Copyright group targets web users

29 June 2011 Last updated at 17:22 GMT Jonathan Worth's photograph of blogger and Creative Commons supporter Cory Doctorow A campaign has been launched to help people avoid breaking the law when they post pictures, music and videos online.

Copyright group Creative Commons has published a guide to identifying material that can be used freely without getting sued.

It is also advises individuals how to protect content they have made themselves.

Some legal experts say that the system is a stop-gap measure and want to see copyright laws radically reformed.

Around 500 million pieces of work are currently covered by Creative Commons.

The free-to-use legal licenses add a range of protections to content.

At one end of the scale, a rights holder can chose to share their property with anyone, and let them do what they like with it.

Stricter versions of the licences protect material from being manipulated or used for commercial purposes.

Creative Commons' chief of staff, Lisa Green said that the campaign was partly aimed at combating the myth that it supported "giving everything away for free".

"Rather than giving away, mostly we talk about enabling legal sharing and enabling remix," she told BBC News.

Photographer Jonathan Worth explained that Creative Commons allowed him to sell his work for commercial use while still giving it free to individuals who wanted it for other reasons.

"It is very empowering because I can allow the 14-year-old blogger who has got a fan site for Casey Affleck or Heath Ledger to use the images and she becomes someone that promotes my work.

"She is never going to pay me. She is time rich and cash poor. If I don't allow her to use the images then she is going to find a way to use them anyway," said Mr Worth.

Without such licensing, the young blogger would technically be in breach of copyright law.

Creative Commons licensing terms can be "mixed and matched" to suit the rights holder. Jonathan Worth, for example, uses Attribution + Non-commercial + share alike, meaning he must be named as the creator, the image cannot be used in a commercial venture and it can be shared under the same terms.

Legal changes

While many legal observers have praised the efforts of Creative Commons to make copyright more accessible, they point out that the system is not without its flaws.

"Non-commercial is a good idea in principle, but it is incredibly difficult to define," said Dr David Berry, senior lecturer in digital media at Swansea University.

"When you think of someone putting music onto their blog, often there is lots of embedded advertising. It might only make a few pennies, but that is technically commercial."

Continue reading the main story

It is very empowering because I can allow the 14-year-old blogger who has got a fan site for Casey Affleck or Heath Ledger to use the images and she becomes someone that promotes my work.”

End Quote Jonathan Worth Photographer Creative Commons has also been criticised as a system which masquerades as creating a common pool of content, while leaving individual rights holders the ability to alter the terms of sharing at will.

Copyright specialist Iain Connor from law firm Pinsent Masons said that any attempt to raise awareness of terms of use was a good thing.

"The general public has no knowledge of copyright. This will probably assist everybody in the creative industry," he said.

However, he added that there remained a need to re-examine all current copyright laws to make them fit for the internet age.

Mr Connor pointed out that the UK lacks an equivalent to the United States' concept of fair use, where individuals enjoy limited legal protection when re-using other people's work.

The recent Hargreaves Review of the UK's intellectual properties laws rejected the idea of replicating the US system.

Without such safeguards, say the proponents of Creative Commons, it is even more important that ordinary web users know where they can find content with easy to understand terms of use.

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'Indestructible' botnet uncovered

30 June 2011 Last updated at 10:34 GMT Cracking the TDL-4 botnet is going to be hard, say security experts. More than four million PCs have been enrolled in a botnet security experts say is almost 'indestructible'

The botnet, known as TDL, targets Windows PCs and tries hard to avoid detection and even harder to shut down.

Code that hijacks a PC hides in places security software rarely looks and the botnet is controlled using custom-made encryption.

Security researchers said recent botnet shutdowns had made TDL's controllers harden it against investigation.

The 4.5 million PCs have become victims over the last three months following the appearance of the fourth version of the TDL virus.

The changes introduced in TDL-4 made it the "most sophisticated threat today," wrote Kaspersky Labs security researchers Sergey Golovanov and Igor Soumenkov in a detailed analysis of the virus.

"The owners of TDL are essentially trying to create an 'indestructible' botnet that is protected against attacks, competitors, and anti-virus companies," wrote the researchers.

Recent successes by security companies and law enforcement against botnets have led to spam levels dropping to about 75% of all e-mail sent, shows analysis by Symantec.

A botnet is a network of home computers that have been infected by a virus that allows a hi-tech criminal to use them remotely. Often botnet controllers steal data from victims' PCs or use the machines to send out spam or carry out other attacks.

The TDL virus spreads via booby-trapped websites and infects a machine by exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities. The virus has been found lurking on sites offering porn and pirated movies as well as those that let people store video and image files.

The virus installs itself in a Windows system file known as the master boot record. This file holds the list of instructions to get a computer started and is a good place to hide because it is rarely scanned by standard anti-virus programs.

The majority of victims, 28%, are in the US but significant numbers are in India (7%) and the UK (5%). Smaller numbers, 3%, are found in France, Germany and Canada.

However, wrote the researchers, it is the way the botnet operates that makes it so hard to tackle and shut down.

The makers of TDL-4 have cooked up their own encryption system to protect communication between those controlling the botnet. This makes it hard to do any significant analysis of traffic between hijacked PCs and the botnet's controllers.

In addition, TDL-4 sends out instructions to infected machines using a public peer-to-peer network rather than centralised command systems. This foils analysis because it removes the need for command servers that regularly communicate with infected machines.

"For all intents and purposes, [TDL-4] is very tough to remove," said Joe Stewart, director of malware research at Dell SecureWorks to Computerworld. "It's definitely one of the most sophisticated botnets out there."

However, the sophistication of TDL-4 might aid in its downfall, said the Kaspersky researchers who found bugs in the complex code. This let them pry on databases logging how many infections TDL-4 had racked up and was aiding their investigation into its creators.

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World of Warcraft offered 'free'

30 June 2011 Last updated at 09:24 GMT New users can now get a free taste of the fantasy world beloved by hardcore fans. Popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft (WoW) is to be offered free up to level 20.

Previously fans of the game, which has 11.4 million subscribers, had to pay a monthly fee of ?8.99.

Under the new system, players will be able to build an unlimited number of characters but they will not be able to join guilds or accumulate more than ten gold coins.

The move is seen as a way of attracting new players to the game.

Free bonanza

World of Warcraft is an online game in which players create characters, such as warriors, warlocks and shaman, who they then take on adventures to gather loot and items to make the avatars more powerful.

It is among the most successful of the so-called massively multi-player online games.

Blizzard Entertainment, maker of WoW, has previously offered free trials of the game but only for a limited number of days.

The free version will have no time restrictions.

Tim Edwards, editor of PC Gamer, estimates that it will offer someone new to the game around 10 to 15 hours of game-play.

"It is a really good offer and will allow people to get a flavour of the world," he said.

More and more companies are offering games for free as they aim to attract more PC owners to gaming.

"It is a free-to-play bonanza for gaming right now," said Mr Edwards.

"Team Fortress 2 went free over last weekend and it tripled its players overnight. If customers like the game it is pretty easy to get them to buy stuff," he said.

Users wishing to take advantage of the WoW free offer will still have to buy the base game, which costs around ?10.

There are also three expansion packs for it.

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Online poker site is shut down

By Dan Whitworth
Newsbeat technology reporter One of the world's largest online poker sites has been suspended.

Full Tilt Poker, an American-run site registered on the Channel Island of Alderney, has been closed down by the authorities there.

A US investigation into money laundering, illegal gambling and bank fraud was launched back in April.

Eleven people, among them the founders of Full Tilt Poker, were charged over the offences.

Gambling laws

In 2006, American authorities tried to crack down on the practice.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was legislation introduced to try to put the brakes on the emerging industry.

It was designed to halt money transfers to online gaming sites.

As a result several big poker sites worried about the new law pulled out of America.

For example, PokerStars is based on the Isle of Man, Absolute Poker is in Canada with Full Tilt in Alderney.

Now, the commission there has said an internal investigation showed that Full Tilt employees and associates have operated contrary to its gambling laws with a hearing due in London on 26 July.

"The decision to suspend the eGambling License was in the public interest," said Andre Wilsenach, the commission's executive director.

"Because of the seriousness and urgency of the matter, it required that immediate action was taken ahead of the regulatory hearing."

There's been no comment so far from Full Tilt Poker.

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News Corp finally sells MySpace

29 June 2011 Last updated at 21:12 GMT MySpace had been a leader in the social networking revolution News Corporation has sold its ailing social networking site MySpace to online advertising firm Specific Media.

