Tech's Green Giants Aim to Shrink Carbon Footprints

Google and Intel have launched the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, which aims to dramatically reduce the power consumption of technology. A slew of other technology firms -- namely Dell, EDS, HP, IBM, Lenovo and Microsoft -- have joined the effort. The iniative is setting a new computer technology efficiency target of 90 percent.

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TechNewsWorld | 06/13/07


Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) Manage remotely with one interface -- the HP ProLiant DL360 G5 server. Latest News about Intel and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Latest News about Google led a number of other technology and environmental organizations Tuesday in announcing the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, which is dedicated to slashing the power consumption of technology.

The goal of the initiative, which currently includes Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) Latest News about Dell, EDS, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), HP (NYSE: HPQ) Latest News about Hewlett-Packard, IBM (NYSE: IBM) Latest News about IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Latest News about Microsoft, Pacific Gas & Electric, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and more than 25 other organizations, is to cut the power consumption of computers by 50 percent by 2010.

"Today, the average desktop PC wastes nearly half of its power, and the average server wastes one-third of its power," said Google Fellow Urs Hölzle, the company's senior vice president of operations.

Slashing Emissions

The initiative is setting a new efficiency target of 90 percent for computer technology. If achieved, that increased efficiency will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 54 million tons per year -- the equivalent of taking 11 million cars off the roads or shutting down 20 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants. It will also save US$5.5 billion in energy costs each year, the program said.

After working separately on efforts to improve their own efficiency levels, Intel and Google "hatched the idea" for the initiative about a year ago, Bill Calder, a spokesperson for Intel, told TechNewsWorld. Hölzle and Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group, were the chief architects of the plan, and reached out to other organizations over the past several months, he explained.

Membership in the initiative will be formalized in the next few weeks, but so far members include computer manufacturers and chipmakers, as well as environmental groups, energy companies, retailers, government agencies and more.

"Computers have helped us make huge strides toward a more efficient world today, with reduced travel, more productivity Get the facts on wireless solutions suited to your industry., online transactions and more," said Gelsinger.

Skyrocketing Costs

"But with today's latest energy-efficient technologies, we can do even more," Gelsinger added. "The commitment of the member companies that are here with us today is a firm statement to the collective resolve to make an enormous impact."

While energy costs account for an average of about 10 percent of the typical IT budget today, that number could rise to 50 percent in just a few years, the initiative said. As a result, the Forbes Global 2000 is expected to spend more on energy than on computer hardware by 2010.

The initiative is inviting all companies and organizations to join the effort. The program also provides information on how individuals can make a difference, such as by choosing products certified by Energy Star.

Energy Star Program

Indeed, the Energy Star program is one of several efforts already in place to help reduce greenhouse gases and save energy, while the Climate Leaders program is another one, Kristen Hellmer, a spokesperson for the executive office of the President's Council on Environmental Quality, told TechNewsWorld.

"The administration strongly encourages private sector leadership in increasing energy efficiency," she said. "We are pleased to see Google joining many other companies in taking the lead."

Computer and component manufacturers that join the program commit to building energy-efficient products that meet or surpass Energy Star guidelines. Businesses must also commit to requiring high-efficiency systems for the majority of their corporate desktop PCs and volume server purchases, and to use power-management tools on desktop PCs.

A Sector in Need

"The technology sector is one in which we badly need to reduce energy consumption," Bill Magavern, senior representative for Sierra Club California, told TechNewsWorld. "Reducing consumption 50 percent by 2010 would be impressive."

Since a lot of technology companies have facilities in California, the new effort could also help the state meet its goal of returning to 1990 emission levels by 2020 -- a requirement of the new Global Warming Solutions Act, Magavern noted.

Improving the efficiency of computers will also have the added benefit of reducing the heat they create as waste, and that in turn could propel the development of faster and better technologies, Kevin Trenberth, head of climate analysis at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told TechNewsWorld.

"Anything that can be done to cut down on energy consumption will increase efficiency," he said. "Ultimately, it will allow supercomputing centers to become bigger, better and faster."

A Sector-Wide Solution

The initiative licensed its name from the WWF's Climate Savers program, through which leading companies are working to reduce their carbon footprints.

"This is the first time our Climate Savers program has been applied to an entire sector, engaging manufacturers, retailers and consumers," said John Donoghue, senior vice president for the WWF. "We are pleased to join these industry leaders to provide solutions to address climate change."

Microsoft's Latest Patches Include First Vista Fix

Microsoft has issued a new set of patches for vulnerabilities affecting Internet Explorer and the Windows operating system, including the first one that is specific to Vista. "What this implies is that it is a flaw in the newer core, which was written under Microsoft's secured computing initiative," said Amol Sarwate, research manager of the vulnerability research lab at Qualys.

