EU data retention laws move closer

The EU has taken a step closer to introducing new data retention laws after the European Parliament's civil liberties committee backed proposals to store details of all Internet usage and telephone calls for up to 12 months. Telecoms firms and ISPs usually store details for billing purposes for a maximum of three months but several countries, most notably the UK, have pressed for compulsory retention of records for much longer as part of the fight against terrorism and organised crime. Alexander Alvaro, the German MEP who is charged with getting the bill through parliament, believes that the committee's two-thirds majority in its favour should see it pass the full vote next month. ...more

Europe warms to globalisation

Europe 'should not look at globalisation in the way the rabbit looks to the snake' and should embrace the changes to media and information wrought by technologies like the Internet. The remarks were made by Viviane Reding, the European Commission commissioner responsible for Information Society and Media at yesterday's European Forum. In her speech, Reding admitted that the freedom afforded by the Internet can be abused to distribute child pornography around the world and that satellite TV can be abused to circulate hate speech and terrorist propaganda. ...more

Nokia turns to Safari for smartphone browser

Nokia is building a Web browser for its Series 60 smartphones which is based upon Apple's open source Safari technologies. Apple made the code for its WebKit, WebCore and JavaScript Core open source last week. The technologies underpin Apple's Safari Web browser and its Dashboard software as well as several browsers and applications from other developers. ...more

US government to retain control of DNS

The US government has announced that it intends to keep control of the internet DNS space indefinitely. This is a reversal of its earlier position established several years ago when it indicated that would some day hand over control to ICANN. In a 'Statement of Principles', the US says 'Given the Internet's importance to the world's economy, it is essential that the underlying DNS of the Internet remain stable and secure. ...more

IBM tops patent table again

When it comes to registering patents, IBM continues to lead the way in R&D. According to the New York Times, IBM has once again topped the table of patents awarded by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Granted 3,415 patents in 2003, the company claims this reflects a focus on customer requirements rather than being the product of pure research. ...more