Sony VR helmet set for 2016 launch

4 March 2015 Last updated at 00:44 By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor

Sony has revealed an upgraded version of its virtual reality helmet, which it says it plans to put on sale in 2016.

The new edition of Project Morpheus now features an OLED display, rather than an LCD one, letting it show more vibrant colours. That brings it in line with Facebook's rival Oculus Rift.

It is also capable of showing graphics at 120 frames per second (fps).

That beats the figure given by HTC for its recently unveiled Vive virtual reality (VR) headset.

The frame rate is important as the higher the number, the smoother moving objects appear. It also reduces the risk of nausea.

HTC said on Sunday that its helmet provided a refresh rate of 90fps.

Oculus has not confirmed its specifications, but recent demonstrations of the recent Crescent Bay version of its kit have also been reported to run at 90fps.

Sony's announcement is a surprise, because until now, the PlayStation console - which Morpheus depends on to play games - had not been thought to be able to render games at this rate.

However, speaking at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida revealed that a software update would allow the machine to create an "in-between frame" to double its current maximum of 60fps.

"Higher frame rates are definitely important because they are going to translate into higher responsiveness of the gaming environment," explained Brian Blau, an analyst at the Gartner tech consultancy who previously worked in the virtual reality industry.

"That's going to mean people who are wearing the device aren't going to feel as sick. 120fps approaches the range where you don't notice the changes in the graphics - they will be smooth and fluid."

Other details revealed at GDC include:

• Morpheus now has a 0.018 second latency rate - the gap in time between the user moving their head and the headset responding. It was previously 0.04 seconds. Mr Yoshida suggested this meant the lag had now become imperceptible
• The headset's screen is now 5.7in (14.5cm) - up from 5in before - and provides a 100-degree field of view, which should cover most of what the user sees
• The number of LEDs used to track head movement has been increased from six to nine. Sony says this will improve the stability of the 360-degree tracking provided by its separate PS4 camera
• A quick-release button has been added to make it easier for users to remove the headset

The screen resolution remains at 1080p high definition, providing 960 pixels by 1080 pixels per eye.

Mr Yoshida said the current version was "near final", suggesting there were further improvements to be made before it goes on sale, which is scheduled to happen within the first six months of 2016.

He added that more details would be unveiled at the E3 video games expo in June.

The release date is later than that of HTC's Vive headset - a collaboration with video games publisher Valve - that is set to launch before the end of this year.

HTC's kit is expected to be designed for games sold via Steam's PC-focused Steam online marketplace, meaning it may not directly compete with Sony's machine. PCs can generate higher quality moving images than the PS4 if fitted with special graphics cards.

Lighthouse tracking tech

Valve also released more details about how its VR system would work.

It said a tracking-system called Lighthouse would let users explore a virtual space and the objects within it from different angles by moving about in real life.

"In order to have a high quality VR experience, you need high-resolution, high-speed tracking," said Valve's Alan Yates in a statement released by the firm.

"Lighthouse gives us the ability to do this for an arbitrary number of targets at a low enough bill-of-materials cost that it can be incorporated into TVs, monitors, headsets, input devices, or mobile devices."

The firm said it would allow manufacturers to build Lighthouse into their products without charging them a fee.

It also announced the Source 2 games engine - software used to create video games with 3D graphics - which it is making available to third-party developers.

The original version, which is 10 years old, was used to make games including Half-life 2, Portal and Titanfall.

Valve may provide more details about its VR platform later this week when selected GDC attendees will be among the first to try out the HTC Vive.

'Seminal year'

Oculus has yet to set a release date for its PC-connected virtual reality helmet.

However, Samsung already sells Oculus-branded VR kit that uses its smartphones as screens.

"I think 2015 and 2016 are going to be seminal years for VR," said Mr Blau.

"There's a lot of products coming to market, which is going to mean consumers get to experience it in a way they haven't been able to do before: at home and in high quality.

