Wikipedia Russia, other sites protest proposed Internet ‘censorship’ law
The Russian version of Wikipedia went black on Tuesday to protest a proposed law that could become the basis for Internet censorship.
Wikipedia's protest is backed by other large Russian online businesses such as the social networking site VKontakte and the Russian LiveJournal.
"We are protesting because the proposed amendments are too inaccurate, and in its current form they can damage Internet development in Russia," said Vladimir Medeyko, director of the Russian Wikimedia foundation, via instant message.
If the new law, "On Information, Information Technologies and Protection of Information," is adopted with the proposed amendments, this might lead to the creation of a Russian analogue of "the great Chinese firewall" or an "electronic curtain," Medeyko said, adding that in a worst-case scenario access to Wikipedia might be blocked in Russia.
Visitors to the Russian Wikipedia site were unable to access it on July 10. Those who tried to access the site saw a black censorship banner over the Cyrillic word for Wikipedia. "Imagine a world without free knowledge," the slogan reads on the blocked website. Read more...
Nokia 808 PureView to launch in India and Russia from this month
Nokia has said that it will begin rolling out its Symbian-powered Nokia 808 PureView to “select markets” in May, initially launching the 41-megapixel handset in Russian and Indian markets.
Having been unveiled in this year’s Mobile World Congress, the 808 Pureview won awards for its impressive optics and ability to capture incredible amounts of detail in its photos.
The company noted at the time that it would look to launch the device as soon as possible but it has today confirmed that it will be available in two of its most popular markets from this month. Read more...
Russia Moves To Hold ISPs Responsible For Illegal File-Sharing
The cyber crime department of Russia’s Interior Ministry says it intends to get tough on the country’s ISPs when their customers share copyrighted or otherwise illegal material. Authorities say they are currently carrying out nationwide checks on ISPs’ local networks and could bring prosecutions as early as next month.
Having largely failed in their earlier bids to aggressively target individual file-sharers, in recent times copyright holders and authorities have been forced to look elsewhere for someone to blame.
Worldwide lobbying efforts have borne fruit and now it’s almost routine to see ISPs dragged into the debate on illegal file-sharing and treated as if they are the reason the problem exists, or at the very least that it’s their place to take responsibility. Read more...
Russian Minister: YouTube and Google Should Be Shut Down For Copyright Infringement
Recently leaked confidential diplomatic cable has revealed that not only is the United States government unhappy with the level of intellectual property rights enforcement carried out by Russia, but also that the reverse is true. Russia’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development said that not only do U.S. sites continue to offer pirated Russian movies, but that YouTube and Google should be shut down for not respecting local laws.
When it comes to the protection of intellectual property, it’s well known that the United States is almost continually unhappy with just about every other country’s regimes. A huge amount of lobbying is carried out on a continual basis by government and the private sector in the hope that one day everyone will adopt US-like approaches to rights enforcement. Read more...
Security firms knock heads over Shady RAT hacks
U.S. and Russian antivirus vendors took shots at each other as they quarreled over a recent report of a cyber campaign that allegedly infiltrated scores of Western governments, organizations and corporations.
The report, released earlier this month by McAfee, claimed that a half-decade-long hacker operation compromised more than 70 U.S. and foreign government agencies, defense contractors and international organizations to plant malware that in some cases hid on networks for years.
McAfee's report was picked up by numerous news outlets, and even caught the eye of Congress. On Aug. 10, Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House subcommittee on commerce, manufacturing and trade, sent a letter (download PDF) to McAfee asking for more information on the intrusions. Read more...
Russia frees software tycoon’s kidnapped son
Russian police on Sunday freed the son of software tycoon Eugene Kaspersky after a five-day kidnap ordeal, ending one of the highest-profile abduction dramas in the country in recent years.
Police officers, agents from the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the special OMON police squad freed Ivan Kaspersky, 20, in the Moscow region, Moscow police spokesman Viktor Birukov told Russian news agencies.
Reports said that officers posing as middlemen who were to hand over a ransom lured the kidnappers into a meeting and then arrested them. Read more...