department of justice
Latest
Seller of StealthGenie spyware app gets fined $500,000
A US District Judge in Virginia has ordered the man responsible for selling and distributing StealthGenie, an application used to spy on people, to pay a $500,000 fine and hand over the software's source code to the authorities. Hammad Akbar, who is originally from Denmark, last week pleaded guilty to the charges of a "sale of an interception device and the advertising of a known interception device," in what the Department of Justice is calling the first-ever criminal conviction of its kind. Akbar admitted that StealthGenie could take on many spying tasks once installed on an iOS, Android or BlackBerry smartphone, such as providing access to email, text messages and pictures, as well as intercepting any incoming and outgoing phone calls.
Hackers charged with Xbox One, Valve, Call of Duty data theft
The United States has charged four members of an international hacking ring with stealing up to $200 million in intellectual property and other data from Microsoft, Epic Games, Valve, Zombie Studios and the US Army. The hackers are charged with stealing software related to Xbox Live, Xbox One, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Gears of War 3. "Specifically, the data cyber-theft allegedly included source code, technical specifications and related information for Microsoft's then-unreleased Xbox One gaming console; intellectual property and proprietary data related to Xbox Live, Microsoft's online multi-player gaming and media-delivery system; Apache helicopter simulator software developed by Zombie Studios for the US Army; a pre-release version of Epic's video game, Gears of War 3; and a pre-release version of Activision's video game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The defendants also allegedly conspired to use, share and sell the stolen information," the US Department of Justice says in a press release. The hacking group used SQL injection and stolen usernames and passwords to break into the targeted companies' networks. The men charged are Nathan Leroux, 20, of Bowie, Maryland; Sanadodeh Nesheiwat, 28, of Washington, New Jersey; David Pokora, 22, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; and Austin Alcala, 18, of McCordsville, Indiana. Pokora and Nesheiwat have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and copyright infringement, both scheduled for sentencing in January. "Pokora's plea is believed to be the first conviction of a foreign-based individual for hacking into US businesses to steal trade secret information," the Department of Justice says. Authorities in Australia have charged an Australian citizen in relation to this conspiracy. [Image: Microsoft]
Crackdown on spying apps leads to StealthGenie CEO's arrest
Apparently, the US government is now on a mission to bring down mobile applications offering spyware services -- which, for a variety of well-documented reasons, simply seems kind of ironic. Controversy aside though, the Department of Justice revealed today that Hammad Akbar, CEO of StealthGenie, had been arrested in Los Angeles and charged with conspiracy, advertisement of a known interception device, advertising a device as a surreptitious interception device and sale of such a device. StealthGenie, which had been available on iOS, Android and BlackBerry, was known for providing an app capable of monitoring someone's calls, texts and photos, as well as tracking their location and more. StealthGenie wasn't shy about doing that either; a quick glance at a StealthGenie promotional video, found after the break, sums up the ideals behind the application and the consumers it targeted.
Hackers plead guilty to stealing code for unfinished Xbox games and military software
Surprise, surprise: the government doesn't take kindly to being hacked. The United States Department of Justice announced today that four members of an international hacking group have been indicted for stealing over $100 million of software and intellectual property, and two of the accused have already pleaded guilty. Using a mix of SQL injection and stolen passwords, the group reportedly hacked into internal networks owned by Microsoft, Epic Games, Valve, Zombie Studios and the U.S. Army. Their target? Video games and specialized pilot training software.
Apple agrees to $450 million dollar settlement in e-book antitrust case
Apple has resisted settling with the government over charges that it conspired with publishers to fix e-book prices. While its alleged co-conspirators have already opted to pay up and move on, Cupertino has been steadfast in maintaining its innocence. Though, it seems the tech giant has grown weary of the constant court battles and is ready to settle. The Department of Justice and Apple have a agreed to a preliminary settlement of $450 million, $400 million of which would be set aside and returned to consumers. There is still an appeal pending, however, which could either reduce the penalty or eliminate the payment entirely. But if Apple loses the appeal (and its success in court has been mixed at best in this case) it will be on the hook for the entire $450 million.
