PS3 hack ban upheld by court as free version released

Sony's battle to block the distribution of a hack for its PlayStation 3 (PS3) has been won in an Australian court but lost on the internet. The court ruled on Friday that a ban on distribution of the PSJailbreak "dongle", first issued on 27 August, would be made permanent. However, on Thursday the software code behind a similar hack was released free on the internet as PSGroove. The hacks allow homemade games to be played on the console. While the PSGroove software was specifically designed not to allow the playing of pirated games, as PSJailbreak does, it has already been modified by other hackers to permit the practice. Also on Friday, it emerged that Sony had filed a US lawsuit against Zoomba, the firm that runs shopPSjailbreak.com, a site selling the device. The lawsuits specifically name the PSJailbreak device - software loaded onto a USB data stick - but reports have surfaced that the device has been replicated and could soon be widely available through other vendors. Sony declined to comment on the court cases or the release of the open-source code.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11176441

Orange and T-Mobile merge networks

Customers of Orange and T-Mobile will soon be able to hop between the two mobile networks. The deal is one of the first practical benefits from the recent merger of the two firms, which have 30 million customers combined. The network sharing deal is limited to 2G signals, meaning that customers will see little benefit when using the mobile web "Outside of the South-East [of England] there has been a constant perception that T-Mobile is an underperforming network," said Shaun Collins of research firm CCS Insight. He said that network coverage was becoming a "key battleground" between the major UK networks. "The network coverage advantages of the merger [between Orange and T-Mobile] were always the most important part of it," he said. Customers of the two firms will have to sign up for the free "roaming" service, which goes live on 5 October.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11199786

Little black dress that's also a phone

The garment, branded the M-Dress, lets wearers make and receive calls by slipping their sim card under the label, allowing them to keep their usual numbers. Gesture recognition software allows users to pick up a call by raising their hand to their ear and end a conversation by letting it fall to their side. The M-Dress, designed by the London-based fashion company CuteCircuit, will ring when an incoming call is received and different ringtones can be assigned to different numbers. But the garment can only call a limited number of pre-programmed contacts, according to Mashable, the technology website. The dress is described as being made of "a dark, richly textured, form-fitting silk jersey" and will be released in 2011. Its price remains undisclosed. The antanna, described as “super-tiny”, is stitched into the bottom hem of the dress, which rests at about knee-height, to reduce the amount of radiation that the wearer is exposed to.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7972656/Little-black-dress-thats-also-a-phone.html

Apple eyes kill switch for jailbroken iPhones

Apple has applied for a patent covering an elaborate series of measures to automatically protect iPhone owners from thieves and other unauthorized users. But please withhold the applause. The patent, titled “Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device,” would also protect Apple against jailbreaks and other unauthorized hacks to the device, which were recently excepted from copyright enforcement. The application, which was filed in February and published Thursday, specifically describes the identification of “hacking, jailbreaking, unlocking, or removal of a SIM card” so that measures can be taken to counter the user. Possible responses include surreptitiously activating the iPhone's camera, geotagging the image and uploading it to a server and transmitting sensitive data to a server and then wiping it from the device. Rest assured that this jailbreaking identification, the application would have us believe, is simply a means of protecting owners from unauthorized users. “Access to sensitive information such as credit card information, social security numbers, banking information, home addresses, or any other delicate information can be prohibited,” the application states. “In some embodiments, the sensitive information can be erased from the electronic device. For example, the sensitive information can be erased directly after an unauthorized user is detected.” But elsewhere, the patent betrays ulterior motives that are considerably more self serving. “An activity that can detect an unauthorized user can be any action that may indicate the electronic device is being tampered with by being, for example, hacked, jailbroken, or unlocked,” the patent continues. “For example, a sudden increase in memory usage of the electronic device can indicate that a hacking program is being run and that an unauthorized user may be using the electronic device. “'Jailbreaking' of an electronic device can generally refer to tampering with the device to allow a user to gain access to digital resources that are normally hidden and protected from users. 'Unlocking' of a cellular phone can generally refer to removing a restriction that 'locks' a cellular phone so it may only be used in specific countries or with specific network providers. Thus, in some embodiments, an unauthorized user can be detected if it is determined that the electronic device is being jailbroken or unlocked.”