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Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Latest News about Microsoft has released its latest batch of fixes in this month's Patch Tuesday announcement, employing a new format that makes it easier for IT administers to single out areas of risk, according to Amol Sarwate, research manager of the vulnerability research lab at Qualys.

The new format doesn't give users a total count of vulnerabilities, however. For instance, Sarwate told TechNewsWorld, one patch in this release fixes six different vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer Barracuda Spam Firewall Free Eval Unit - Click Here -- a less-than-transparent accounting of the number of flaws the company is addressing.

Many of the newly uncovered vulnerabilities this time are variations on existing themes: flaws in Internet Explorer, for instance, or proof-of-concept vulnerabilities on which active development is occurring. Perhaps most worrisome -- and intriguing, according to at least one security researcher -- is a possible vector in SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which is supposed to be the gold standard for Web site security.

Remote Execution

There are four patches rated "critical" that allow for remote Manage remotely with one interface -- the HP ProLiant DL360 G5 server. execution, always a chief security concern.

Patches are essential for at least two -- MS07-031 and MS07-035 -- because they are in the core of the operating system, Sarwate said. "They do not require a browser to channel malware -- if a user has Windows, then he or she is vulnerable."

MS07-035, for instance, leaves users vulnerable when parsing HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) or text images. "Malicious content can execute in users' machines," Sarwate said.

MS07-033, for its part, distinguishes itself as having the largest number of flaws -- six in total -- that can leave Internet Explorer open to hack attacks.

Unpatched, MS07-033 can compromise a system if a user merely visits a corrupt Web site. "Another possibility is that a user could click on an ad that is corrupted -- in an otherwise safe Web site -- and become infected as well," Chad Harrington, chief technical evangelist at FireEye, told TechNewsWorld.

"Basically, when you launch your browser, MS07-033 can create an instant tunnel through a firewall," explained Roger Thompson, CTO of Exploit Prevention Labs.

"I expect this and 035 will be targeted by malware writers as soon as possible," he told TechNewsWorld.

What's the Problem With IE?

If it seems as though IE flaws are a recurring theme for Microsoft, that's because they are.

"In many ways, it is the same old, same old," Mark Loveless, security architect at Vernier Networks Latest News about Vernier Networks, told TechNewsWorld.

The good news is that Microsoft's reactive process works fairly well, which means it is less likely to issue a slew of code reds -- as it used to in the days when huge, well publicized worm attacks threatened the Internet on a regular basis.

Another dubious advantage of IE is that spammers are paying malware writers for their best worms and saving them for zero day exploits. "People aren't blowing their zero day exploits on goofy worms anymore," Loveless said. "Rather, they want the worms they do write to keep a low profile in order to remain on computers that much longer."

Another critical flaw, found in Microsoft's SSL channel, would allow a hacker Latest News about hacker to gain control or host a Web site that gives out "bad" security certificates, Sarwate said.

From a technical point of view, this is the most interesting flaw, according to Vernier Networks' Loveless. "It is interesting because there is only the potential for remote code execution, which means it would be hard to hack." The fact that it can be hacked at all is what makes it interesting, he explained.

It depends on the platform, FireEye's Harrington said, noting that the SSL flaw would be hard to remotely execute on Windows 2000 but not on Windows XP. "Of course, it is Windows XP that is much more commonly used."

That particular flaw is not found in the Vista version, he said.

Vista Issues

One moderate vulnerability in the release is specific to Vista, Sarwate said. There have been Vista vulnerabilities before, but they were also found in earlier versions of Windows. "This is the first time there is a vulnerability that only exists in Vista. What this implies is that it is a flaw in the newer core, which was written under Microsoft's secured computing initiative."

This flaw allows low-privileged users to access information that should only be accessed by the top-privileged users, he said.

Proof of Concept

One trend that is apparent in this latest group of patches, according to Dave Marcus, security research and communications manager at McAfee Latest News about McAfee Avert Labs, is the that more malware writers are working on exploiting proof-of-concept flaws.

"Three or four of the new patches had pre-existing proof of concept," Marcus told TechNewsWorld. "We are seeing a lot more of that on a monthly basis -- and a lot quicker too, as more malware writers jump to exploit these vulnerabilities."

Google's Privacy Budge Satisfies EU

After decrying what they called invasive privacy violations, European Union officials have applauded Google's agreement to scrub its user data when the information becomes 18 months old. The privacy concerns were just one of several tugs-of-war going on between the United States and the EU over sharing personal data about the activities of private citizens.

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The European Union's Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner, Franco Frattini, gave a thumbs-up to Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Latest News about Google offer to cut the time it keeps identifiable search user data down from 24 months to 18 months. Frattini's comments came Wednesday during a news conference in Luxembourg.

