Malware installation email

We should all now be aware of messages with requests to input your bank details. But what about messages asking you to install updates? I have received the following from support@microsoft.com (links removed to protect the innocent): Internet Explorer 7 downloadsGet downloads for Internet Explorer 7, including recommended updates as Read more

By Andres Guadamuz, ago

Fox goes the weasel

IceWeasel is a GNU browser (new, GNU, geddit?) based on Firefox distributed with Debian and Ubuntu Linux. Why does Ubuntu need a new browser, you may ask? As with so many things that have to do with the Free Software Foundation, it all comes down to their definition of free Read more

By Andres Guadamuz, ago

New internet defamation case

A woman in Florida has won $11.3 million USD (¢6 billion Costa Rican colones) in an online defamation case. Sue Scheff has a company called Parents Universal Resource Experts, which provides assistance to troubled teenagers. Scheff filed a defamation lawsuit in her State against a Louisiana woman who posted a Read more

By Andres Guadamuz, ago

The Broken Net

Dire warnings about the future of the Internet from Nitin Desai, chair of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). According to Mr Desai, the web could be splintered in the not-so-far future into national firewalls, high-speed fiefdoms and limited consumer choice. We have become used to the world-wide network where everyone Read more

By Andres Guadamuz, ago

Game software patent upheld in Europe

(via Video Game Blog). The Board of Appeals of the European Patent Office has allowed a number of claims in a European patent application by games firm Konami (EP20060013875). The application is for a “Video game system and storage medium for storing program for use in the video game system”. Read more

By Andres Guadamuz, ago

Copyleft manual

Erick Iriarte from Alfa-Redi has forwarded a link to the Spanish book called “Manual del Copyleft”. I have oly browsed its contents, but it looks quite impressive. It can be downloaded directly and it’s released under a CC BY-SA licence (Reconocimiento-CompartirIgual 2.5 España). Excellent online resource, particularly because there has Read more

By Andres Guadamuz, ago

iTunes DRM cracked

Norwegian DVD Jon (aka Jon Lech Johansen) has done it again. While he had already cracked earlier versions of Apple’s FairPlay DRM, there had not been releases for recent versions. His early crack, called FairKeys, was a crack that was used by Apple crack software such as JHymn, but it Read more

By Andres Guadamuz, ago

Don’t bet on online gambling

The U.S. Congress has voted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, the latest piece of legislation that attempts to put a leash on objectionable internet behaviour. As far as online regulation goes, this bill looks like the real thing. The Act makes sure that some existing criminal activities apply to Read more

By Andres Guadamuz, ago