"Here at GDC, there are a lot of developers who are interested in VR.

"But the big issue is, will the helmets be affordable or expensive. The early adopters will probably pick one up and pay whatever price is asked, but a higher price will limit sales for mainstream gamers."

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Lords want drone owners register

5 March 2015 Last updated at 00:02

The EU is being urged to create an online register of drone owners.

The recommendation was made by the House of Lords EU Committee, which has been looking into what rules are needed to safeguard the use of unmanned aircraft.

It suggests the database would initially include businesses and other professional users, and then later expand to encompass consumers.

However, one expert questioned how useful such a register would be.

The committee's report warned that over-regulation risked stifling the drone industry, estimating that it could be responsible for creating as many as 150,000 jobs across Europe by 2050.

Even so, it suggested that creating the database would help the authorities manage and keep track of drone traffic.

In addition, it made several other recommendations, including:

• Greater use of geo-fencing - programming drones not to be able to take off from or fly into certain locations based on their GPS co-ordinates. This could include airports, prisons and other high risk sites
• Clearer guidance for police about how they should enforce existing safety rules
• The use of a kite mark or other logo to denote drones that have been classed as safe to use
• More guidance to be given to commercial drone operators about what insurance cover they need to buy

"We have a huge opportunity to make Europe a world leader in drone technology," said committee chairwoman Baroness O'Cathain.

"But there's also a risk. It would just take one disastrous accident to destroy public confidence and set the whole industry back.

"So, we need to find ways to manage and keep track of drone traffic.

"That is why a key recommendation is that drone flights must be traceable, effectively through an online database, which the general public could access via an app."

'Limited awareness'

The UK's current regulations are set by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

It prohibits unmanned aircraft from flying closer than 150m (492ft) to any congested area, or within 50m (164ft) of any vessel, vehicle or structure that is not in the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.

The CAA typically bans the use of drones weighing over 20kg (44lb), but lower than that weight they can be used if they remain in the operator's line of sight.

A report by the University of Birmingham last year noted that awareness and observance of the regulations was "limited in practice", and added that the UK's Air Traffic Control's system were inadequate to cope with the expected rise in the use of the aircraft.

One of the experts quoted in the report told the BBC he was concerned that the Lords' suggestions did not go far enough.

"Law abiding citizens are likely to register, but it would be very difficult to stop terrorists and other criminals from purchasing drones abroad and then using them here," said Prof David Dunn, who has written about the matter for The Royal Institute of International Affairs.

"The technologies have the capacity to crash into people and kill them, as they have done in the States, or indeed they can potentially be used to fly into the engines of jets creating a mechanical bird-strike effect. Some of them can be used to carry 1kg [2.2lb] of weight - so they could be used to carry explosives or indeed to spray vapour.

"Up until now it was expensive and required skill to be able to fly an aircraft - which acted as a form a regulation in itself. Now, you can fly these things relatively easily over people's heads.

"I'm not sure this has been thought through as much as it might have been."

Testing our tolerance

By contrast, the committee highlights drones' potential for good - carrying out "dull, dirty or dangerous jobs" including goods deliveries, search-and-rescue operations and geographic surveys.

The Economist newspaper has also pointed out that drones can be used to improve - rather than threaten - public safety, by making it relatively cheap to inspect wind turbines for cracks and carry out power-line inspections.

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WATCH: The BBC Click team recently put three drones through their paces

However, one expert from Imperial College noted that if the EU's use of drones rose as quickly as the Lords suggested, then the public's tolerance for related accidents would likely be put to the test.

"It's the scale of the accidents that I'm worried about," explained Dr Ravi Vaidyanathan.

"If a drone flying at relatively low speed scratches the side of my car and I have to get it fixed, but the drone's owner or manufacturer's insurance covers the costs, then I think there is a high tolerance for things like that.

"But if, for example, a drone cuts someone or hits the windshield of a car forcing it off the road, then I don't think the public is going to accept that."

