Facebook on Wednesday became a full member of the Global Network Initiative, a non-governmental organization promoting Internet freedom and privacy rights.

The announcement came one year after the world's biggest social network gained observer status at GNI, whose corporate members include Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google.

"We welcome Facebook as a full member of GNI and look forward to working more closely with them to advance the freedom of expression and privacy rights of Internet users worldwide," said the group's executive director Susan Morgan.

"Adding the power of Facebook's community of one billion global users puts GNI in an even better place to press governments to fulfill their obligations to protect rights online."

Facebook Vice President Elliot Schrage said the California company joined the group as part of its commitment to "advancing human rights, including freedom of expression and the right to communicate freely."

"We're pleased to join GNI and contribute to its efforts to shed a spotlight on government practices that threaten the economic, social and political benefits the Internet provides."

The news was welcomed by Human Rights Watch, which is also a member of the initiative.

"Facebook has an undeniable responsibility to safeguard human rights for the more than billion people who use it," said Arvind Ganesan, business and human rights director at Human Rights Watch.

"By joining the Global Network Initiative, Facebook is taking an important step to respect its users' human rights and to be accountable to them. The real test is to see how it implements GNI's principles."

Other GNI members include the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Pioneering Internet firm Yahoo! rose to stardom in the personal computer era while blogging platform Tumblr has won fans in a world of smartphones, tablets and social networking.

The following is a brief breakdown of the companies following Monday's news that Yahoo! will acquire Tumblr for $1.1 billion.

- Yahoo! was founded in 1994 by Stanford University graduate students David Filo and Jerry Yang and incorporated the following year.

- Yahoo! was originally a website referred to as "Jerry's guide to the worldwide web" and was designed as a searchable index of online offerings.

- Yahoo! reports that more than a half-billion people visit its websites, which include a free web-based email service, each month.

- Microsoft Corporation in early 2008 tried to buy California-based Yahoo! with an offer valued about $44.6 billion, but it was rejected.

- Yahoo! began using Microsoft search engine Bing to power queries at its websites in 2009 and focused on tailoring digital content, including original news and entertainment shows, to the tastes of visitors.

- Former Google executive Marissa Mayer became chief of Yahoo! in July of 2012.

- Tumblr.com is an online platform for posting short snippets or images to blogs referred to as "tumblelogs."

- David Karp and lead developer Marco Arment launched Tumblr in 2007 and the company is based in New York City.

- Karp is chief executive of Tumblr. Arment left Tumblr two years ago for another start-up.
- Tumblr reportedly hosts more that 100 million blogs.

- Tumblr has been criticized for the amount of adult content shared at the website.

- Tumblr has received about $125 million in backing from Union Square Ventures, Spark Capital, Sequoia Capital and other investors.

- Yahoo! announced on May 20, 2013 that it will buy Tumblr in a deal valued at $1.1 billion.

GUATEMALA CITY — Software company founder John McAfee was arrested by police in Guatemala on Wednesday for entering the country illegally, hours after he said he would seek asylum in the Central American country.

Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla said McAfee was detained by police at a hotel in an upscale Guatemala City neighborhood with the help of Interpol agents. He offered no other details.

Earlier Wednesday, McAfee said he had formally requested asylum in Guatemala, claiming he is the victim of persecution in neighboring Belize where officials have said he is a person of interest in the killing of a fellow ex-pat.

McAfee was taken late Wednesday to an old, three-story building used to house migrants who enter Guatemala illegally.

The 67-year-old went on the run from Belize last month after officials tried to question him about the fatal shooting of a neighbor. McAfee had engaged in a series of clashes with neighbors and authorities over allegations he kept aggressive dogs, illegal weapons and drug paraphernalia in his beachfront home on a Belize island. McAfee has denied any wrongdoing and said he was being persecuted for refusing to donate to local politicians.

He dropped out of sight for weeks after police said they were seeking him, although he grabbed global attention by recounting his life on the run through a blog and regular phone calls with reporters. He crossed into Guatemala this week and told The Associated Press that he formally applied for asylum Wednesday.

“Yes, we are presenting this, and I want it to be clear, because of the persecution, not because of the murder,” he told the AP.

Belizean officials have denied persecuting McAfee, and the country’s prime minister has said he suspects McAfee is mentally unstable.

Police in Belize say there is no warrant for McAfee’s arrest. Since there are no restrictions on his travels, it’s unclear why he would need any special status in order to stay in Guatemala.

McAfee is wanted for questioning in connection with the killing of Gregory Viant Faull, who was shot to death in early November on the Belize island where both men lived.

Faull’s home was a couple of houses down from the compound where McAfee kept several noisy dogs and armed guards and entertained a steady stream of young women brought in from the mainland. McAfee acknowledges that his dogs were bothersome and that Faull had complained about them, but denies killing Faull. Several of the dogs were poisoned shortly before Faull’s killing.

The Faull family has said through a representative that the murder of their loved one on Ambergris Caye has gotten lost in the media frenzy provoked by McAfee’s manipulation of the press through phone calls, emails and blog posts detailing his life on the lam.

For two weeks, McAfee refused to turn himself in to authorities in Belize and claimed to be hiding in plain sight, wearing disguises and watching as police raided his house. It was unclear, however, how much of what McAfee — a confessed practical joker — said and wrote was true.

McAfee hasn’t provided details on how he crossed from Belize into Guatemala.

He had earlier said he didn’t plan to leave Belize but ultimately did because he thought “Sam” was in danger, referring to the young woman who has accompanied him since he went into hiding.