News Corp paid $580m (?361m) for MySpace in 2005, but users and advertisers left the site for rival social sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The sale terms were not disclosed, but there were unconfirmed reports that price paid was as low as $35m.

Pop star and actor Justin Timberlake will take a stake in the business, Specific Media said.

He will play "a major role in developing the creative direction and strategy for the company moving forward," the company said.

Specific Media was founded in 1999 by three brothers - Tim, Chris and Russell Vanderhook - and is based in Irvine, California.

MySpace was a leading social networking site when it was bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

But the business was eclipsed by rivals, and despite attempts to revive MySpace's fortunes the site has been a financial millstone.

Continue reading the main story Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent, BBC News

Mr Murdoch can comfort himself by reflecting that if his social adventure ended badly, another media giant fared much worse”

End Quote The Reuters news agency cited a News Corp-owned blogging site as reporting that MySpace was sold for $35m.

Specific Media said: "We look forward to combining our platforms to drive the next generation of digital innovation."

Losses

News Corp's chief operating officer Chase Carey said in November that the losses at MySpace were "unsustainable".

Although News Corp does not publish specific results for MySpace in its accounts, the "other" segment, which includes the social network, reported a second quarter operating loss of $156m - $31m worse than a year earlier.

According to tracking firm comScore, MySpace had 21.8 million unique monthly US visitors in August 2005 compared with Facebook's 8.3 million.

By May 2011, Facebook's monthly US visitors had risen to 157.2 million compared with MySpace's 34.9 million, comScore said. Facebook has nearly 700 million members worldwide.

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Sony boss Stringer takes pay cut

29 June 2011 Last updated at 11:21 GMT Howard Stringer praised PlayStation network gamers for coming back after hacking attacks Sony boss Howard Stringer took a 16% pay cut last year, the electronics and media giant announced at a shareholder meeting on Tuesday.

His salary and bonuses fell to 345m yen (?2.7m) - a drop from 408m yen a year earlier.

The fiscal year, which ended on 31 March, is Sony's third year of losses.

The company is still recovering from the damage to its factories, hit by the recent earthquake and tsunami, and from a series of security breaches.

Speaking at Sony's annual meeting in a Tokyo hotel, Mr Stringer praised PlayStation network gamers for coming back after the hacking attacks.

He said that up to 90% of subscribers have remained loyal to the network.

Despite the chief executive's apology for the hacks, some shareholders appeared frustrated, with one person asking for Mr Stringer to step down.

The data breaches have made the company's stock price slide by 30% this year.

Hacker group Lulz Security claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Global leader? The company is still recovering from a series of security breaches

But Mr Stringer seemed positive about the firm's future.

"Our brand perception, you'll be happy to know, is clearly improving again," he said.

"My foremost responsibility to the board and all of you is to further advance the transformation process, firmly establish Sony's position as a global product, content and service leader in the networked digital era and ensure our continued development and growth," he added.

According to the company's estimates, the attacks will cost it 14bn yen (?108m) in increased customer support costs, welcome-back packages, legal fees, lower sales and measures to strengthen security.

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Virgin rapped on broadband claims

29 June 2011 Last updated at 15:31 GMT The campaign included links to an Ofcom report on broadband speeds Virgin Media has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority for an online campaign accusing rival broadband services of "conning" customers.

The campaign, called "Stop the broadband con" was aimed at changing the way other broadband providers advertised their services.

BT and Sky complained and the ASA ruled in their favour.

It means the campaign cannot appear in its current form again.

"We considered the ad went beyond highlighting the disparity Virgin believed existed between advertised broadband speeds compared to those that were delivered and implied that other ISPs dealt with consumers dishonestly in relation to broadband speeds," the ASA ruling said.

Virgin Media argued that its campaign was intended to highlight "widespread dissatisfaction among consumers about the advertising of broadband speeds."

It is an issue that has been highlighted by Ofcom. Research conducted in March found that just 14% of customers on 'up to' 20Mbps services received speeds of over 12Mbps, while 58% averaged speeds of 6Mbps or less.

In response to the ruling a Virgin Media spokesperson said: "Advertising 'up to' broadband speeds you can't deliver is a con. The ASA, Ofcom, numerous consumer groups and thousands of internet users have all reiterated our call for change and, instead of complaining about a legitimate effort to give consumers a voice in the debate, Sky and BT should step up to the challenge and start being honest about their broadband," a Virgin Media spokesperson said.

It has called on Ofcom to force providers to advertise typical speeds rather than 'up to' speeds.

BT welcomed the ASA's decision.

John Petter, managing director at BT Retail, said: "This is incredibly embarrassing for Virgin Media: its campaign for the industry to use 'average' as opposed to 'up to' speeds relied on misleading broadband users to make its point. It also claimed that it delivers around 90% of advertised speeds to customers which, amongst many other incredible statements, was found to be untrue."

The ASA also told Virgin Media "to ensure their marketing material did not discredit or denigrate other marketers".

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Anonymous 'declares war' on Orlando

28 June 2011 Last updated at 21:57 GMT Members of the hacker group have warned of continued attacks against Orlando-related websites The hacker group Anonymous has taken down a US tourism website in Orlando, Florida as a protest against the arrests of people handing out food to the city's homeless.

Anonymous said the attack on orlandofloridaguide.com was retaliation for the arrest of members of the group Food not Bombs.

The website, which is not owned by the city, went offline for part of Tuesday.

Anonymous rose to prominence by hacking the sites of major corporations.

Anonymous is often seen as a political collective and has pledged to take action against those its members view as acting improperly.

They have been linked to several high-profile web attacks, including several on Sony websites as well as the Church of Scientology.

'Balance of needs'

Anonymous has warned that more attacks could follow as part of what it has dubbed "Operation Orlando".

In a news release, the hacker group promised to carry out a distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) on a separate Orlando-related website every day until the arrests come to an end, choosing orlandofloridaguide.com as its first target.

The collective also said it will email millions of people across the world asking them to boycott the destination.

"This is a declaration of war," said Anonymous, describing Operation Orlando.

"Anonymous will now begin a massive campaign against you and your city web assets," it added in a message directed at Orlando officials.

But orlandofloridaguide.com, which went offline for several hours on Tuesday, has no affiliation to the city, an Orlando spokesperson told the BBC.

"I don't know what the hackers' intentions are, but from the city's standpoint, we're just trying to balance everyone's needs," the spokesperson said.

'Difficult position'

The row between the city of Orlando and the non-profit organisation Food Not Bombs started when the group began feeding homeless people in a park in the city's downtown.

They did not obtain a permit to do so, a move which is required by law in Orlando.

Since then members of Food Not Bombs, including the group's president, Keith Mchenry, have been arrested several times in the past month for handing out meals.

"We're in a difficult position, and we've tried everything," the Orlando spokesperson said.

"If Food Not Bombs continues to violate the ordinance, they will be subject to the consequences of violating it, which is arrest."

Meanwhile, Food Not Bombs has said it has no affiliation with the Anonymous hacker group.

Spanish police arrested three suspected members of the Anonymous group earlier this month.

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Pope Benedict sends first tweet

29 June 2011 Last updated at 09:50 GMT The Vatican has suffered from poor communications Pope Benedict XVI has sent his first tweet to launch a Vatican news and information portal on the 60th anniversary of his ordination.

His message read: "Dear Friends, I just launched News.va Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI."

The Pope, 84, tapped an iPad to activate the portal and send the tweet.

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are all now being used by the Vatican to spread its Christian message.

Its Twitter account has more than 33,000 followers but "follows" nobody.

Images released by the Vatican showed the Roman Catholic leader seated at a table with officials standing by to help him use the tablet computer.

'News.va, The Vatican Today'

The launch took place on Tuesday GMT but was aimed to coincide with the feast day of St Peter and Paul on Wednesday, which is also the anniversary of Pope Benedict taking Holy Orders.

The tweet went out on Tuesday GMT

An article on the ordination led Wednesday's News.va news page, recalling how Joseph Ratzinger, then 24, was ordained on a "radiant summer day" along with 42 other young men.

Under a logo which reads "News.va, The Vatican Today", the new portal offers "an exclusive, multimedia presentation of all the other communications websites of the Holy See", including Vatican Radio, the newspaper l'Osservatore Romano and the Misna missionary news agency.

Pope Benedict's six-year papacy has been bedevilled by poor communications.

Embarrassing clarifications had to be issued over such thorny issues as his 2005 speech about Islam and violence, and his stance on condoms and HIV.

