If you go to Wikipedia.org today, you get a black page asking you to protest. If you to Google today, you will find their logo blacked-out and a plea to protest. WordPress.org, The Membrane.com and KingArthur.com have also *blacked-out* in support of the protest.

What has Internet intellectuals all in an up-roar?

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

Tell Congress: Don’t censor the Web

Fighting online piracy is important. The most effective way to shut down pirate websites is through targeted legislation that cuts off their funding. There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs.

Too much is at stake – please vote NO on PIPA and SOPA.

– Google

Wikipedia Homepage Blackout Protesting USA Legislation

Google Homepage Blackout Protesting USA Legislation

“Internet classified ads and auction websites are popular tools for bargain-hunters searching for low prices and good deals,” Corbett said. “Listing items for sale or purchase is quick, easy and relatively inexpensive – but unfortunately, scam artists have found it equally easy to use this technology to prey on consumers.”

Corbett noted that there are many different types of online scams, but most share common themes which can make them easier to identify.

“Scam artists are really only interested in two things – getting you to respond quickly and convincing you to send them money,” Corbett said. “Everything they say or do is going to be focused on getting their hands on your money as quickly as possible.”

Corbett said that these bogus ads often use extremely low prices and sympathetic stories to encourage consumers to respond quickly and to reduce suspicion.

“A fraudulent seller might claim that they need to rent their home or sell their vehicle quickly because they have lost their job, are relocating, have been activated by the military or are doing missionary work overseas,” Corbett said. “This ‘cover story’ actually serves two purposes – gaining the trust or sympathy of potential buyers and justifying why the deal must be handled by long-distance.”

Corbett explained that scam ads will typically ask consumers to wire-transfer money, either as a deposit/rent for a home or apartment or as payment for a vehicle – claiming that keys will be sent or the car can be picked up after the money has been sent. He added that wire transfers are the preferred way of handling payments in these scams because the money is transferred instantly and the criminals can collect it anywhere in the world.

Corbett cautioned consumers that scam ads may include photos and other details about the home or vehicle being offered.

“Criminals can easily copy the listings from legitimate websites, including pictures, detailed descriptions and even specific information like vehicle ID numbers – all as part of their quest to make the offer appear legitimate,” Corbett said. “Still, there are typically some ‘red flags’ or warning signs that can help identify bogus ads.”

Corbett urged consumers to be extremely cautious about transactions that include any of the following situations:
- The seller claims to be in another city, or another country, making any face-to-face meeting impossible.
- The item cannot be inspected in-person (Someone else is currently living in the home; the car is stored at another location, etc.)
- Consumers must quickly wire-transfer money.
- The price, availability or other details of the transaction constantly change.
- The grammar or wording of email messages from the seller do not match the original ads, leading you to believe that you are dealing with multiple people.

Corbett encouraged consumers to do some additional research if they are tempted by an online ad:
- Search the Internet for similar seller names or item descriptions (often, scam artists will place identical ads on numerous websites or in many different regions of the country).
- If the seller claims to work for a real estate agency or other business, contact that company directly to verify the accuracy of the listing.

Additionally, Corbett recommended that consumers consider their personal safety in situations where they are asked to bring cash to a meeting with a potential “seller.”

“There have been reports across the country of buyers being robbed when they arrive at meeting locations, expecting to pick up a television, computer or other item listed in an online ad,” Corbett said.

Consumers should consider the following safety tips:
- Arrange to meet in a public place – preferably a location and time when there will be many other people present.
- Tell others where you are going, who you will be meeting and when you expect to return.
- If you do not feel comfortable being alone, ask a friend, family member or coworker to join you.
- Bring a cell phone.
- If the situation seems suspicious or potentially dangerous, move to a safe location as quickly as possible.

“The best way to protect yourself is to always watch for deals or stories that seem too good to be true,” Corbett added.

Suspected scams can be reported to the national Internet Crime Complaint Center, at www.ic3.gov or by filing an online complaint with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection at www.attorneygeneral.gov (Click on the “Complaints” button on the front page of the website and select “Consumer Complaint Form” from the menu that appears).

“Broadband touches nearly every aspect of the U.S. economy, providing Americans with unprecedented opportunities in employment, education, health care, entrepreneurship, and civic participation,” the White House National Economic Council said in a report released to coincide with the announcement.

“These critical broadband investments will create tens of thousands of jobs and stimulate the economy in the near term,” the report said.

