IBM sells off Greenock manufacturing plant

IBM has pulled out of the manufacture of low-end PCs and servers. Instead, it is outsourcing its range of low and mid-range eServer xSeries systems and IntelliStation workstations to Sanmina-SCI in a $3.6bn three year deal. ...more

EC begins legal action against nine member states over privacy directive

The European Commission has begun legal proceedings against nine member states for failing to implement its online privacy directive. The countries involved comprise Belgium, Germany, Greece, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland and Sweden, all of whom have not met the 31 October deadline for incorporating the directive into national law. The Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications, also known as the e-Privacy Directive, imposes EU-wide rules on collecting email addresses and other personal data and on sending unsolicited emails. ...more

MySpace sued over security negligence

Lawyers for the families of five American teenagers have filed multi-million dollar lawsuits against social networking website MySpace and its parent company News Corp after the girls were sexually abused by men that they allege they met through the website. The lawsuits claim negligence, recklessness, fraud and negligent misrepresentation. The plaintiffs, whose identities are protected, comprise: a 15-year-old Pennsylvania girl who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted - a man is awaiting trial on 12 charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor; a 15-year-old Texas girl who was lured to a meeting, drugged and assaulted - a man later pled guilty to sexual assault after the girl was found by the FBI and is serving a 10-year sentence in a Texas penitentiary; a 14-year-old New York girl who was lured to a meeting severely force-fed with alcohol and illicit drugs forced and then sexually assaulted by two men - one awaits trial while the other pleaded guilty and has been imprisoned; and two South Carolina sisters, one 14 years old and the other 15, who were lured to a meeting, force-fed alcohol and illicit drugs, and sexually assaulted and raped by two men - both have been arrested and are awaiting criminal prosecution. ...more

AOL hits the small screen

BSkyB will let AOL members access their email and instant messenger buddies in a deal announced today The interactive TV service will be available on Sky Active and allow AOL users to log in with their screen name to access news, sport and weather as well as email and instant messaging services. The channel maintains the television content in a quarter-screen window, so you can message your buddies with the latest happenings in Hollyoaks. Dial-up charges are on a local call tariff, although there is a 12p 'initiating' charge on connecting to the AOL service. ...more

Animal rights group condemns 'rampant' eBay ivory trade

The elephant, the world's largest land mammal, is being threatened with global extinction by a 'rampant trade' in ivory on the eBay online auction site, animal welfare campaigners said on Tuesday. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said it had conducted a survey in the UK, Australia, China, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Canada and the US and tracked more than 2,200 elephant ivory items listed on eBay websites. It found more than 90 per cent of the listings breached even eBay's own wildlife policies. ...more