Welsh college rapped for spying on employees' Net usage

A European Court of Human Rights has ruled that a college had breached an employee's privacy by spying on her emails. The court awarded ?6,000 in damages to Lynette Copland after she successfully sued her employer, Carmarthenshire College in west Wales. Nine years ago the college, where Copland still works, had recorded whom she emailed and the websites she visited for 18 months. ...more

BT joins race to add movie and TV services to broadband

BT is looking to deliver a range of films and TV channels via broadband. According to the Financial Times, the company is in discussions with the main channels, BBC, ITV and Sky to deliver popular programmes and movies. The company is also said to be talking to manufacturers of Freeview set top boxes. ...more

Government backing for women in IT

The Government is to give financial backing to an initiative to attract more women into IT. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Patricia Hewitt, has announced ?1m of backing for the new female-friendly fund. Available for high-tech companies to draw on, it is intended to help smooth the path of women returning to work after having a family. ...more

Anthrax mailed to Microsoft

Anthrax has been detected in an envelope sent from Malaysia to Microsoft's office in Reno, Nevada. The Reuters news agency reports that the Reno office of Microsoft Licensing alerted Nevada state authorities after it received an envelope containing clippings from pornographic magazines; anthrax was later discovered on one of the clippings. Microsoft employees are being tested for the virus. ...more

Nokia claims patent dispute hampers 3G uptake

Nokia's ongoing patent battle with Qualcomm may work against the uptake of 'third-generation' mobile technology, believes the mobile phone giant. Nokia is putting its focus for 3G mobile phones on higher-end models, chief technology officer Tero Ojanpera said, despite moves by smaller rivals to lower device costs for the high-speed wireless service. The company, which makes more than one in three of the mobile phones sold globally, is mired in a legal dispute over patents with US mobile phone chip maker Qualcomm after part of a major cross-licensing agreement expired last month. ...more