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/20/apple_jailbreak_patent/

Cars hacked through wireless tire sensors

The tire pressure monitors built into modern cars have been shown to be insecure by researchers from Rutgers University and the University of South Carolina. The wireless sensors, compulsory in new automobiles in the US since 2008, can be used to track vehicles or feed bad data to the electronic control units (ECU), causing them to malfunction. Earlier in the year, researchers from the University of Washington and University of California San Diego showed that the ECUs could be hacked, giving attackers the ability to be both annoying, by enabling wipers or honking the horn, and dangerous, by disabling the brakes or jamming the accelerator. The new research shows that other systems in the vehicle are similarly insecure. The tire pressure monitors are notable because they're wireless, allowing attacks to be made from adjacent vehicles. The researchers used equipment costing $1,500, including radio sensors and special software, to eavesdrop on, and interfere with, two different tire pressure monitoring systems. The pressure sensors contain unique IDs, so merely eavesdropping enabled the researchers to identify and track vehicles remotely. Beyond this, they could alter and forge the readings to cause warning lights on the dashboard to turn on, or even crash the ECU completely. Unlike the work earlier this year, these attacks are more of a nuisance than any real danger; the tire sensors only send a message every 60-90 seconds, giving attackers little opportunity to compromise systems or cause any real damage. Nonetheless, both pieces of research demonstrate that these in-car computers have been designed with ineffective security measures.

Source: http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2010/08/cars-hacked-through-wireless-tyre-sensors.ars

Dell ships motherboard with malicious code

Dell has confirmed that some of its PowerEdge server motherboards were shipped to customers with malware code on the embedded server management firmware. The infected motherboard was found on replacement Dell PowerEdge R410 rack servers, according to a post on a Dell support forum. A Dell representative confirmed the issue after a customer received a call warning about the infected motherboard. As part of Dell’s quality process, we have identified a potential issue with our service mother board stock, like the one you received for your PowerEdge R410, and are taking preventative action with our customers accordingly. The potential issue involves a small number of PowerEdge server motherboards sent out through service dispatches that may contain malware. This malware code has been detected on the embedded server management firmware as you indicated. We take matters of information security very seriously and believe that any impact to a customer’s information security is unlikely. To date we have received no customer reports related to data security. Systems running non-Windows operating systems are not vulnerable to this malware and this issue is not present on motherboards shipped new with PowerEdge systems. The company did not provide any additional details.

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/dell-ships-motherboard-with-malicious-code/6901

File sharers targeted with legal action over music downloads

Solicitors for dance music label Ministry of Sound have sent letters to thousands of internet users it believes have illegally downloaded music and says it is determined to take them to court – and extract substantial damages – unless they immediately pay compensation, typically around £350. Ministry of Sound's move marks an intensification of the legal battle against file sharers, which is seeing more and more lawyers send out what critics call speculative invoicing of downloaders suspected of pirating anything from music tracks to films and games. Soho firm Gallant Macmillan last week completed a mailout to 2,000 individuals it claims infringed Ministry of Sound's copyright after downloading and sharing music. It follows in the steps of ACS:Law, which has sent many thousands of letters demanding compensation from alleged file sharers, sometimes billing in excess of £1,000. Luke Bellamy, above, contacted Money this week after receiving a £295 demand from ACS:Law, which alleged he downloaded and shared a track from dance music group Cascada. Some recipients of the letters, concerned about forking out huge damages, have paid up. Others have been mystified – they claim never to have downloaded the tracks. Meanwhile, some legal specialists say the threats are largely unenforceable. Unless a user confesses to illegally downloading a file, or a court order is obtained to seize a computer and the file is then located on its hard drive, consumer groups say, it's hard to see how such an action will succeed. Even the body that represents the UK recorded music industry, the BPI, which is keen to stamp out illegal filesharing, says it does not condone the mass-mailing of alleged internet pirates. "Our view is that legal action is best reserved for the most persistent or serious offenders, rather than widely used as a first response," it says.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/jul/17/file-sharers-legal-action-music-downloads

Juries banned from using internet to research cases

Jurors in criminal trials should be banned from using the internet to research their cases, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales has said. Issuing new guidance at the Court of Appeal, Lord Justice Judge said a "polite request" to jurors not to browse the web was not enough. He said using the material to help make decisions could result in a conviction being quashed. He said guidance about web use "must" be given at the outset of a trial. Lord Judge made his comments in a judgement relating to six appeals in which there had been allegations of jury irregularities. He said that web use was so common that specific guidance had to be given and that jurors had to understand that "although the internet is part of their daily lives, the case must not be researched there".

