Amazon fires German security firm

18 February 2013 Last updated at 08:53 ET

Online retailer Amazon has ended the contract of a security firm employed at one of its German warehouses, following complaints about workers' conditions.

The company, Hensel European Security Services (Hess), was accused of harassing seasonal workers in a TV documentary aired last week.

It prompted calls for an investigation from the German government.

Amazon said it had now terminated its relationship with the firm "with immediate effect".

"Amazon has zero-tolerance for discrimination and intimidation and expects the same from every company we work with," a spokesperson for Amazon said.

The documentary by state broadcaster ARD showed the conditions of employees at the warehouse in Bad Hersfeld, in the state of Hesse, brought in to help with the Christmas rush.

It claimed employees' rooms were searched, they were frisked at breakfast and constantly watched.

Many of the temporary workers came from Spain and Poland, and foreign workers were shown receiving the worst harassment from security guards.

Hess was under contract to an employment agency, not to Amazon itself.

Hess shares its name with Hitler's deputy in the Nazi party Rudolf Hess, and the documentary showed security guards wearing branded clothing linked with the neo-Nazi movement.

Last week the firm denied suggestions that it supported far-right political views.

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EU 'may take action' against Google

18 February 2013 Last updated at 12:19 ET

EU watchdogs plan to take action against Google by this summer over the web giant's current privacy policy, French privacy regulator CNIL has said.

Since March, Google has been combining data from across its sites to potentially better target adverts - which regulators see as "high risk" to people's privacy.

Last October, the firm was given four months to revise its policy.

Google said its actions did comply with EU law.

The new policy was implemented after the company combined 60 separate privacy policies into one agreement.

CNIL said the internet giant had not yet made the changes demanded by the regulators.

"Google did not provide any precise and effective answers," CNIL said on Monday.

"In this context, the EU data protection authorities are committed to act and continue their investigations. Therefore, they propose to set up a working group, led by the CNIL, in order to coordinate their reaction, which should take place before summer."

But Google said the firm did respect European law.

"We have engaged fully with the CNIL throughout this process, and we'll continue to do so going forward," the firm told the BBC.

In total, 12 recommendations were outlined in a letter signed by 24 of the EU's 27 data regulators, following a nine-month investigation into Google's data collection practices.

Among the proposed changes were the following:

• Google must "reinforce users' consent". It suggests this could be done by allowing its members to choose under what circumstances data about them was combined by asking them to click on dedicated buttons.

• The firm should offer a centralised opt-out tool and allow users to decide which of Google's services provided data about them.

• Google should adapt its own tools so that it could limit data use to authorised purposes. For example, it should be able to use a person's collated data to improve security efforts but not to target advertising.

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Astronaut in Reddit chat from space

18 February 2013 Last updated at 10:28 ET

Canadian Chris Hadfield, who will assume command of the International Space Station (ISS) in March, took part in a web chat on Sunday - from space.

He appeared on social news site Reddit, typing on his laptop some 220 miles (354 km) above Earth during the site's "ask me anything" (AMA) session.

Last year, US President Barack Obama also participated in an AMA chat.

To "beam" his answers down, Mr Hadfield logged on via a satellite relay to a server in Houston, Texas.

"The purpose of all of this is to connect with you and allow you to experience a bit more directly what life is like living aboard an orbiting research vessel," wrote the astronaut.

The discussion drew more than 2,000 questions and comments.

The astronaut replied to queries ranging from describing the smell of space, saying that "airlock smells like ozone, or gunpowder", to clarifying how astronauts shaved when bits of hair floated all around them: "just wipe it on a cloth every time".

Continue reading the main story

I feel like an adapted ape swinging through the jungle canopy... until I miss a handrail and crash into the wall"

End Quote Chris Hadfield Astronaut

He said that he did not see the meteor that fell in Russia because the station was on the other side of the Earth, but added that small meteorites "burn up between ISS and the Earth every day.

"I watched a large meteorite burn up between me and Australia, and to think of that hypersonic dumb lump of rock randomly hurtling into us instead sent a shiver up my back," he wrote.

He said that sometimes occupants of the ISS "hear pings as tiny rocks hit our spaceship, and also the creaks and snaps of expanding metal as we go in and out of sunlight. The solar panels are full of tiny holes from the micro-meteorites."

'Good moustache'

One of the questions was about weightlessness, and Mr Hadfield wrote: "Simply fly - to push off and glide magically to the other end of the station. It makes me smile to myself, every time.

"I'm still learning! But sometimes now, I am graceful. I feel like an adapted ape swinging through the jungle canopy... until I miss a handrail and crash into the wall."

