Pickens writes "Human-rights activists have discovered a huge surveillance system in China that monitors and archives Internet text conversations sent by customers of Tom-Skype, a joint venture between a Chinese wireless operator and eBay. Researchers say the system monitors a list of politically charged words that includes words related to the religious group Falun Gong, Taiwan independence, the Chinese Communist Party and also words like democracy, earthquake and milk powder. The encrypted list of words inside the Tom-Skype software blocks the transmission of these words and records personal information about the customers who send the messages. Researchers say their discovery contradicts a public statement made by Skype executives in 2006 that 'full end-to-end security is preserved and there is no compromise of people's privacy.' The Chinese government is not alone in its Internet surveillance efforts. In 2005, The New York Times reported that the National Security Agency was monitoring large volumes of telephone and Internet communications flowing into and out of the United States as part of an eavesdropping program that President Bush approved after the Sept. 11 attacks. 'This is the worst nightmares of the conspiracy theorists around surveillance coming true,' says Ronald J. Deibert, an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto. 'It's "X-Files" without the aliens.'"

In light of the increased focus on the DRM controversy in recent days, Ars Technica did an interview with execs from CD Projekt's Good Old Games about where the problems are with current DRM implementation. "For me, the idiocy of those protection solutions shows how far from reality and from customers a lot of executives at big companies can be. You don't have to be a genius to check the internet and see all the pros and cons of those actions." Penny Arcade is also running a three-part series on DRM from game journalists Brian Crecente and Chris Remo. Crecente talks about how some companies are making progress in developing acceptable DRM, and some aren't. Remo recommends against a trend of overreaction to minor gripes.

SoulMaster writes "The company I work for (we are a one-year-old start-up) has recently started filing patents to protect some of its intellectual property. At the onset of the patent process, one of the executives drafted a very basic Patent Incentive Program (PIP) which is now under full review to ensure that it is both accurate and fair. The basics of our original PIP are that inventors receive (or co-inventors share): $500 for each provisional filing, $1500 for an actual patent filing (with full claim-sets defined), and $5000 for any patent that is granted by the USPTO. While the current program seems fair to our staff, we have been unable to find anything to compare it to. Moreover, the revamp of the program is likely to grant an equity stake in the company (via an Options grant) rather than cash payouts. I've scoured Google for information, but because internally documented PIPs aren't generally public knowledge, the results are limited. Thus, I have decided to ask Slashdot users: How does the company you work for handle Patent incentives? Do they have them at all? Are they cash or equity based?"

mjasay writes "As if the proprietary software world needed any help, two business professors from Harvard and Stanford have combined to publish 'Divide and Conquer: Competing with Free Technology Under Network Effects,' a research paper dedicated to helping business executives fight the onslaught of open source software. The professors advise 'the commercial vendor ... to bring its product to market first, to judiciously improve its product features, to keep its product "closed" so the open source product cannot tap into the network already built by the commercial product, and to segment the market so it can take advantage of a divide-and-conquer strategy.' The professors also suggest that 'embrace and extend' is a great model for when the open source product gets to market first. Glad to see that $48,921 that Stanford MBAs pay being put to good use. Having said that, such research is perhaps a great, market-driven indication that open source is having a serious effect on proprietary technology vendors."

A study of 6,500 traveling executives says 35 percent of them would choose their PDA over their spouse. The study further revealed that 87 percent bring their devices into the bedroom. "It can actually ruin relationships. People are so focused on their PDAs, they're not focusing on what might be going wrong in their relationships," said Dr. Susan Bartell, a psychologist and relationship expert. I agree. The best thing to do if you're having relationship issues is to text each other openly and honestly.

Crazy Taco writes "The heavy Amazon.com protest of Spore's DRM appears to have caught the attention of executives at EA. IGN reports that DRM for the upcoming C&C: Red Alert 3 will be scaled back. Unlike previous Command and Conquer games, the CD will not be required in the drive to play. The online authentication will be done just once (rather than periodic phone calls home), and up to five installations will be allowed, as opposed to three for Spore. While I still think five installations is too few (I've probably re-installed Command and Conquer: Generals 20 times over the years for various reasons), EA says they will have staff standing by to grant more installations as necessary on a case by case basis. So, while this still isn't optimal, at least we are getting a compromise. Hopefully, if the piracy rate for the game is low, perhaps EA will get comfortable enough to ship with even less DRM in the future."

vondiggity writes to tell us that HP is working on several different ways to make an end run around Vista. Among the plans is also a supposed rumor that certain factions within HP are developing their own flavor of Linux. Executives at HP deny that any meaningful amount of resources are being directed into plans for a mass-market operating system, stating their main goal is to innovate on top of Vista. "Still, the sources say employees in HP's PC division are exploring the possibility of building a mass-market operating system. HP's software would be based on Linux, the open-source operating system that is already widely available, but it would be simpler and easier for mainstream users, the sources say. The goal may be to make HP less dependent on Windows and to strengthen HP's hand against Apple (AAPL), which has gained market share in recent years by offering easy-to-use computers with its own operating system."

