February 22 - 11:25pm EST   Two Texas-based US representatives have introduced bills that would require ISPs to store user information for two years. The bills may even require home wi-fi router users to track the same information, according to Macworld. The bills were introduced Thursday, one in the US Senate, by Rep. Senator John Cornyn, and in the House by Representative Lamar Smith. Each bill is called the Internet Safety Act, aimed at preventing child pornography via the Internet. The bills call for stronger penalties for accessing child pornography on the Internet and would require Internet and e-mail service providers to retain all records and related information about anyone using a network ... [full story]

February 3 - 4:00pm EST   A law to uphold users' freedoms on the Internet similar to the Global Online Freedom Act drafted by the US Congress is not necessary in the European Union, said EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding on Tuesday, according to a report. The law would protect surfers' rights, especially in countries where the government is blocking sites and intimidating users by policing their actions, which violates their human rights, say EU lawmakers in favor of the "freedom law." [full story]

September 12 - 4:50pm EDT   A set of technical standards being developed behind closed doors by a United Nations agency that would potentially curb users’ ability to remain anonymous on the Internet has privacy advocates and technologists alarmed, according to a Friday report. The standards are proposed by the Chinese government and the US National Security Agency is also part of the IP Traceback drafting group, named Q6/17. Headed up the by the UN’s International Telecommunication Union, the group is due to meet next week to work on the proposal, though the meeting will be closed to the media and public, the report suggests. [full story]

September 2 - 1:10am EDT   Google this weekend accidentaly leaked details -- via an online comic book -- on its upcoming cross-platform open-source browser: Google Chrome -- which it claims will deliver a streamlined and improved interface along with performance improvements and security enhancements; the new browser is based on both Apple's Webkit, the core of the Safari browser, and Firefox, the rapidly growing alternative browser, but will square off against Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which dominates the internet, but continues to play catch up with security flaws and compatibility. The beta version of Google Chrome, only for for PCs initially, is expected to ship on Tuesday in more than ... [full story]

August 13 - 5:00pm EDT   Many popular websites update news stories and articles regularly. To catch these latest stories, you can visit these sites periodically or you can use RSS feeds to receive summaries of the current articles. Both Safari and Mail let you read and bookmark RSS feeds, but if you find these programs too cumbersome, you might prefer a dedicated RSS feed reader such as Headline 1.0 from Doseido Software. [full story]

July 22 - 12:05am EDT   Anyone who has used a Windows PC knows that you absolutely must have an anti-virus program or else your computer will likely crash the moment you connect to the Internet. Fortunately, the Mac has remained largely untouched by the variety of malware (viruses, worms, Trojan Horses, and spyware) that plagues PCs. However, with the growing popularity of the Mac, it’s inevitable that more people will start writing malware for the Mac. Although you don’t need an anti-virus program for the Mac just yet, you might feel safer knowing that a free one exists called PC Tools iAntiVirus. [full story]

July 11 - 9:35am EDT   Two VOIP companies -- TruPhone and Packet 8 -- have announced support for the iPhone, allowing users to make calls through Wi-Fi hotspots. Truphone says its VOIP application acts just like the regular iPhone dialer, except that calls are made through the internet at what it claims are "incredible low rates." Calls to landlines in 40 countries cost 6 cents per minute; 30 cents for calls to other mobile phones. The dialer is free at the AppStore. [full story]

July 8 - 1:35am EDT   Boingo on Tuesday launched a Mac version of its GoBoingo! client software that provides access Boingo Wi-Fi at more than 100,000 hotspots worldwide. The company says the "lightweight" GoBoingo! client software simplifies the process of logging in to public Wi-Fi hotspots by memorizing multiple usernames and passwords, and paying different Wi-Fi providers at each stop during a trip. In addition, Boingo offers monthly plans for both North American and international usage, as well as a “pay as you go” option. GoBoingo! for Mac, designed for Mac OS X 10.4 or later (as well as Vista, XP and Windows 2000) automatically determines whether a hotspot belongs to a Boingo roaming ... [full story]

July 7 - 6:20pm EDT   Troi File Plug-in 4.5.1 for FileMaker 9 ($80) tool for getting access to information outside the FileMaker Prdatabase. Any files or folders stored on the computer can be accessed through the functions of the plug-in. Troi File Plug-in recently added support for drag and drop, GPS and XMP metadata. Troi File Plug-in 4.5.1 is a maintenance release that fixes some reported issues. [Download - 3.1MB] World Clock Deluxe 4.5.4 ($20) display multiple clocks in a horizontal or vertical palette, in the menu bar and in the Dock, show Coordinated Universal Time and Internet Time, assign labels and colors to clocks, calculate date and time conversions across different time zones and show ... [full story]

July 1 - 4:00pm EDT   T-Mobile UK is set to allow access to an HSUPA data network today that will let users upload content to the Internet via their cellular phones, becoming the UK's first wireless provider to do so across the country. HSUPA, or High Speed Uplink Packet Access, is the equivalent of the commonly-available HSDPA 3G data network except for its uploading abilities. [full story]

June 27 - 12:45am EDT  InternetSafety.com on Thursday unveiled Safe Eyes 3.0 for Mac, its parental control software that allows users to limit children's access to inappropriate content on the internet. The new Mac version adds several new features from the Windows equivalent, such as time limits, instant message blocking, or restricting access to entire applications. InternetSafety.com is currently selling Safe Eyes 3.0 for a yearly fee of $50, and can be installed on up to three computers. [full story]

June 26 - 4:00pm EDT   Cell phone network provider Alltel today announced it teamed up with Wi-Fi network hotspot provider Boingo to expand Wi-Fi access to over 25,000 hotspots in stores, coffee shops and hotels across the US. Plans will be offered to existing Alltel subscribers, or anyone else on a daily or monthly basis without a contract. The company is also offering a Premium service for frequent travelers, which expands those hotspots to include hundreds of airports in the US and thousands more hotspots in Canada, Mexico and Europe. [full story]

June 23 - 12:05pm EDT   For years, Internet Explorer defined the standard for web browsers. After years of neglect and security flaws however, the browser grew less popular, prompting the release of a number of rivals. Perhaps the most successful competition has been the open source Firefox browser, which emphasizes security foremost. Now with version 3, the browser also boasts faster speed along with a host of other improvements. [full story]

June 20 - 7:40pm EDT   Webkit's earlier reported adoption of the SquirrelFish JavaScript interpreter is paying off, as Safari takes the lead in browser rendering speeds. Zimbra writes that Apple's web browser led the pack ahead of Firefox and Internet Explorer, with the Yahoo-owned messaging company declaring Safari "Winner of the Browser Wars." The tests were performed using several incarnations of all browsers as they viewed Zibra's AJAX web-client, and recorded using OpenQA Selenium. [full story]

June 20 - 5:20pm EDT   Logo Design Studio Pro 1.8 ($60) logo design software brings together a full vector editor with pre-designed conceptual logo templates and objects. The new update to Logo Design Studio Pro now includes increased support for SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) files; over 1300 pre-designed SVG objects that anyone can fully edit; a new browser that allows you to preview each SVG object in a variety of categories, and the latest version of the Sparkle framework. Composer FX Movie 1.7.6 ($20) video effects processor application with over 400 special effects filters. Harnesses the power of Mac OS X 10.5’s Quartz Composer for adding visual effects to your movies. Acts as a companion program ... [full story]