McAfee, the creator of the McAfee antivirus program, has led an eccentric life since he sold his stake in the anti-virus software company that is named after him in the early 1990s and moved to Belize about three years ago to lower his taxes.

He told The New York Times in 2009 that he had lost all but $4 million of his $100 million fortune in the U.S. financial crisis. However, a story on the Gizmodo website quoted him as calling that claim “not very accurate at all.” He has dabbled in yoga, ultra-light aircraft and producing herbal medications.

MANILA, Philippines - Various groups opposing Republic Act (RA) No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act trooped to Padre Faura in Manila to call on the Supreme Court (SC) to strike down controversial provisions of the law and restrain government from implementing these provisions.

Their protest action, dubbed 'Black Tuesday,' began at around the same time the justices of the high court sat in en banc session, and on the agenda, the various petitions against the legislation. To date, there are 7 petitions filed against RA No. 10175.

The protesting groups used different antics to dramatize their cause.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), one of the petitioners, held the usual program with loud speakers in tow. They were led by Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino who said the version of the law passed at the lower House did not include, for example, criminalizing libel in cyberspace, the takedown powers of the Department of Justice (DOJ) over websites, and the monitoring of correspondences and data traffic of subject persons and sites.

The Philippine Internet Freedom Alliance or Pifa, for its part, brought a tarpaulin that read: 'Stop Cyber Martial Law.' Its members were gagged with black tape to symbolize government's "silencing" of their rights to free speech, among others.

The group said the freedom to use the Internet to express their advocacies as well as criticize government is very important to them.

Pifa is an advocacy group. It has a website that opens discussions on various proposed legislations and public projects.

A social networking group, headed by popular personality Marlene Aguilar and her Facebook friends, also came. They were a bit bold -- putting up the dirty finger to express their dismay to the assailed law.

Aguilar warned President Aquino that Anonymous Philippines, the group behind the defacing and hacking of government websites, is only a fraction of what she called Anonymous Global, which is ready to attack Philippine websites to no end in protest of RA No. 10175. Aguilar said this is an "army" Pres. Aquino cannot defeat.

A group of photographers-bloggers also came to take part in the protest.
The Manila Police District sent anti-riot policemen who were monitoring the protest action as it progressed.

Petitioners against RA No. 10175 before the high court are the following: Louis Biraogo, Disini, et al., ALAM party list, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, Adonis, et al., Palatino, et al., and Bayan et al. u
Collectively, the provisions of the law they want declared unconstitutional are the following:

-- Sec. 4 (a)(3), which includes data interference, defined as "the intentional or reckless alteration, damaging, deletion or deterioration of computer data, electronic document, or electronic data message, without right, including the introduction or transmission of viruses," in the list of cybercrime offenses;

-- Sec. 4(b)(3), which lists computer-related identity theft, defined as the intentional acquisition, use, misuse, transfer, possession, alteration or deletion of identifying information belonging to another, as one of computer-related offenses;

-- Sec. 4(c)(4), which criminalizes libel, not only on the internet, but also on "any other similar means which may be devised in the future;"

-- Sec. 5(a)(b), which identifies other offenses punishable under the law, such as: (a) Aiding or Abetting in the Commission of Cybercrime; and (b) Attempt in the Commission of Cybercrime;

-- Sec. 6, which raises by one degree higher the penalties provided for by the Revised Penal Code for all crimes committed through and with the use of information and communications;

-- Sec. 7, which provides that, apart from prosecution under the law, any person charged for the alleged offense covered will not be spared from violations of the Revised Penal Code and other special laws;

-- Sec. 12, which authorizes the real-time collection of traffic data;

-- Sec. 17, which authorizes service providers and law enforcement agencies to "completely destroy the computer data subject of a preservation and examination" order;

-- Sec. 19, which authorizes the DOJ to block access to computer data when such data "is prima facie found to be in violation of the provisions of this Act;" and

-- Sec. 20, which states that those who fail to comply with provisions of Chapter IV (Enforcement and Implementation), specifically orders from law enforcement agencies, shall face imprisonment of prision correctional (6 months and 1 day to 6 years) in its maximum period or a fine of P100,000 or both, for each noncompliance.

SAN FRANCISCO – A jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple more than $1 billion Friday after ruling the South Korean giant infringed on the US firm’s patents for a variety of smartphones and tablet computers, media reported.

The reports said the jury rejected Samsung’s counterclaims against Apple, in a big win for the Silicon Valley giant, which had claimed its iconic iPhone and iPad had been illegally copied.

The jury ruled Friday after a bitter trial that Samsung infringed on Apple patents for smartphones and tablets, media reported – a verdict that could have huge market repercussions.

The jury in San Jose, California, which had examined some 700 infringement claims by Apple and Samsung, ruled that the South Korean electronics giant infringed on a number of patents, said the technology websites Cnet and The Verge in live courtroom blogs.

Apple, which accused the South Korean electronics giant of copying the iPhone and iPad too closely, is seeking damages of up to $2.75 billion and an injunction that could knock some Samsung products off the US market.

The jury was reading from a list of claims, and the decision on Samsung’s counterclaims of infringement on wireless patents by Apple was not immediately clear.

The verdict affects patents on a range of Samsung products including some of its popular Galaxy smartphones and its Galaxy 10 tablet, devices alleged to have been copied from the iPhone and iPad.