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10634238

Google Accused of Breach of Lawmakers' Home Wi-Fi Networks

Google has been accused of drive-by spying on members of Congress, including those involved with homeland security, by uploading e-mail or Website viewing information while mapping for its Google Street View. According to a government watchdog group several members of Congress have unsecured wireless networks, including Rep. Jane Harman, D-CA, who heads the intelligence subcommittee for the House Homeland Security committee, and whose home was discovered to house unsecured networks named "harmanmbr" and "harmantheater." Google previously admitted that it had accidentally collected "samples of payload data" information in a rather innocuous update to a month-old press release last month and released a report on the breach June 10. However, a advocacy group called Consumer Watchdog decided there needed to be more publicity to expose the "WiSpying" and the group decided to conduct its own experiment by sniffing out unsecured networks at Congress members' homes. Sure enough, they hit paydirt. This leaves little question that Google is currently in possession of sensitive data from the information networks used by members of Congress in their residences. Because of your position, we believe this is not just an invasion of privacy but an unwarranted intrusion by Google into legislative branch matters. In our view, you have the right to demand that Google disclose to you any information it has collected regarding your home wireless networks.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/200779/Google_Slammed_For_Wi_Fi_Breach_of_Lawmakers_Home_Networks.html?tk=rss_news

Extreme porn now illegal north of the border

If you thought you could hide your extreme porn stash in a secluded location north of the border – think again. For this week, the Scottish Parliament finally fell into line with its English counterpart south of the border, passing laws - included within the Criminal Justice Bill - making it a criminal offence to possess images that were extreme and pornographic in nature. Like the English law on this topic, passed in May 2008, the Scottish law will focus on images that are realistic, pornographic and of an extreme nature. In addition, however, the Scottish law adds an extra clause, bringing within this Bill images which are believed to depict "rape or other non-consensual penetrative sexual activity". Quite how useful this clause may turn out remains to be seen. The Register has analysed nearly 50 cases that have been brought in the rest of the UK since the Westminster law went live. Our analysis reveals that in the vast majority of cases, the extreme porn in question featured bestial imagery ("human-on-animal" action) and not "human-on-human" action of the sort that the law’s proponents claimed it was designed to act against. We believe that there are two reasons for the low incidence of such cases. First, in the days after the law went live, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) advised English police forces not to police this law pro-actively, so the majority of convictions have been in association with other offences: they have been "add-on" charges. Second, while it is relatively easy to identify bestial images, the threshold for identifying human-human extreme porn is far more difficult, and hard-pressed police and prosecution may have better things to do with their time. Few cases have been defended, but where they have the end result has been embarrassing for the authorities.

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/02/scotland_extreme_smut/

How Wi-Fi Drains Your Cell Phone

Some simple changes to the software running on Wi-Fi access points could significantly extend or even double cell phone battery life. That's the finding of a study that investigated why using Wi-Fi on a cell phone, and on some other portable devices, sucks up power so quickly. It found that a protocol designed to reduce Wi-Fi power drain often doesn't work effectively.Eric Rozner at the University of Texas at Austin and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Microsoft Research India made the discovery, and they also came up with a fix for the problem. The team began by benchmarking just how much power different models of cell phones needed to use Wi-Fi. "For example, we found that an HTC Tilt's total power consumption increases by threefold when using Wi-Fi," says Rozner, who notes that previous studies have shown Wi-Fi use can account for up to 60 percent of the phone's total energy consumption. "It is somewhat surprising that Wi-Fi consumes so much energy," Rozner says. He explains that a protocol called Power Saving Mode exists to prevent Wi-Fi from draining mobile devices' batteries too quickly. But when the team studied how a variety of access points use this mode, it found that the setup wasted power and unfairly prioritized some devices over others. "We found that current implementations of Power Saving Mode suffer multiple problems," says Rozner. Wi-Fi's hunger for energy is important. "More and more carriers are encouraging their subscribers to reduce 3G usage and instead use Wi-Fi by capping 3G data usage or enforcing certain applications to run exclusively on Wi-Fi," Rozner explains. A mobile device using Power Saving Mode flips its wireless radio between fully powered and a sleep setting, for periods lasting between seconds and tens of milliseconds, to conserve energy. For example, after sending a request for a file from the Web, a phone might sleep if it doesn't receive the file after half a second. While sleeping, the device listens for a beacon message that indicates its data is ready, after which it switches to full power and asks the access point to send it.

Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/25651/?a=f

British music biz group targets Google results

For years, file sharers have wondered why copyright owners don't go after Google, when the search engine is as effective at finding pirated film and music content as The Pirate Bay or any other BitTorrent search engine. It seems as if someone at the British Phonographic Industry must have wondered about that too, as the trade group for the music industry in Great Britain has requested that Google remove links to some popular file-sharing sites, including Megaupload, 4shared.com, Zippyshare, and MediaFire. "We have identified the following links that are available via Google's search engine," the BPI wrote to Google in a June 11 letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse. "[BPI leaders] request the following links be removed as soon as possible, as they directly link to sound recordings owned by our members." There appears to be few, if any, recent requests made by a large copyright owner for Google to remove links to accused pirate sites. Last October, Google pulled a link to The Pirate Bay, one of the most famous of the BitTorrent search engines, but Mountain View, Ca.-based Google quickly returned the link to its search pages and said the move was a mistake. The decision by BPI may not be supported completely by all four of the largest recording companies, music industry sources said. Last week, CNET reported that Google is working on a Web music store that could feature downloads and streaming music, and launch possibly as early as this fall. The fear of some at the top labels is that BPI could hinder Google's music operations in that country, a high-level music industry source said. The four largest record companies have long wanted Google to take on Apple's iTunes, and they are unlikely to want BPI to get in the way.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20008328-261.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0

8 Million UK Internet Users Risk Broadband ISP Cut Off Due to Usage Limits

The latest survey from uSwitch has warned that confusion over Fair Usage Policies (FUP) and general UK ISP restrictions has put 8 million (48%) broadband consumers at risk of service limits and possibly even disconnection because they have no idea of their usage allowance. Some 7 million (38%) ISP customers were also found to believe that their broadband is "Unlimited" when in fact many internet providers will still monitor and limit their usage if necessary. The study claimed that 2 million customers (9%) have been contacted by their ISP for "excessive use" and 350,000 (2%) have even been penalised. The survey results are important because uSwitch claims that Brits now spend an average of 2 hours each week using the internet to watch films or TV. In addition a further hour is also spent playing online games, such as via video game consoles (Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft XBox 360 etc.). The study does at least single out Sky Broadband (BSkyB) for being one of the few mainstream (big) ISPs to offer a "truly unlimited" service, although a lot of smaller unbundled ( LLU ) Cable & Wireless (C&W) based providers offer something similar. Virgin Media also has a 50Mbps package where Traffic Management rules have yet to be applied. Excluding those and a few other providers, many broadband firms advertising "unlimited" cover themselves with a "Fair Usage Policy". While differing from ISP to ISP, the policy generally states that the company has the right to limit a customer's service when usage is deemed to be "excessive".

Source: http://www.ispreview.co.uk/story/2010/06/14/8-million-uk-internet-users-risk-broadband-isp-cut-off-due-to-usage-limits.html

Why file-sharing has killed 'unlimited' mobile data contracts

So the free lunch - otherwise known as the unlimited data tariff - is over. O2 said on Thursday that it will no longer be offering new or upgrading customers its "unlimited" tariff for smartphone users - principally, it's believed, the iPhone users, whose numbers connected to O2 have grown from 1m to 2m in a year. O2 isn't the first: Vodafone ended its "unlimited" offering last month, and Steve Jobs had barely sat down after delivering his WWDC speech before AT&T announced that it too was ending its "unlimited" offering, replacing it with a tiered set - $15/month for 200MB, $25/month for 2GB. Orange is expected to follow suit in the next few weeks, though when asked the company simply says that it "constantly reviews its pricing". However the noises we're hearing from parts of the company suggest that a review will see it follow O2 to dump the "unlimited" offering. Why? Because a tiny number of users are slurping huge amounts of data. And because the mass of users are demanding more and more data (though lots less than the real slurpers). There's all sorts of interesting information that we can pull out of this - especially with the help of O2's chief executive Ronan Dunne, who signed a lengthy post at the company's blog with a tortuous justification for why the company has changed its rules. The strange thing is why he hasn't come out with the simple reason - because it would make O2 a lot more popular at a stroke. He goes over the points that were made in yesterday - that 97% of O2 smartphone users use less than 500MB, and that only a tiny number use more than 1GB. (Interesting to note that Apple-watcher John Gruber, someone who I'd expect to be a heavy user, says he uses about 500MB per month. So he's clearly just one of the 97%, even if an outlier there.)