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Bogus tech support call turns nasty

5 March 2015 Last updated at 15:37

A bogus PC support call turned nasty when a victim asked the scammer why he was trying to steal money from people, reports CBC.

The conman threatened to send someone to kill Canadian Jakob Dulisse after the challenge.

Despite the conversation turning nasty, Mr Dulisse said the threat was just a way to get him to pay money.

Microsoft estimates fraudsters make about $1.5bn (£1bn) a year through fake Windows support calls.

Older victims

The fake Microsoft tech support scam has been operating for many years and typically involves tricking a victim into paying to fix non-existent security threats on their home computer.

More recently people who know about the scam have been trying to turn the tables on the conmen by stringing them along and recording what happens next.

Mr Dulisse told the Go Public radio show that he spotted the scam early on in the call and then started asking questions about why he was targeted. Mr Dulisse also recorded the exchange. He said when he asked why the caller was trying to make people pay for services they did not need, the conversation took a "sinister turn".

The man admitted he was in India and said "Anglo" people who travel to the country were "cut up in little pieces" and thrown in the river.

The conman then quoted Mr Dulisse's address and said he would send someone round to kill him.

"He was actually threatening me as a tactic," said Mr Dulisse. "He was still trying to get me to do what he was trying to do with my computer."

Growing awareness of the support call scam was making the fraudsters more aggressive, said Gregg Keizer from Computerworld. Some victims are called many times a day to wear down their resistance, he said.

Figures released in January by Action Fraud - the UK's national reporting centre for fraud - suggest fraudsters are targeting people who are unfamiliar with computers to maximise their chances of success. The average age of UK victims is 59, it said, and on average each one loses £210 to the conmen.

In the six months between June and November 2014, there were more than 12,000 reports of fake computer support frauds, it said.

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Ford launches e-bikes at mobile show

3 March 2015 Last updated at 14:54

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WATCH: The BBC's Dave Lee talks to Ford's chief design engineer Tom Thompson about the company's electric bike project

Motor company Ford has launched electric bicycles at Mobile World Congress, as part of its plans to extend its footprint beyond cars.

Increasingly car manufacturers are looking to new ways to make money with many developing so-called smart transportation systems.

Ford's e-bikes come in two flavours - one for use by commuters and one as a commercial bike for couriers.

Both are linked to a smartphone app that provides step-by-step navigation.

The experiment with e-bikes is part of Ford's smart mobility plan - it is keen to study how such bicycles integrate with cars and public transport.

"There are so many ways to get around a city, but what is really needed is a way to connect all of these transport options together," said Ken Washington, vice president of Ford Research and Advanced Engineering.

"Being able to seamlessly move between cars, buses, trains and e-bikes and react to changing traffic situations can make a big difference both for commuters and for those delivering goods, services and healthcare."

Traffic problems and overly long commutes have been proved to have a significant economic and social impact on cities. According to the European Commission, congestion within the European Union costs about 100bn euros each year.

A study by the UK's Office for National Statistics found that each minute added to a commute affects anxiety, happiness and general well-being among commuters.

Both Ford's e-bikes are equipped with a 200-watt motor with a 9-amp-hour battery that provides electric pedal assistance for speeds of up to 25km/h (15mph). Both can also be folded.

Rear-facing sensors offer riders an alert system that warns the cyclist when a vehicle is overtaking by vibrating both handlebars. Sensors also alert motorists to the presence of the e-bike by lighting up the handlebars.

An app - currently only available on the iPhone 6 - provides step-by-step navigation - it plans an entire route for commuters, from driving to a train station to taking a train and completing a journey via an e-bike. It also offers information about the routes - so if a train service in cancelled it may offer an alternative method of transport.

It also provides navigation for riders, via a Bluetooth headset that uses haptic touch technology to notify the rider of whether to turn left or right.