LOS ANGELES—Google Inc. is altering its search results to de-emphasize the websites of repeat copyright offenders and make it easier to find legitimate providers of music, movies and other content.

The move is a peace offering to Hollywood and the music recording labels. This year, Google joined other Silicon Valley heavyweights to help kill legislation that would have given government and content creators more power to shut down foreign websites that promote piracy.

The Motion Picture Association of America issued a lukewarm response, saying it was “optimistic” the change would help steer consumers away from piracy.

“We will be watching this development closely — the devil is always in the details,” MPAA senior executive president Michael O’Leary said in a statement.

Next week, Google will start using “valid copyright removal notices” to rank its search results, according to a Friday blog post by Google’s senior vice president of engineering, Amit Singhal.

Google typically ranks websites based on how many other sites link to them, on the belief that sites that get more links are more trustworthy and useful. But Google also regularly tweaks its formulas to reflect special circumstances.

In this case, sites with high numbers of copyright-removal notices may get bumped down in rankings. In effect, that will help users find legitimate sources of content without removing any pages from its results completely. Google did not elaborate on what it considers to be valid notices.

Google’s icy relationship with content creators has thawed slightly.

Last month, Google said it would offer a $50-per-month TV package over a super-fast fiber network in a Kansas City test bed. The package would offer mainstream channels including Viacom Inc.’s Nickelodeon.

Google, which is based in Mountain View, California, also sells movies and music through its Google Play store on mobile devices that use its Android operating system.

But a $1 billion copyright lawsuit filed by Viacom against Google’s YouTube in 2007 was re-instated by a federal appeals court in April after a lower court threw it out.

And last week, court papers showed that the Authors Guild is demanding Google pay $750 for each of the 20 million books it has scanned in a 7-year-old case.

Over the past few days, the latest round of purported pictures of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 5 have hit the web.

And I can't be the only potential customer who is deflated by what they see.

In fact, I'll go far enough to say that, if the iPhone 5 looks like the pictures that have recently appeared, Apple may be screwed.

Why?

Because the "iPhone 5" looks pretty much like the iPhone 4S. Which looked exactly like the iPhone 4, a phone that is now two years old.

In the meantime, Samsung and other manufacturers have come out with phones that make people's jaws drop, such as the Galaxy S3, which has a (relatively) humongous screen. Although the Apple faithful may start hyperventilating about things like the movement or elimination of a button, most phone buyers couldn't care less. Now that most phones do the same things and work pretty much the same way, the most obvious (and, arguably, important) difference between them is the screen.

In short, the Galaxy feels like a next-generation phone. The iPhone, meanwhile, looks small and old. And the pictures that purport to be of the iPhone 5 show a phone that is pretty much the same small, old phone.

(Yes, they've moved the camera an inch. And it's longer. And it has a metal back. Whoop-de-do.)

(And, yes, apparently the screen is a little taller. Somehow that isn't the same. Check out the size difference in the photo below between the current iPhone and the Galaxy: A bit taller won't cut it.)

To be sure, regardless of what the iPhone 5 ends up looking like, the Apple faithful will scarf up tens of millions of them. They'll line up around the block and sleep outside the stores. They'll rave about the amazing slickness and geniosity and sophistication of Apple, especially as compared to the plebeian "bigness" of Samsung (the Galaxy will no doubt be dismissed as the McMansion of phones).

But, secretly, a lot of those faithful will be disappointed.

And, more importantly, so will tens of millions of other customers and potential customers.

As they should be.

Because it will make it clear that one observation that many Apple skeptics make is dead-on correct--namely that each new generation of the iPhone offers less and less improvement over the prior generation, and, thus, gives customers less reason to upgrade. This, combined with carriers increasingly making moves to discourage customers from upgrading frequently (see AT&T's stealthy changes, which may have helped hurt Apple's iPhone sales in the June quarter), will stretch out the upgrade cycles. And that will mean fewer sales--and less growth--for Apple.

samsung iphone

Which screen would you rather spend 18 hours a day using?
Apple's competitors, meanwhile, are on a tear.

In the past year, as Apple moved back its iPhone release schedule and then released a phone that seemed like only a modest refresh of the prior version, Apple's competitors have been gaining ground. Samsung sold 52 million smartphones in Q2, twice as many as Apple, and is now the clear worldwide smartphone leader. Samsung's Galaxy S3, which some reviewers say is better than the iPhone, has sold very well in its first couple of months on the market.

(Our gadget god, Steve Kovach, who is a huge Apple fan, is one of those who concluded that the Galaxy is better than the iPhone. He'd still buy an iPhone over the Galaxy, but only because of the "ecosystem"--the app store, the apps, etc. And although that ecosystem is obviously a big competitive advantage for Apple, it's safe to say if people feel forced to use an inferior phone just because of the "ecosystem," they're going to be disappointed.)

Despite the amazing success of the iPad (which will soon face serious, low-priced competition of its own), the iPhone is still by far and away Apple's most important product. The iPhone generates about half of Apple's revenue, and, likely, a lot more than half of Apple's profits.

If Apple's stock is to power its way to the the $1,000 that most analysts and investors now expect, the iPhone has to keep going gangbusters. And releasing a phone that looks pretty much like the same old iPhone--with a screen that now seems small--probably won't get the job done.

So here's hoping those pictures aren't actually of the iPhone 5.

Source: businessinsider.com

MANILA, Philippines – Sixteen people, including several South Korean nationals, have been arrested by police for allegedly hacking into the Globe Telecom’s system to make unbilled international calls.