"I think it is indeed a good step," Frattini said. "I have appreciated the commitment of Google not only to meet our expectations in terms of protection of privacy or better on cutting the time and reducing the time of retention of personal data."

Google announced the slightly abbreviated data retention plan Tuesday after an independent European Union watchdog group, the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, voiced concern about the Internet search giant's plans to anonymize its search server Manage remotely with one interface -- the HP ProLiant DL360 G5 server. logs after 18 to 24 months. That policy would potentially have violated EU privacy rules, according to the group.

No More Budging

In response to claims that the company could further reduce the retention period, Google said it "firmly rejected any suggestions that we could meet our legitimate interests in security Barracuda Spam Firewall Free Eval Unit - Click Here, innovation and antifraud efforts with any retention period shorter than 18 months." Future legislation could force it to keep data for longer periods, the company warned. However, there is some doubt as to the validity of Google's argument.

"Legal requirements aside, Google's position is that they have a commercial interest in retaining the data for at least 18 months," JupiterResearch analyst Barry Parr told TechNewsWorld. "No one believes that Google's existence is threatened by stricter data retention policies. So it seems to me that their argument against protecting the privacy of their customers is that it's too expensive."

At the Table

Google's privacy issues came along at a time when Europeans have become frustrated with negotiations between the U.S. and Europe over the exchange of passenger data for transatlantic flights, according to Eric Domage, an IDC analyst.

Dubbed "Passenger Name Records" (PNR), the current agreement between the two regions permits the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency to distribute passenger information to other agencies within the U.S. law enforcement community to use in antiterrorism investigations so long as those agencies' data protection standards are analogous to EU mandated standards. The U.S. has had access to this data since 2004.

Data including passenger names, addresses, seat assignment, credit card numbers and travel itineraries can be shared among U.S. agencies within 15 minutes of a flight's takeoff for the U.S. Authorities can share up to 34 pieces of recorded data. Officials in Washington want to increase the amount of information airlines transfer and also to expand the list of law enforcement agencies to which it can be sent in the U.S.

The EU, reluctant to sanction further forays into its citizens' personal information, has until the end of June to reach an agreement on the issue, officials representing Germany, current holder of the EU presidency, said. The current interim deal will expire in July.

"The PNR is the idea that the American government can use the passengers list to make intelligence research. This is forbidden in Europe," IDC analyst Eric Domage explained. "There have been negotiations for the last two months, and it has failed."

The other issue between the EU and U.S. concerns Swift, a Belgian money transfer firm that handles some 11 million money transfers each year. In an effort to disrupt terrorists' ability to finance their plots, U.S. agencies subpoenaed the company's transaction data. Swift complied, another violation of EU privacy rules.

In November 2006, the EU ordered Swift to stop sharing information on its more than 7500 clients.

"The U.S. government wants to have it open for money laundering and intelligence research, and once again the European government doesn't want that," Domage said.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong People

Google's announcement of its data retention plan comes at a bad time, according to Domage. Privacy is a key issue in Europe, and while Google believed it was serving the public good when it went public with its plans, Domage said the move was a mistake. While Frattini may laud Google for keeping Europeans' personal data for only 18 months, the EU's citizenry take a much less charitable view of the practice.

"Putting in the public place this debate shows that Google retains privacy data on European users. Most of the people were not aware of that, and it is very dangerous for Google," he pointed out. "If people understand that just by using Google in Europe that their data is retained, stored and used by Google it is a really bad point for Google. They should have stayed very quiet and silent about this.

"But now it's public that they retain data, and European people don't like it," Domage added. "They are fine giving their information to a bank or some government, but they don't like private companies to have it."

Google, he said, is now thought of as a company that takes consumers data and uses it for self-consideration. For Europeans that is going too far.

"The reputation of Google is suffering at this time and suffering a lot," Domage stated.

Europeans, he noted, would be amenable to a plan that would allow them to choose whether they wanted to opt in or opt out of Google's data retention plan.

"Just an opt-in and some strong advertisement on the fact that Google is not spying on them. [Right now] no one is sure about that."

Security Testers Spot Bugs Galore on Windows Safari

Mere hours after Apple rolled out the beta version of its Safari on Windows Web browser, security experts claimed to find it riddled with security holes, some of which were serious. Aside from the alleged flaws, Apple faces an uphill battle in putting its browser on the Windows desktop, which is already crowded with competitors like Firefox and Explorer.

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Just hours after Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple announced the beta of its Safari for Windows browser at its World Wide Developer Conference, security Barracuda Spam Firewall Free Eval Unit - Click Here experts poked and prodded and found several vulnerabilities.

