Fog of confusion around public info

The complex legal framework that governs data-sharing practices in the public and private sector is leaving government and businesses in a "fog of confusion", according to a government-sponsored review, reports Computing.co.uk.

The Data Sharing Review, authored by information commissioner Richard Thomas and Mark Walport, found that complex laws and guidelines mean those making decisions on data sharing don't know what is legally allowed.

"It is clear that the framework, as it stands, is deeply confusing and that many practitioners who make decisions on a daily basis about whether or not to share personal information do so in a climate of considerable uncertainty," said the report.

A former Hewlett-Packard executive has pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to pass on trade secrets from his previous employer, IBM, says The Register.

Atul Malhotra is charged with a single count of theft of trade secrets, and faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250 000 fine, and three years of supervised release. He entered his plea at the US District Court in San Jose, California.

Between 1997 and 2006, Malhotra worked as director of sales and business development in IBM's Global Services Division.

Yahoo has angrily rejected a joint takeover offer from Microsoft and investor Carl Icahn, reports The BBC.

Microsoft would have bought Yahoo's search engine while Icahn would have ended up with the rest of the business.

Yahoo objected to being given only 24 hours to consider the offer and there being no opportunity to negotiate the terms of the deal. "It is ludicrous to think that our board would accept such a proposal," Yahoo said in a statement.

Federal regulators are prepared to take action against sellers of Internet access that want to restrict what their customers can do online, says The New York Times.

Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), said on Friday that Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, should be sanctioned because it had interfered with the Internet connections of users who were exchanging files with other people.

Martin's recommendation is a strong push for network neutrality, the idea that Internet access providers like Comcast should not be allowed to favour some uses of their networks over others. Internet companies like Google and free speech advocates have backed this approach.