The Los Angeles Times reveals that, “[t]he John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has a message for parents worried about their children's use of the Internet: Chill out. A new study to be released today found that most teenagers steer clear of dangerous sites and use the Web only for research or to communicate with friends.  It's just that, as usual, parents don't understand.  ‘One of the main things we found is that it is highly motivating for kids [...]

The Register reports that “[t]he European Commission has launched a consultation on how it can strengthen the European Union's response to computer attacks. The Commission is canvassing views ahead of a debate early next year about an EU-wide coordination of computer security. A statement from the Commission said that responses to cyber-attacks from individual countries were inadequate and that countries must act together to ensure that information and networks are safe for users. The Commission is holding an online consultation [...]

CNetNews.com reports on an interesting study conducted by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project which shows that “[w]hen faced with a technology breakdown, levels of optimism and frustration vary depending on age and gender.”  In a different article, CNet points out that while “[i]t’s great that President-elect Barack Obama is delivering his regularly scheduled Saturday address in both audio and video form,” his decision to upload the video of his Saturday address to YouTube is somewhat questionable.  [...]

The Los Angeles Times reveals that “[n]early three years after launching [Silicon Valley gossip site] Valleywag, blog magnate Nick Denton has decided to fold the site into Gawker, which covers the media business. For the last month, Denton has been saying to anyone who will listen that online advertising is undergoing a sharp slowdown as the economy continues to tank and Web publishers are going to get nailed.  After recently paring the Valleywag staff down to two, Denton is now [...]

“Let’s make the IPR system more effective, more accessible, and more affordable for SMEs.”  That was the resounding message by both SME participants and European Commission officials at a conference on Industrial Property Rights (IPRs) held by the European Commission’s DG Internal Market and Services, in conjunction with the French Presidency of the European Council, in Strasbourg on October 15 and 16. The conference focused on three main topics:  a jurisdiction for the European and Community Patents, the Community Patent, [...]

Yahoo!Tech reports that “[t]he Bush administration is moving in its last weeks to finalize regulations to enforce a controversial law that seeks to block Internet gambling. The move is drawing hot protests from Democratic lawmakers and supporters of online betting.  ‘This midnight rulemaking will tie the hands of the new administration, burden the financial services industry at a time of economic crisis and contradict the stated intent of the Financial Services Committee,’ the committee's chairman, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., wrote [...]