Director Samuel Pagdilao, Chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said in a statement Tuesday that nine Koreans and several Filipino suspects have been apprehended through successive raids in Pasig, Manila, and Mandaluyong cities.

He said they belong to a cybercrime group that has been placed under police surveillance for several weeks.

The Koreans were identified as Eun Young Bae, Kwang Ming Song, 27, Junggyn Yang, 30, Kim Tae Hyung alias Martin Kim, Sehun Park, a certain Choi, Jong-Seok alias Edward Choi, Jung Dongchan alias Kevin Jeong, Jinwan Kim alias Liam Jin.

The other suspects were identified as Marcela Dela Paz, Chachin La Evidia Bornales, Christine Joy Gicale Carondoy alias Joya, 18, Joan Gicale Turno alias Queennie, 19, Jazzy Romero de la Cruz, 20, Jessa Grande Llaguno, 18, and Michelle Cambe Nacional, 26.

The suspects will be charged with violation of Republic Act No. 8484 or “Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998,” Pagdilao said.

Senior Superintendent Gilbert Sosa, CIDG’s Anti-Transnational and Cyber Crime Division (AFCCD) Chief, said that Globe had complained about the alleged hacking being done by the suspects through International Simple Resale (ISR) of international calls.

“ISR is an illegal act in the country because it deprives government of unrealized revenues and to the prejudice of Globe Telecom, where unbilled international calls were being charged and rerouted as mere local calls,” Sosa said.

Authorities confiscated computers, network hubs, GSM Modems, and bundles of unused SIM cards of Globe and Touch Mobile that were used to hack into Globe’s networks.

Two vehicles—a black Hyundai Tucson and silver Toyota Camry have also been confiscated by authorities in the raids.

The separate raids were conducted in Tower A, Renaissance 3000 building, Meralco Avenue, Ortigas, Pasig City, Pearl of the Orient Tower, Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila, North Tower, Lee Garden Condominium, Laurel St. Mandaluyong City, and Royal Plaza, Twin Towers, Malate, Manila

Pagdilao said that “the arrests of Korean and Filipino suspects demonstrate the need for a tougher law to deal with new challenges in the fight against cybercrime.”

Last week, CIDG anti-fraud operatives have arrested Hak Mo Kim in Mandaluyong City for hacking into SMART Communications networks.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Hackers at an infamous Def Con gathering on Sunday were shown how to easily slip into computer networks through some routers made by Chinese electronics colossus Huawei Technologies.

“For the 20th anniversary of Def Con the gift his China,” Recurity Labs chief Felix “FX” Lindner said as he opened his presentation.

“Nobody needs a back door; this is plausible deniability,” he quipped as he detailed weaknesses in three small Huawei routers that could be exploited using basic hacking techniques. “You get what you pay for. Sorry.”

Huawei routers, equipment that connects networks to the Internet, are widely used in Asia, Africa and the Middle East and the company has been striving to gain ground in US and European markets, according to Germany-based Recurity.

Lindner and his teammate Gregor Kopf were particularly troubled that Huawei has not issued any security advisories about its routers to warn users to take precautions.

“These machines have serious security issues,” Kopf told AFP. “In my eyes, the greatest danger is that you don’t know how vulnerable it is; you’re left in the dark.”

Kopf referred to the routers studied by Recurity as having technology reminiscent of the 1990s and said that once attackers slipped in they could potentially run amok in networks.

“It looks pretty bad,” Kopf said. “To be fair, we only looked at three routers. But based on this sample, chances are other equipment they offer is very vulnerable.”

Recurity did not examine “big boxes,” large routers Huawei makes for businesses and telecom networks.

Huawei, founded by a former People’s Liberation Army engineer, has established itself as a major force in the global telecoms industry where its technology is widely used to build mobile phone networks.

Huawei is battling an image problem in the broader technology market due to its perceived close ties with the Chinese military and government.

It was recently blocked from bidding for contracts on Australia’s ambitious national broadband project, reportedly due to concerns about cyber-security.

The company has in the past also run afoul of US regulators and lawmakers because of worries over its links with the Chinese military and Beijing — fears that Huawei has dismissed.

“It doesn’t really matter how much intention is behind the quality that we see,” said Lindner. “If you can take over people’s routers you can get into their stuff. People need to verify what they are dealing with before they buy.”

SAN JOSE, California—Observers and lawyers packed a California courtroom Monday for the blockbuster patent trial involving two of the world’s technology titans, Apple and Samsung.

Before proceedings began, a line packed with dozens of people stretched far outside the federal courthouse in San Jose, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

With the courtroom at capacity, some journalists were required to sit in an overflow room to watch pre-trial proceedings by video ahead of planned jury selection.

Lawyers for Samsung asked US District Judge Lucy Koh to set last-minute limits on what Apple attorneys can present to jurors during opening statements.

A 10-person jury was to be selected Monday, followed by opening arguments.

Apple is seeking more than $2.5 billion in a case accusing the South Korean firm of infringing on designs and other patents from the iPhone and iPad maker.

Samsung counters that Apple infringed on its patents for wireless communication, so the jury will sort out the competing claims.

This is one of several cases in courts around the world involving the two big electronics giants in the hottest part of the tech sector, tablet computers and smartphones.

While the results so far have been mixed in courts in Europe and Australia, Samsung is clearly on the defensive in the US case.

Koh, who will preside in the jury case, has issued two temporary injunctions against US sales of Samsung’s 10-inch Galaxy tablet and the Galaxy Nexus smartphone developed with Google.