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jun/11/mobile-data-unlimited-end#

"Straightforward legal blackmail": a tale of P2P lawyering

On January 26, 2010, the UK's Lord Lucas of Crudwell and Dingwall—yes, it's a real title—stood up and told his fellow peers in the House of Lords that the new crop of anti-P2P "settle or we'll sue your trousers off" warning letters were a travesty of justice. "In a civil procedure on a technical matter, it amounts to blackmail," thundered the libertarian lord-slash-blogger. "The cost of defending one of these things is reckoned to be £10,000. You can get away with asking for £500 or £1,000 and be paid on most occasions without any effort having to be made to really establish guilt. It is straightforward legal blackmail." The US has had limited experience with the more "entrepreneurial" sorts of copyright lawyers, the ones who send out tens of thousands of letters and threaten expensive prosecutions if alleged P2P users don't settle first for a significant fee. Most such letters on this side of the Atlantic Ocean have come from trade groups like the RIAA who were more interested in education and deterrence than profits (and who actually brought hundreds of cases when people did not choose to settle). But the UK has had much longer experience with small law firms who go into the business as a way to "monetize" P2P (and make a load of cash for themselves). The best known of the lot is currently ACS Law, a firm run by one Andrew Crossley. Crossley's modus operandi mirrors the work currently being done in the US by lawyers like Dunlap, Grubb, & Weaver: track IP addresses in BitTorrent swarms, unmask the identities behind them, then send stern letters demanding immediate payouts or tough prosecutions will ensue. Crossley claimed in April to have pulled in more than £1 million to date through the scheme.

Source: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/06/straightforward-legal-blackmail-a-tale-of-p2p-lawyering.ars

Bluetooth 3.0, WirelessHD show up in laptops

Laptops packed with Bluetooth 3.0 and WirelessHD are being shown at the Computex trade show in Taiwan and will be on the market this year, offering faster wireless data transfer speeds between PCs and TVs or mobile phones, for instance. Laptops shown by Acer and Asustek with the latest technologies could help wirelessly transfer larger files and high-definition images at faster speeds. The technologies have been under development, but are now slowly making their way into PCs. Asus announced the G73JW and the G53 gaming laptops with WirelessHD, which allows the transmission of high-definition video from laptops to larger TV screens. That could let users turn their PCs into game consoles or Blu-ray players. The laptops integrate Sibeam's WirelessHD technology and use the 60GHz frequency band to transfer data. The data transfers will not interfere with wireless communication through Wi-Fi or cordless phones, which use separate frequency bands, SiBeam said in a statement. The laptops will be available with 3D screens, Asus said. The G53 will come with a 15.6-inch screen and the G73JW laptop with a 17.3-inch screen. Laptop prices were not announced, and they will become available later this year. Acer at the show said it would bring Bluetooth 3.0 technology to its laptops, though it didn't announce specific models. However, an Acer Aspire 533 on display included a Bluetooth 3.0 port, according to enthusiast Web site Netbooked, which did a hands-on review of the device.

