How Much Does the Internet Weigh?

Countries dueling plans could prompt new arms race

(NEWSER) - The cold war may be going digital, the New York Times reports, as the US and Russia clash over how to combat attacks in cyberspace. Washington has dismissed Moscow’s call for an international treaty, preferring to promote cross-border cooperation in hunting down hackers. “We really believe it’s defense, defense, defense,” said US official. But Russia worries more about military attacks over the Internet. More»

Stalkers, potential employers may have access to photos years later

(NEWSER) - The critical problem with sexting is that salacious snaps teens send of themselves from their cell phones can exist forever in cyberspace. That's the message Australian authorities are stressing in a new educational anti-sexting campaign. Nude pictures sent in fun could end up being posted on the Internet by sexual predators years later or could scuttle job prospects if spotted online by potential employers, reports Reuters. More»

Next president must find right balance of regulation for internet safegaurds

(NEWSER) - Noting that both candidates have plans to ensure our collective cyber security, Bruce Schneier, in Wired, lays out some essential policy advice for the next president:

• Use the government’s enormous purchasing power to make security software producers do better. Make security requirements for government software high, and those improvements will be included in the security products offered to the public.

In cities outside the US, hackers shut down grid for blackmail

(NEWSER) - Foreign extortionists have managed to hack into US power grids and shut them down, PC World reports, citing a CIA analyst speaking at a security conference this week. "In at least one case, the disruption caused a power outage affecting multiple cities. We do not know who executed these attacks, but all involved intrusions through the Internet," the analyst said. More»

Moscow mulling the creation of a Russian-only computer network

(NEWSER) - The Kremlin is going 2.0 by extending its reach into cyberspace, where dissidents have found refuge from the government’s tight censorship. While Putin allies mount pro-government websites and snatch up existing independent outlets, Moscow is considering the creation of a separate Russian network. “The attractiveness of the Internet as a free platform for free people is already dimming,” one expert said. More»