Wikileaks encryption use offers 'legal challenge'

A novel use of encryption by whistle-blowing Web site Wikileaks could "challenge the legal system for years to come", according to an influential observer of the hacking community, writes The BBC.

Emmanuel Goldstein, editor of 2600 The Hacker Quarterly magazine, made his comments in reference to an encrypted file recently posted on the site.

Some suspect the file - as yet unopened - contains further sensitive material.

Mark Hurd, the ousted president, CEO and chairman of IT giant Hewlett-Packard, turned in a decent final quarter, reveals The Register.

In the quarter ended 31 July, a week before Hurd was shown the door for becoming embroiled in a sexual harassment lawsuit with a consultant who was hired to be a greeter at HP events, and for doctoring his expense reports - HP reported sales of $30.73 billion, up 11.4% compared to the year ago quarter and just shy of sales in the second fiscal quarter ended in April.

Net income rose by 6.1%, to $1.78 billion, but fell sequentially from the $2.2 billion HP booked in that April quarter. Sales and administrative costs rose a bit in the quarter, eating into profit, as did the $598 million in restructuring charges that HP booked in Q3, up from $180 million in Q2, and from the $362 million booked in the year-ago quarter.

If Facebook Places catches on with the company's 500 million users, Facebook could be sitting on a gold mine of local business listings that advertisers and users will love and Google will hate, reports News.com.com.

As part of Google's quest to pack useful answers into search results pages, it has built out a database of local business listings tied to its Google Maps service that gives someone searching for "pizza san francisco" a wealth of results to browse. Businesses are encouraged to claim their listings in Google Places to add their Web sites, hours, menus, or other information that searchers might value, in hopes of encouraging more people to think of Google as the place to find information about what's around them at any given moment.

Facebook Places is a similar idea with a social-media twist. Facebook users can "check in" to an existing list of nearby locations from their mobile phones or add new listings themselves, sharing that activity with their friends.

IBM has developed its first ever apprenticeship programme in England, says Computing.co.uk.

The company is looking to recruit 20 "IT specialist" apprentices - and is offering roles across the UK for the two-year development programme.

The news comes soon after BT revealed it is extending its own apprenticeship programme due to overwhelming demand, as the number of students studying IT at schools and colleges in the UK continues to fall.