Earlier this month, the Vatican announced plans to set up a new e-learning centre to help safeguard children and victims of sexual abuse by clergy, as part of its efforts to deal with damaging scandals.

Last month the Pope issued new orders to bishops, making clear that any suspected abuse by priests must always be reported to police.

Reacting to the first papal tweet, some Twitter users joked about the iPad, asking if the Pope had a sponsorship deal.

A tweet from another user, Shanna Quinn in Chicago, read: "The pope is on twitter...this probably means my mom will be on twitter very soon."

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Google unveils new Facebook rival

29 June 2011 Last updated at 01:50 GMT Google+ has been released for use by a small, selected number of users Online search giant Google has launched a new social networking website in its latest attempt to take on Facebook, which now claims more than 500m users.

Google+ allows individuals to share photos, messages and comments but also integrates the company's maps and images into the service.

It also aims to help users easily organise contacts within groups.

But some analysts say Google has simply reproduced features of Facebook while adding a video chat function.

Google, which handles roughly two out of every three internet searches in the US, has taken several stabs at Facebook in recent years.

But its previous efforts ended in failure, with both Google Wave and Google Buzz proving unpopular with users.

New functions

The company is now boasting that four features in Google+ could help make the company a permanent player in social networking:

Continue reading the main story

Google is playing it canny by only releasing the product via invite to a limited set of users before being gradually opened up to the general public”

End Quote Maggie Shiels Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley Circles - a functionality that allows individuals to place friends into groups, allowing users to share different forms of content with targeted clusters of friendsHangouts - live multi-user video conferencing that permits friends to drop in and out of live group conversationsHuddle - group instant messagingSparks - a feature that connects individuals on the network to others with common interests.The current version of Google+ has only been released to a small number of users, but the company has said it soon hopes to make the social network available to the millions of individuals that use its services each day.

"Online sharing needs a serious re-think, so it's time we got started," Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering at Google, said in a press release.

"Other social networking tools make selective sharing within small groups difficult," she added, taking what appears to be a jab at Facebook's recent grouping function.

But some analysts have said Google could have a difficult time converting Facebook devotees to their new social network.

"People have their social circles on Facebook - asking them to create another social circle is challenging," Debra Aho Williamson, principal analyst with research firm eMarketer, told the Associated Press news agency.

"The whole idea of a Google social network... they've been throwing stuff against the wall for several years and so forth nothing has stuck," she added.

In April, Google reached an out-of-court settlement with a US policy group over its rollout of Google Buzz, a previous social effort.

The legal action claimed Google deceived users and violated its own privacy policy by automatically enrolling all Gmail users in its Buzz social network without seeking prior permission.

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Beautiful data

29 June 2011 Last updated at 07:51 GMT By Mark Ward Technology correspondent, BBC News Ellie Gibson learns how the voyages of trains, planes, tubes, bikes and buses come to life graphically through "data visualisation".

"Information wants to be free" has been one of the rallying cries of geeks, digital activists and hackers since the earliest days of the net.

That's free in the sense of not costing a penny and in the sense that it is always looking for ways to escape. It wants to get out from the databases and drives where it is stored and mingle with the web users of the world.

For a long time the information being freed online has been the expertise of web users. Many, many communities have sprung up around the places where information on all manner of subjects is shared.

Datastream cowboys

Increasingly, the information finding its way on to the web is the raw stuff, the numbers, the data.

Some of that data comes from day-to-day use of the web but many organisations - local and national governments, corporations and web firms - are making huge stores of it available to anyone and everyone to play with.

Even better, the data visualisation tools that can manipulate and present that information are getting easier to use and available to anyone.

When it comes to data, visualisation means turning those raw numbers into graphs, diagrams and animations.

Visualisation helps understand the ebb and flow of bike hire in London

"There's a strength to visualisation because if you showed the data as a series of numbers it wouldn't mean much," said Dr Martin Austwick, a research fellow at UCL's Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis who uses data visualisation techniques in his work.

In one project, Dr Austwick has been visualising data generated by users of Boris bikes in London to map the ebb and flow of the hireable bicycles around the capital. It is, he said, a great example of the complex data sets that people are starting to visualise.

The data involves about 400 bike stands that log when a bike is picked up or dropped off from them. They know which bike has gone where so estimates can be made of the route a user takes between two stands.

Understanding the dynamics of this any other way than visually would be impossible, said Dr Austwick.

Animating it, using circles glowing blue and red to represent activity at bike stands, makes it almost symphonic. It lays bare one of the dynamics of London life.

"We're trying to find patterns in the disorder and map the underlying ebbs and flows of the city," he said.

School career

A recent convert to data visualisation is Andy Kirk who has spent much of his working life in operational research roles. That job typically involves gathering data about a process or procedure within a business then carrying out exhaustive analysis to find better ways to do it.

Continue reading the main story

If you make these tools and data available to a broader range of people you are just going to get better idea”

End Quote Dr Martin Austwick When he took up a job in academia, Mr Kirk started questioning how he presented the data he was analysing and started looking for tools to help do a better job.

He was lucky because at about the same time that the software tools to do data visualisation, many of them open source and freely available, were starting to appear.

For him those visualisation tools often provide a quick route to understanding what data has captured. The best visualisations were a mix of art and science, said Mr Kirk, and use the aesthetics to lay bare what would otherwise stay concealed.

"It brings patterns to light that would not otherwise see," he said. "It's about making data accessible but that does not necessarily mean simplistic."

The trends in data can become very apparent when animated

Data visualisation can mean that the facts buried in a data set become unearthed, no matter how unpalatable they are.

"You can obscure truth with statistics," said Mr Kirk, "but the beauty of visualisation when done correctly is that it brings out the true pattern that can be uncomfortable to interpret."

On that theme, Mr Kirk is helping to judge a competition that aims to find the best way to visualise data about the ethnic breakdown of students at Britain's universities.

The competition came about via a Tweet from data visualisation guru David McCandless who did not have time to do the job himself.

And it is in the social and political aspects of data visualisation that its real value emerges.

"If you make these tools and data available to a broader range of people you are just going to get better ideas," said Dr Austwick.

Given that a lot of the data becoming available is from official sources, those better ideas could have a lasting impact.

"Long term, if you can analyse these systems and understand them a lot better we can have policy improvements that make them work better," he said. "These are things that affect a lot of people, it's about quality of life."

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The language of links

New Arabic domain names may help the web feel more inclusive

Web users have grown familiar with the internet's many top-level domains (TLDs) - such as the geographic .uk and .ru, and the generic .com and .net.

The latter category in particular has grown rapidly with the addition of extra variants including .biz and .tv, as well as the soon to launch .xxx - intended as the must-have suffix for any sex industry website.

Some industry watchers argue that domain names have less importance in today's world of social-network sharing.

Others believe that a good URL means as much to a website as a prestigious street address does to a top department store - it is a sign of status, power and success.

While domain options have increased substantially, until recently countries that use non-Latin characters were at a disadvantage.

Websites have always been able to display other types of script, such as Chinese or Arabic, in the body of their pages, but no such options were available for TLDs.

The usual answer to this was a vague, cobbled-together approximation.

Then in May 2010, the organisation responsible for administering domain names - the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) - announced that it planned to enable non-Latin scripts, starting the roll-out of Arabic across Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Now, instead of users in Egypt having to use .eg at the end of each address, they could now type the equivalent in Arabic script.

Even more revolutionary, Arabic domains could now be written as always intended - from right to left.

Over a year since their inception, the early effects of these non-westernised domains are becoming apparent.

George Victor, from the Egyptian National Telecom Regulatory Authority, told Click from the BBC World Service about the impact in his early-adopting country.

"We believe that this is a great step that will open new horizons for many e-services in Egypt, and it will have its direct impact, enlarging the number of online users," he said.

Mr Victor argues that using Arabic characters in domains creates a more inclusive, trusted network, bringing a new audience that had previously shied away because of the unfamiliarity of western scripts.

"Having a domain name in your own language is a point of having a local identity," he said.

"When talking about Arabic domain names, we are talking about having users which are not online now. People with languages disabilities - people who are having language as a barrier to connect online."

As well as the traditional attachment to Arabic lettering, the new domains also bring some practical solutions for an ongoing issue in web communication - the nuance of language.

"People in Egypt now are inventing a new language called 'Franco-Arab' language," explains Mr Victor, referring to how some Arabic words are adapted into western characters, losing some meaning - not to mention history - along the way.

There is only one spelling of Al-Ahram in Arabic, but several ways in English

"This means that, if possible, the chance to write in Arabic characters, it will be much better because they will understand each other much better in their homeland country language - in Arabic language."