David Bailey, professor of industrial strategy at the Aston Business School believes that e-bikes are going to become popular in cities.

"A lot of city authorities are concerned about pollution so we will see more e-bikes around," he said.

But he is less convinced that the e-bike revolution will be led by car manufacturers.

"There are a few companies already doing it. They are trying to show they are environmentally friendly but also, in some cities, it is no longer possible to drive to the centre of town in a car."

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Tablet video game combats lazy eye

3 March 2015 Last updated at 20:54 By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor

Ubisoft has announced it is working on a video game to combat an eye disorder that can cause reduced vision.

Dig Rush is designed to be played on tablets by people diagnosed as having Amblyopia - also known as "lazy eye".

The condition affects an estimated one in 50 children, according to the NHS, and often causes them to see less clearly out of one eye than the other.

Ubisoft said it hoped the game would be "more engaging and enjoyable" than existing treatments.

The technique involved was developed by researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, who initially carried out tests using a version of the blocks-turning game Tetris before publicising their discovery in 2013.

French developer Ubisoft is best known for making entertainment-focused video games including the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry series, as well as the choreography-focused franchise Just Dance.

Its announcement was timed to coincide with the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco.

Blocked objects

Dig Rush requires the patient to wear blue-red stereoscopic glasses - similar to the ones used for old 3D movies - while playing.

It works by showing some of its graphics in blue and some in red at differing levels of contrast, so that each of the objects they represent becomes harder to see by one of the eyes.

This forces the player to use both their dominant and weaker eyes together in order to make progress, rather than just relying on their stronger one or only seldom using the weaker one.

Through repeated training, the player's brain should learn to improve co-ordination of both eyes, helping the weak eye relearn how to see and potentially improving their sense of depth as a result.

Ubisoft said doctors would have the ability to adjust the game's settings to suit specific patients' conditions.

Eye patch alternative

Left untreated, Amblyopia can result in the central vision of a person's "lazy eye" never reaching normal levels.

Studies carried out by the McGill team suggest two-thirds of people who play such games regularly should experience improved vision in their weaker eye.

Amblyotech - a company that bought the researchers' invention and licensed it to Ubisoft - said it believed the game was more effective than alternative techniques.

"Current treatments options, such as eye patching, provide limited relief and have poor patient compliance due to discomfort and social stigmas," said Joseph Koziak, Amblyotech's chief executive.

He suggested that both children and adults could benefit from the treatment.

Amblyotech is currently seeking permission from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the therapy in the US. It acknowledges it will have to go through similar approval processes elsewhere before the game can be made available.

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists - which represents eye doctors in the UK - said it would need to see further evidence before being able to support the idea of medics prescribing the title.

"The use of digital media is and has been researched and studied and shown to have some benefit," said a spokeswoman.

"As with all treatments, their use must be based on scientific research and evidence to ensure a safe and effective benefit for patients."

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Amazon Prime trial ad 'misleading'

The Amazon Prime 30-day free trial advertisement was "likely to mislead" customers, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says.

Today's ruling means the advert must not appear again in "its current form".

Six customers complained to the ASA over the Amazon trial, saying that it was not clear "that a paid subscription would automatically start" if not cancelled during the free trial.

The ASA ruling does not influence current payments or refunds.

As well as upholding that complaint, the ASA also ruled that the price of the subscription was not made obvious enough, as it was not in the original advert.

A 12-month subscription to Amazon Prime cost £79.

Last month many users took to social media to complain about the service.

Reports suggested that Amazon Prime added 10 million new subscribers in the last three months of 2014 alone.

It was also claimed that Amazon Prime members now represent nearly half of all Amazon customers.

It's not known how many users there are in the UK, but Amazon told Newsbeat it's "millions".

The complaints to the ASA centred around a letter that was sent to customers with Amazon accounts, which included a plastic card, directing people to Amazon UK.