For more than 20 years, the secret KFC recipe has been in a filing cabinet equipped with two combination locks in company headquarters. To reach the cabinet, you have to open up a vault and unlock three locks on a door. Only two executives at any time have access to it and the company refuses to release their name or title. The company uses multiple suppliers who produce and blend the ingredients but know only a part of the entire contents. All this was not enough for KFC, so Colonel Harland Sanders' handwritten recipe of 11 herbs and spices will be removed Tuesday from safekeeping at KFC's corporate offices and security improvements for the recipe will be made at headquarters. KFC hired off-duty police officers and private security guards to bring the document to an undisclosed location in an armored car. The recipe will be slid into a briefcase and handcuffed to security expert and former New York City police detective, Bo Dietl. Isn't the secret ingredient love?

museumpeace brings us a New York Times story about how internet traffic is increasingly flowing around the US as web-based industries catch up in other parts of the world. Other issues, such as the Patriot Act, have made foreign companies wary about having their data on US servers. From the NYTimes: "Internet industry executives and government officials have acknowledged that Internet traffic passing through the switching equipment of companies based in the United States has proved a distinct advantage for American intelligence agencies. In December 2005, The New York Times reported that the National Security Agency had established a program with the cooperation of American telecommunications firms that included the interception of foreign Internet communications. Some Internet technologists and privacy advocates say those actions and other government policies may be hastening the shift in Canadian and European traffic away from the United States."

stoolpigeon writes to tell us that T-Mobile's upcoming phone will try to combine the best elements of many of the new smart phones, and will be using Google's Android software. "The HTC phone, which many gadget sites are calling the 'dream,' will have a touch screen, like the iPhone. But the screen also slides out to expose a full five-row keyboard. A video of the phone has been posted recently on YouTube. A person who has seen the HTC device said it matched the one in the video. The phone's release date depends on how soon the Federal Communications Commission certifies that the Google software and the HTC phone meet network standards. Executives at all three companies are hoping to announce the phone in September because they would benefit from holiday season sales."

Ben Bernanke says the Fed must decide whether a change is warranted a ' given the worst financial crisis in decades.

Days after it got a federal bailout, American International Group Inc. spent $440,000 on a posh California retreat for its executives, complete with spa treatments, banquets and golf outings, according to ...

WASHINGTON -- Less than a week after the government had to bail out American International Group Inc., the company sent executives on a $440,000 retreat to a luxurious California resort, lawmakers

Lawmakers criticized American International Group Inc on Tuesday for lavish spending and ignoring financial warnings as former top executives blamed the insurer's woes on accounting rules and short sellers.

Less than a week after the federal government had to bail out American International Group Inc., the company sent executives on a $440,000 retreat to a posh California resort, lawmakers investigating the ...

ELECTIONS NASHVILLE, Tennessee _ Republican John McCain, urgently needing to turn his campaign around, clashes in a debate with Democrat Barack Obama over the causes and cures for a massive financial crisis ...

Reaching out to an anxious nation, John McCain and Barack Obama vied in a spirited debate Tuesday over who would be the better steward of an economy in crisis.

Executives at American International Group Inc. hid the full range of its risky financial products from auditors as losses mounted, according to documents released Tuesday by a congressional panel examining the ...

In 1942, German intelligence officers rounded up skilled Jewish prisoners and launched Operation Bernhardt , a clever scheme designed to counterfeit hundreds of millions of dollars worth of British Pounds and ...

Less than a week after the federal government had to bail out American International Group Inc., the company sent executives on a $440,000 retreat to a posh California resort, lawmakers investigating the ...

Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Maurice ``Hank'' Greenberg and three other former American International Group Inc. executives agreed to a $115 million settlement of claims that the ...

Maurice "Hank" Greenberg and three other former American International Group Inc. executives agreed to a $115 million settlement of claims that the insurer overpaid a company he ...

American International Group (AIG) is one of the world's largest insurance firms. ... AIG Executives

NEW YORK—American International Group Inc.'s directors and officers insurers will cover much of a $115 million settlement reached last week to resolve a shareholder derivative ...

US insurance giant AIG and four of its former senior executives agreed to pay 115 million dollars to settle claims stemming from charges of fraud, the investors' law firm said ...

NEW YORK, Sep 12, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX News Network) -- Former executives of ... Consolidated Spire Ventures Ltd. ("Spire") is a Canadian-based junior exploration & mining ...

NEW YORK, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Former executives of American International Group Inc. ( NYSE:AFF ), have agreed to a $115 million pretrial settlement to end a civil fraud lawsuit in ...

AIG Executives. 49 executives listed for AIG's New York, NY location. Subscribers can easily see executives at other AIG locations. Get a free trial today! ...

TradingMarkets News for AIG - Insurance executives face life ... Sep 07, 2008 (The Australian Financial Review - ABIX via COMTEX) -- AIG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating ...

Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana Achieves $115 Million Settlement in Derivative Shareholder Suit against Former AIG Executives. Recovery on eve of trial is largest ever in ...

Much of the outcry in the current fight over a fat bailout for Wall Street focuses on the size of Wall Street's fat paychecks. Bottom line: If Wall Street executives want part of ...

AIG executives escaped to a pricey California beach resort to unwind just days after the insurance giant was rescued by an unprecedented $US85 billion government loan, lawmakers ...

Answers given to the House committee by Robert Willumstad, left, and Martin Sullivan visibly frustrated lawmakers. (By Nikki Kahn -- The Washington Post) For some people at AIG ...

WASHINGTON -- Less than a week after the federal government had to bail out American International Group Inc., the company sent executives on a $440,000 retreat to a posh ...

WASHINGTON -- Executives at American International Group Inc. hid the full range of its risky financial products from auditors as losses mounted, according to documents released ...

American International Group’s offices are shown Tuesday in New York. Executives at AIG hid from its auditors the full range of risky practices even as losses mounted, according ...

WASHINGTON -- Less than a week after the federal government bailed out American International Group, the company sent executives on a $440,000 retreat to a posh California resort ...

E-Mail Story (CBS/ AP) Less than a week after the federal government had to bail out American International Group Inc., the company sent executives on a $440,000 retreat to a posh ...

The US Federal Reserve stepped in to save AIG from imminent collapse on Sept 17. -- PHOTO: AFP WASHINGTON - LESS than a week after the federal government had to bail out American ...

US Lawmakers criticized American International Group Inc (AIG) overnight for lavish spending and ignoring financial warnings as former top executives blamed the insurer's woes on ...