"I'd like to note that we found a total of six bugs in an afternoon, four DoS (denial of service) and two remote Manage remotely with one interface -- the HP ProLiant DL360 G5 server. code execution bugs," wrote David Mayor on his Errata Security blog. "We have weaponized one of those to be reliable." Errata Security is a consulting and product testing company, and the "weapon" comment doesn't refer to any intent to use the code for nefarious purposes.

Railed by Readers

Thor Larholm, who blogs on Larholm.com, created a zero-day exploit in two hours and posted it online. "Given that Apple has had a lousy track record with security on OS X, in addition to a hostile attitude towards security researchers, a lot of people are expecting to see quite a number of vulnerabilities targeted towards this new Windows browser," he wrote.

Another security expert, Aviv Raff, ran Hamachi, a program that tests browser integrity. "I wasn't surprised to get a nice crash [a] few minutes later," he wrote on his Aviv Raff On .NET blog.

Many readers of all three of the experts' blog sites posted comments nailing Apple with sarcasm and disdain.

Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) Latest News about Symantec, a provider of security tools, posted warnings for three of the most critical vulnerabilities for Safari on Windows on its Symantec Security Response Weblog. "This Safari release is officially a beta release. Even if these vulnerabilities didn't exist, we wouldn't recommend using beta software in a production environment," Symantec noted. "Hopefully many of these bugs will be scrubbed before the official release."

Apple's Challenge

"The browser market on the Windows side is an advanced and skeptical market," Mike Romo, product manager of Symantec's Macintosh Latest News about Macintosh Group, told MacNewsWorld. "The ultimate browser on Windows is Firefox. It's going to be interesting to watch them point out the value proposition of Safari in a very crowded browser market."

Symantec, noted Romo, is particularly concerned about users that might rely on beta software, and Safari for Windows is a case in point. "We think it's something everyone should be know about," he said.

"Apple is going to have to examine security on the Windows side very specifically and succinctly if they are going to succeed. ... The thing with Apple, since they do play their cards close to their chest -- they should have given developers a little notice, at least on the Windows side, so we could have knocked it about a bit and worked on integrating the Safari browser into our product schedule," Romo said.

Emotional Touchstone

Aside from entering an entrenched market against Internet Explorer and Firefox, Apple faces another challenge.

"A browser is a touchstone. Next to e-mail Email Marketing Software - Free Demo, a browser is the most emotional point that a user has in their computer experience. As far as a user's daily interaction, the emotional interaction, of having a finger on the pulse of what's going on in the world, there's nothing more intimate than the browser, so it cannot be stated enough how important security is on the browser, because everybody is using it, and when everybody is using it, everybody is a target," Romo explained.

"I think it's up to all software developers to work hard to prevent vulnerabilities," he added.

What's Next?

Whether or not Apple pushed Safari for Windows out the door too quickly, even though it's a beta product, what's next for the browser's launch? Obviously, Safari is important for Apple's iPhone efforts because Safari for Windows will make it easier for developers to create cross-platform applications Get the facts on wireless solutions suited to your industry. that run in a browser, built against Safari features, for use on the iPhone. Also, because the iPhone is critical to Apple right now, the company will very likely roll out fixes faster than usual.

"I think Apple takes security very seriously, and they have a good track record of making fixes with their security updates," Romo said. "I think it's encouraging that Apple is entering this market because it allows them to experience a different landscape, one where security is such a top-line issue."

Dark Days Ahead for Mac Users?

The free ride afforded to Mac aficionados over the years could come to a halt at any time. Computer security experts warn that Macland is showing signs of pending attacks. Hackers, driven by organized crime, could soon be aiming their virus and spyware arsenals at the growing number of Apple computer buyers.

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From the beginning of the virus wars through the spyware Barracuda Spam Firewall Free Eval Unit - Click Here skirmishes that followed, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple computer users have for the most part been spared from suffering widespread casualties. They have long held a privileged, nearly target-free existence in computerland.

The Unix roots of the Apple core operating system Manage remotely with one interface -- the HP ProLiant DL360 G5 server. have provided a relatively hacker-free status. That, coupled with the much smaller installed user base, has always made hackers turn to the much more populated field of targets found among the vulnerabilities-laden Windows architecture.

However, the free ride afforded to Mac aficionados over the years could come to a halt at any time. Computer security experts warn that Macland is showing signs of pending attacks. Hackers, driven by organized crime, could soon be aiming their virus and spyware arsenals at the growing number of Apple computer buyers.

"There are and have been a number of vulnerabilities for the Mac but not near that of Windows. The main factor is still going for the higher number of Windows users," David Perry, global director of education for security software firm Trend Micro (Nasdaq: TMIC) Latest News about Trend Micro, told MacNewsWorld. "But we are no longer dealing with traditional hackers. So when does it become marketable for Mac attacks? When is the tipping point going to be reached?"