To make matters worse, a magistrate in the case ruled last week that Samsung failed to retain key evidence in the case by allowing e-mails to be destroyed after learning of the lawsuit.

That will mean Judge Koh can issue an “adverse inference” instruction to the jury.

R. Polk Wagner, a professor of patent law at the University of Pennsylvania, said the case is probably the biggest patent trial since the 1980s case involving photo giants Polaroid and Kodak, and is important because of its size and ability to set precedent.

“I see this as the first in what I expect to be many cases involving smartphone technology,” he told AFP.

“It remains to be seen what the impact will be even if Apple wins. Typically the patents are relatively easy to design around. So if Samsung loses a couple of rounds they may still be able to make their phones.”

But Samsung could face big risks: If Apple wins, it would automatically get a permanent injunction on sales of Samsung devices. And if Samsung makes only minor changes, Apple could ask for the Korean firm to be held in contempt.

The case has huge financial implications for both firms and the burgeoning industry for mobile devices.

A survey by research firm IDC showed Samsung shipped 50.2 million smartphones globally in the April-June period while Apple sold 26 million iPhones. IDC said Samsung held 32.6 percent of the market to 16.9 percent for Apple.

Samsung is the leading maker of smartphones using Google’s Android operating system, which has become the most popular platform despite complaints from Apple that it has infringed on its patents.

WASHINGTON - A series of American flags that were planted on the moon during visits by Apollo astronauts some four decades ago are still standing, except for one, a NASA scientist has said.

The missing flag was the one planted by the pioneering astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 when the first humans -- Americans Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong -- stepped foot on the moon.

The details are contained in an online article by principal investigator Mark Robinson who analyzed data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC).

"From the LROC images it is now certain that the American flags are still standing and casting shadows at all of the sites, except Apollo 11," he wrote.

"Astronaut Buzz Aldrin reported that the flag was blown over by the exhaust from the ascent engine during liftoff of Apollo 11, and it looks like he was correct!"

Apollo missions ran from 1969 to 1972, shuttling American astronauts to the surface of the moon. Six flags were planted during this timespan.

The LROC orbiter was launched in 2009 to analyze new landing sites on the moon and send back visual information about the lunar environment via narrow and wide angle cameras.

"Personally I was a bit surprised that the flags survived the harsh ultraviolet light and temperatures of the lunar surface, but they did," Robinson wrote. "What they look like is another question (badly faded?)."

WASHINGTON—The popular international microblogging service Twitter crashed for around 30 minutes on Thursday, leaving millions of users without updates from friends, celebrities and news providers.

“Howdy folks, looks like we’re experiencing a small interruption of Twitter.com and some mobile clients. Thanks for your patience!” the US firm wrote on its support site.

Twitter accounts accessed by AFP from its Washington office showed no or patchy updates from around 1600 GMT, but the service was gradually restored, with many users posting messages expressing relief.

Last month the service was taken down for several hours by what the company described as a “cascading bug,” but the cause of Thursday’s problem was not immediately clear.

Apple Inc claims it is entitled to $2.525 billion of damages in its high-stakes battle against Samsung Electronics Co over patents for technology used in smartphones and tablets, such as the iPhone and iPad.

The estimate was revealed in a court filing early Tuesday, six days before the world's largest consumer electronics companies are scheduled on July 30 to begin a jury trial before U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California.

Apple accused Samsung of infringing its patents by making its popular Galaxy phone and computer tablets "work and look" like Apple products, enabling the South Korean company to overtake it as the world's largest maker of smartphones.

Samsung has countered that it simply developed its own "unique" products in a bid to "best the competition," and that Apple actually owes money for using its patented technology.

In its court filing, Apple said Samsung owes "substantial monetary damages" because it illegally "chose to compete by copying Apple."

It said Samsung has been "unjustly enriched" by an undisclosed amount -- presumably $2 billion -- and deprived Apple of $500 million of profit and $25 million of reasonable royalty damages. This results in "a combined total of $2.525 billion" of damages, Apple said.

Apple called its estimates conservative, and still plans to pursue a permanent injunction to stop future violations.

STIFLING COMPETITION

Thirteen minutes after Apple's filing, Samsung countered with a filing accusing the Cupertino, California-based company of trying "to stifle legitimate competition and limit consumer choice to maintain its historically exorbitant profits."

It said Apple should pay for using patented Samsung technology, "without which Apple could not have become a successful participant in the mobile telecommunications industry."

The dispute is part of a worldwide legal battle over the alleged theft of technology used in smartphones and tablets, including those powered by Google Inc's Android, which Samsung uses in its most popular devices.

In its filing, Apple claimed it is entitled to reasonable royalty rates equal to more than $31 per unit.

This includes $24 for use of Apple's "design patents or trade dress rights," $3.10 for a patent related to "scrolling" technology, $2.02 for a patent covering a "tap to zoom" feature, and $2.02 for a patent that tells users with a "bounce" when they reached the bottom of screens.

Apple also said that any remedy to which Samsung could be entitled over its "declared-essential patents" is limited to one-half of one cent per unit for each infringed patent.

Last week, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and top Samsung executives participated in court-supervised mediation to try to resolve the case but a resolution appeared to be unlikely, people familiar with the matter said.

The companies also disagreed on the value of the disputed patents, one of the people said.

In afternoon trading, Apple shares fell 69 cents to $603.14 on the Nasdaq. The company is expected to report quarterly results after the market closes.

