U.S. Searches Computers, Trying to Disrupt Piracy
638958
Federal authorities conducted six searches Wednesday in an attempt to disrupt a network used to trade copies of movies, software, games, and music.
324967
The personal details of thousands of mostly U.S.-based PC users have been discovered stashed on a server located in France, another indication of use of the Internet to collect personal data on a vast scale.
414405
More than $500 million worth of  pirated software, including counterfeit Microsoft and Symantec  products, has been seized in a long-running joint probe by  Chinese police and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation,  officials from both countries said on Tuesday.
25185
WASHINGTON - The FBI seized computers, software and equipment as part of an investigation into illegal sharing of copyrighted movies, music and games over an Internet "peer-to-peer" network, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced Wednesday.    Search warrants were executed at residences and an Internet service provider in Texas, New York and Wisconsin as part of the first federal criminal copyright action taken against a P2P network, in which users can access files directly from computers of others in the network...
539268
(InfoWorld) - Two consumer protection groups are asking the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate FastMP3Search.com.ar, a Web site that distributes software that can be used to search for digital music on the Web. The FastMP3Search plugin disables the Windows Firewall, installs adware and Trojan horse programs, and generally hobbles the user's PC, said John Palfrey, the Harvard Law School professor who is StopBadware.org's co-director. The software is also virtually impossible to remove once installed, he added. StopBadware.org and the Center for Democracy and Technology plan to file a formal complaint with the FTC on Thursday. "We are asking the FTC to take a close look at an application that we consider to be the worst of the bad applications that we've seen over the course of the last year," Palfrey said. Representatives from FastMP3Search.com.ar could not be reached immediately for comment. The Web site is registered to a company called Direct S.A., based in Buenos Aires, according to the Network Information Center Argentina domain name database. StopBadware.org was also unable to reach representatives from the company before filing its complaint Palfrey said. The company's Web site tells users that the software will provide a fast way to search the Internet for downloadable music files, "in exchange for your agreement to also install our plugin software, which may occasionally display ads on your computer." Although the FTC has sought court orders to shut down Web sites in the past, the fact that FastMP3Search.com.ar appears to be based in Argentina complicates matters, Palfrey admitted. Still the FTC has worked on international efforts to fight spam and online fraud. "When an application is hosted outside of the U.S., but is plainly affecting U.S. consumers, they can coordinate with other governments," Palfrey said. "We would hope that they would start an investigation of this application." FTC representatives could not be reached immediately for comment. Formed earlier this year with funding from Google Inc. Lenovo Group Ltd., and Sun Microsystems Inc., StopBadware.org has issued reports on dozens of software products that engage in questionable or downright malicious behavior. It has exposed problems in everything from Kazaa to the Jessica Simpson Screensaver, to AOL LLC's free client.
401769
More than 1,100 Commerce Department   laptop computers were lost, stolen or missing in the last five   years, and some contained personal data from the U.S. Census   Bureau, the department said.
201276
The FBI seized computers and software as part of an investigation into illegal sharing of copyrighted materials over peer-to-peer networks, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced.
196278
Windows users will have another tool for protecting their PCs.
115815
Trying to authenticate documents or uncover forgeries is an increasingly technical pursuit.
235924
The Federal Trade Commission is going after spyware, bits of computer code that install themselves on the computers of Internet users to track or disrupt their online activities.
30649
Continuing a crackdown on digital piracy, federal agents on Wednesday raided five locations housing equipment used by elite hackers to exchange unauthorized copies of blockbuster films and popular music.
652015
Tech industry lawyer Mark Bohannon frequently taps a group of searchable databases called Whois to figure out who may be behind a Web site that distributes pirated software or tricks visitors into revealing passwords.
657090
Google's Desktop Search application indexes a PC hard drive when it's not being used
338420
Federal agents yesterday took their first steps to go after individuals who illegally trade copyrighted music and videos over the Internet, seizing computers, software and related equipment at five homes around the country.
218596
Desktop search means a new battle for dominance between a wide field of competitors, and the warfare has begin. The technology promises users an incredibly fast way to search for data on their drives.
480866
WASHINGTON - Federal agents seized computers and software Wednesday as part of an investigation targeting an Internet network used to illegally share copyrighted music, movies, software and games, Attorney General John Ashcroft said.    The case marks the first federal criminal copyright action taken against a peer-to-peer, or P2P, network in which users can access files directly from the hard drives of fellow users' computers...
10231
Draconian actions from Hollywood and the recording industry have tech in its crosshairs, says Network World's Mark Gibbs. And if you think their efforts only target so-called pirates, you're just not paying attention.