In their defence, Amazon UK's parent company, Amazon Europe Core Sarl, pointed to some "small text" at the bottom of the letter in the offer terms, which stated: "Paid subscription starts automatically after free trial unless cancelled."

They also said: "During the online registration process customers were again made aware that they would be charged a fee."

The ASA said that the small print was not enough to warn consumers that the trial would end in a paid subscription if not cancelled in time.

It was also ruled that the price of the subscription to Amazon Prime was "material information" that should have appeared in the advert.

Amazon have been told by the ASA that in future the automatic start of the paid subscription must appear in the main body of the advert. Customers should also be told about the cost.

If you want to avoid your free trial being extended to a paid service go to Your Account on Amazon and adjust your membership settings within 30 days of signing up.

You can cancel your membership in Your Account at any time.

Full refunds are only given if you've not used any of the Prime benefits.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

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China and US clash over backdoors

4 March 2015 Last updated at 13:22

Beijing has rejected President Obama's criticism of its plan to make tech companies put backdoors in their software and share their encryption keys if they want to operate in China.

On Monday, Mr Obama told the Reuters news agency he had "made it very clear" China had to change its policy if it wanted to do business with the US.

But Beijing said it needed the powers to combat terrorism and tackle leaks.

It also suggested the West was guilty of having double standards.

"The legislation is China's domestic affair, and we hope the US side can take a right, sober and objective view towards it," said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

"On the information-security issue, there was a [recent] media revelation that a certain country embedded spying software in the computer system of another country's Sim card maker, for surveillance activities. This is only one out of the recently disclosed cases.

"All countries are paying close attention to this and taking measures to safeguard their own information security, an act that is beyond any reproach."

The case she was referring to involved allegations that US cyber-spies had hacked a Dutch Sim card manufacturer in order to help decrypt their targets' communications.

At another press conference, parliamentary spokeswoman Fu Ying drew attention to the fact that the US government had imposed restrictions on Chinese companies including Huawei and ZTE.

And she suggested that Beijing's proposals were in line with the same kind of access to internet correspondence sought by the US and British governments.

"We will definitely continue to listen to extensive concerns and all the parties' views, so we can make the law's formulation more rigorous," she added.

The rules are part of a proposed counter-terrorism law set to be discussed by China's annual parliament session, the National People's Congress (NPC), which opens on Thursday.

'Paranoid espionage'

President Obama's comments had followed the publication of a fresh draft of the proposed law, which was made public last week.

It "would essentially force all foreign companies, including US companies, to turn over to the Chinese government mechanisms where they can snoop and keep track of all the users of those services", the US leader said.

"As you might imagine tech companies are not going to be willing to do that," he added.

Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle and IBM are among firms that would potentially be affected.

While the comments by Chinese officials were measured, the government's press service, Xinhua, was more critical.

It accused the US leader of arrogance and hypocrisy, noting that the FBI had criticised Apple and Google last year for building encryption into their smartphone operating systems, and again drew attention to allegations about the US National Security Agency's activities made public by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.

"With transparent procedures, China's anti-terrorism campaign will be different from what the United States has done: letting the surveillance authorities run amok and turn counter-terrorism into paranoid espionage and peeping on its civilians and allies," Xinhua wrote.

"Contrary to the accusations of the United States, China's anti-terror law will put no unfair regulatory pressures on foreign companies, because the provisions will apply to both domestic and foreign firms."

Insecure systems

The Conservative party has indicated it wants to expand the UK's cyber-spies' surveillance powers it if wins the May election.

"Our manifesto will make clear that we will... use all the legal powers available to us to make sure that, where appropriate, the intelligence and security agencies have the maximum capability to intercept the communications of suspects while making sure that such intrusive techniques are properly overseen," Home Secretary Theresa May told Parliament in January.

One expert said it should be no surprise that the West was finding it difficult to prevent China seeking greater cyber-surveillance powers of its own, but added there were good reasons to fear its proposals.

