of the Minds April 15, 2013 
In an effort to appease European regulators, Google for the first time has agreed to make legally binding changes to its search results. The changes stem from a two-year investigation into whether Google abused its online search dominance in Europe. The changes will not force Google to amend its algorithm, but instead will require it to clearly label search results from its own properties.
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Fairness Is MIA in FairSearch.org April 15, 2013 
It's a good thing the tequila flows so freely here in the Linux blogosphere, or public health officials would have a lot more problems on their hands. After all, between Secure Boot, Canonical's wild moves and the Menace of Mordor -- er, Redmond -- Linux fans have more than their fair share of things to worry about in any given day, week or month.
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Google Bends to Dodge European Blow April 12, 2013 
Google has submitted a formal set of remedies to the EU Competition Commissioner, which will be shared with competing companies and customers as part of the settlement negotiations.
The remedies that Google has suggested have not yet been made public, but reading between the lines of Commissioner Joaquin Almunia's statement, it appears Google will be offering more choice to users, including content from rivals' sites.
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Konnichi-Whoops! Japanese City Accidentally Tweets About North Korean Attack April 12, 2013 
The official Twitter page for the Japanese city of Yokohama announced that "North Korea has launched a missile." This would be scary if true, but because it didn't actually happen, it's just kind of embarrassing. The tweet, which was sent out to 40,000 followers, had been drafted in case, you know, North Korea actually did attack. It had blank spaces to indicate the time of the rocket launch. The city deleted the tweet and apologized to its followers.
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Civilian Oversight Overlooked as CISPA Clears House Committee April 12, 2013 
A revived version of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act -- with provisions for civilian oversight absent -- passed by a vote of 18-2 Thursday in the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The committee adopted six amendments, but removed others aimed at privacy protection. Three of those were proposed by Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., with one offered by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
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IRS May Be Sifting Through Email in Defiance of Court Order April 11, 2013 
The ACLU has raised a disturbing possibility after reading 247 pages of records it obtained from the Internal Revenue Service via a Freedom of Information Act request: The agency may be reading taxpayers' emails without a warrant. The IRS was told not to do this after a 2010 appellate court ruling in United States v. Warshak. However, the ACLU now seems to think the IRS has reverted to its previous behavior -- or perhaps never stopped.
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Fox Gnashes Its Teeth Over Aereo April 10, 2013 
While anyone with the right antenna can pick up a broadcast TV station's signal for free, the fact that Aereo allows subscribers to view time-shifted streams of over-the-air television has some broadcasters threatening to go the pay-TV route. News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey this week threatened to pull the Fox network off the airwaves and convert the network to a pay-TV-only channel.
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Competitors Ask EU to Rein In Google April 10, 2013 
Microsoft and Nokia are part of the coalition of companies that filed a complaint with EU antitrust regulators claiming that Google is using its Android mobile operating system to promote its own products and services. Made public Tuesday by lobbying group FairSearch, the action comes as European regulators are reportedly near a settlement with Google over concerns that it has abused its search dominance.
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LulzSec Hackers Plead Guilty in UK Court April 10, 2013 
Four members of the LulzSec hacker community have pleaded guilty in a British court to charges of hacking into the computer systems of various organizations, including Sony, PBS, the Arizona State Police, and HB Gary. Ryan Ackroyd, whose LulzSec handle was "Kayla," on Tuesday was the last to enter his guilty plea.
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Who Gets LinkedIn When an Employee Is Kicked Out? April 10, 2013 
After almost two years of litigation, a federal judge has ruled on a dispute between an employer and former employee over control of a LinkedIn account. The case turned on a specific Pennsylvania law about using the likeness of another individual, so the impact may be limited, but since there is so little litigation concerning LinkedIn or other social media sites, it is important to understand the issues and implications.
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US Biz Groups Rail Against China-Focused 'Cybersecurity' Law April 09, 2013 
The head of the U.S.-China Business Council has criticized a new law aimed at stopping cyberattacks. John Frisbie, the group's president, objected to the law in a letter sent Monday to the leaders of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The provision requires multiple government agencies to get approval from law enforcement officials before purchasing IT systems sourced from companies having connections with China.
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Microsoft Leads Anti-Google Antitrust Chorus in EU April 09, 2013 
Google is the subject of another antitrust complaint in Europe, this time filed by FairSearch, a coalition of companies that allege the search giant is using its Android operating system to unfairly promote its own apps and data. One of the well-known FairSearch members is Microsoft, no stranger to past regulatory antitrust actions regarding its browser and operating systems.
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ITC Judge Says Samsung Infringed Apple Text Patent April 08, 2013 
A judge with the International Trade Commission has ruled that Samsung infringed an Apple text selection patent, a move that could result in some company devices being banned from importation into the U.S. The decision, made March 26 but not made public until last week, is preliminary, according to published reports. The full ITC panel will vote on the ruling and a final decision is expected in August.
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Google Searches for a Fight on National Security Letters April 05, 2013 
Google is reportedly challenging a government request for private information on its users, just weeks after it became the first major tech company to release information about the security probes it receives from the FBI. The tech giant is mounting a court challenge against a National Security Letter (NSL), a highly secretive demand issued by the FBI that asks Google to provide private information on certain users.
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DEA Can't Get Around iMessage Encryption Roadblocks April 05, 2013 
Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency aren't happy with Apple. They're complaining about not being able to decipher text messages sent through the company's iMessage app because of encryption, according to a published report. A DEA document noted that it's impossible to intercept messages from the app even if the agency could obtain a court order to do so.
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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.
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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.
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