Artist cops backlash over Sony DRM

The ripples caused by the recent revelations over SonyBMG shipping copy-protected CDs that install 'rootkit' code have reached the publisher's artists, resulting in a slew of negative reviews based on consumer reaction to the technology alone. Get Right with the Man by Van Zant is currently wallowing under a one-and-half star rating on Amazon.com, based purely on negative user reviews of the copy-protection technology. ...more

Microsoft stands firm on SenderID licensing

Microsoft and the Open Source Initiative (OSI) are locked in discussions over how to mend the rift over Sender ID anti-spoofing technology that has driven a number of Open Source companies to reject it for their products. The spat centres around the licence under which Microsoft wishes its contribution to be used - which Open Source companies claim is incompatible with Open Source licences such as the GNU GPL. They are also concerned that Microsoft has applied for patents over this same technology, which would give it control of the anti-spoofing standard. ...more

iPod thefts push street crime spree

iPod thefts have contributed to a significant rise in street crime, according to the police. In some parts of the country the number of muggings was up by 40 per cent in 2004 and by an average of five per cent across England and Wales. In addition to iPods and other MP3 players, the police also identified the latest Internet-enabled phone models as a favourite target for thieves. ...more

Sun releases developer tools for Sun ONE

Sun has announced the release of its Sun ONE Studio 8, Compiler Collection (formerly known as the Forte Compiler Collection). This is for the development of Solaris-based applications that can run on SPARC or x86 platforms. The Compiler Collection covers the C, C++, and Fortran programming languages. ...more

DTI puts data security at the heart of good business

The DTI's UK Online for Business portal sports a new section today, devoted to advising businesses on security issues. As well as protecting business assets such as data from widely known threats, eg viruses and such like, it also helps with putting in security policies that protect the more concrete assets of the premises and that govern employees' practices and appropriate use of email and the Internet. It also points out the importance of business continuity plans in the event of disaster, be it from loss of data or otherwise. ...more