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E-commerce: eBay charged over sale of contact lenses
Internet auction
Web site, eBay, has had charges brought against it by the General Optical
Council for allegedly allowing the illegal sale of contact lenses without the
involvement of a qualified optician. The
Telegraph reports that the council claims that the sales are
putting people and their eyesight at risk and that the incorrect use of
contact lenses can lead to infections and even blindness. Under the law,
contact lenses can be sold on Web sites, but the buyer must have seen an
optician and be able to provide details of an up-to-date prescription. A
company selling lenses must use a qualified optician to check sales. At the
hearing next month the council will argue that eBay is responsible for
preventing unsupervised sales of contact lenses via its Web site.
Full
report in The Telegraph http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/09/29/nebay29.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/09/29/ixhome.html
Cybercrime: Sony takes action against PSP hacks
Sony is engaged in a tug-of-war with hackers who keep cracking
its PlayStation Portable software to unlock the device and run their own
applications on it. CNET News
reports that the company is preparing another update to the PSP firmware to
fix a recently disclosed bug that lets hackers downgrade the PSP system
software and run their own, so-called homebrew code on the device. Soon after
Sony released the PSP earlier this year, hackers started hunting for bugs in
the software that runs the device. Flaws were found and used to run homegrown
applications, such as a PDF reader and an FTP client, on the device. The bugs
were not used to attack PSP users. Full CNET News report http://news.com.com/Sony+cracks+down+on+PSP+hacks/2100-1002_3-5885945.html?tag=nefd.top
Internet: Search engine lawsuit may affect free speech
A lawsuit filed against Web sites that allege search engine results on
Google.com were rigged by a placement firm is being watched throughout the
Internet industry, as possibly having an impact on the free speech rights of
bloggers. The E-Commerce Times
says Traffic-Power.com has filed suit against SEOBook.com and
TrafficPowerSucks.com, which each have a lot of adverse commentary about the
firm posted on their sites. Both sites are being sued for comments made by
third parties – who are not in the employment of the sites' producers.
Experts think the lawsuit may be dismissed as a suit designed to silence
comment on matters of public concern, known by the acronym SLAPP, for
Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.
Full
E-Commerce Times http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/ilSZ2M7BstRMOq/Search-Engine-Placement-Lawsuit-May-Chill-Free-Speech.xhtml
General: Yahoo launches digital library
Yahoo! has unveiled plans to take on its arch-rival Google by
launching an ambitious digital library that will make the full text of
millions of books available online. The move came after Google last December
unveiled similar plans to set up a digital library but later suspended the
scheme amid fierce opposition from publishers and traditional libraries
worried about copyright infringement.
Full
AustralianIT report http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,16808998%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.htm
Security: Unattended PCs create security risks
Unattended PCs are putting company data and reputations at risk, according
to Gartner. The analyst firm called on businesses to ensure that users
are automatically logged out or that PCs are locked when they leave their
desks. Out-Law.com reports
that PCs can be used for all manner of dubious computer activities. The
claim, ‘someone else must have sat at my PC’ has already become a typical
defence to accusations of improper online behaviour, says Gartner. The firm
reckons that risks would be much lower if all users could be relied upon to
log out or lock their PCs when they leave their desks. A 'timeout' would
limit the window of opportunity for the misuse of a user's active sessions,
but often results in complaints from users about the inconvenience.
Full Out-Law.com report http://www.out-law.com/page-6179
And finally…..Free speech issues still problematic for Vietnam
A business
manager in Hanoi, Pham Hong Son, has spent 42 months in a Vietnamese prison.
His crime: downloading an essay titled ‘What is Democracy?’ from a US
State Department Web site, translating it and sending it to friends and
senior Communist Party officials. The
Washington Post reports that Son (36) who worked for a
pharmaceutical company was convicted of espionage in Vietnam after a closed,
one-day trial in June 2003. He was sentenced to 13 years, later reduced to
five. Last week, the US ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Marine, called on
Vietnam to release Son and four others described as prisoners of conscience.
Vietnam last month issued a human rights report in which it promised to
respect freedom of expression and promote free use of the Internet. A revised
press law in 1999 stated that citizens have the right to be informed, express
opinions and provide information without being censored by any organization
or individual, it noted.Full Washington Post reporthttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/28/AR2005092802218.html
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