In the case of one of Egypt's biggest newspapers, Al-Ahram, Arabic script for URLs means added clarity.

Al-Ahram, which translates to The Pyramids can be written in several different ways.

"So people will have to guess whether Al-Ahram is El or Al," said Mr Victor.

"If we look at Arabic domain names, it's only one option.

"Arabic domain names will eliminate this type of confusion for the internet users."

Mr Victor does not believe that Egypt's Arabic domains played any part in the country's revolution earlier this year.

But he does say that the ability to provide information about the "new" Egypt to those who need it in a language they trust and understand cannot be overestimated.

"When we start to have constitution amendments we created a website with an Arabic domain name."

Earlier this month, Icann further opened the floodgates when it announced custom suffixes for domains. Now, anything from .bbc to .starbucks are up for grabs at a price of around ?150,000 each.

This new addition will also apply to the non-Latin domains - which have now been rolled out to extra languages such as Tamil, Thai and Japanese. It may lead to domain-name combinations limited only by the bounds of modern language.

View the original article here

Google faces French court claim

28 June 2011 Last updated at 10:24 GMT The FTC is looking at whether Google manipulates its search results to steer users to its own sites French search engine 1PlusV is suing Google for 295m euros (?264m), the largest damage claim the search engine has faced in Europe.

It claims that Google used its market dominance to block the development of rival services.

An earlier complaint from 1PlusV and others, including Microsoft, triggered a European Commission investigation.

It also faces a probe from the US Federal Trade Commission.

Lost profits

1plusV, which runs the Ejustice.fr legal website and search engine, said that court action was the "logical" next step in its campaign to force closer scrutiny of Google's practices.

"Our actions benefit not just one company, but all players in the booming vertical search business," said 1plusV founder Bruno Guillard.

It filed its initial complaint with the EC in February 2010 and a formal investigation was launched in November.

Google was served notice of the claim on Monday.

"We have only just received the complaint so we can't comment in detail yet. We always try to do what's best for our users. It's the key principle that drives our company and we look forward to explaining this," the firm said in a brief statement.

At the core of 1plusV's case is the claim that it lost revenue because Google prevented it from developing specialised "vertical" search engines.

Black-listed

"Google employed a number of anti-competitive practices and unethical behaviour over a period of four years to cripple 1plusV's ability to generate business and advertising," it said in a press release.

Between 2007 and 2010, it claims that 30 vertical search engines it had created were "black-listed".

Some of these have since been "white-listed" - indexed again, it said.

It also accused Google of artificially pushing its services to the first page of search results.

Another key element of the case against Google hinges on its Adsense system which allows advertisers to buy keywords which, when typed in as a search, query produce a commercial link alongside the search results.

In order to take advantage of Adsense, 1plusV said it was forced to abandon its own search technology and adopt Google's.

Google's advertising revenues hit $8.3bn in the first quarter of 2011.

The European Union has the power to fine companies up to 10 percent of their global turnover for breaching EU rules.

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Google airs Arab Spring web fears

27 June 2011 Last updated at 18:08 GMT Google has already found itself at odds with some countries, such as China, over censorship The use of the web by Arab democracy movements could lead to some states cracking down harder on internet freedoms, Google's chairman says.

Speaking at a conference in Ireland, Eric Schmidt said some governments wanted to regulate the internet the way they regulated television.

He also said he feared his colleagues faced a mounting risk of occasional arrest and torture in such countries.

The internet was widely used during the so-called Arab Spring.

Protesters used social networking sites to organise rallies and communicate with those outside their own country, such as foreign media, amid tight restrictions on state media.

'Completely wired'

Mr Schmidt said he believed the "problem" of governments trying to limit internet usage was going to "get worse".

Continue reading the main story

In most of these countries, television is highly regulated because the leaders, partial dictators, half dictators or whatever you want to call them understand the power of television”

End Quote Eric Schmidt Executive Chairman, Google "The reason is that as the technology becomes more pervasive and as the citizenry becomes completely wired and the content gets localised to the language of the country, it becomes an issue like television."

"If you look at television in most of these countries, television is highly regulated because the leaders, partial dictators, half dictators or whatever you want to call them understand the power of television imagery to keep their citizenry in some bucket," he added.

Google has regularly clashed with China over attempts to limit public access to its internet services.

Mr Schmidt also said he was concerned about the danger faced by employees of the company in parts of the world that deemed material found on its search engine illegal.

He said he would not directly name the countries because of the sensitivity of the situation.

During the uprising in Egypt, Google executive Wael Ghonim was detained by Egyptian authorities after taking part in the protests that led to the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak.

Mr Ghonim had been involved in founding an anti-torture Facebook page that helped inspire demonstrations.

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Bat Phone

24 June 2011 Last updated at 02:51 By Ella Davies Reporter, BBC Nature Wildlife, smartly recorded Modernity is often the enemy of conservation, as our 21st-Century lifestyles put ever greater pressure on the natural world.

But some modern inventions may also hold the key to saving species in the future.

On Friday, scientists at the Zoological Society for London (ZSL) announced the launch of a new "bat phone" - not a superhero's tool but a smartphone app that ordinary folk can use to track the movements of local bat species.

It is an example of how conservationists are harnessing the power of smartphones, the internet, online crowd sourcing and social networks to keep track of the natural world.

Continue reading the main story

Smartphones are the butterfly nets of the 21st Century”

End Quote Wall Street Journal describing Project Noah, a modern wildlife recording tool Crucially, that involves encouraging the public to act en masse as field researchers, gathering data.

But can amateur natural historians, and the evidence they collect, really help save wildlife?

Rise of the net

Citizen science in not a modern phenomenon. For more than a hundred years, enthusiastic volunteers have assisted with the widespread recording of flora and fauna.

Traditionally, fieldwork performed by volunteers was overseen by a qualified expert or investigating scientist. Volunteers were friends, family, society members, passionate enthusiasts and those living and working in the survey area.

However, the internet has allowed projects to catch the public's attention as never before.

A "bat phone" can reveal which species are flying by

For example, the new iBat app has been developed for a global bat monitoring programme covering at least 16 countries.

Produced by an international team of experts, including ZSL and the Bat Conservation Trust, the app allows volunteers to detect and record more than 900 species of bat with the help of an ultrasonic microphone.

The rich soundscapes recorded are uploaded to a website that identifies each of the calls to build an accurate picture of bat populations, essential for future conservation efforts.

The BBC has also helped break new ground in using online mass participation surveys to record wildlife.

A fresh approach was taken to find out why cuckoos are declining

Springwatch and Autumnwatch, programmes with more than 2.5 million viewers, promote studies of the seasons, in particular the Woodland Trust's online survey Nature's Calendar, which has more than 50,000 participants.

For this survey participants are encouraged to submit the dates and locations of specific seasonal events, including the first bluebell blooms and the first autumn colours.

It is the largest of its kind in the UK. And since the data is used to track the arrival of the seasons, it has the potential to add to our knowledge of the local effects of climate change.

In 2009, Springwatch asked its viewers if they could help document the decline of the cuckoo.

An impassioned response saw 12,000 people inundate the programme's blog with the locations where they had heard the bird.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) helped process the audience's response, which varied from detailed co-ordinates to anecdotal approximations, while comments on the blog were used to create a map of cuckoo distribution that resembled that produced by the BTO's own Bird Atlas survey.

But public surveys of this kind have pros and cons.

The Springwatch cuckoo map: can blog comments constitute accurate data?

Online wildlife surveys can actually sever direct links between scientists and citizens. Anyone can engage with an internet-based project, so scientists that organise them must take a very hands-off approach, instructing volunteers using picture based guides or lists of FAQs.

Though more convenient, this runs the risk of unreliable data being gathered, as individuals interpret their findings differently.

The Springwatch cuckoo map, for example, did not meet the exacting standards of a truly scientific survey, says Graham Appleton, the BTO's director of communications.

"Sadly, we were unable to add the records to our database because we had no way to check the validity of each of the original reports [with] no clear chain back to the person reporting a cuckoo and because the geographical placement of some of the dots was not reliable," Mr Appleton tells BBC Nature.

In their own surveys, the BTO uses a team of local expert volunteers to double check any vague or surprising records, to keep their results at a high standard.

But efforts are being made to overcome these difficulties.

Scientists increasingly pay close attention to how they pose their questions and collect their data. And the BTO and BBC worked hard to improve their data gathering before the autumn of 2009, when Autumnwatch asked viewers to help survey tawny owl numbers.

