Fittingly, a new wiki site devoted to leaking controversial, underhanded government doings, has been exposed before its launch. The site, called WikiLeaks.org, invites government insiders from around the world to report corruption and scandal, so the world's people will be empowered with knowledge of what elected (and non-elected) officials are up to. Like Wikipedia, the whistle-blower wiki depends entirely on voluntary contributions, and will be categorized by country. To help hedge against bogus information, the site's editors are requesting that officials publish state documents. Postings will be anonymous, contributors as well, and anyone will be able to judge the …

Amazon.com is seeking to differentiate itself from a crowded field by making movies purchased or rented on its Unbox service available for viewing via the digital video recorder TiVo, which itself is looking to stand out in the crowded DVR market. The move makes Amazon.com's service the first to offer compatibility with a television. Indeed, one of the main complaints about movie downloads is the difficulty in porting them over to the home TV, the preferred medium for watching movies. The partnership comes the day after Wal-Mart, the world's largest seller of DVDs, unveiled its downloading …

Wal-Mart's new digital download store, launched yesterday in beta form, received a lukewarm reception from news outlets. Owen Thomas of Business 2.0 derided the retailer for its hefty prices: At nearly $20 for a new release, it's the same price as a DVD in one of its stores. He charges the store with forgetting its low-cost stance. Apple, on the other hand, sells movies on iTunes for between $9.99 and $12.99. Many feel downloads, with no packaging costs, should cost less than a DVD. Despite the high price, Ken Fisher of Ars Technica calls the service "underwhelming" because …

On his first day atop the throne at NBC Universal, Jeff Zucker accused YouTube of not living up to its promise to deploy technology that protects media firms' copyrighted material. "YouTube needs to prove that it will implement its filtering technology across its online platform. It's proven it can do it when it wants to," Zucker said, alluding to YouTube's ability to block pornography and hate speech. "They have the capability. The question is whether they have the will." One of Zucker's mandates as he assumes the role of chief executive is to bring NBC's programming to as …

Apple chief Steve Jobs issued a statement yesterday that could represent a dramatic about-face in the company's controversial stance on digital rights management, the software that keeps the company's music files from being played on media devices other than a personal computer or an Apple iPod. In an 1,800-word statement, Jobs placed the onus of lifting DRM restrictions on the shoulders of the music industry, pointing out that Apple's FairPlay software (its DRM) came at the behest of Big Music. The statement, "Thoughts on Music" (www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic) posted on Apple's Web site, claims that by backing off their DRM stance, …

Barry Diller and IAC/InterActive Corp. has purchased Manhattan-based CollegeHumor.com, originally a content creator/UGC destination for videos of frat parties and wet T-shirt contests. However, IAC plans to focus solely on the creation of original programming, uploading one or more comedy video shorts per week. The site will be edited by Daley Haggar, a comedian and writer who has worked on "South Park" and NBC's "The Apprentice." The UGC movement has captured most of the buzz around online video, but Diller believes professionally produced, high-quality ad-supported video can generate a bigger audience. The idea is to create an online …

In Japan, YouTube is being slapped with a warning label telling users not to upload copyrighted content. In a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday, parent Google agreed to the provision. A warning will be displayed at the top of its Web pages to dissuade users from breaking the law. The meeting was conducted with several members of the Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers, which last year threatened legal action against the online video site, forcing it to take down 30,000 pages where its members' intellectual property was being violated. Some media firms, …

Digital media buyers had a lukewarm reception to the possibility that Google may enter the video game ad business. A few weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google had entered talks to acquire the video-game advertising shop Adscape Media. Nothing has been said since, but media buyers said they have difficulty seeing how Google's simplified, automated approach to selling ads would be effective in the in-game ad arena. In-game advertising can be anything from a simple 2-D billboard running in the background of a game, to a customized, immersive experience created specifically for one game. Buyers …

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has made no secret of the fact that he wants the public to beat Google at its own game. Speaking publicly for the first time about Wikia, his wiki search project, Wales shared his vision for the for-profit open-source search engine during a speech at New York University. "For developers, it would be kind of cool to say 'Google has 11 gazillion dollars, and we're going to get a bunch of people together on the Internet, and we're going to kick their butts' ", he said. A wiki allows users to "add, remove and …

The DVD business has begun its long, slow transformation into digital downloading. A milestone begins today, as Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, unveils a new video download store that has the participation of all the major film studios and most major TV networks. A typical movie download takes about 45 minutes. The move is significant for a couple of reasons: This is the first time all the major film studios are on board in one place, and two, Wal-Mart is by far the biggest movie destination in the U.S., accounting for some 40% of domestic DVD sales. Of …