"Either behind the scenes or increasingly openly, the US and UK are justifying similar behaviour for their own purposes, but are extremely concerned when China asks for its own capabilities," said Dr Joss Wright, from the Oxford Internet Institute.

"But what we don't want to see is a world in which internet-based products and services are riddled with backdoors by every state that says it needs to act against terrorism.

"Backdoors are always a concern because they result in a system that is insecure by default, and which can be exploited. That makes everyone less safe."

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Facebook rant lands man in UAE jail

5 March 2015 Last updated at 13:06

An expat American has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates for comments he posted on Facebook while in the US.

Helicopter mechanic Ryan Pate wrote the Facebook post while in Florida after arguing with employer Global Aerospace Logistics (Gal) over sick leave.

On returning to Abu Dhabi from Florida, he was arrested for breaking the country's strict cyber-slander laws.

His trial is due to start on 17 March and he could face up to five years in jail and a large fine if found guilty.

Legal fee

Mr Pate's dispute with his employer began in December last year when he sought to extend his holiday to see a doctor about a long-standing back injury. After being told he could not extend his leave, Mr Pate posted a rant about the Abu Dhabi-based firm on his Facebook page.

In the post, Mr Pate called Gal "backstabbers" and warned other contractors about working for the firm. He also complained about life in the UAE and used a racial slur against the region's people.

He returned to Abu Dhabi in order to resign but soon after arriving he was called by police who told him to report to a nearby police station. On attending he was shown screenshots of the Facebook message and told his employer had filed charges accusing him of breaking wide-ranging Emirates laws that ban slander.

The laws were introduced in late 2012 and make it an offence to use the net to mock or deride organisations and individuals.

Analysis: Jonathan Frewin, BBC Middle East business correspondent 2012 - 2014

This is the latest in a series of difficult cases for UAE authorities following the introduction of the country's 2012 Cyber-crimes law.

One involved the detention of a man who had filmed and uploaded a video of an Emirati government official attacking an Indian van driver. The attacker faced a fine of up to 10,000 dirhams (£1,800) and a year in jail. The uploader, charged with defamation for sharing a video of the attack, faced a possible penalty of two years in jail, and a 20,000 dirhams (£3,600) fine.

And whilst in this case many in the west may be surprised to see that someone could face imprisonment for what might be regarded as innocuous comments on Facebook about an employer, in Gulf culture, protection of reputation is seen as paramount, and enshrined by tough laws.

Now it has garnered international attention though, this new case poses yet another potentially embarrassing headache for the UAE government. However, the resolution of the road rage incident may offer a model. All charges were dropped, whilst the attacker lost his job.

Although Mr Pate will no doubt hope that he avoids the fate of another American who was caught up in the UAE's cyber-crimes law. Shezanne Cassim was convicted of defamation and spent a year in jail, for uploading a satirical video to YouTube.

"I never even entertained the fact that I would wind up in prison out here for something I put on Facebook in the United States," said Mr Pate.

Gal has yet to respond to requests for comment about the incident.

However, news about Mr Pate's arrest has begun to spread online and some people have posted comments on Gal's Facebook page criticising the way it has treated him.

In addition, Mr Pate's cause has been taken up by his congressman David Jolly who has contacted the US State Department and the UAE attorney general seeking to get the case quashed.

"It is deeply troubling that Mr Pate now faces judicial proceedings over an action that was done legally in his home country," said Mr Jolly.

Mr Jolly is also pushing for a meeting with the US ambassador to the UAE to get help with the case. Mr Pate's fiancee has begun an online effort to raise funds to pay his legal fees.

The US State Department said the American embassy in the country has helped Mr Pate get medical attention and legal advice. Mr Pate was arrested on 16 February and spent about 10 days in jail. He has now been released on bail prior to the trial later this month.

"I just want to apologise to everybody I dragged into this," Mr Pate said in an interview with a US newspaper. "It is embarrassing, and I never meant for this to happen. I let my emotions get the better of me."