“The new broadband access will help underserved and often hard-hit communities overcome the distance and technology barrier by expanding connectivity between educational institutions, enabling remote medical consultations and attracting new businesses as well as the jobs that come with them.”

The World Wide Web started as a network information project at CERN in 1989. CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centers for scientific research.

In 1993, Mosaic developed a graphical web browser. This was the turning point for the information super highway.

Global DMCA

Computers And Internet Security, Entertainment, Music, Environmental Issues, Games, News, Songs and Sustainability.

“The trends highlighted by the report seem to indicate that the Internet has finally taken on the characteristics of the Wild West where no one is to be trusted,” said X-Force Director Kris Lamb. “There is no such thing as safe browsing today and it is no longer the case that only the red light district sites are responsible for malware. We’ve reached a tipping point where every Web site should be viewed as suspicious and every user is at risk. The threat convergence of the Web ecosystem is creating a perfect storm of criminal activity.”

“Two of the major themes for the first half of 2009 are the increase in sites hosting malware and the doubling of obfuscated Web attacks,” Lamb said. “The trends seem to reveal a fundamental security weakness in the Web ecosystem where interoperability between browsers, plugins, content and server applications dramatically increase the complexity and risk. Criminals are taking advantage of the fact that there is no such thing as a safe browsing environment and are leveraging insecure Web applications to target legitimate Web site users.”

What is an ISP?
An ISP, or internet service provider, is a company that provides its customers access to the internet and other web services. In addition to maintaining a direct line to the internet, the company usually maintains web servers. By supplying necessary software, a password-protected user account, and a way to connect to the internet (e.g., modem, phone number), ISPs offer their customers the capability to browse the web and exchange email with other people. Some ISPs also offer additional services.

ISPs can vary in size—some are operated by one individual, while others are large corporations. They may also vary in scope—some only support users in a particular city, while others have regional or national capabilities.

What services do ISPs provide?
Almost all ISPs offer email and web browsing capabilities. They also offer varying degrees of user support, usually in the form of an email address or customer support hotline. Most ISPs also offer web hosting capabilities, allowing users to create and maintain personal web pages; and some may even offer the service of developing the pages for you. Many ISPs offer the option of high-speed access through DSL or cable modems, and some still offer dial-up connections.

As part of normal operation, most ISPs perform backups of email and web files. If the ability to recover email and web files is important to you, check with your ISP to see if they back up the data; it might not be advertised as a service. Additionally, some ISPs may implement firewalls to block some incoming traffic, although you should consider this a supplement to your own security precautions, not a replacement.

How do you choose an ISP?
There are thousands of ISPs, and it’s often difficult to decide which one best suits your needs. Some factors to consider include

security – Do you feel that the ISP is concerned about security? Does it use encryption and SSL (see Protecting Your Privacy for more information) to protect any information you submit (e.g., user name, password)?

privacy – Does the ISP have a published privacy policy? Are you comfortable with who has access to your information and how it is being handled and used?

services – Does your ISP offer the services you want? Do they meet your requirements? Is there adequate support for the services?

cost – Are the ISP’s costs affordable? Are they reasonable for the number of services you receive, as well as the level of those services? Are you sacrificing quality and security to get the lowest price?

reliability – Are the services your ISP provides reliable, or are they frequently unavailable due to maintenance, security problems, a high volume of users, or other reasons? If the ISP knows that services will be unavailable for a particular reason, does it adequately communicate that information?

user support – Are there published methods for contacting customer support? Do you receive prompt and friendly service? Do their hours of availability accommodate your needs? Do the consultants have the appropriate level of knowledge?

speed – How fast is your ISP’s connection? Is it sufficient for accessing your email or navigating the internet?

recommendations – Have you heard or seen positive reviews about the ISP? Were they from trusted sources? Does the ISP serve your geographic area? If you’ve uncovered negative points, are they factors you are concerned about?

Reports, including a posting by Sophos, indicate that these messages
* Include keywords and names related to a current event (such as, the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack)
* Prompt users with a fake virus scan that attempts to make users believe they have a security issue. The users are then asked to download fake security software that is actually malicious code.

Please note that these characteristics may change at any time.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team encourages users and administrators to take the following preventative measures to help mitigate the security risks:
* Install anti-virus software, and keep its virus signature file up to date
* Refer to the Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks document for more information on social engineering attacks

The Mozilla Foundation has released Firefox 3.0.13 and Firefox 3.5.2 to address multiple vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, display misleading SSL information about a web page, intercept and modify encrypted communication, execute arbitrary JavaScript with chrome privileges, or cause a denial-of-service condition.