US to focus on spyware

The Washington Post online reports that the US Federal Trade Commission is hosting a workshop in Washington to discuss the effects of hidden software that may be used to control or spy on a computer without its user`s knowledge.

So far most "spyware" and "adware" programs, often placed on Windows PCs by such downloaded programs as file-sharing programs, appear to have been used for the relatively benign purpose of tracking consumer preferences, said Howard Beales, director of the FTC`s consumer protection division. The FTC is watching to see if criminals start making widespread use of this technology to steal credit-card and Social Security numbers of unwitting computer users, he said.

Geekzone reports that 3G mobile operator 3 is now selling the smallest GSM/WCDMA 3G mobile phone, the Nokia 7600, in its retail outlets across the United Kingdom. With its compact, futuristic design, the Nokia 7600 is one of the lightest and smallest GSM/WCDMA phones in the world. The Nokia 7600 enables users to capture pictures and videos, send and receive multimedia messages and mobile email and listen to music. Movie and music videos can be viewed on the Nokia 7600`s high quality 65,536 colour screen.

People wanting to automatically mute the foul language or skip the violence in new movie releases now have a new option - a DVD player from RCA that filters objectionable content. AP reports that Thomson, which owns the RCA brand, will sell the players in some Wal-Mart and Kmart stores as well as on Wal-Mart`s Web site starting this month even as the filtering software they use faces a legal challenge from Hollywood. The filtering software is from ClearPlay, which had offered it previously for watching DVDs on computers and began talking to RCA last year about a standalone player.

And, the Mail & Guardian Online news site has been warned against using the term "For Dummies" by international Global Brand Review and Corporate Trademarks Department in any article headlines, because its says the phrase is trademarked.

US-based Wiley Publishing, publisher of the globally known FOR DUMMIES(R) series of reference books and products, objected to the use of the phrase in an M&G Online article entitled "Cricket for Dummies", on April 8, 2004.

"M&G Online editor Matthew Buckland says: "Is this the consequence of globalisation - can companies really trademark words of the English language in such a way that we cannot even use them for editorial purposes?"