Daily Update for January 15, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
U.S. government finds 0.7% of all mobile malware affects iOS, while Android accounts for 79%
A cautionary memo put out by the US Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of Justice shows that, according to the government's findings, only 0.7 percent of all mobile malware is designed to take advantage of iOS. This figure is in stark contrast to the Android OS, which the memo reports accounts for 79 percent of mobile malware threats. The release was published by the website Public Intelligence. The memo, which reports its data as being from 2012, was targeted at police, fire and emergency personnel. It goes on at length with tips for Android users to avoid common malware scams such as seedy SMS messages and counterfeit apps. In addition to ranking both iOS and Android, the report shows that 19 percent of malware is designed to affect the Symbian OS, 0.3 percent for Windows Phone and 0.3 percent for BlackBerry. [via TNW]
Daily Update for August 26, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Judge denies Apple request in e-book case
The first of the many Apple legal rulings and requests expected today came out poorly for the company. Judge Denise Cote refused a request by Apple for a temporary suspension of her ruling last month stating that Apple had conspired with publishers to raise e-book prices and violated antitrust laws. Just yesterday, the e-book publishers the company allegedly conspired with came to Apple's defense, asking the increasingly hostile Department of Justice to do away with a proposal to "remedy" the allegedly "illegal" activities Apple engaged in. As our sister site Engadget notes, "It appears that Apple is fighting a losing battle. We're sure that there are still tricks in its legal arsenal, but there is little indication that Cupertino will be able to avoid terminating its existing agreements and will be barred from engaging in agency pricing before the end of the DoJ's five-year ban."
Apple issues 136-slide presentation as part of its closing arguments in e-book case
Apple's role in the Department of Justice cause regarding e-book pricing has come to a close, capped with a 136-slide presentation that All Things D has made available. The final slides were displayed in iBooks on an iPad in the presentation, saying that it was "time to close the book on this case." The government's summation was nearly as long, clocking in at 119 pages. Its presentation ends with urging that agency pricing be prohibited for two years and Apple barred from any further antitrust law violations, retaliation or discrimination. It also urged that Apple allow third-party booksellers to reinstate links to their stores. This comes on the heels of Barnes & Noble revealing in its testimony that the company was negotiating agency pricing long before Apple reached out to publishers. A decision is expected within the next few weeks.
Barnes & Noble VP delivers a bruising blow to DOJ case against Apple
Apple received a boost in its defense against the Department of Justice allegations about e-book price-fixing yesterday from a company that had already settled in the case: Barnes & Noble. The bookseller's Vice President of Digital Content, Theresa Horner, told the court that her company was in the process of negotiating agency pricing deals with publishers well before Apple came into the e-book market. The DOJ has repeatedly attempted to paint Apple as the nefarious ringleader conspiring with book publishers to raise prices on e-books. During her court appearance, Horner essentially shut down that argument by noting that Apple had nothing to do with Barnes & Noble talking with book publishers about agency pricing, which means that publishers set book prices rather than resellers. Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch apparently proposed the idea to publishing companies in late 2009, before Apple even started negotiations with the same companies. Lynch felt that agency pricing was a must if his company was to compete and make money against Amazon's Kindle bookstore. The DOJ's case against Apple has received other blows. Penguin CEO David Shanks told the court that Apple seemed indifferent to the e-book market and was going to walk away from the market if it couldn't ink deals with publishers. Other evidence shows that even Amazon was working on the same agency pricing deals with publishers, with identical price-matching terms (i.e., other retailers couldn't sell e-books at lower prices) to what Apple and Barnes & Noble eventually achieved with their deals. Judge Denise Cote heard the case and felt before the trial that the DOJ had a strong case against Apple. Yesterday, at a point when Apple was going to demonstrate the "page curl" feature devised by Steve Jobs, Cote interrupted by saying "I have an iPad. I love my iPad. I have seen this feature." In contrast to her start-of-trial comments, Cote noted yesterday, "It seems to me the issues have somewhat shifted during the course of the trial. Things change. People have to stay nimble. I'm looking forward to understanding where we are now." The parties in the case deliver their summations today, and a ruling from the bench will be forthcoming in the future -- possibly as long as two months from now.
