New BT, same old job cuts

The mobile operator mmO2 - formerly known as BT Cellnet and recently spun off from the BT Group - is shedding 1,400 jobs to cut costs. The total represents about one fifth of the mmO2 workforce, and offices at Leeds and Slough are expected to be worst hit. Over 130 of its existing 320 retail outlets will also be closed, with the company announcing its intent 'to focus and develop its resources to drive network quality, further improve customer service and develop the next generation of voice and data services'. ...more

US prepares to keelhaul Microsoft pirates

Yo ho ho Me hearties! More than $10m's worth of illegally copied Microsoft software has been recovered by FBI detectives. A raid on a gang of Taiwanese counterfeiters, operating from the San Gabriel Valley in California, exposed a stash of software that included dodgy copied of Windows Me, 98, NT Server and Office 2000. The men have been accused of importing the CDs from Asia with the intention of selling them in America. ...more

CIA in secret chat room shocker

The CIA, that US guardian of secrets, has discovered one secret that it didn't know about - a secret chat room used by its own staff. The chat room was created within its classified computer system by employees at the agency and was used to trade standard office banter. However, the CIA has taken a dim view of the incident and has put up to 10 employees on leave while an inquiry gets underway. ...more

Media pressure forces YouTube delete

YouTube has deleted almost 30,000 video clips following a complaint by a Japanese rights organisation. The Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers said that it had found 29,549 video clips including television shows, music videos and movies posted on the site without permission of the copyright holders, in this case 23 Japanese TV stations. YouTube quickly complied with its request, in line with its stated policy of removing any copyright material as soon as it is asked to do so. ...more

HP Labs enters a digital fourth dimension

'Making history come alive' is not likely to send shivers of anticipation down the spines of many these days, but what HP Labs is up to in the Tower of London right now might make gazing glassily at dusty old relics and ruins a thing of past. HP Labs is trialling its Mediascape technologies at the Tower during the half-term week, and visitors using a GPS- and RF-enabled iPaq handheld can get an insight into the characters and stories that make up the site's history. So what? A bunch of tourists wandering around wearing headphones and listening to a virtual tour guide. ...more