He also said that the launch - "all that power and acceleration" - was the biggest danger astronauts faced.

"Once we survive that, it's just a steady threat of radiation, meteorite impacts, and vehicle system failure like fire or ammonia breakthrough," he posted.

Describing how the world looked from space, Mr Hadfield wrote: "It looks like a carpet of countless tiny perfect unblinking lights in endless velvet, with the Milky Way as a glowing area of paler texture."

He said that Australia looked "coolest", calling the colours and textures of the Outback "severely artistic".

"The most beautiful to me are the Bahamas, the vast glowing reefs of every shade of blue that exists," he added.

Finally, when a Redditor asked: "If you discover intelligent life, who should play you in the movie?" Mr Hadfield said: "Someone with a good moustache."

Canadian commander

The current space mission is Chris Hadfield's third trip into orbit. His first was 17 years ago when he flew on the space shuttle Atlantis to the Mir space station.

In March, Mr Hadfield will become the second-ever non-Russian and non-American to lead an ISS crew. A European Space Agency astronaut, the Belgian Frank De Winne, was in command of the station in 2009.

Mr Hadfield was the first Canadian to undertake a spacewalk; and he was the first and only Canadian to board the Russian Mir space station.

He was also the first Canadian to operate his country's major contribution to the space shuttle - its robotic arm, or "Canadarm".

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Burger King Twitter account 'hacked'

18 February 2013 Last updated at 15:54 ET

US fast-food company Burger King has said its Twitter account may have been hacked, after its profile picture was changed to a McDonald's logo.

The background picture on the account showed Fish McBites and some posts contained racial slurs, obscenities and references to drugs.

The firm says it asked Twitter to suspend the account and @BurgerKing has not posted since 13:15 EST (18:15 GMT).

Burger King says it will post an apology on its Facebook page.

The account tweeted that the company had been sold to rival hamburger chain McDonald's.

"We just got sold to McDonald's! Look for McDonald's in a hood near you," one post read.

It also posted messages such as: "If I catch you at a Wendys, we're fightin!"

The tweets stopped after a little more than an hour.

Meanwhile, McDonald's tweeted in response to the apparent hack: "We empathize with our @BurgerKing counterparts. Rest assured, we had nothing to do with the hacking."

It is not known who might be responsible for the breach.

The development comes in the wake of a scandal across at least 12 European countries, in which it emerged that some products labelled as beef contained horsemeat.

Burger King has said it has cut ties with some of its suppliers as a precaution, in the wake of the scandal.

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'Bionic legs' for military amputees

19 February 2013 Last updated at 06:58 ET

Injured military personnel who have legs amputated are to be given the most up-to-date prosthetic limbs after the government set aside £6.5m for them.

The micro-processor limbs, known as "bionic legs", will be available to service personnel who have been wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan and will offer them greater stability and mobility.

The move is expected to benefit about 160 members of the armed forces.

The Help for Heroes charity said the money would help "transform lives".

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said it was a top priority to give troops the best possible care and support.

Chancellor George Osborne, who is making the money available from the Treasury's special reserve, added: "Our troops are heroes who have and continue to give absolutely everything for their country and it is only right that we do everything possible to help them, especially when they suffer injury.

Walk backwards

"I am delighted, therefore, that we have been able to make funding available for this cutting-edge prosthetic technology, which will go a long way to improving the lives of people who have done so much for the UK."

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Defence Minister Mark Francois says the money will provide "the best, most capable legs"

Experts say the "bionic legs" - the same as those used by Paralympics discus thrower and former soldier Derek Derenalagi - will significantly improve the quality of life and speed of rehabilitation for amputees.

The new technology provides better stability and greater mobility, as well as improvements in the ability to step over obstacles, negotiate stairs and walk backwards safely.

The limbs will be fitted where clinically appropriate at the Headley Court military rehabilitation centre in Surrey.

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Captain Nick Beighton: "I'm a typical soldier, we want the newest, shiniest things."

Paralympic rower Captain Nick Beighton, who lost both legs in an explosion during a foot patrol in Afghanistan in 2009, welcomed the micro processor limbs as a "big step up in technology".

"To have the opportunity to try it and to use it and get the latest technology is fabulous for us because it just gives us that freedom to get out and do more things and have greater functionality and more independence," said the 31-year-old London 2012 competitor.

'Proven benefits'

Surgeon General Air Marshal Paul Evans said: "The next generation of micro processor knee is a fantastic prosthetic development and now seen to have proven benefits for certain amputees. It will improve the quality of life and rehabilitation for our patients, where it is clinically suitable.

"Not only does it provide better stability and improved mobility but will also help reduce back pain and aid rehabilitation generally."