"We learned from the cuckoo survey," says Mr Appleton. "This time, we collected precise information on location, using click and point mapping software, and information on the people who sent in records of hooting owls."

Records of hooting tawny owls reveal their numbers

The data was suitable for inclusion in the Bird Atlas and, by inviting viewers to record owl hoots at night, the BTO was able to extend the coverage of its survey outside of daylight hours.

"We were pleased to fill in a number of the gaps in the grid of 10km squares that cover the whole of the UK," Mr Appleton tells the BBC.

Virtual collections

Getting the public to collect hard evidence about a species' location or movement can vastly improve the information gleaned by scientists.

In Kenya, the Mara Predator Project invites tourists to submit lion sightings, to help monitor populations on selected reserves.

The project's website provides an ID guide to help interpret holiday snaps, so that researchers can track prides and individuals.

Continue reading the main story

We've helped people learn about organisms they never knew existed and we've brought awareness to important work and research”

End Quote Yasser Ansari Founder, Project Noah Meanwhile Project Noah is a global study that encourages nature lovers to document the wildlife they encounter, using a purpose built phone app and web community.

Launched early last year, the developers behind the project aim to reconnect people with nature, while the Wall Street Journal commented that smartphones were the "butterfly nets of the 21st Century" when it described the project.

"We've helped people learn about organisms they never knew existed and we've brought awareness to important work and research," says the project's founder Yasser Ansari.

"We've had visitors from 192 countries, nearly 94% of the world, and have photo submissions from all seven continents."

In addition to the virtual "collection" of species, Project Noah encourages citizen science by linking up with existing surveys including the International Spider Survey and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.

By submitting time-stamped, geographically tagged photographs to the site, users can contribute data to official monitoring programmes and studies.

Lion sightings by tourists can help monitor populations of the big cats

However, when it comes to measuring whether the community is genuinely improving research, it is still early days, says Mr Ansari.

"We launched our current platform just a few months ago and have received a phenomenal response, but no research breakthroughs have been made yet," he says.

"I do think that breakthroughs can be made, but only time will tell."

Bridging the gap

However, citizen science has already been responsible for some notable natural history discoveries.

In the UK, iSpot by the Open University is a natural history social network that aims to help amateurs identify anything and everything from the natural world by putting them in touch directly with experts.

Continue reading the main story

iSpot did not set out to be a source of research data, but in fact we have been so successful that we have generated useful scientific data as well as introducing people to natural history”

End Quote Professor Jonathan Silvertown iSpot Project Leader Not initially designed to produce scientific results, the project has already identified two species previously unrecorded in the UK: a bee-fly (Systoechus ctenopterus) and euonymus leaf notcher moth (Pryeria sinica).

"It's important to say that iSpot did not set out to be a source of research data, but in fact we have been so successful that we have generated useful scientific data as well as introducing people to natural history," says Jonathan Silvertown, iSpot project leader and professor of ecology at The Open University.

"A dataset for shieldbugs observed on iSpot was recently validated by the expert who runs the national recording scheme for this group and it has now gone into the records of the National Biodiversity Network."

"We are sure that this is just the first of many datasets that will do this," he adds.

Professor Silvertown says organisations' hesitancy to embrace citizen research is understandable, because of the issues of interpretation and accuracy.

But he argues that involving the public in research is hugely valuable, particularly when that research is publicly funded.

Meanwhile Mr Ansari believes projects such as his own could be inspirational for the next generation of scientists.

"Think of our effort as training amateurs to become better nature observers... All scientists start off as amateurs," he says.

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Anti-piracy action seeks BT block

28 June 2011 Last updated at 01:31 GMT BT is being taken to court by the film industry in a bid to block access to a website which, it says, promotes piracy

Film-makers are going to court in a bid to block access to a site that links to pirated versions of popular movies.

In a UK legal first, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) has applied for an injunction that would force BT to cut off customers' access to Newzbin.

The MPA, the industry body for a number of movie studios, said it was targeting BT first as the largest internet service provider in the UK.

BT confirmed it would be in court later but did not make any further comment.

The MPA wants BT to block Newzbin with the same system that stops access to sites hosting child sex abuse images.

The members-only website aggregates a large amount of the illegally copied material found on Usenet discussion forums.

The MPA is the international arm of the Motion Picture Association of America - the industry body representing movie studios such as Warner, Sony, Fox, Disney and Paramount.

Continue reading the main story

Newzbin has no regard for UK law and it is unacceptable that it continues to infringe copyright on a massive and commercial scale when it has been ordered to stop by the High Court”

End Quote Chris Marcich MPA European president It brought its action against BT because, as well as being the largest ISP in the UK with more than 5.6 million customers, BT supplies the site-blocking system known as Cleanfeed to many other big UK ISPs.

Success in the courts may mean the blocking spreads to those other operators.

Massive scale

The MPA began its legal action against UK-operated Newzbin in 2010, which resulted in the High Court telling the site to remove material it hosted that infringed copyright.

Newzbin went into administration soon after but its assets, including web domains, were sold to new owners and a fresh version of the site has popped up operating out of the Seychelles.

"Newzbin has no regard for UK law and it is unacceptable that it continues to infringe copyright on a massive and commercial scale when it has been ordered to stop by the High Court," said Chris Marcich, European president of the MPA, in a statement.

"We have explored every route to get Newzbin to take down the infringing material and are left with no option but to challenge this in the courts."

Court-imposed blocks have been used widely throughout Europe but a success for the MPA would mark the first time the tactic has worked in the UK.

The UK's Digital Economy Act does require ISPs to help rights holders identify users who may have downloaded music, software and videos illegally. However, it stops short of giving rights holders legal powers to pursue alleged pirates.

In a statement BT would confirm only that it would be appearing in court on Tuesday "following an application for an injunction by members of the MPA".

The Internet Service Providers Association said it would not comment until the court had made its decision.

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Over-50s flock to social networks

27 June 2011 Last updated at 12:57 GMT Older users account for most of the growth on both Facebook and Twitter in the UK. Facebook use among over-50s in the UK has risen faster than any other group, according to research firm Nielsen.

Overall, membership of the social network grew 41% between 2009 and 2011. Among older users the figure was 84%.

The trend was similar for Twitter, although unlike Facebook, younger users appear to have drifted away.

Nielsen's findings contradict research published earlier this month that suggested the site's popularity was dwindling in the UK and USA.

The latest study was commissioned by the UK Online Measurement Company (UCOM), which is funded by advertisers and media agencies.

Its measurements are based on the behaviour of panel of internet users, both at home and in work.

The research found that, in May, 26.8 million people in the UK visited Facebook, propelling it past Microsoft's combined sites - MSN, Windows Live and Bing. Only Google was more popular, said Nielsen.

Twitter enjoyed a record month, reaching 6.14 million unique visitors - a 34% increase on the previous month. The number of women aged over 65 using the site grew by 96% over the same period.

Business network LinkedIn clocked-up 3.59 million unique UK visitors in May - 57% more than in April.

Continue reading the main story Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent, BBC News

What Nielsen's data also shows is a big growth in the use of Facebook by the over-50s. That may be a double-edged sword - affluent older users will be attractive to advertisers, but if younger members decide they don't want their news feed cluttered up with their parents' news, they could begin to melt away.

For a business with a sky-high valuation, and planning a stock market debut next year, all of these figures are hugely significant.

Facebook is confident that it can reach the billion user milestone relatively quickly, as developing countries get more of their populations online.

But most of the revenue it needs to justify a $50bn dollar price tag will come from territories like the US or the UK - and any suggestion that Facebook users there are getting a little weary with the whole business could be disastrous.

Grey market If accurate, the growth among older users is likely to be welcomed by advertisers, keen to tap the wealthy demographic.

"The younger audience, under 25, monetize very badly," said Simon Spaull, chief development officer at advertising agency TBG Digital.

"They are there to waste time. Clients are more interested in return on investment and an audience they can monetize."

The idea of more older people on Facebook may spark fear among younger users, wary of mum and dad popping-up online.

But according to trends expert Dr Antonia Ward from The Future Laboratory, the broadening appeal is inevitable.

"It is a platform. As it becomes embedded in society it becomes more embedded across the general public."

"Something like Facebook has to have a very broad base of users or it does not work," she said.

That combination of established and edgy is seen as a virtue by many advertisers, said Sam Gadsby, head of social media at Clicky Media.

"LinkedIn is perfect for a business-to-business client, Twitter is an organic build.

"Facebook combines both and is definitely one of the more exciting ones because it could go viral," said Mr Gadsby.