The case is Apple Inc v. Samsung Electronics Co et al, U.S. District, Northern District of California, No. 11-01846.

SAN FRANCISCO – Rival factions from the Internet security world will mix warily this week at a pair of Las Vegas conferences gathering computer security experts and software savants who make sport of hacking them.

More than 6,500 high-level security experts will attend the Black Hat conference already under way, with many apt to swap surnames for code-names and stay for the infamous Def Con gathering of hackers that starts on Thursday.

Black Hat plays out in posh ballrooms at Caesar’s Palace on the Las Vegas strip with big-name sponsors including Microsoft, Qualys, Looking Glass, Cisco, IBM, Hewlett Packard, and Amazon.com.

Def Con unfolds in the Rio hotel and casino on the opposite side of the Las Vegas Freeway, with attendees plunking down $200 each in cash to hear how to crack anything from smartphones and power grids to door locks.

While Black Hat has invitation-only evening soirees at hot clubs, Def Con draws crowds to its annual Toxic BBQ in a local park, “Hacker Jeopardy” team drinking games, and all-night hacker duels.

As different as the Black Hat and Def Con scenes may seem, the realms have been converging with the shift of threats from brilliant kids showing off online to cyber attacks by nation states, industrial spies, and criminal gangs.

The founder of both Def Con and Black Hat, Jeff Moss, is now chief of security at US-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the agency in charge of website addresses.

Security firms started by longtime Def Con hackers or which have hired them for key positions have become key players at Black Hat.

A “Spot the Fed” game that began in early Def Con days as a way to ferret out undercover cops has evolved into a playful way to break the ice between hackers and police who attend to sharpen crime fighting skills and recruit talent.

Def Con on Saturday revealed that this year’s “top-secret VIP speaker” will be US National Security Agency (NSA) director General Keith Alexander, who will give a presentation titled “Shared Values, Shared Responsibility.”

“Dark Tangent has been working to get a speaker this high-profile from the NSA for quite a long time, and we’re excited that he’s coming to our 20th anniversary shindig,” Def Con said at its website, referring to Moss by his hacker name.

Press covering Def Con were sent safety tips that include shunning bank teller machines near the conference because of potential hacking and shutting off wireless connection features on all gadgets to thwart cyber attacks.

“You are entering one of the most hostile environments in the world,” Def Con organizers warned. “Prepare to hack and be hacked.”

After leaving Las Vegas, change all online passwords just to be safe, Def Con organizers added.

While the potential to hack into power plants, mass transit systems and other high-profile targets grab headlines during the back-to-back gatherings, ramped up attacks on smartphones will be among hot topics for attendees.

“The biggest trend of the moment revolves around mobile devices,” said Qualys director of engineering Ivan Ristic, who will give a Black Hat presentation on tightening security at websites.

“Every single year we see a greater diversity of mobile devices used in every layer of our society,” he continued.

“There is an increasingly hostile environment and yet an increase in the exchange of information.”

Smartphones and tablet computers have become popular devices for online shopping, banking and other exchanges involving potentially valuable personal information.

Black Hat briefings at which findings are presented will begin on Wednesday.

“I’ve been attending Black Hat for years; the most popular talks are those demonstrating how to break things,”.

Facebook continues to grow in the Philippines, with some 28.3 million Filipinos now logging on to the social networking giant.

A study by SocialBakers said this was 12 percent higher than in the same period last year, although the Philippines ranked fifth in terms of growth in Asia.

The study showed there are now some 229 million active Facebook users in Asia and Australia – about 27 percent of the social giant's 901 million users.

"While India and Indonesia lead in terms of the user numbers the fastest growing country by far is South Korea, which grew its user base by an incredible 94 percent on Facebook from July 2011!" it said.

South Korea had the biggest percentage growth from last year at 94 percent, followed by India at 69 percent, Thailand at 41 percent, Indonesia at 13 percent, and the Philippines at 12 percent.

Malaysia (11 percent), Singapore and Australia (6 percent each), and Hong Kong (-1 percent) complete the list.

Other findings of the study include:

- Singapore has the most Facebook fans in the telecom and e-commerce industries but its most responsive industry is surprisingly the automobile industry

- Australians Like Australia And Australian fashion brands

NEW YORK—With new public stock offerings for guitar maker Fender and travel booking website Kayak on deck next week, there are signs demand is starting to grow for IPOs after a five-week freeze triggered by a steep decline in financial markets and exacerbated by Facebook’s rocky May 18 debut.

Five companies are scheduled to go public next week alone, including Fender, Kayak and Palo Alto Networks, a maker of computer network security products. After Facebook, just four deals made it to market by the end of June, marking the longest stretch without an initial public offering of stock since August-October 2011. Stocks sank then in the wake of the US debt limit showdown and a deepening European financial crisis.

The resurgence now is a welcome indication that dealmakers are regaining confidence about raising money through IPOs.

But the situation is far from rosy.

There are 68 companies expected to raise $14.4 billion through IPOs later this year, according to research firm Dealogic, Last year at this time there were almost double that amount of companies — 135, looking to raise $23.6 billion.

“If the market stays healthy — the overall market — I think we will see a lot of IPO activity in the second half,” said Nick Einhorn, an analyst with Renaissance Capital. But another plunge in stock markets could make it difficult for companies to raise money by selling shares.

The types of companies that try to raise money will also affect the IPO market. Mutual funds and the other big investors who tend to buy IPO shares are less likely now to be attracted to technology companies like social networks and games maker Zynga Inc. They’ve shifted to business technology companies such as Palo Alto Networks, which they consider more stable.