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Data roaming to stay, EU proposes

5 March 2015 Last updated at 13:47 By Kevin Rawlinson BBC News

European regulators have dropped plans to ban roaming charges and have proposed net neutrality rules allowing privileged access in some cases.

They called for an "intermediate step" that would still allow carriers to charge more to use mobiles abroad.

And net neutrality rules would bar discrimination in internet access, but allow prioritisation of some services.

The proposals were a significant departure from those first floated in 2013, observers said.

According to documents seen by the BBC, far from ending data roaming charges as was promised, the European Commission has recommended that operators be allowed to add surcharges to their domestic rates.

The proposals were said to be "transitional" and mindful of "wholesale costs" incurred by the mobile operators.

But, according to Ovum analyst Matthew Howett, they would amount to the continuation of data roaming charges until at least 2018, when European lawmakers would reconsider whether or not to ban them.

The watering down of the original plan would be a blow to consumers, he told the BBC. However, he said, that was tempered by the fact that many operators had already introduced more reasonable charges.

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) - the third largest grouping of MEPs in the European Parliament - said it would fight "vigorously" for an end to data roaming by the end of this year, adding that the current proposals lacked "ambition".

The proposals also covered net neutrality rules. They sought to ensure that internet users could get online however they wanted and view any legal content they wanted, free from discrimination by their service providers.

But they also included a provision for specialised services "other than internet access services" to be prioritised if they required high quality internet access to function.

Connected cars

The exact types of service were not defined in the proposals, which were sent from the European Commission to the European Parliament for consideration this week.

But observers speculated that they would include connected cars and other elements of the internet of things.

The European Commission specified, however, that service providers would have to ensure a good standard of internet access for consumers if they did prioritise such services.

The ALDE said the proposed rules on net neutrality were "extremely disappointing".

'Light-touch'

A spokesman said the proposals, which were weaker than those previously promised, could "lead to commercial practices that go against consumer interests".

The European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association said it was equally unimpressed by the net neutrality rules.

It called for a "light-touch approach" in the interests of innovation, which it felt could be stymied if strong net neutrality laws were enacted.

"Today's internet-related innovation was born without net neutrality regulation. Let's make sure we can develop the innovation of tomorrow in the context of future-proof rules," a spokesman said.

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Hotel chain confirms hack attack

5 March 2015 Last updated at 15:45

Hotel chain Mandarin Oriental has confirmed that credit card data has been stolen in a hack attack on the company's network.

The data went astray from card processing systems in the company's hotels in the US and Europe.

Mandarin Oriental has not said exactly how many hotels were hit nor how much data has gone missing.

It said it was carrying out an investigation and would provide more details when it had them.

Pretty penny

In a statement, the Mandarin Oriental Group said point-of-sale systems at some of the 45 hotels it runs had been infected with malicious data-grabbing software.

"While the group has leading data security systems in place, this malware is undetectable by all anti-viral systems," it said.

The statement said the malware had been removed as soon as it had been detected.

The hotel chain is working with security companies to find out how the malicious code got on to its systems in the first place.

An alert about the malware had been passed on to other hotel chains, it said.

As far as it could tell, said the statement, only credit card numbers had been stolen. Other security codes used in conjunction with payment cards had not been taken nor had any personal details.

It advised people who had stayed at its hotels in US and Europe to keep an eye on credit and debit card statements to spot anomalies.

In a blogpost, security expert Brian Krebs said the breach seemed to date to just before Christmas 2014. He added that the breach was spotted by tracing a pattern of fraudulent payments back to systems used at Mandarin hotels.

"It should be interesting to see how much the stolen cards are worth, when and if and they go up for sale in the underground card markets," he said.

"I'm betting these cards would fetch a pretty penny," wrote Mr Krebs. "This hotel chain is frequented by high rollers who likely have high- or no-limit credit cards."

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