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Whether you spell the Web "P2P and DNS" or "Facebook and Google", we have you covered. Breaking news about the Internet’s largest and most popular companies, the cloud movement, social networking, video streaming and more.
Valve's Steam suffers worldwide failure over the weekend
- Valve’s digital games distribution service Steam suffered a worldwide failure for several hours on Sunday, leaving users unable to play games as well as taking offline the Steam user forum and various associated websites.
ACTA faces another setback in Europe as Germany delays signing
- The controversial ACTA agreement is facing a new setback in Europe after the German government announced today that it won't sign the agreement, at least not for now. Other nations including Latvia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have also…
Valve: Encrypted credit card data, other info taken in Steam hack
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The damage of last year's Steam intrusion is worse than previously thought, according to an update by Valve co-founder Gabe Newell. In November, the company's servers were breached as hackers defaced Steam's forums and accessed a database with user information...
Iran blocks websites in anticipation of Green Revolution anniversary
- On Friday, Cnet sources confirmed that Iran has begun preemptively blocking websites in anticipation of civil unrest this weekend. Tomorrow is significant because it marks the third anniversary of the Green Revolution, a movement where outraged citizens took to the…
Wolfram Alpha Pro introduces drag 'n drop, 25% of traffic from Siri
- Famed scientist, Stephen Wolfram, announced "phase two" of his online "computational knowledge engine": Wolfram Alpha Pro. The enhanced service features new ways to input data, understands even more data formats -- about 60 to be precise -- and allows users…
Download the entire Pirate Bay in just 90 Megabytes
- It is now possible to download a copy of The Pirate Bay via a single 90MB zip file. The recent switch to magnet links and a script written by Pirate Bay user ‘allisfine’ made the small backup possible, according to…
Google's cloud storage service 'Drive' to launch soon
- Google is reportedly getting ready to launch a cloud-based storage service that would rival the likes of Dropbox and Microsoft's SkyDrive. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal says the service will be known as 'Drive' and…
Tim Berners-Lee defends the open web from patent threat
- The inventor of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee testified in Federal Court on Tuesday giving evidence as part of the defense of a rather remarkable patent trial that’s getting under way in Tyler, Tx, where Michael Doyle is…
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg could face massive $2 billion tax bill
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Facebook’s much publicized IPO will make founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg a billionaire, but it could potentially also land him with a tax bill up to a staggering $2 billion, should he exercise his stock options worth billions of dollars...
Redbox and Verizon join forces to take on Netflix
- Coinstar’s Redbox and Verizon Wireless have ended months of speculation that suggested the two would join forces to compete with Netflix. The duo put out a press release announcing the joint venture that combines new release DVDs and Blu-ray discs…
Torrent search engine BTJunkie voluntarily shuts down
- BTJunkie, one of the top five BitTorrent search engines, has decided to close its doors voluntarily after 7 years in operation. The move comes amid growing pressure from authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere, who recently took legal action against…
Dropbox offers an additional 5GB of cloud storage to beta users
- For users willing to be guinea pigs, Dropbox is offering an opportunity to score 5GB of free space through the popular cloud storage service. PCWorld is reporting the 5GB is actually in addition to the standard 2GB issued to free…
Google's privacy policy cornered by European Commission and Congress
- Continuing the story we posted earlier this week, the European Commission has asked Google to hold off on rolling out their new privacy policy. The EC is assigning French data protection authority, CNIL, to work with Google and explore the…
You might be a terrorist if you have two cell phones, use Web proxies
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Are you concerned about your digital privacy enough to use proxies and encryption software? Do you voice chat with fellow PC gamers? If so, you might be a terrorist, according to FBI and DoJ. Public Intelligence has discovered a federal document outlining...
Crytek-backed Gface unveils social gaming platform with OnLive-like streaming
- Crytek, the studio behind the Crysis series and the CryEngine technology behind it, is helping develop a new social network service centered around gaming. Dubbed Gface -- a mash between gaming and Facebook, perhaps? -- the service is currently in…
French courts fines Google for offering free mapping services
- Google Maps can be a godsend for travelers visiting a new city or even locals wandering into an unfamiliar location. However, at least according to a commercial court in Paris, offering this service for free constitutes unfair competition and thus…
Facebook finally files long-rumored $5 billion IPO
- As expected, Facebook's initial public offering hit the Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday, raising $5 billion -- less than the $10 billion previously speculated. The long-rumored move reached relative certainty last Friday when the Wall Street Journal reported the IPO…
Dutch Supreme Court: Stealing RuneScape gear is a crime
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The Netherlands' highest court upheld a ruling Tuesday that it's illegal to steal virtual items. In 2009, an unnamed minor and his accomplice were convicted of stealing an amulet and mask from a fellow RuneScape player. One of the defendants lost his appeal this week...
Molybdenite could replace silicon, possibly superior to graphene
- Researchers have demonstrated the first logic circuits made from molybdenite, a naturally occurring compound made of molybdenum and sulfide (MoS2). Efforts by researchers show the material can not only replace silicon in electronics, but may also improve upon graphene, the well-known wonder…
Final appeal rejected in Pirate Bay case, founders face prison time
- After fighting copyright infringement charges for years, the four founders of file-sharing site The Pirate Bay may be headed for prison in Sweden as the country's Supreme Court has denied to grant them a final appeal. The Stockholm-based court, which…
Latest Humble Bundle supports Android, includes World of Goo
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Improving what was already a wildly successful formula, the Humble Bundle has added Android to its latest pay-what-you-want promotion. Folks willing to dole out up to $5.70 (a penny below the current average amount submitted) will receive a copy of three hot indie games including...
EFF helps Megaupload users retrieve their non-infringing files
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Last week, cyberlocker service Megaupload was shut down and its executives were arrested. Consequently, the now defunct site is poised to have its hosted files forcibly erased. However, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has come to the aid of "innocent" Megaupload users...
Reddit members drafting 'Free Internet Act', but will it be taken seriously?
- Members of the Internet community Reddit are in the process of drafting what is tentatively being called the Free Internet Act (or the Internet Freedom Act). The primary goal of FIA is to create a legitimate piece of legislation designed…
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