Stocks of several of these kinds of companies have performed well since their IPOs. ServiceNow Inc., a provider of so-called “cloud” technology services to companies, went public in late June, pricing at $18, above its expected range of $15 to $17. The stock has risen 34 percent from its debut. Jive Software Inc., which makes internal social networks for corporations, started trading in December and has climbed 56 percent from its IPO price.

Well-known consumer brands also help drum up excitement for IPOs among retail investors, the “regular” people who buy and sell stocks. There are high hopes for Fender Musical Instruments Corp., the company behind the famous Fender Stratocaster electric guitars. It’s looking to raise up to $160.5 million in its IPO next week.

Several other consumer-oriented deals could ignite excitement later this year, said Morningstar analyst James Krapfel, citing Bloomin’ Brands Inc., the owner of Outback Steakhouse; English professional soccer club Manchester United; and Coty Inc., maker of OPI nail polish and Jennifer Lopez perfume. Krapfel doesn’t expect much demand for deals in industries sensitive to economic concerns and weak commodity prices such as industrial and energy companies.

But even companies in industries considered appealing will have a hard time if the broader markets don’t cooperate. Fears about the faltering global economy stalled the IPO market in May, when economic worries drove the Standard & Poor’s 500 index down 6.3 percent. In June, the index rallied 4 percent, but the IPO market tends to lag the broader market and reacts to the prior month’s decline.

That’s one reason experts like Einhorn remain wary. The S&P 500 is down 2 percent in July and a sluggish U.S. economy, signs of slowing growth in China and financial crises in Europe may douse enthusiasm. Also, summer is traditionally a slow time for making deals since many bank executives take vacation in July and August.

And then there’s the memory of Facebook’s disappointing debut. The stock was expected to take off and ignite investor demand for other IPOs. Instead, it closed up just 23 cents from its IPO price of $38 on its first day of trading. The stock has fallen about 19 percent since then and now trades around $31.

Facebook’s decline after its long-awaited, highly anticipated IPO of the social network was “no question” a big negative for the IPO market, so the more time passes, the better, said Sam Hamadeh, the CEO of PrivCo, a research firm that follows privately held companies.

On the plus side, investors may take heart from a spurt of IPO activity at the end of last quarter. The stocks of all four companies that went public in the last week of June are trading at or above their IPO price.

Next week’s scheduled IPOs include Fender, the travel website Kayak Software Corp., which expects to raise as much as $87.5 million; network security company Palo Alto Networks Inc., hoping to fetch as much as $229.4 million; Five Below Inc., a discount teen retailer, seeking to raise up to $134.4 million, and biotech company Durata Therapeutics Inc., which could raise up to $81.9 million.

Some 450,000 Yahoo users’ email addresses and passwords have been leaked because of a security breach, the company confirmed Thursday, adding that just a small fraction of the stolen passwords were valid.

The company said in a statement that an “old file” from the Yahoo Contributor Network was compromised Wednesday. Among the stolen emails and passwords were many from Yahoo’s own email service along with those of other companies. The Yahoo Contributor Network is a content-sharing platform.

Yahoo said it is fixing the vulnerability that led to the disclosure, changing the passwords of affected Yahoo users, and notifying other companies whose users’ accounts may have been compromised.

“We apologize to all affected users,” the company statement said.

Technology news websites including CNET, Ars Technica, and Mashable identified the hackers behind the attack as a little-known outfit calling itself the D33D Company. The group was quoted as saying it had stolen the unencrypted passwords using an SQL injection — the name given to a commonly used attack in which hackers use rogue commands to extract data from vulnerable websites.

“We hope that the parties responsible for managing the security of this subdomain will take this as a wake-up call,” the group was quoted as saying.

Online security experts said Yahoo might have done more to protect the stored passwords, with Ohio-based TrustedSec describing the Internet giant’s decision not to encrypt them as “most alarming.”

Nevertheless, the haul does not appear as useful to hackers as they might have thought. Yahoo cautioned that only 5 percent of passwords associated with its account holders were valid.

It was not immediately possible to contact the Ukraine-registered website associated with D33D Company. Its contact form was inoperable Thursday, while an email address and a phone number attributed to the site’s registrant appeared to be invalid.

WASHINGTON—The so-called Internet doomsday virus with the potential to black out tens of thousands of computers worldwide appeared to pose no major problems Monday in the first hours after a fix expired.

Security firms reported no significant outages linked to the DNS Changer virus, as many Internet service providers have either implemented a fix or contacted customers with steps to clean their computers.

The problem stems from malware known as DNS Changer, which was created by a cybercriminals to redirect Internet traffic by hijacking the domain name systems (DNS) of Web browsers.

The ring behind the DNS Changer was shut down last year by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Estonian police and other law enforcement agencies, after infecting some four million computers worldwide.

Nearly 300,000 computers appeared to be still infected as of June, according to experts monitoring the problem.

On Monday, temporary servers set up by the FBI to direct Internet traffic normally, even for infected computers, were shut down.

But security specialists said most Internet users and providers have had time to work around or fix the problem.

“Many global operators are keeping their DNS Changer victims online, even after FBI stopped. We do not expect much noise about this today,” said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at the Finland-based firm F-Secure, in a Twitter message.

Johannes Ullrich of the SANS Security Institute said that for computers running Windows, the computer “may actually revert to the default settings once the DNS server is turned off.”

