spy

File-sharing sites haven't had a great year, especially in court, but on Wednesday they received a smidgen of good news.

The Motion Picture Association of America asked a federal court to rule that Isohunt was liable for copyright violations committed by its users, but the judge in the case was unconvinced. In his order, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson said the studios had yet to prove that the Isohunt's users had broken U.S. law.

Lawyers for the MPAA, the trade group representing the six major Hollywood film studios, are trying to convince the judge that … Read more

Bryan Wagner, the would-be private detective who helped Hewlett-Packard spy on technology journalists in 2006, will soon be sentenced, according to a story by The Associated Press.

Wagner admitted in 2007 to taking part in the spying campaign waged by HP in its attempt to unearth a boardroom leak. The targeted journalists worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNET News.

Wagner pleaded guilty to identity theft and conspiracy in January 2007 and on Wednesday is due to get a new sentencing date in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., the AP reported.

This … Read more

If you are using a Windows machine or even a Mac running Windows in a virtual environment, you need to pay attention to security. At the very least, you should always have at least one program for each of the major security threats: antispyware, antivirus, and a software firewall (if you don't already have a router-based firewall). Some antivirus suites have begun to include antispyware in their software, so if you have antivirus software, check to make sure you're covered. But if you're reading this and you don't have software to cover these three areas, we … Read more

OM Spy is a powerful program that records all aspects of computer usage. Much more than just a keylogger, the program delivers comprehensive information about computer use in a variety of formats.

The program's interface is simple and intuitive. Users need only set a key combination and password in order to access the program later, click Start Monitoring, and OM Spy does the rest. Accessing the information that the program gathers is easy, and the data is almost creepily detailed. Users can view keystrokes, Web sites, and screenshots taken every 30 seconds. All of the data is time-stamped, providing … Read more

You know it's never a good sign when a program's Quick Start tutorials and wizards are just as confusing as its user interface. Definitely not for the novice user, WebSpy Analyzer Premium lets you keep a watchful eye on e-mail and Internet usage--just be prepared to spend the entire 30-day trial period getting acquainted with it.

At first glance, the user interface appears fairly straightforward. But after a closer look, it wasn't obvious what we needed to do first. A Quick Start Tutorial is displayed in the center panel, but it was vague and didn't help … Read more

Outfitted with a skeleton forged from a super alloy, the comic book hero Wolverine is supposed to be indestructible.

After a raw version of the movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" leaked to the Web last month, 20th Century Fox is hoping the action pic, which debuts Friday, is nearly as durable.

Hollywood has been in a near frenzy since April 1, when someone--who has yet to be identified--leaked a copy of "Wolverine" to the Web. The fear was that the unauthorized copy would hurt ticket sales. "Wolverine" cost more than $100 million to make.

Some … Read more

XP-AntiSpy claims that users of Windows XP are at risk from catching a nasty virus with the program's built-in updates. This download aims to let users make the decisions about what gets added and what gets turned away at the door, but is best used by experienced users.

This freeware program's interface is as basic as it gets. It's designed purely for functionality, with no thought for aesthetics. Users see every possible nook and cranny that spyware and viruses can wiggle through on their computers thanks to a long, scrolling list that showcases everything from Media Player … Read more

One of our listeners is upset that Pizza Hut is hiring interns to Twitter for them. We try to show the difference between astroturfing on blogs and hiring someone to Twitter legitimately. We also decide that when GREP is outlawed, only criminals will GREP. And Blu-ray's getting cheap. But do we care?

Blu-ray in every home? Backers aim for $99 players http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/04/blu-ray-in-every-home-backers-aim-for-99-players.ars

Google: Search changes in images http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8009400.stm

Google news timeline http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10223607-2.html… Read more

I have no delusions of being a superspy like James Bond. Sure, I have the swagger and the charm, and I look dashing in a tuxedo, but right now I don't have a car, let alone a car with machine guns and grill-mounted missiles to destroy my own personal villains.

But that's not to say I couldn't get one. And I don't need any snotty Q character to hand me the keys, so long as I can come up with $125,900. Sure, the weapons are fake, but that's OK; I don't have Bond'… Read more