Security Fallacies

The traditional view is that Mac computers are more secure than Windows PCs because of Apple's smaller user base, suggest security experts. While that may have been true at one time, it is no longer a hard and fast rule.

"That is a real interesting question. Hackers used to seek fame and went after low-hanging fruit -- Windows," Paul Henry, Secure Computing's vice president of technology evangelism, told MacNewsWorld. "Now hackers work for crime syndicates to get user information for theft or sale."

Being safe and secure on a particular computer platform is no longer a question of whether the largest number of users are the only target, Henry added. The bad guys are just after a kill and are considering new attack targets.

"Attacks now tend to be more targeted at very finite groups of people. I don't see massive attacks on Macs. But we will see industrial espionage, so hackers are changing their routines and are going after information regardless of the platform," Henry warned.

That reality should make Mac computer users take notice, he believes. Hackers will target Macs for the potential cash prize such a task could hold. The criminal enterprise wants that data, he said.

The notion that Macs are more secure because they have fewer users and thus are not attractive targets is known as security through obscurity, noted Symantec's (Nasdaq: SYMC) Latest News about Symantec Mac security specialist Mike Romo. "This is not true anymore," he insisted.

Buzz Factor

While Mac users have to be more aware of security issues today, they also should be able to separate facts from fiction when it comes to potential security risks, argued Romo. There is no impending doom for Mac users, he predicted.

Much of the concern about new Mac security threats stems from fears that the new Apple products could create an opportunity for new attack sectors, he explained. That could be why there is suddenly more interest about Mac security.

"There has been a tremendous influx of Windows users [switching to Macs] lately, and they are more used to talking about such issues," told Romo MacNewsWorld. "The installed Mac user base is expected to double in the next two years as the price drops."

That could bring about the tipping point making Macs a better target, especially when you consider that Mac users intermingle with more virus-prone Windows users on the Internet. Computer users are now connected all the time, so the Internet is becoming a shared operating system, according to Romo.

"That space is where Mac attacks could originate," Romo said.

Changing Spaces

In order to understand the growing concern over the potential for Mac attacks, users need only look at past hacker Latest News about hacker and user behavior. For example, in the past, the attack sector changed when older technology went away, said Trend Micro's Perry.

For instance, boot sector viruses in 1995 were eliminated by going to other media and getting rid of floppies. However, the pendulum swung back 100 times worse each time a new attack sector developed with the introduction of new equipment, he noted.

"Yes, hackers can form an attack for Macs. But Apple is quick to patch vulnerabilities because the company controls all the hardware universe, not just the operating system," Perry said. "Macs are actually stronger because of this. They are able to hide in plain sight."

Still, Perry is not taking any chances with security. He recently installed antivirus applications Get the facts on wireless solutions suited to your industry. on all of his Mac computers just to be sure.

"In this age of targeted attacks, you have to look at security with a new purpose," he warned.

List of Best Practices

The Macintosh Latest News about Macintosh computer line has historically been one of the most secure computers available. Recent market share increases, the media spotlight and even Apple's own advertising Email Marketing Software - Free Demo campaign have combined, however, to focus added attention on Macintosh Internet security, according to Alan Oppenheimer, president and founder of Open Door Networks. To allay those concerns about the Mac's security, Open Door developed a list of the top 10 actions Mac users can take to insure safe computing practices.

"Up to a year ago it was accurate that the Mac was secure without any worries. But now bad things can happen to your Mac. There are no known Mac viruses yet, but there could be and probably will be," he said.

Intel Chip Worries

Security experts agreed that the recent switch to the Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) Latest News about Intel processor, giving Macs the ability to run both the Mac and Windows operating systems in separate partitions, is raising some new security concerns.

"The Mac is not theoretically immune to vulnerabilities but is very resistant to them," said Oppenheimer. "Almost all Windows vulnerabilities are limited to the Windows OS, not the Mac OS."

A vulnerability or virus infection that affects the Windows operating system is not likely to cross over to infect the Mac partition, noted security experts, because the architecture is not the same.

Just because it's never been observed, however, does not mean it's impossible.

"Never say it's impossible for a virus to jump the partition. It just hasn't happened yet," said Trend Micro's Perry.

Factoring Concern

Putting Intel chips in Macs did open a channel for hackers, conceded Oppenheimer. However, hackers have never learned how to hack into the Power PC architecture, he explained. Still, the underlying exploit code could be similar.

Three factors are now increasing the potential for Mac attacks, according to Oppenheimer. One, the user has to be running the Intel chip. Two, Apple's market share has grown. Three, TV commercials are practically challenging hackers to respond when they boast that Macs enjoy airtight security.

"A 5 to 10 percent shift would be more interesting to bad guys," said Oppenheimer.

