Stories by Grant Gross

Former Alcatel exec jailed on bribery charges

A former executive with Alcatel has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for a US$2.5 million (NZ$3.63 billion) bribery scheme in an attempt to win a mobile telephone contract from the government of Costa Rica.

Audit: US exporting harmful e-waste to other countries

The U.S. is shipping used electronic devices containing toxic substances overseas, with little regulation and enforcement to protect people and the environment in those countries, according to a government auditor's report.

Berners-Lee starts foundation aimed at Web's future

Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, will launch a new foundation focused on extending the capabilities of the Web and bringing the Internet to all the world's people, he announced Sunday.

Court overturns Virginia spam law, conviction

The Virginia Supreme Court has overturned a state antispam law and the 2004 conviction of longtime spammer Jeremy Jaynes, saying the law is an overly broad prohibition on anonymous free speech.

US border-crossing database raises concerns

A plan by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect personal information on every traveller coming into the country and keep that information in a database for 15 years could have huge privacy implications for US citizens, one privacy group says.

Programming errors caused dropped e-votes

A major electronic voting system vendor has changed its story in an attempt to explain how its machines dropped hundreds of votes in Ohio's March primary elections, saying it was a programming error, not the fault of antivirus software.

Google launches white spaces campaign

Google hopes a new Web site will help convince the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to allow a new generation of wireless broadband devices to connect via unused television spectrum.

Most sensitive data on US govt laptops insecure

Only 30% of sensitive information stored on US government laptops and mobile devices, including the personal information of US residents, was encrypted a year ago, despite a series of data breaches at government agencies in recent years, according to an auditor's report.

Senate delays vote on surveillance bill until July

The U.S. Senate has delayed a vote on a controversial surveillance bill that would allow a U.S. National Security Agency spying program to continue and would likely result in the dismissal of dozens of lawsuits against telecom carriers that participated in the program.

Senators question border laptop searches

Two U.S. senators called on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to back off its assertion that it can search laptops and other electronic devices owned by U.S. citizens returning to the country without the need for reasonable suspicion of a crime or probable cause.

Groups: ad firm used by ISPs spies on users

A targeted advertising vendor being used by several US broadband providers hijacks browsers, spies on users and employs man-in-the-middle attacks, according to a report released by two advocacy groups.

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