The Register reveals that “

[t]he US Air Force will proceed with plans to create a large, dedicated cyber warfare force, it was confirmed yesterday. However, rather than being an independent ‘Command’ in its own right, the net battle formation has been downgraded in status and will now be subordinate to USAF Space Command.  […]  ‘The conduct of cyberoperations is a complex issue… other interagency partners have substantial equity in the cyberarena,’ the new air force secretary Michael Donley told the Air Force Times. The USAF leadership reportedly consider that space and cyber warfare go together naturally.” 

According to a different Register article, “[a]n EU directive that will harmonise consumer protection for online and bricks and mortar sales made another lurch along the Brussels’ legislative roadmap yesterday.  The European Commission’s proposed consumer rights directive builds on proposals first made last year to simplify and replace four existing directives covering consumer rights. It will now work its way at its leisure through the Council of Ministers and the Parliament.  The commission’s avowed aim ‘is to boost consumer confidence and at the same time to cut red tape which is holding back business within national borders – denying consumers more choice and competitive offers.’”

The BBC writes that “[p]erfect secrecy has come a step closer with the launch of the world’s first computer network protected by unbreakable quantum encryption at a scientific conference in Vienna.  The network connects six locations across Vienna and in the nearby town of St Poelten, using 200 km of standard commercial fibre optic cables.  Quantum cryptography is completely different from the kinds of security schemes used on computer networks today.  These are typically based on complex mathematical procedures which are extremely hard for outsiders to crack, but not impossible given sufficient computing resources or time.”

CNetNews.com has an article speculating about “how long and how bad” the tech downturn will be.

And BusinessWeek.com discusses what the crisis will “mean for venture capital.”