No-Sweat Zone

The very successful Mac marketing campaign on TV could produce a double-edged sword for Apple. Selling more Mac computers can change hackers' dynamics, Oppenheimer pointed out. Still, it is an interesting debate about how having more Mac users could effect the platform's security, Perry believes. If the population of Mac users to Windows users were reversed, he is not sure that Macs would continue to be safer.

Oppenheimer is sure, though, that there will never be the risk potential that Windows has.

"So far the Mac has a near-perfect record. There is some potential for concern, but the sky will never fall on Mac users over the security issue," Oppenheimer insisted.

Sony in Talks With Chafed Church Officials

The PlayStation 3 game "Resistance: Fall of Man" has drawn outrage from the Church of England for including scenes of a gun battle inside one of its historic cathedrals. Sony said Wednesday it is in discussions with church officials over what action can be taken to remedy the complaints but asserted that it never intended to depict Manchester Cathedral specifically.

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Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Latest News about Sony video game unit said Wednesday it is talking with the Church of England about a complaint that a famous cathedral is the scene of a violent shooting game for the new PlayStation 3 Latest News about PlayStation 3 console.

Sony Computer Entertainment spokesperson Nanako Kato declined to give details of the talks and said more time may be needed for an agreement because the problem was complex.

Godzilla and King Kong

"This is a sensitive topic," Kato said. "Many historical buildings are used in entertainment such as movies, including Godzilla and the Tokyo Tower and King Kong in Manhattan."

The church has demanded an apology, saying that Sony did not ask for permission to use a Manchester cathedral in the game "Resistance: Fall of Man."

Kato acknowledged the church in the game bears a resemblance in some parts to Manchester cathedral. However, she said the point was to depict a backdrop of an old church, not to illustrate a specific church.

In parts of the game, the player walks through a cathedral armed with a gun and shoots at enemies.

Difficult to Delete

Although the cathedral appears only in some scenes, it would be difficult to delete just those scenes from the game, which went on sale with the launch of the PlayStation 3 next-generation console. The machine went on sale in Japan and the U.S. late last year, and in Europe in March.

Sony's global sales Email Marketing Software - Free Demo of "Resistance: Fall of Man" have totaled more than 2 million. Although outside software makers create games for Sony's game machines, "Resistance" is a Sony original.

FBI Hatches Massive Anti-Terror Data Mining Plan

The FBI is seeking US$12 million in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 for its Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force to set up a National Security Branch Analysis Center, with 59 employees, including 23 contractors and five FBI agents. Justice Department budget documents submitted to Congress predict the center will hold 6 billion records by 2012.

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The FBI wants to compile a massive computer database and analyze it for clues to unmask terrorist sleeper cells. Two congressmen are worried about whether the bureau will protect the privacy of U.S. citizens.

Reps. Brad Miller, D-N.C., and James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., the chairman and ranking Republican on the House Science and Technology investigations subcommittee, asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate the proposal. Their June 4 letter to GAO was released Tuesday.

Miller and Sensenbrenner questioned both the FBI's ability to properly manage such a large trove of data and whether predictive data mining Latest News about data mining even works or just falsely casts suspicion on innocent people.

Leveraging Existing Data Mining Tools

The FBI is seeking US$12 million in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 for its Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force to set up a National Security Branch Analysis Center, with 59 employees, including 23 contractors and five FBI agents.

Justice Department budget documents submitted to Congress predict the center will hold 6 billion records by 2012 and "the universe of subjects will expand exponentially." That would equal "20 separate 'records' for each man, woman and child in the United States," the congressmen wrote.

The center "will leverage existing data mining tools to help identify relationships between individuals, locations and events that may be indicators of terrorist or other activities of interest," the Justice documents said, and these efforts "will improve efforts to identify 'sleeper cells.'"

Eleven workers in a Proactive Data Exploitation unit will be assigned to ferret out patterns of suspicious behavior in the data, the congressmen wrote.

Infringing on Privacy?

They said the program resembles the Pentagon's Total Information Awareness anti-terror data mining research program. Congress ended TIA in 2003 out of privacy concerns, but much of its research was transferred to secret accounts in other agencies.

FBI spokesperson Mike Kortan had no comment on the letter but pointed out that bureau policy requires that "we adhere to all established DOJ guidelines, FBI policy and the law" when data mining.

Miller and Sensenbrenner quoted Jeff Jonas, a data mining expert and IBM (NYSE: IBM) Latest News about IBM Distinguished Engineer, as saying "data mining for terrorism discovery ... would waste taxpayer dollars, needlessly infringe on privacy and civil liberties and misdirect the valuable time and energy of the men and women in the national security Barracuda Spam Firewall Free Eval Unit - Click Here community."

Jonas recently wrote that because there are so few known terrorist patterns of behavior, this kind of search would "flood the national security system Manage remotely with one interface -- the HP ProLiant DL360 G5 server. with false positives -- suspects who are truly innocent."

