Internet & Media

Google tackles piracy by removing millions of URLs

Google is removing URLs from its search function, but before anyone cries foul, it's letting people know about it.

The tech giant released a new edition of its Transparency Report today, which shows who is requesting URLs be taken down, the copyright owners, and all the targeted domains since July 2011. Everything that's being deleted is allegedly copyrighted or pirated material -- mostly from software and entertainment companies.

Google has been releasing the Transparency Report for the last two years, but before today the only available information was government requests to remove content and disruptions in the search more

Tiger Woods holding, um, spontaneous Google+ Hangout

You know how you sometimes are thinking of someone and they suddenly walk down the street in front of you?

Well, I have just had a similar experience. Attempting to wind down for my weekend, I just finished Hank Haney's book about Tiger Woods, "The Big Miss."

No, this is not a tale about one of his larger girlfriends. It is a very thoughtful analysis of the man and his game, written by his former coach.

No sooner had I placed it on the floor (yes, I should be tidier) than I received word that Woods will, next Tuesday, more

Dish, TV networks duel over ad-skipping feature

Dish Network and the major television networks are turning up the volume in their fight over a feature that allows viewers to skip commercials at the touch of a button.

Fox filed a lawsuit today in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to stop Dish from transmitting the network's programs in such a way that allows viewers to watch them without commercial interruptions. The lawsuit accuses Dish of copyright infringement and breach of contract.

"We were given no choice but to file suit against one of our largest distributors, Dish Network, because of their surprising move to market more

Mount Everest climbers share journey on Instagram

Climbers on Mount Everest have been documenting the harrowing journey to the peak using their iPhones and Instagram.

Over the last month, the climbers on National Geographic's commemorative climb to the top of the of the world's tallest peak have captured moments filled with steep terrain and friendly locals, according to the Instagram blog .

The expedition is expected to make it to the peak on Friday and the magazine is hoping the team can share the victory in real time on Instagram under the @natgeo account. The magazine posted a Q&A with the climbers to talk about more

Google leads April Internet visits, but news sites see big growth

for overall site visitors and advertising, but general news sites such as Yahoo-ABC News and Huffington Post also saw big increases in traffic that pushed the entire category to an all-time high in the month, according to the latest data from ComScore. See all the rankings in the PDF below.

ComScore's monthly analysis of U.S. Web activity found a 12 percent increase in traffic to general news sites. In April, these sites saw a total of 183 million visitors.

"The general news category reached an all-time high in April, reaching nearly 5 out of every 6 U.S. more

Facebook Camera makes its debut

Not so awfully long after it announced its $1 billion plan to purchase Instagram, Facebook today released a photo-sharing app of its own, Facebook Camera.

Currently available only for iOS devices, Facebook Camera allows users to shoot, edit, filter, and share photos to Facebook without ever leaving the app.

AOL takes heavy fire from Starboard side

Starboard Value, a $1 billion hedge fund with a 5 percent stake in AOL, claims the media company is poorly managed and is preparing for a proxy fight to replace three members of AOL's board.

Starboard said today that it filed a copy of the presentation it plans to make at AOL's annual meeting in June. Starboard is backing a slate of nominees that would replace AOL directors Alberto Ibarguen, Patricia Mitchell, and James Stengel.

For months, Starboard has bashed AOL and CEO Tim Armstrong's leadership record. The hedge fund has grown impatient with AOL's effort more

Hacking for freedom: U.S. hacks al-Qaeda sites in Yemen

The war on terror has gone cyber.

The U.S. State Department has been hacking into al-Qaeda websites in Yemen to change al-Qaeda propaganda that bragged about killing Americans, according to an Associated Press report.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made mention of the covert cyber operations on Wednesday, saying a team of State Department hackers plastered al-Qaeda sites with with altered versions of the ads. These new ads portrayed how al-Qaeda attacks have affected the Yemeni people. The missions were carried out in a 48 hour-period.

"Extremists are publicly venting their frustration and asking supporters not to believe more

Visually splashy Google+ for Android catches up to iOS

Google has released the Android version of an overhauled Google+ app, part of the company's attempt to move to a "simpler, more beautiful Google," in the words of Vic Gundotra, the company's senior vice president of engineering.

The new app catches up with the iOS Google+ app that Google released a couple of weeks ago with a new visually rich, photo-first interface. And in some ways it surpasses it, for example in its support for tablets.

Google trails Facebook by far when it comes to the magnitude of membership on the overt social-network Google+ site, but the company more

Kim DotCom case sees tears, claims of betrayal

Kim DotCom isn't too big to cry.

In court yesterday, the MegaUpload founder choked up when he recalled how New Zealand police in January raided the Auckland mansion where he lived and when, as his lawyer, said he was "ripped him away from his family." The U.S. Attorney's office accuses MegaUpload of being a front for a massive piracy operation and lawyers there are trying to extradite him to this country to face criminal copyright, money laundering and wire fraud charges.

MegaUpload was one of the Web's most popular cyberlocker services before U.S. authorities shut more