Bryn Parry, chief executive of the Help for Heroes charity, said: "Our wounded servicemen, women and veterans deserve the best. This announcement will help transform lives.

"We must remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and that each individual must be given the best prosthetic for them."

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Google 'seeks to cut piracy funds'

19 February 2013 Last updated at 07:59 ET

Google executives are in talks with Visa, Paypal and Mastercard to block illegal websites from receiving funding, the Telegraph has reported.

It might mean Google could avoid making more alterations to its search results to disadvantage illegal sites, the report said.

Google has in the past urged authorities to "follow the money" when it comes to stamping out piracy sites.

Similar blocking measures were put in place against the Wikileaks website.

The site, which published large amounts of classified documents, had its funding sources strangled by firms who were reportedly pressured by US authorities into taking action.

The move was controversial, with many calling for boycotts of the companies involved.

Choking business

Google would not comment directly on reports it was having discussions with payment companies, but it stressed it had stepped up its efforts on piracy in the past year.

"Google has never worked harder to tackle piracy online," the company said in a statement.

"Last month alone we removed over 14 million links to pirated material.

"There are also huge and growing opportunities for content creators to make money online, which is why so many have signed up to Google Play and as YouTube partners."

In a report published last year, Google - in partnership with PRS for Music - outlined ways to choke businesses making money from illegal activity.

The report analysed various funding models in use by sites offering music downloads, movie streaming and other unlicensed content.

Google's concluded that it was important to tackle the piracy problem at source by targeted companies which advertise on piracy sites - as well as payment providers that enable the collection of subscription money.

However, Google has been forced to demote certain websites in its search rankings, amid criticism it was easier to find piracy sites over legitimate music stores.

Paypal has yet to respond to the reports, while Visa told the BBC it would not be making a comment.

In a statement, Mastercard said: "Mastercard takes online safety and security seriously.

"We work closely with our part­ners to ensure the best possible experience when using elec­tronic payments."

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China military unit 'behind hacking'

19 February 2013 Last updated at 08:24 ET

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The BBC's John Sudworth was detained while filming the reported hub of the hacking operation

A secretive branch of China's military is probably one of the world's "most prolific cyber espionage groups", a US cyber security firm has said.

Mandiant said Unit 61398 was believed to have "systematically stolen hundreds of terabytes of data" from at least 141 organisations around the world.

It traced the attacks to the doorstep of a non-descript building in Shanghai used by the unit.

China denied hacking and questioned the validity of Mandiant's report.

'Extensive cyber espionage'

"Hacking attacks are transnational and anonymous," said foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

"Determining their origins are extremely difficult. We don't know how the evidence in this so-called report can be tenable.

Mr Hong added that Beijing "firmly opposes hacking", has taken steps to prevent it and is also a victim of cyber attacks.

In an indication of the military sensitivity around the Shanghai site, the BBC's John Sudworth and his camera crew were briefly detained by soldiers when they went to film the facility. They were only released once they had handed over their footage.

In its unusually detailed report, US-based computer security company Mandiant said it had investigated hundreds of data breaches since 2004, most of which it attributed to what it termed "Advanced Persistent Threat" actors.

Continue reading the main story

The scale of the Chinese hacking alleged by the computer security firm Mandiant is striking. Until now the bulk of this hacking has been a digital version of old-fashioned industrial espionage - stealing designs and company secrets.

But there is a more sinister side to this activity as well. Chinese hackers are alleged to have a growing interest in gaining access to key parts of the US infrastructure - gas lines, power grids and waterworks. President Barack Obama himself warned during his recent State of the Union address that the nature of the cyber threat was changing.

Gaining access to critical systems is the key. Once inside the digital perimeter - especially if the intrusion is not identified, there is the possibility of causing real physical damage to the infrastructure that the computers control.

The details it had uncovered, it said, "convince us that the groups conducting these activities are based primarily in China and that the Chinese government is aware of them".

The most prolific of these actors is APT1, which Mandiant says is "a single organisation of operators that has conducted a cyber espionage campaign against a broad range of victims since at least 2006".

"From our observations, it is one of the most prolific cyber espionage groups in terms of the sheer quantity of information stolen," it said, adding that it was "likely government-sponsored and one of the most persistent of China's cyber threat actors".

"We believe that APT1 is able to wage such a long-running and extensive cyber espionage campaign in large part because it receives direct government support," said Mandiant.

The firm said it had traced the hacking activities of APT1 to the site of 12-storey building in the Pudong area of Shanghai. It said that Unit 61398 of the People's Liberation Army "is also located in precisely the same area" and that the actors had similar "missions, capabilities and resources".