Rise and fall

The popularity of social networking, and Facebook in particular has been a matter of some dispute in recent weeks.

One website, Inside Facebook, claimed that user numbers had fallen in the US, UK and Canada, despite growth elsewhere in the world.

Another piece of research carried out by Brilliant Media, based on Google Analytics data, appeared to confirm the Inside Facebook findings.

Facebook does not comment on statistics generated by third-party research.

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Whatever happened to...

Spencer Kelly looks at the future of AR and photo-realistic modelling

Augmented reality has been touted as the "next big thing" for a while, yet mainstream success has proved elusive. So what can be done to turn it from a gimmick into a commercial necessity?

Imagine being able to watch miniature versions of Kings of Leon or Lady Gaga play on a table right in front of your eyes.

This is augmented reality (AR) in action.

Integrating computer-generated images and the real world has been made possible by the ever-increasing power of small computing devices, which can now render realistic 3D figures in real-time.

One company - String, in partnership with tech firm Digicave - has developed and demonstrated a system that creates the impression of a 3D figure mapped onto, for example, a book shelf. Such technology opens up the possibility of having a pop star appear in your bedroom, performing as if they were on-stage.

"I think what we're delivering here is a unique experience that no-one has ever seen before," says String's CEO Alan Maxwell.

"For example, we can capture a live performance from an artist on stage… and deliver that performance to people's devices wherever they are in the world and they simply have to hold their device at a marker. I think there is a certain amount of value in that."

The idea of augmented reality was first mooted as far back as in 1965, with Ivan Sutherland's now famous essay Augmented Reality: The Ultimate Display. In it, he said that "with appropriate programming… a display could literally be the Wonderland into which Alice walked," stating that digital handcuffs would be able to actually restrain users, and those shot by digital characters would be killed in real life.

His vision bears uncanny resemblance to the Matrix, although it is far from the world of AR that we currently inhabit.

Nearly 50 years after that prophetic work, computers have advanced beyond comprehension. However, commercial developments in AR have been slow and the buzz that surrounded the technology a couple of years ago seems to be waning.

That is perhaps because, up until now, the products and software available to most people have been gimmicky, fun applications rather than - as much of the industry thought - lifestyle must-haves.

Even in marketing, the first AR advert was seen in 2007 but the message seemed to be lost on most people until relatively recently, when models dressed up as angels seemed to magically appear alongside passengers at a London train station.

But while AR failed to captured the popular imagination, the technology was being extensively used in commercial environments.

"Fighter pilots are a classic example," says Dan Sung, editor of features at tech site Pocket Lint.

"The technology [of using a heads-up display] has been there since Top Gun. It's really useful and the reason we don't talk about it is because it's so good no one even notices it's augmented reality."

The heads-up display can now be used by cyclists and snowboarders alike, and in sports where looking unconventional is seen as often appealing, bulky goggles may not be a problem.

Sports programming is also a large user and developer of graphics that interact and rely on real-world reference points. A game of cricket or American football - for example - would now look strange without the use of some form of AR technology.

Then there is the possibility of using augmented reality to "add value" to the real world. Technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones has looked at some firms that are developing AR as a marketing tool .

A number of marketing companies have used AR to promote products

Yet it all seems rather limited compared to the vision of AR painted by future-gazing technology evangelists.

What makes AR's slow progress all the more apparent is the way that sci-fi series and Hollywood have taken to the idea like a 3D duck to pixelated water. From the holo-deck in Star Trek to - perhaps more realistically - the virtual reality simulations in a recent James Bond film, examples are all around.

Sony recently announced its "SmartAR" project, which seems to have solved many of the problems which critics have previously used to discredit the technology - that it is too slow and does not react well to the unsteady devices it is used on.

But it is the start-ups and smaller enterprises that many see as making the big breakthroughs.

One thing that developers are looking to get rid of as quickly as possible is the need to use tablet or mobile devices to see the extra images.

"Ultimately, what we really want is glasses for this kind of thing because there is the problem of swinging a phone around in front of your face," says Sung.

"But a good working pair which doesn't look as though you're trying to assimilate people that people will actually wear is still at least five years away."

The barrier of a screen between the user and the action is seen by many as a problem and, until that changes, critics say that this technology will struggle to engage people.

Photo-realism is seen by many as the next big thing in augmented reality

But when solved, the effects could be magical.

"Imagine shooting zombies coming out of the ground while wearing glasses, it's pretty incredible," says Maxwell.

And away from gaming, rather than just videos and extra information, imagine walking round Trafalgar Square with a 3D depiction of Admiral Nelson you could ask questions to, or watching dramas that take place in specific locations with characters interacting with their surroundings in real-time.

"We need the whole world as a 3D reference," says Jan Schlink from AR firm Metaio.

"In 10 to 15 years, I really think you will be able to walk around the city and have it all augmented. There are already 3D map providers and you could use these and create a model so that entire cities could be referenced."

But perhaps the real challenge will be making the digital and real worlds combine and work together as if it had always been that way. As is often the way with technology, it has only been truly integrated with mass society if no-one notices it.

"What happens in 20 years, that's the ultimate test," says Sung.

"When augmented reality has made it, no-one will talk about it anymore. It will just be there."

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Star Wars Galaxies set to close

27 June 2011 Last updated at 09:58 GMT The game put players in the same Universe as Luke, Han and Leia A great darkness is set to consume part of the Star Wars universe in late 2011.

Sony has announced that its Star Wars Galaxies online game will be shut down on 15 December.

The news was broken in e-mails sent to players and via messages posted on the game's support forums and website.

Sony said the closure had come about because its contract to run the Star Wars game runs out in 2012, not because of declining player numbers.

In an interview with online gaming site Massively, Sony Online Entertainment boss John Smedley said the combination of the contract finishing and the imminent arrival of a separate Star Wars game made it "feel like it's the right time for the game to end".

The other Star Wars game is Bioware's The Old Republic that is currently under development. Sony also runs the free-to-play Clone Wars Adventures online game.

In the interview, Mr Smedley denied that the recent hack attacks on Sony had anything to do with the closure or that player numbers had shrunk to the point that it was no longer worth keeping the game going.

"Populations have stayed pretty steady for a long time now," he said. He added that Sony had taken measures recently to ensure that there were enough players on each server running a copy of the game.

Game changer

Mr Smedley said Sony would be running a series of events for players to ensure the game ends in a fitting manner.

All billing for the game will stop in October, according to Sony. Those subscribing at that point will be able to play for free for the last few months.

Launched in 2003, Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) helped to establish massively multi-player gaming which sees thousands of players adventure together in a shared online environment.

The game was set in the Star Wars universe and played out events following the destruction of the first Death Star but before those of The Empire Strikes back. Players could take the form of one of 10 different species, become a Jedi and fight battles with spaceships.

More than one million copies of the game were sold when it launched in June 2003 and it initially enjoyed great popularity.

However, player numbers have steadily declined as a series of updates alienated many established players and stripped the game of its complexity. Sony has since described some of the changes as a "mistake".

Games journalist Alec Meer, writing on the Rock Paper Shotgun blog said: "It's amazing it's kept going for so long, quite frankly."

He concluded: "Farewell then, Galaxies. You were always a bit of a mess - but you were also one of the most fascinating and ambitious MMOs there's ever been."

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Fears over fake Olympics websites

24 June 2011 Last updated at 14:22 GMT Swimming is one of the sports that sold out quickly for the 2012 Olympics Sports fans are being urged to be aware of the risk of scams that could take advantage of people's disappointment at missing out on Olympics tickets.

Some will be unable to secure tickets, even following the second wave of sales.

Trading standards officers fear that some fake websites will be set up promising to supply tickets.

Websites that take people's money and disappear have been set up prior to other major events and festivals.

Popular

About 1.8 million people applied for 20 million tickets, but only 6.6 million tickets were available for the London 2012 Games.

Only approved resellers are allowed to sell the tickets, all of which are listed on the official London 2012 website.

A website checker is also in place to help people cross-reference whether the website is legitimate.

Other tips for major sporting events in general include checking contact details and terms and conditions before applying for tickets online and being suspicious of tickets sold in bulk and temporary websites.

Caught out

Nicola Schofield, team manager at Nottinghamshire Trading Standards, said they were expecting some issues in the run-up to the Games.

"People should keep to genuine sources of tickets, otherwise tickets might fail to turn up or people may be denied entry," she said.

Ahead of the last Olympics in Beijing, the parents of gold medallist swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who is from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, spent nearly ?1,100 on tickets they ordered from a website, which turned out to be a scam.

