Groups representing U.S. authors and publishers called Monday on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to deny online retailer Amazon exclusive rights to websites ending with .book, .author, or .read.

ICANN is considering nearly two thousand requests for new web address endings, ranging from the general (.shop) to the highly specialized (.motorcycles).

The hugely popular SimCity game is rapidly recovering from its trouble-plagued launch but problems are yet to be completely eradicated, company officials said.

Electronic Arts servers hosting SimCity online play were overwhelmed after the California company released its Maxis Studio game on March 5, and problems continued through the weekend.

Career-focused social network LinkedIn is buying the news reading app-maker Pulse in a deal valued at between $50 million and $100 million, according to technology website All Things Digital.

LinkedIn would not comment on what it referred to as "rumor or speculation."

Syria, China, Iran, Bahrain and Vietnam are flagrantly spying online, media watchdog RSF said Tuesday, urging controls on the export of Internet surveillance tools to regimes clamping down on dissent.

A new report entitled "Enemies of the Internet" also singled out five companies -- Gamma, Trovicor, Hacking Team, Amesys and Blue Coat -- that it branded "digital era mercenaries," who were helping oppressive governments.

Those Facebook 'likes' can reveal a lot more than you think.

Research released Monday shows patterns from these Facebook preferences can provide surprisingly accurate estimates of the user's race, age, IQ, sexuality and other personal information.

Corporate raider Carl Icahn said Monday his investment firm had entered into a confidentiality agreement with Dell, which is facing a battle over its plans to take the computer maker private.

The agreement will allow Icahn access to detailed financial information which is not publicly available.

Alibaba Group, one of the world's biggest e-commerce companies, said Monday its executive vice president will succeed founder Jack Ma as chief executive.

Ma, 48, announced in January he was stepping down as CEO to make way for younger leaders. He stayed on as chairman.

Computer networks at the Reserve Bank of Australia have been hacked, officials said Monday, with some reportedly infected by Chinese-developed malware searching for sensitive information.

The central bank revealed the attacks after investigations by The Australian Financial Review found multiple computers had been compromised by malicious software seeking intelligence.

On any given night, up to 60,000 people stay in places they found on Airbnb. One of them is always the guy who co-founded the fast-growing online travel lodging service.

"In June 2010, I moved out of my apartment and I have been mostly homeless ever since, off and on," Brian Chesky said at the South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive, film and music festival.

How important were Twitter, Facebook and other social media in toppling regimes in the Arab Spring uprisings?

Amid a fierce debate in academic circles, an upcoming book argues that social media and new technology made a key difference in successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt and helped foster grassroots movements in other Arab nations.