Historic Examples

The two congressmen added that the FBI's history suggests "the agency may have difficulty developing and operating" such a center. "The FBI has historically been unable to develop information systems in a reliable cost-effective and technically proficient manner," they wrote.

They noted:

- The FBI junked its Virtual Case File computerized records system in 2005 after spending $170 million without solving technical troubles. The replacement is reportedly running behind schedule.
- An FBI consultant was able to hack into classified bureau computers last year and access counterespionage and witness protection files and 38,000 FBI passwords, including Director Robert Mueller's.
- In March, Justice's inspector general found that FBI agents using National Security Letters "had demanded personal data without proper authorization, improperly obtained personal telephone records and banking records and underreported to Congress how often it used national security letters to obtain information on thousands of U.S. citizens." The inspector general found 48 violations of law and estimated there were 3,000 violations between 2003 and 2005.
- The GAO found in 2005 that the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force did not comply with all privacy and security laws and rules for handling sensitive information.

The congressmen asked the GAO to determine what records will be acquired, from which agencies or commercial entities, who will be granted access to them and under what restrictions. GAO also was asked to learn whether the center will contain records on U.S. citizens and what the bureau has done to guarantee those are accurate and protected from misuse and how they will be used.

Hurricane Satellite Nearing Last Gasp

QuikScat, a satellite used to make crucial hurricane predictions, is on its last legs, and a suitable replacement may not go up for another seven years. If the satellite fails, the accuracy of weather researchers monitoring hurricanes will fall, which could lead officials to call for evacuations more frequently in an effort to err on the side of safety.

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AP | 06/13/07


An aging weather satellite crucial to accurate predictions on the intensity and path of hurricanes could fail at any moment, and plans to launch a replacement have been pushed back seven years to 2016.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Latest News about National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief said the failure of the QuikScat satellite could bring more uncertainty to forecasts and widen the areas that are placed under hurricane watches and warnings.

If the satellite faltered, experts estimate that the accuracy of two-day forecasts could suffer by 10 percent and three-day forecasts by 16 percent, which could translate into miles of coastline and the difference between a city being evacuated or not.

"We would go blind. It would be significantly hazardous," said Wayne Sallade, emergency manager in Charlotte County, Fla., which was hit hard by Hurricane Charley in 2004.

Technical and Budget Woes

A NOAA spokesperson disputed that, saying alternatives such as using data from other satellites would help diminish any increased uncertainty coming from the loss of QuikScat.

In the letter to a Florida congressman, NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher blamed the delays on technical and budget problems. Scientists said if QuikScat failed, they may have to rely on less accurate satellites.

Bill Proenza, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said authorities "may have to err on the side of caution" in future forecasts.

That means "more people disrupted, and more impact on the economy," Proenza said. "On the other hand, we have to err on the side of the protection of life. And that's how we would handle it."

Other Cutbacks

Lautenbacher said the replacement is part of a larger program to update America's weather satellites. The AP reported last week that other cuts in the program have included scaled-back efforts to measure global warming from space.

Last year, forecasts were off an average of 111 miles two days in advance, a figure that has been cut in half over the past 15 years. However, experts said that could grow 10 percent to 122 miles if the satellite is lost, causing the "cone of error" well known to coastal residents to expand.

Some scientists also complain that the technology planned for the replacement satellite is less precise for hurricane forecasting than what is currently flying.

Limping Along

QuikScat, launched in 1999 and designed to last two to three years, provides key data on wind speed and direction over the ocean. Weather aircraft and buoys can also obtain similar measurements near a storm, but they do not provide a constant flow of data as QuikScat does.

Last year, the satellite suffered a major setback -- the failure of a transmitter used to send data to Earth about every 90 minutes. Now the satellite is limping along on a backup transmitter and has other problems.

The backup transmitter could last years, but there are no guarantees and no warnings when it is about to fail, said Robert Gaston, who works with the satellite at NASA's Latest News about NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Latest News about Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Million-Dollar Miles

Emergency managers like Sallade have been briefed on the satellite's problems. They said if they cannot rely on forecasts, they may have to make crucial decisions earlier, such as evacuating hospital patients or moving around emergency equipment.

Emergency managers estimate that the total costs of evacuations are up to US$1 million per mile of coastline, meaning wider evacuations could be expensive.

Lautenbacher's letter was sent to Rep. Ron Klein, a Florida Democrat who requested the agency's plan should the satellite fail. Klein and other members of Congress are pushing bills that would pay for a satellite to replace QuikScat.

"I'm disappointed that this letter doesn't directly address my request for a backup plan if QuikScat fails, given that we're three weeks into a hurricane season," said Klein, who has requested a hearing on the issue.

