FBI strikes back at alleged hackers (week in review)

The FBI escalated its war on hackers, serving dozens of warrants across the U.S. and making more than a dozen arrests.

Sixteen people were arrested in the United States in connection with hacking attacks by the Anonymous group of online activists, as well as one person in the U.K. and four people in the Netherlands, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

The arrests of the defendants, who range in age from 20 to 42, followed the execution of more than 35 search warrants throughout the country by the FBI as part of its investigation into hacking attacks coordinated by the Anonymous online activist group, officials said. More than 75 searches have taken place in the U.S. to date as part of the investigations, the Justice Department said.
•  FBI raids alleged Anonymous homes
•  Anonymous claims to have breached NATO security
•  Hackers target Murdoch newspaper Web site
•  Report: Lady Gaga U.K. Web site hacked

More headlines

Apple's Mac refresh plays into download strategy

Apple's release of a new Mac OS and Mac hardware can be seen as just another update. But beneath the surface, it plays into the company's long-term plans to get users buying digital content.
•  Apple's Lion hits 1 million copies sold
•  Apple quietly discontinues white MacBook
•  First impressions: Apple's new Mac Mini
•  Apple releases Lion-compatible iTunes and iWork updates

Apple posts $28B quarter, announces Lion launch

The Mac and iPhone maker posts third-quarter net income of $7.3 billion, once again topping Wall Street expectations. The company also sold 20.34 million iPhones during the quarter.
•  Apple notes 'future product transition' in analyst call
•  Apple COO: iPad takes a bite out of Mac sales

Intel reports profit gain, beats expectations

Intel earnings exceed expectations, but the company reports a modest quarterly profit gain.
•  Microsoft results top expectations, led by Office, Xbox
•  Qualcomm narrowly beats Q3 expectations
•  PayPal carries eBay to strong second quarter
•  Yahoo revenue hit by management shuffle

Google shuts down Google Labs

As Google focuses its resources more on core products that can make it money, the company is shutting down its test bed for more experimental projects.
•  Google adds malware warning to search results
•  Google hopes to lure celebs to Google+
•  Google buys g.co domain

Netflix counters bad press with 'The Fighter,' 'Mad Men'

Just when everyone is dumping on Netflix's streaming selection, the besieged video service adds some white-hot material.
•  Amazon gets streaming deal for 2,000 CBS TV episodes
•  Updated Netflix app supports more Android phones

Facebook at bottom on customer satisfaction

Measuring customer satisfaction with a variety of Web sites, from news portals to search engines to social networks, a new study finds Facebook in last place.
•  Larry Summers: The Winklevii are a**holes

How long can Sprint keep its unlimited plans up?

The carrier is the only one left to offer truly unlimited data, but some believe the bandwidth pressures will get to it eventually.
•  Sprint eyes 'family plan' for data devices
•  T-Mobile to drop prices on smartphone plans

Baidu launches browser with Chrome-like design

China's largest search engine comes with a single bar that can be used to input Web addresses or searches. It also has a marketplace to download thousands of applications.
•  Baidu signs distribution deal with music labels

TSA hopes scanner upgrades reduce privacy worries

A software upgrade to address privacy concerns will be rolled out more broadly but is unlikely to eliminate health and other concerns related to so-called pornoscanners.

Once booming, green-tech investing shifts down

The latest venture capital numbers show a pullback from green tech, reflecting the challenging funding environment for green-tech start-ups.

Government shutting down hundreds of data centers

In an effort to save taxpayer money, the White House says it plans to close almost 400 redundant data centers this year and next.

Also of note
•  FDA seeking to regulate mobile medical apps
•  Wireless jobs decline even as industry booms
•  Cisco to shed 14 percent of workforce