Among the findings about APT1 in the report were that it:

• is staffed by hundreds, possibly thousands, of proficient English speakers with advanced computer security and networking skills
• has hacked into 141 companies across 20 industries, 87% based in English-speaking countries, and is able to steal from dozens of networks simultaneously
• has stolen hundreds of terabytes of information including blueprints, business plans, pricing documents, user credentials, emails and contact lists
• stayed inside hacked networks for an average of 356 days, with the longest lasting 1,764 days
• targeted industries identified by China as strategically important under its Five Year Plan for economic growth

'Groundless'

Unit 61398 has for some time been suspected by the US of being central to China's cyber espionage programme, the New York Times reports.

Mandiant admitted there could be one alternative explanation for its findings: that "a secret, resourced organisation full of mainland Chinese speakers with direct access to Shanghai-based telecommunications infrastructure is engaged in a multi-year, enterprise scale computer espionage campaign right outside of Unit 61398's gates, performing tasks similar to Unit 61398's known mission".

Several governments, foreign companies and organisations have said in the past they suspect China of carrying out extensive cyber espionage over periods of several years.

Last month, the New York Times said its systems had been infiltrated over a period of four months, after it wrote a report on the alleged wealth of China's outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao.

Mandiant, which the paper hired to investigate, traced the hack to China. However, the paper said its breach had been attributed to a different group. The Wall Street Journal also reported a China-based hack.

At the time, China's foreign ministry dismissed the New York Times accusations as "groundless", saying that to "conclude without hard evidence that China participated in such hacking attacks is totally irresponsible".

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PM promises India corruption help

19 February 2013 Last updated at 10:08 ET

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PM David Cameron: "We will root out any problems of bribery and corruption wherever and whenever they appear"

David Cameron has promised to "respond to any request for information" on corruption allegations over India's procurement of helicopters from the Anglo-Italian company AgustaWestland.

India has suspended payments under the terms of the £480m contract, following arrests at AgustaWestland and its parent firm Finmeccanica.

Mr Cameron, visiting India, stressed Finmeccanica was an "Italian company".

The company said it had acted correctly in reaching the deal.

Mr Cameron held talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi on the second day of his three-day trade visit.

Afterwards Mr Singh said he had raised "serious concerns" about the AgustaWestland deal.

AgustaWestland signed a contract to supply 12 AW101 helicopters to the Indian air force in 2010, since when there have been allegations of bribery, which are being investigated by the Italian authorities.

'No embarrassment'

Finmeccanica's chairman and chief executive Giuseppe Orsi and AgustaWestland chief executive Bruno Spagnolini were arrested last week on corruption and tax fraud charges.

At a press conference after his meeting with Mr Cameron, Mr Singh said he had "conveyed to the prime minister our very serious concerns regarding allegations about unethical means used in securing the 2010 contract for AgustaWestland helicopters.

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In Britain, we have introduced anti-bribery legislation that is probably the strongest anywhere in the world"

End Quote David Cameron

"I told him that we have sought an explanation from the company by 22 February to examine if the contractual conditions on unethical practices and the integrity pact have been violated.

"I have sought full assistance from the UK in this case. Prime Minister David Cameron has assured me of the co-operation of his government in the investigation."

Mr Cameron said: "In terms of AgustaWestland, we will respond to any request for information. I am glad that the Italian authorities are looking into this issue in detail, as Finmeccanica is an Italian company."

He added: "In Britain, we have introduced anti-bribery legislation that is probably the strongest anywhere in the world and we will root out any problems of bribery and corruption wherever and whenever they appear."

Mr Cameron told the BBC he shared India's "concern", saying: "I will work closely with the Indians to make sure that they get to the bottom of what's happened here.

"There's no embarrassment about this. This [ensuring clarity] is exactly what our partnership should be delivering."

AgustaWestland employs more than 3,000 people in Yeovil, Somerset.

During their talks Mr Cameron and Mr Singh also agreed more co-operation between Britain and India in combating cyber attacks, including police training exchanges and research into online security.

Mr Cameron said the countries were "on track" to double overall trade to £23bn by 2015.

The UK prime minister, whose delegation includes representatives from BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, London Underground and the English Premier League, will also meet Indian President Pranab Mukherjee during his trip.

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HTC unveils new flagship smartphone

19 February 2013 Last updated at 10:37 ET By Katia Moskvitch Technology reporter, BBC News

HTC has unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the revamped HTC One, as it attempts to regain lost market share.

It uses Google's latest operating system, Android Jelly Bean, features a 4.7in (12cm) 1080p high display and includes a so-called ultrapixel camera.