Even if money were immediately available, a replacement satellite is estimated to take at least four years and cost approximately $400 million to build. The AP first reported those estimates in a March interview with Proenza, one of the loudest voices calling for a replacement satellite.

Unattractive Alternatives

If the satellite fails, the options are few. Other satellites have instruments to measure wind speed and direction over water, but they are less accurate.

A European satellite called ASCAT is available, but it does not give scientists as clear a picture as QuikScat because the distance between the readings it takes is larger. Using ASCAT would be like a person who wears glasses taking them off, seeing a once-sharp world blurred, said National Hurricane Center senior hurricane specialist Rick Knabb.

A NASA and Department of Defense satellite called WINDSAT also measures wind speed and direction, but it too is beyond its expected lifespan, and scientists have had trouble using it to observe tropical weather systems.

That's a problem because NOAA intended QuikScat's replacement to be modeled on WINDSAT.

Pushed Back Seven Years

A replacement for QuikScat was originally scheduled to launch in 2009. Lautenbacher would not give a date for that flight in the letter, but other officials have said it is scheduled to launch in 2016.

The satellite's final form is still undetermined, but Knabb said the design does not currently feature technology comparable to QuikScat.

"When we need the data the most is when it's not going to perform very well -- inside a tropical cyclone," Knabb said.

eBay in Patent Tussle Over 'Buy It Now'

MercExchange has asked a federal judge to issue a permanent injunction, stopping eBay from using its "Buy It Now" button on its Web site. The injunction is unnecessary, eBay lawyers told the judge, because the company has designed a workaround that doesn't infringe on the MercExchange's patent.

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AP | 06/13/07


A small Virginia company in a patent fight with eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) Latest News about eBay asked a federal judge Tuesday to stop the online auction powerhouse from using its "Buy It Now" feature allowing shoppers to buy items at a fixed price.

A federal jury found in 2003 that eBay had infringed Great Falls, Va.-based MercExchange's patent. However, last year, the U.S. Supreme Court handed a victory to patent-reform advocates when it ruled that MercExchange was not automatically entitled to a court order blocking the offending service.

Now, U.S. District Court Judge Jerome B. Friedman must decide whether MercExchange is entitled to a permanent injunction. The judge did not say when he would rule.

Re-Examining the Patent

Friedman also did not immediately rule on eBay's request to stay the proceedings until the federal patent office has completed a re-examination of the patent -- a process that MercExchange's lawyers said could take 10 years.

Lawyers for San Jose, Calif.-based eBay told the judge that the company has designed a workaround so that it no longer infringes on the patent and thus an injunction is unnecessary.

Attorney Jeff Randall also said MercExchange has not suffered irreparable harm and that the company is better off now than it was before the trial, citing an investment by a hedge fund.

MercExchange's attorneys, however, argued that the potential for future infringement is at stake and that MercExchange will not be able to sell exclusive licenses for use of its patent without an injunction.

Reputations on the Line

"Without an injunction in the face of an infringing monopolist that now has 95 percent of the market, MercExchange cannot make productive use of its patent in any way," lawyer Seth Waxman said.

Randall said an injunction would give MercExchange "illegitimate leverage," hurting eBay's reputation in the marketplace by making people think eBay is still infringing the patent.

"That's what they want," Randall said of MercExchange.

Randall also said MercExchange is not interested in building its business.

"They sit back and try to collect from businesses for their patents, and that is it," he said.

Intellectual Property

In arguing for a stay, Randall said waiting for the outcome of the patent re-examination would save a lot of litigation in the meantime.

"I get the impression that, in a nice legal way, the court is being threatened," the judge said.

MercExchange attorney Greg Stillman said it was wrong to wait for patent authorities to sort everything out and that eBay could have avoided a lot of litigation by asking for the re-examination much earlier.

The patent battle focuses on eBay's button for buying products at a fixed price, bypassing the bidding process, and MercExchange's claim that the technology infringes on its intellectual property.

A Rallying Point

The federal jury that sided with MercExchange awarded the company US$35 million. The amount later was reduced to $25 million. Stillman said outside court that MercExchange intends to ask the judge to increase the damages to take into account infringement since the 2003 trial.

The Supreme Court's ruling does not affect the judgment against eBay.

In the closely watched case, the high court ruled that judges have flexibility Get the facts on wireless solutions suited to your industry. in deciding whether to issue court orders barring continued use of a technology after juries find a patent violation. The decision threw out a ruling by a federal appeals court that said injunctions should be automatic unless exceptional circumstances apply.

The case became a rallying point for critics who argue the U.S. patent system Manage remotely with one interface -- the HP ProLiant DL360 G5 server. is riddled with abuse from small businesses that sue established companies to enforce patents for ideas that have never been developed into products.