Pro-WikiLeaks hacker busted

Dutch authorities said they have arrested a 16-year-old hacker involved in the pro-WikiLeaks attacks on the Web sites of MasterCard and PayPal, writes CNet.

The Dutch National Prosecutors' Office said the teen, who was not named, was arrested by a hi-tech crime team.

The arrest comes after a group known as Anonymous - a label that's been adopted before by activists who have electronically assaulted the Church of Scientology and the Australian government - organised attacks on Web sites of companies that have distanced themselves from WikiLeaks.

The UK government has written to the European Union's internal market commissioner Michel Barnier expressing its desire for the creation of a single pan-European patent licence to be considered again, notes V3.co.uk.

Talks on the issue reached an impasse in November and so the department for business, skills and innovation has sent a letter signed by Baroness Wilcox, asking for the commission to consider an “enhanced co-operation” proposal.

This gives those states that wish to forge ahead with the creation and implementation of a single system the right to do so without complete agreement from all other member states, in order to help drive technological innovation across the region.

Global revenue for master data management software has increased 14% on 2009 figures, according to a recent report from analyst firm Gartner, says Computing.co.uk.

The report, 'Master Data Management is Important in a Tough Economy, and More Important in Growth', argues that the market would reach $1.5 billion in 2010. Master data management helps offer a single, complete view of all master data, and provides information essential to business operations by helping to contribute to essential strategies and processes.

"Today, most organisations juggle multiple sets of business and data applications across corporate, regional and local systems," said John Radcliffe, research VP at Gartner.

Skirmishes raged across cyberspace between WikiLeaks supporters and the companies they accuse of trying to stifle the group, with Web sites on both sides of the battle line taken out of service or choked off by attacks, reports Associated Press.

The UN's top human rights official raised the alarm over officials' and corporations' moves to cut off WikiLeaks' funding and starve it of server space - something she described as "potentially violating WikiLeaks' right to freedom of expression".

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also expressed surprise at the scale of the online attacks that have targeted major American financial players - in some cases denying access to their Web sites for hours at a time.