He added, that “if you used the bad DNS server, chances are that various entities tried to notify you. Google for example should have shown you a banner.”

Additionally, Ullrich said the malware is “old enough where antivirus, if you run any, should have signatures for it.”

Six Estonians and a Russian were charged in Estonia in November with infecting computers, including NASA machines, with the malware as part of an online advertising scam that reaped at least $14 million.

Because the virus controlled so much Internet traffic, authorities obtained a court order to allow the FBI to operate replacement servers until July 9.

The FBI, as well as Facebook, Google, Internet service providers and security firms have been scrambling to warn users about the problem and direct them to fixes.

A DNS Changer Working Group has been monitoring and educating people about the malware, with a website http://www.dcwg.org.

Experts said that if a computer is infected, they could still access the Internet by reconfiguring the way they access the domain name system.

Instead of entering an address such as ebay.com, they could use the underlying address, which is a series of numbers, said Marco Preuss of the Russian security firm Kaspersky on the company’s Securelist blog.

“If you know the address of the server you can still use it instead of the name, e.g. 195.122.169.23 is ‘securelist.com’ but this is not easy solution,” he said.

Others with more technical savvy can also reprogram their computer’s network settings, to access public DNS servers such as one operated by Google.

“If you are infected, you can change your DNS entries to the free DNS-Servers from Google: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4,” said Preuss.

“OpenDNS also offers two: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220, which we also recommend for additional security features.”

Will next generations of Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad have advanced touchscreens that can give users more interaction –like popup maps and buttons?

This was one of the possible applications of a patent application by Apple before the US Patent and Trademark Office, PatentlyApple.com reported.

"The system will actually allow an iDevice display to deform so that it could provide the user with a button, an arrow or even a geological map to physically pop right out of the screen to give it 3D depth. If that wasn't cool enough, Apple's patent discusses a flexible OLED display that could be used for video glasses," PatentlyApple said.

It said the secret lies in layered haptics, which provides tactile or touch feedback to the user.

Haptics are what provide the interaction - such as "rumbling" - in devices like video game controllers.

PatentlyApple said Apple's patent application was originally filed in the last quarter of 2010 and only made public May 3 by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Apple's latest invention relates to systems and methods for providing layered haptic controls, which may include vibration, shape change or a combination of actuations.

In Apple's latest patent application, it said its new invention may adopt a tiered haptic response approach where one or more arrays of shape change elements may provide tactile interaction via an elastic screen interface.

Elements in the system may allow shape change, vibration, net displacement, bending, deforming, any other suitable actuation.

"Stacked arrays may be used to create a contoured screen surface such as, for example, contour maps, shaped buttons, moving contours or shapes, or other surfaces with multi-scale features," PatentlyApple said.

Elastic material for the screen may include thin sheets of any suitable materials such as elastomers like rubber or thermoplastics, polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyester.

The tiered haptics could be applied to flexible OLED displays including video glasses, Apple added.

Also for Macbooks

PatentlyApple noted the new haptics system could also apply to traditional devices such as a MacBook, an iPad, an iPhone, an iPod touch, a computer monitor or other devices like a television and video projector.

It could also apply to monochrome e-ink displays, it added.

PatentlyApple also said the haptic systems may map graphics onto contoured screen features - such as a video clip being displayed.

"I wonder if this could apply to video games to give controls a textural feel and depth," it said.

On the other hand, PatentlyApple said regenerative power management may prolong battery life by recovering energy supplied by a user or other tactile stimulus.

A U.S. judge on Friday granted Apple Inc’s request for a pre-trial injunction against the sale of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd’s Galaxy Nexus phone, handing the iPhone maker its second legal victory against Samsung in a week.

Apple and Samsung, the world’s largest consumer electronics corporations, are waging legal war in several countries, accusing each other of patent violations as they vie for supremacy in a fast-growing market for mobile devices.

Friday’s decision, by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, comes days after she also slapped a pre-trial ban on sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, a tablet computer that runs on Google Inc’s (GOOG.O) Android and goes toe-to-toe with the iPad.

The back-to-back triumphs – significant because pre-trial injunctions are rarely granted – meant Apple had a better week in court than last week, when Chicago federal court judge Richard Posner ruled the iPhone maker could not pursue an injunction against Google’s Motorola Mobility, effectively ending that case.

“Apple has made a clear showing that, in the absence of a preliminary injunction, it is likely to lose substantial market share in the smartphone market and to lose substantial downstream sales of future smartphone purchases and tag-along products,” Judge Koh said in Friday’s ruling.

Koh scheduled a hearing on Monday to consider whether to put the Galaxy Nexus injunction on hold pending appeal. And she said in court that she might rule on Sunday whether or to similarly put on hold the earlier injunction on the Galaxy Tab.

Apple has waged an international patent war since 2010 as it seeks to limit the growth of Google’s Android system, the world’s most-used mobile operating platform. Opponents of Apple say it is using patents too aggressively in a bid to stamp out competition.

Spokeswoman Kristin Huguet reiterated her previous statement, accusing Samsung of copying the look and feel of its products.

Samsung said in a statement that it is “disappointed” in the decision. “We will take all available measures, including legal action, to ensure the Galaxy Nexus remains available to consumers,” the statement added

As a condition of the injunction, Apple was ordered to post a bond of more than $95 million, to secure payment of damages sustained by Samsung should the injunction be deemed a wrongful decision later. The order shall become effective upon posting of the bond.