The body is made fully of aluminium and has front-facing stereo speakers.

HTC launched the device in New York, a week before the start of Mobile World Congress, in what analysts say is a bid to secure attention for the phone.

The smartphone market is currently dominated by products from Apple and Samsung - HTC has lost much of its market share over the past two years.

It hopes that new software features will help to make its new handset stand out.

One of them is BlinkFeed, a personalised content feed on the home screen, that - according to HTC - "aggregates the freshest content from the most relevant sources as identified by you, providing instant access to news and social feeds without the need to jump between multiple applications and web sites".

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"Start Quote

"We've created the best smartphone on the market; we just need to let the world know about it"

End Quote Peter Chou HTC chairman

Another feature, called HTC Zoe, captures short high definition videos instead of still images before and after the camera shutter is pressed, so that users can chose the best picture to capture the moment. The software can also turn a gallery of still images into a collection of mini-videos.

HTC also boasts that its "ultrapixel" camera and software produce the best low-light shots available on any smartphone camera - a direct challenge to Nokia.

The HTC One's rear camera's sensor is bigger than those traditionally fitted to smartphones, and its pixels are also larger than normal.

The result, the firm says, is that it can produce clear shots in poorly lit situations.

However, the trade-off is that it only has a four megapixel resolution. It may outclass much of the competition, but the firm faces a challenge convincing consumers that the camera is as good as rivals' featuring 13 megapixels or more.

Chinese rivals

The Taiwanese company hopes that both its hardware and software innovations can help it to regain ground lost to Apple and a bevy of rivals using the Android operating system, in particular Samsung.

Despite positive reviews, last year's flagship phone, the HTC One X, struggled to sell, and the company's net profit during the last three months of 2012 plummeted by more than 90% compared to the same period the previous year.

It was the fourth quarter in a row that HTC profits had fallen sharply.

Apple and Samsung, on the other hand, cornered the market with their new models, the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

They have to make sure that consumers are aware about the new technology HTC can bring them"

End Quote Lu Chun-kua Gartner

More worryingly for the Taipei-based firm, HTC even dropped out of the ranks of the top five smartphone manufacturers by global market share, according to research firm IDC.

The consultancy says the firm now trails behind Chinese low-end mobile phone companies Huawei and ZTE, who took the number three and number five spots respectively. Japan's Sony snatched the number four place.

HTC hopes that the HTC One with its aluminium unibody can help turn things around.

"We've created the best smartphone on the market; we just need to let the world know about it," HTC chairman Peter Chou told the BBC, acknowledging that last year his company's marketing effort had disappointed.

A Gartner analyst agreed that marketing would be key if the company was to recover.

"Last year, the Butterfly and the One X were actually very good devices, but the sales were not as good as [the firm] expected," said Lu Chun-kuan.

"The challenge remains that Samsung and Apple still have very a strong portfolio of premium devices.

"As far as the challenges at the low-end, that's getting difficult as well. The market is getting more and more competitive, so... they have to make sure that consumers are aware about the new technology HTC can bring to them."

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Sony cuts PS Vita price in Japan

19 February 2013 Last updated at 11:20 ET

Sony's handheld console the PlayStation Vita is set for a price drop - ahead of the widely-rumoured launch of a new PlayStation console.

Both the wi-fi and 3G model of the PS Vita will retail in Japan for 19,980 yen (£139).

Sony has not yet said if the price drop will come into effect in other countries, but a major PlayStation event is to be held on Wednesday.

PS Vita sales have been at the "low end" of expectations, Sony has said.

The price change will come into force from the 28 February. Until the announcement, the wi-fi-only version had retailed at 24,980 yen (£172), while the 3G model cost 29,980 yen (£207).

The PS Vita's new price brings it in line with Nintendo's 3DS XL handheld.

The 3DS has sold more units worldwide than the PS Vita, but has been considerably cheaper for some time.

Console war

Analysts say both handhelds are struggling in a market that has somewhat thwarted by many casual gamers playing games on smartphones rather than dedicated devices.

The PS Vita's high price point was also heavily criticised by gamers. In November last year, the PS Vita was reported to have sold even fewer units than its predecessor, the Playstation Portable (PSP).

Speculation about the PS Vita's future includes its potential role as a peripheral for the PS4 - similar to the controller system used by Nintendo's latest console, the WiiU.

If Sony does indeed launch the PS4 on Wednesday, it will mean Sony has something of a head start against its main console rival, Xbox.

Unlike in 2005, when the Xbox 360 stole a march on the PS3 by launching before Christmas, roles will be reversed this time around with the Sony console likely to hit shelves first.

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