Daily Update for June 13, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Daily Update for May 16, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Daily Update for February 13, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
What could happen if Apple, DoJ go to trial over e-books
As of last Friday, Apple is the last remaining defendant in the US Department of Justice e-book antitrust case. On Friday, Macmillan settled with the government, the last of the original five publishers named in the case to do so. Now Apple is standing alone against the DoJ and is expected to end up in court on June 3, 2013. So, what are the possible ramifications if Apple doesn't settle prior to that court date? According to a Reuters story published today, the case alleges that Apple conspired with the five publishers to keep e-book prices in the iBookstore and other retailers higher than those available from Amazon.com. If the case goes to trial, US District Judge Denise Cote will seek a judicial decree stating that Apple violated antitrust law. If Apple loses, a number of plaintiffs could use the judgment as evidence against Apple in separate actions seeking monetary damages. Those plaintiffs could seek compensation for higher prices paid for e-books plus damages. Antitrust laws allow plaintiffs to recover triple the actual damages, and in 2012 alone, those damages were estimated to be at more than $200 million. If Apple went to trial and lost, the company could lose big. But the company may want to go to trial to establish an antitrust principle that could help it forge future deals with entertainment companies. Apple could still choose to settle with the DoJ, but at this time it is showing no signs that it plans to do so.
Department of Justice asks MetroPCS for more info regarding T-Mobile merger
We can't say we're exactly surprised, but it's still worth noting that the United States DOJ has contacted MetroPCS to ask for additional information about the company's recently announced merger with T-Mobile. The adequately-named "Second Request" will be essential before an actual consolidation approval can be made, and MetroPCS has stated it plans on being fully cooperative so that it can "obtain the approval of the transaction as soon as possible." Additionally, the Wireless for All carrier says it's pretty confident on the Department of Justice's ability to see the proposed merger is "both pro-competitive and pro-consumer." In the end, it's nothing more than a required hurdle before the two telcos can move on with their original plans. Official word from MetroPCS can be found inside the presser below.
Editorial: Bring on the digital overthrow of publishing
Last week's release of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite offered an opportunity to look back on the rapid growth of e-reading, and look forward to what the digitization of publishing will mean to four major market forces: publishers, bookstores, authors and readers. As during any technological disruption, winners and losers trade fates until the upheaval settles and a new cycle of status quo begins. Amazon is not the only bookstore represented in the scramble for new-era survival, but its major role has multiple dimensions: seller, publisher, enabler, inventor and primary instigator of disruption. Amazon is banking on being a winner, and was recently handed an advantage by the U.S. government in its uneasy relationship with publishers. While industrial forces work their way through the dislocation of new paradigms, individuals -- both book consumers and book authors -- stand to be the biggest winners, and that is a good thing.
Daily Update for August 16, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple calls Dept. of Justice settlement proposal unlawful
Apple is making it known that it will not accept the ebook settlement terms proposed by the Department of Justice, says a report in Paid Content. Under the DOJ's proposal, Apple would have to sever its current contracts and renegotiate new ones with three book publishers - HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster. Apple says that this outcome is "fundamentally unfair, unlawful, and unprecedented" and denies the company its right to a fair trial. This settlement is the result of an investigation into Apple's agency model pricing agreement with book publishers. In this model, publishers are allowed to set ebook prices in the iBookstore and cannot sell the electronic books at a lower price through another retailer. This hurt Amazon, which was paying publishers the wholesale cost, but selling the books to customers at extremely low prices, often at a loss. Rather than accept the settlement, Apple asked the court to defer judgement on the settlement until the case made its way through the court. The trial is expected to begin in June 2013. [Via Apple Insider]
DOJ, FCC clear Verizon buyout of cable companies' spectrum, require giving up some airwaves (update: not quite for the FCC)
Verizon has been fighting hard to get its acquisition of cable companies' wireless frequencies past legal hurdles, and it just surged over the most important of the bunch: both the Department of Justice and the FCC have signed off on the agreement. To get the $3.9 billion deal through the door, Big Red will have to offload some of its spectrum to other companies, the FCC argues. The DOJ, meanwhile, is more concerned that Verizon is getting a little too cozy with Bright House, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner Cable in terms of marketing and reselling bundles that include cellular and cable access. Closing the deal also requires setting up a new joint venture in technology research. We're still working to learn the full details of the deal, but the spectrum handover will likely give a swift kick to Verizon's 4G capacity -- and anger a few rivals who wouldn't have wanted any handover to go through. Update: Since we posted, it's become clearer that FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has only recommended a vote in favor of the deal; the agency hasn't formally greenlit the deal just yet.
