■ Internet
Anti-spam sham uncovered
A Web site promoting a purported registry to stop unsolicited e-mail, or spam, is in fact a sham that probably harvests e-mail addresses for more spam, US regulators said Thursday. "There is no `National Do Not E-mail Registry,'" the Federal Trade Commission said, warning that a Web site at unsub.us tricks Internet users into providing their addresses. The site "mimics the language, look, and navigation of the Web site for the National Do Not Call Registry, which is aimed at stopping telemarketing calls. "The FTC is concerned that the unsub.us site could be part of a high-tech scam that uses a deceptive Web site to trick consumers into disclosing their e-mail address or other sensitive personal information," the agency said. "This site may be a ruse to collect valid e-mail addresses to sell to spammers. The result could be even more spam for consumers who sign up for this `registry.'
■ Music Industry
EU investigates merger
The EU commission Thursday opened an in-depth investigation into the proposed merger between Sony and Bertelsmann's recorded music businesses. The media groups hope to create the world's second-largest record company but the deal will be subjected to a four-month inquiry. Sony and Bertelsmann's BMG will argue that rampant internet piracy and declining sales have made consolidation imperative for the music industry. But Brussels has taken a dim view of record industry deals. A proposed merger between Time Warner's music arm and EMI fell foul of the EC four years ago, while an attempted link-up between EMI and BMG suffered the same fate soon after.
■ Internet
FCC avoids making rules
US regulators on Thursday decided to exempt from government rules a fledgling service that enables phone calls to travel over the Internet -- at least for now. The Federal Communica-tions Commission voted 4-1 in a case involving Free World Dialup, a service that allows users to make phone calls for free over computers. Still, FCC policymakers left open the possibility that Internet calling could be regulated in the future, especially for services that charge fees to customers. The agency also voted to open a review as to what, if any, regulations should govern Internet telephony and related services in the future. The Computer and Communications Industry Association hailed the FCC action, saying it avoids potentially crippling regulation of an emerging technology.
■ Macroeconomics
Statistics indicate recovery
Large Japanese firms are estimated to have boosted capital spending by 2.1 percent in the three months to December from the previous quarter as the economic outlook improved, the government said yesterday. Spending on factories, equipment, machinery and offices was expected to rise 1.2 percent, after adjustment for seasonal factors, in the year to March from a year earlier, the first gain in three years, the Cabinet Office said. The December quarter data provides the final piece in the puzzle before Wednesday's announcement of GDP for the period. "Capital expenditure by the service sector has increased the most while the greatest decline was in real estate," said Cabinet official Chiaki Yamaguchi.
‘TOO TIRED’: The former mayor’s political party said that he had been questioned for nearly 19 hours, so he declined to be questioned at night, as he felt exhausted Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was arrested early yesterday morning after being questioned by prosecutors over his alleged role in a corruption scandal concerning the Core Pacific City redevelopment project during his tenure as Taipei mayor. The arrest was made after Ko refused to be questioned at night and attempted to leave the prosecutors’ office, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Prosecutors were worried that he would collude with others involved in the case to make false statements if they allowed him to leave, so they issued an order to arrest him, the office said. Ko yesterday sought a court
ECONOMIC RESILIENCE: Only 11.4 percent of Taiwan’s overseas investments last year were in China, and businesses are dispersing their investments elsewhere, Lai said China’s ambition to annex Taiwan is based on a desire to change the rules-based international order, rather than a desire for territorial gains, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview. During an appearance on the talk show The View With Catherine Chang, aired last night, Lai said China aimed to achieve hegemony, and that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was an issue of worldwide concern. During the interview, Lai also discussed his “four-pillar plan” for peace and prosperity, which he first outlined in an article published by the Wall Street Journal on July 4 last year. That
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
Thirty Taiwanese firms, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), yesterday launched a silicon photonics industry alliance, aiming to accelerate the medium’s development and address the energy efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) devices like data centers. As the world is ushering in a new AI era with tremendous demand for computing power and algorithms, energy consumption is emerging as a critical issue, TSMC vice president of integrated interconnect and packaging business C.K. Hsu (徐國晉) told a media briefing in Taipei. To solve this issue, it is essential to introduce silicon photonics and copackaged optics (CPO)
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