Any tickets unsold by organisers for the 2012 Olympics will be made available in further ballots, along with the possibility of additional tickets for higher-profile events being released as venues are tested and capacities finalised.

Ebay, the internet auction site, has said it will not allow the resale of Olympic tickets.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police's Operation Podium, which deals with Olympics-related fraud, says it is continuing to monitor the internet for ticket touts.

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Microsoft Office put in the cloud

28 June 2011 Last updated at 12:11 GMT The web-based versions aim to make collaborative working much easier Microsoft is launching a cloud-based version of its Office software suite.

Called Office 365 the service puts the familiar e-mail, word processing, spreadsheet and collaboration programs on the web.

Microsoft said the programs will be accessible via desktops, laptops and tablets plus Microsoft, RIM, Apple and Android smartphones.

The launch is aimed squarely at Google and others who already offer web-based business software.

Cash cow

Office 365 is being formally launched on 28 June via events in New York and London. The service unshackles the well-known programs from a single PC and translates them into a web format.

Charges for the service are based on the size of the business that wants to use it Small businesses with fewer than 25 employees will pay ?4 per user per month for secure access to e-mail, calendar, documents and contacts.

Larger organisations will pay from from ?6 to ?17.75 per user, per month and get a broader range of extras including advanced archiving, unlimited storage and Microsoft's Lync messaging and communications system.

Customers using Office 365 can host the applications they are using in Microsoft's data centres, use dedicated servers in those centres or put the programs on their own hardware in their own data centres.

Office 365 takes the place of Microsoft's current web-based offering for firms known as the Business Productivity Online Standard Suite. Office 365 stands separate from the web versions of Office which features cut down versions of the familiar programs.

The move to the cloud is seen as a gamble by Microsoft because much of the cash generated by Office comes from sales of software installed on desktop PCs. Switching to the web could dilute this cashflow which is responsible for about one-third of the company's revenue.

However, a web option is seen as essential in order to combat the growing threat from Google and others that are starting to poach Microsoft customers.

"Windows and Office are the two foundations of Microsoft's profitability and this is kind of messing with one of them," said Jeff Mann, a VP of research at analyst group Gartner. "It's definitely a very big bet."

Before the official launch of Office 365, Google put a post on its Enterprise Blog comparing its Apps service with Microsoft's offering.

Shan Sinha, Google Apps product manager, wrote that it was better to start with a new technology rather than add extras to an ageing one.

"Technology inevitably gets more complicated as it gets older," he wrote. "Upgrading platforms and adding features results in systems that are increasingly difficult to manage and complex to use."

In the blog post he runs through the differences between the two services, saying that Google Apps is about teams, the web and choice but by contrast Office 365 was for individuals, desktop PCs and other Microsoft-specific technology.

"You can't just take legacy, desktop software, move some of it to a data center and call it "cloud."," he said. "Apps was born for the web and we've been serving hundreds of millions of users for years."

Other online business software suites are offered by other companies including Zoho, VMware, IBM and Salesforce.com.

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Winklevoss Facebook row continues

25 June 2011 Last updated at 09:08 GMT The Winklevoss twins claimed that Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea to set up Facebook The Winklevoss brothers have re-started their long-running legal dispute with Facebook and its boss Mark Zuckerberg.

Just days after dropping a supreme court action, the twins filed a fresh lawsuit against the company.

It claims that Facebook "intentionally or inadvertently suppressed evidence" during their previous litigation.

Originally, Tyler and Cameron accused Mr Zuckerberg of stealing their idea to create the site.

The story of the feud formed the core of the 2010 film "The Social Network".

The row dates from 2003 when the Winklevosses hired Mr Zuckerberg to write code for their ConnectU site while at Harvard.

He never did, but instead set up Facebook, which quickly became a success around the world.

A court case over who did what was resolved in 2008 when the parties agreed on a financial settlement, reportedly worth around $65m (?41m).

In January 2011 the Winklevosses tried to reopen the case, seeking more money. However, a US appeals court ruled in April that they would have to accept the settlement.

The twins initially said they would appeal against the settlement, but decided this week not to pursue that legal avenue.

New lawsuit Facebook quickly became popular around the world

In the most recent suit filed on Thursday with the US District Court of Massachusetts, the Winklevosses and their business partner Divya Narendra said that Facebook hid some crucial information from them during settlement proceedings.

The twins said that Mr Zuckerberg did not disclose some important documents in regards to the relationship between him and the brothers while they were at Harvard.

Facebook's outside counsel Neel Chatterjee said in a statement: "These are old and baseless allegations that have been considered and rejected previously by the courts."

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Material difference

28 June 2011 Last updated at 08:04 GMT By Katia Moskvitch Technology reporter, BBC News Graphene transistor (pictured) has now been integrated onto a single platform Graphene is a "wonder material" waiting to happen.

Since this super-conductive form of carbon, made from single-atom-thick sheets, was first produced in 2004, it has promised to revolutionise electronics.

But until recently, it existed more in the realm of science than technology, with limited production techniques and only theoretical applications.

Now a couple of breakthroughs are promising to take graphene out of the lab and into real devices.

The first relates to how it is made.

Currently graphene is "grown" at sweltering temperatures using chemical vapour deposition.

Graphene is "grown" at sweltering temperatures of 1000C

"In the process, a mixture of gases is passed above the catalyst metal - a piece of copper foil or thin nickel film - heated to about 1000C," said Dr Daniil Stolyarov, chief technology officer at New York-based Graphene Laboratories.

"Methane molecules decompose on the surface of the metal and release carbon atoms, which then assemble into a graphene film."

The system is complex and relatively low yield.

Now researchers at Northern Illinois University (NIU) have found a much easier way to manufacture high volumes of graphene - by burning magnesium in dry ice.

The scientists say that the method is simple, faster and greener.

Reporting their findings in the Journal of Materials Chemistry, the team revealed that it had managed to produce "few layer" graphene, several atoms thick.

The NIU discovery happened as a by-product of research into creating carbon nano-tubes.

"It surprised us all," said Narayan Hosmane, professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

Faster chips

The second major breakthrough exciting materials scientists centres on a possible application for graphene.

Its conductive properties are well known and it has long been the vision of chip designers to construct graphene-based processors.

IBM made early inroads in 2010 when it created a basic graphene transistor.

This month, the company announced that it had gone a step further, integrating it into a circuit known as a broadband frequency mixer - an essential component of TVs, mobile phones and radios.

First-ever integrated circuit with a graphene transistor

"When a radio station broadcasts at a high frequency through space, the wave is then received by your radio, but the high frequency cannot be heard, so it must be converted into a low frequency wave that we can hear," the lead scientist of the project, Dr Phaedon Avouris, told BBC News.

IBM calls its research an important milestone for the future of wireless devices.

Perhaps more importantly, it demonstrates the capability of graphene integrated circuits.

Previously, scientists had experienced difficulty preserving the integrity of the material during the silicon etching process. Getting it to work alongside other chip materials had also proved problematic.

"Our work demonstrates that graphene can be used as practical technology, that it's no longer some individual material," said Dr Yu-Ming Lin, one of the scientists on the project.

"This is the first wafer-scale production of graphene-integrated circuit - and we've shown that graphene can be integrated with other elements to form a complete function, which enables higher performance and more complex functionalities in a circuit."

The results appear impressive.

In their paper published in the journal Science, the team explained that the circuit could operate at high frequencies of up to 10GHz (10 billion cycles per second), and at temperatures of up to 127°C.

Big surprise

IBM's work surprised many - even the physicist behind the material's discovery.

"I never suspected we would get there so fast," said Dr Konstantin Novoselov of Manchester University.

Continue reading the main story

One of our projects is exploring the possibility of using graphene as a membrane in the next generation of artificial kidneys”

End Quote Dr Daniil Stolyarov Graphene Labs He is the man who, together with a colleague Dr Andre Geim, discovered this highly conductive, extremely strong and transparent material in 2004.

The two scientists, both originally from Russia, managed to extract graphene while experimenting with plain old sticky tape and graphite, commonly used in pencils.

The pair won the prestigious Nobel Prize for their breakthrough.

"This integrated circuit is a logical step forward, and it's somewhere in the middle between the first experiments and real-life applications," said Dr Novoselov.

"But I was surprised to see that someone managed to do it that quickly."

Other applications

Electronics giants as well as small labs have been eyeing graphene's future prospects, hungry for smaller, faster, thermally stable and more powerful electronic components.

