AP – Readily available, easy-to-use software can encrypt a computer hard drive so thoroughly it would take years for a hacker to break in. But that seems to be no impediment for government prosecutors, who have obtained an order compelling the disclosure of a computer’s contents in one Colorado case.

InfoWorld – Windows 7 has been warmly received and swiftly adopted by businesses, with improvements over Vista such as a friendlier UAC mechanism, the ability to encrypt removable media as well as hard drive volumes, broader support for strong cryptographic ciphers, hassle-free secure remote access, and sophisticated protection against Trojan malware in the form of AppLocker, to name a few.

Reuters – A series of technology companies, including security software maker Palo Alto Networks, are preparing to go public on the heels of Facebook’s $5-billion filing, sensing a window of opportunity as the stock market rallies.

Reuters – The case captured national attention over what seemed to be an obvious case of cyber-bullying. A former Rutgers University student used a webcam to spy on his roommate’s romantic tryst with another man in the days before the roommate’s suicide.

Reuters – A U.S. software industry report on Wednesday chided Brazil, China and India for policies it said threatened the future of cloud computing, but also took aim at developed countries such as Germany that did well on its inaugural scorecard.

Reuters – Nokia will next week unveil a new, cheaper smartphone using Microsoft’s Windows Phone software, targeting a wider market for its new range of smartphones, two sources close to the company said.

Reuters – Research In Motion on Tuesday gave its PlayBook tablet computer the ability to handle email as easily as a BlackBerry does, with new software that eliminates a shortcoming that has throttled sales since the PlayBook launched last April.

AP – Sophisticated encryption software has become so readily available and so effective, it’s surpassed the federal government’s ability to seize computers and gather evidence in criminal cases.

Reuters – The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency told software vendors on Tuesday that it plans to revolutionize the way it does business with them as part of a race to keep up with the blazing pace of technology advances.

Reuters – Microsoft has asked EU antitrust regulators to intervene in a patent dispute with Google and Motorola Mobility as it stepped up its battle against the Internet search giant.