Source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177654/Bluetooth_3.0_WirelessHD_show_up_in_laptops?source=rss_news

Google has mapped every WiFi network in Britain

Every WiFi wireless router – the device that links most computer owners to the internet - in every home has been entered into a Google database. The information was collected by radio aerials on their Street View cars, which have now photographed almost every home in the country. The data is then used on Google's Maps for Mobile application to locate mobile phones such as iPhones in order for users to access information relevant to the area such as restaurants, cinemas, theatres, shops and hotels. The project had remained secret until an inquiry in Germany earlier this month in which Google was forced to admit that it “mistakenly” downloaded emails and other data from unsecured wireless networks where they were not protected by a password. Google points out that other companies have already mapped wireless networks, notably a company called Skyhook Wireless which has a contract with Apple, manufacturers of the iPhone. Google say the information, which lists the networks’ MAC (Media Access Control) address and SSID (Service Set-ID) number, but not their house number, is publicly available because the wireless network signals extend beyond the property in which they are located. Google has now suspended the use of Street View cars across the world – but their work in Britain is already complete. They said last week that they had not notified data protection authorities because “we did not think it was necessary” but they added: “It’s clear with hindsight that greater transparency would have been better.” A number of authorities, including those in Britain and the US, have asked Google to retain the downloaded emails pending a full inquiry but it is unclear what their obligations are concerning the WiFi data. Privacy campaigners claim that there has been a breakdown in regulation.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7786255/Google-has-mapped-every-WiFi-network-in-Britain.html

Which? Says, Dont Answer that ACS:Law Questionnaire!

Which? is warning alleged file-sharers not to answer a questionnaire being sent by ACS:Law, which it feels does little but incriminate its recipients. ACS:Law is one of the last UK law firms aggressively pursuing alleged P2P butt pirates - Davenport Lyons and Tilly Bailey Irvine bailed out of the process, with the latter withdrawing because of negative publicity the persecutions have brought to the practice of law. From an accused individual's perspective - especially for those without representation - the questions are dangerous to answer. We're sure that just about any marginally competent lawyer would recommend not answering the questions. That thought is bolstered by the fact that Which?'s head of legal affairs Deborah Prince and Lawdit's Michael Coyle share this view. "I think it is outrageous that ACS Law is asking consumers to provide evidence to support the claims that ACS Law is making on their clients' behalf, especially since many of the recipients may not have legal representation. I think its tactics are really underhand here. ACS Law should have all the evidence it needs before making these allegations. If it doesn't, then it shouldn't be asking unrepresented consumers to provide that evidence! "This is just another variation of what we believe is bullying behaviour by ACS Law, who say that by not completing the questionnaire it has no option but to consider people guilty of illegal file sharing and pursue the case in court. Declining to fill in a form does not provide evidence of guilt," Deborah Prince said.

Source: http://www.slyck.com/story1972_Which_Says_Dont_Answer_that_ACSLaw_Questionnaire

Web customers waiting as iPad makes Currys debut

Apple is planning a high street blitz to sell the iPad when it is launched in Britain on Friday — but people ordering online could have to wait more than two weeks for delivery. Apple has signed a deal with DSGi to stock the tablet computer at 139 PC World and Currys stores from launch, more than trebling the number of shops at which it will be available. DSGi has agreed a 60-day window with Apple to sell the iPad ahead of rivals such as Comet, Tesco, John Lewis and the Carphone Warehouse.
DSGi was in a strong position to steal the march on its rivals, as it operates 52 Apple concessions within its stores and has a longstanding relationship with the Californian company. It is understood that the iPad will also be on sale at Best Buy in Thurrock.

Source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article7135576.ece

Google debates face recognition technology

Google executives are wrestling over whether to launch controversial facial recognition technology after a barrage of criticism over its privacy policies. Eric Schmidt, chief executive, said a series of public disputes over privacy issues had caused the management team to review its procedures and the launch of new technologies. According to Google executives, facial recognition is one of the key topics of internal debate. Mr Schmidt said: “Facial recognition is a good example . . . anything we did in that area would be highly, highly planned, discussed and reviewed. When you go through these things, you review your management procedures.” However, he would not rule out any eventual roll-out, saying: “It is important that we continue to innovate.” Facial recognition has the potential to be the next privacy flashpoint. Google already uses the technology in its Picasa photo sharing service. This lets users tag some of the people in their photos and then searches through other albums to suggest other pictures in which the same faces appear. However, Google has held back on launching the technology more broadly. It was not included, for example, in the Google Goggles product, launched last year. This allows people to search for something on the internet by taking a picture of it on a mobile phone. Privacy campaigners have raised fears that adding facial recognition to Goggles would allow users to track strangers through a photograph, making it into an ideal tool for stalkers and identity fraudsters.

Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3cf20b4a-6373-11df-a844-00144feab49a.html