Yu-Ming Lin (l) and Phaedon Avouris (r) are part of the IBM team working with graphene

Korea's Samsung has invested heavily into graphene research, and the Finnish firm Nokia has just announced its plans to team up with partners - among them the two Nobel-prize winners - to explore graphene opportunities.

Besides electronics, graphene could be used in optics and composite material applications.

A number of graphene-based prototypes have already been developed in labs around the world - and it seems that possibilities are almost endless.

It has also proven a hit with biologists - as the most transparent, strongest and most conductive material on Earth, graphene could be an ideal candidate for Transmission Electron Microscopy.

Samsung has promised to release its first mobile phone with a graphene screen in the near future.

Professor Andrea Ferrari of Cambridge University says that besides being totally flexible, a touch screen of a phone or a tablet made of graphene could even give you "sensational" feedback.

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Your phone will be able to sense if you're touching it - you won't have to press a button to turn it on or off”

End Quote Prof Andrea Ferrari Cambridge University "We went from physical buttons to touch screens, the next step will be integrating some sensing capabilities," says Professor Ferrari.

"Your phone will be able to sense if you're touching it, will sense the environment around - you won't have to press a button to turn it on or off, it will recognise if you're using it or not."

Also, he said, one day we might not need to carry around GPS devices - along with other graphene-based sensors, they could be woven into our clothes.

"Besides GPS, you could have something that will monitor your heart rate for instance - and it'll be integrated into the fabric," explains Professor Ferrari.

And graphene could even help airplanes "communicate" with pilots.

The scientist explained that electrical properties of graphene change depending on the strain it is subjected to - like when there are strong winds, for instance.

So the casing of the plane would be able to sense if it is under great or small stress, and feedback the information directly to the cockpit, without the need for additional sensors.

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Travelodge customer data stolen

24 June 2011 Last updated at 08:35 GMT Travelodge invites customers to register on its website for special deals and online booking Travelodge is investigating an apparent hacking attack on its customer database.

A spokesperson for the hotel chain said that a "third party" had managed to obtain names and e-mail addresses.

The company warned users of its online service to be on the lookout for spam e-mails.

The incident has been reported to the UK's information commissioner who can fine businesses for poor data protection.

A letter to customers, signed by the Travelodge's chief executive Guy Parsons, contained little information about the nature of the leak, although it stressed that the company had not sold users' personal data to anyone else.

It also included details of a spam e-mail that some customers had received.

"Good day. Don't miss exciting career opening. The company is seeking for self-motivated people in United Kingdom to help us spread out our activity in the UK area," said the message.

A spokesperson for the information commissioner Christopher Graham, said that he was looking into the Travelodge reports.

"We will be making enquiries into the circumstances of the alleged breach of the Data Protection Act before deciding what action, if any, needs to be taken," said the statement.

The ICO has the power to levy fines of up to ?500,000 on companies or organisations which are shown to have failed to protect personal information entrusted to them.

Phishing trip

Stealing names and e-mail addresses is a favoured tactic of cyber criminals, who use the information to send "phishing" messages to the affected customers.

In many cases, they pose as the company that the data was stolen from in the first place.

Typically, recipients are asked to click on a link that will infect their computer with malicious software. Alternatively, the criminals may solicit financial information directly.

Security experts advise users to pay close attention to the address where an e-mail is sent from and the web URL of any links it contains.

Even when these look genuine, people should avoid handing over secure information in response to unsolicited messages.

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LulzSec hacking group 'disbands'

26 June 2011 Last updated at 11:32 GMT The Lulz Security group has used Twitter to draw further attention to itself A hacker group that has attacked several high-profile websites over the last two months has announced that it is disbanding.

Lulz Security made its announcement through its Twitter account, giving no reason for its decision.

A statement published on a file-sharing website said that its "planned 50-day cruise has expired".

The group leapt to prominence by carrying out attacks on companies such as Sony and Nintendo.

Broadcasters Fox and PBS, the CIA, and the United States Senate have also been cyber-attacked by the group.

As a parting shot, the group released a selection of documents apparently including confidential material taken from the Arizona police department and US telecoms giant AT&T.

Correspondents say LulzSec's announcement could be a sign that its members are nervous because of recent police investigations, including the arrest of a British man suspected of links to the group, and efforts by rival hackers to expose them.

'Microscopic impact' Continue reading the main story Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent, BBC News

The disbanding of LulzSec might seem like an important victory for the forces of law and order - after all, this is the group credited with attacks on everything from Sony to the CIA.

But in this shadowy world of claims, boasts and posturing, nothing is quite what it seems. It may have been other members of the hacker "community" - disgruntled with the antics of LulzSec - who forced the group into retreat. A document posted online in the last 24 hours purports to be a history of LulzSec, complete with full details on its leaders. "We've been tracking and infiltrating these kids," says the document, and its account goes on to name people in the UK, Amsterdam and New York, along with their social networking profiles and other details.

The document, posted by something called the A-Team, looks convincing, with logs from IRC (Internet Relay Chat) conversations amongst the group. It ends by offering the "raw logs of everything" to any law enforcement agency.

But even if LulzSec has gone offline, its members and other hackers trying to make a name for themselves may soon pop up elsewhere. And the other question is whether we should take any publicity-hungry group like this too seriously. The real damage is more likely being done by criminal groups who wouldn't dream of boasting of their exploits on Twitter or anywhere else.

The group's identities remain anonymous and it has not been possible to contact its members directly to confirm its statement.

The statement said that "our crew of six wishes you a happy 2011".

"So with those last thoughts, it's time to say bon voyage," it added.

"Our planned 50 day cruise has expired, and we must now sail into the distance, leaving behind - we hope - inspiration, fear, denial, happiness, approval, disapproval, mockery, embarrassment, thoughtfulness, jealousy, hate, even love. If anything, we hope we had a microscopic impact on someone, somewhere."

But LulzSec urged its supporters to carry on.

"We hope, wish, even beg, that the movement manifests itself into a revolution that can continue on without us," the statement said.

"Please don't stop. Together, united, we can stomp down our common oppressors and imbue ourselves with the power and freedom we deserve."

The group had previously told the BBC's Newsnight programme that it wanted to target the "higher ups" who write the rules and "bring them down a few notches".

In an online Q&A, the hacker known as Whirlpool, who described himself as "captain of the Lulz Boat", said that while the group had begun hacking "for laughs" - for which the word "lulz" is cyber-slang - it evolved into "politically motivated ethical hacking".

And in an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, a LulzSec member said the group had at least five gigabytes of "government and law enforcement data" from around the world, which it planned to release in the next three weeks.

Ryan Cleary, 19, from Wickford, Essex, was arrested as part of a Scotland Yard and FBI probe into LulzSec and charged with hacking the website of the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency.

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Hacking suspect 'has Asperger's'

25 June 2011 Last updated at 13:32 GMT Mr Cleary was said to be highly intelligent A 19-year-old charged with hacking the website of the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a court has heard.

Ryan Cleary, from Wickford, Essex, was arrested as part of a Scotland Yard and FBI probe into online hacking group LulzSec.

His counsel told City of Westminster Magistrates' Court he had the form of autism, along with agoraphobia.

He was granted bail, but remains in custody after prosecutors objected.

Ben Cooper, defending Mr Cleary, said he was concerned the alleged hacker would have to remain in custody over the weekend.

The court was told he is of high intelligence but has difficulty interacting with other people.

But prosecutors refused to reconsider their bail appeal.

Mr Cleary is alleged to have set up a distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack on the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) on 20 June.

A DDOS attack typically involves flooding a target website with data, in an attempt to overwhelm it so it cannot serve its legitimate users.

'Botnet conspiracy'

He has been accused of attacking the website of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in November 2010.

And Mr Cleary also allegedly attacked the British Phonographic Industry's website in October.

He was charged under the Criminal Law Act and Computer Misuse Act by the Met Police's e-crime unit.

The alleged offences were carried out from this house in Essex

The charges against Mr Cleary include conspiring with other unknown people on or before 20 June to construct a botnet - a collection of hijacked home computers - to conduct distributed denial of service attacks.

He is also charged with making, adapting, supplying or offering to supply a botnet, intending that it should be used to commit, or to assist in the commission of a distributed denial of service attack.

The bail appeal will go to a Plea and Case Management Hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 30 August.

If Mr Cleary wins bail he will be banned from having any possession which can access the internet.

No internet access will be allowed at his home, which he will be prohibited from leaving without his mother, Rita Cleary.

Mr Cleary has not entered a plea to any of the charges.

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