EU launches new attack on privacy

Records of all email, Internet and phone traffic in the EU will be stored for at least a year under new rules due to be ratified next month. EU Governments are set to agree on proposals that will compel ISPs and telecoms operators to keep records of all communications - and make those records available to all EU member states. Though the rules will not allow for the retention of the actual content of messages, they will ensure that data on the source, destination and time of a communication, the device used and identity of the subscriber will be kept for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 24. ...more

Trexy offers fresh look at search

You'd have thought search had pretty much been cracked. Google pretty much nailed it a few years back and has since been tweaking its algorithm to perfection so that everything we'll ever need will be presented through a Google search result. Well, there's a new kid on the block: a young goat named Trexy using technology that uses search trails to make it quicker to get to the information you're after as well as opening up new areas that Google and other search engines aren't privvy to. ...more

Spanish youth arrested as Raleka worm suspect

A 23-year-old man has been arrested by Spanish police, on suspicion of authoring the Raleka worm. Eight computers were seized from three houses in a raid on the 'AKELARRE' gang of hackers, believed to be behind the Blaster-style virus that infected more than 120,000 computers over a two-week period earlier this year. The Civil Guard arrested the gang leader, known as '900K' Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, said: 'The Raleka arrest further illustrates that computer crime authorities around the world are better equipped than ever at hunting down the perpetrators of hacking and virus crimes. ...more

Apple investigates stock option grant to Jobs

An internal investigation at Apple has discovered irregularities in the awarding of stock options, the company has announced. The period in question covers 1997 to 2001. While one of the stock option grants was to Steve Jobs, Apple insists that the grant was cancelled and resulted in no financial gain for its CEO. ...more

MuVo moves up

Creative is making a 128Mb version of its lightweight MP3 player available in the UK. It should be on shop shelves in a couple of weeks. Previously, the MuVo - aimed at those listening music on the move - was only available with 64Mb of memory. ...more