internet

Several major technology firms have reached a deal that could make it easier for people to connect ordinary household gadgets to the Internet. That could make life easier for consumers, but it also raises concerns about security. For many years tech ... experts have talked about "the Internet of things," or the idea that it's limiting to think of the web as simply a bunch of computers connected to one another. Instead, we now have numerous devices that can use an Internet connection: from televisions that can access on-demand services such as Netflix, to heating systems that can check weather ... (view more)

Microsoft has issued eleven security bulletins as part of its final Patch Tuesday of 2013. One of those bulletins addresses a zero-day flaw found in Windows XP, while another fixes a remote code execution vulnerability in the firm's web browser, ... Internet Explorer. In total, Microsoft's December Patch Tuesday includes five patches rated "critical", Microsoft's most alarming security classification. Windows XP TIFF Vulnerability Finally Addressed The first critical fix, MS13-096, addresses a TIFF image file vulnerability exploited via Word, Microsoft's word processing application. The good news ... (view more)

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says it's time to update America's outdated landline telephone network. Chairman Tom Wheeler is calling for an all-digital system that works much like the Internet. At the moment, all landline phones in ... the United States connect to a single analog network made up of old copper wire and switches. Many of the key components are in such short supply that they are extremely expensive to replace, or simply aren't made any more. That not only makes it difficult for phone companies to maintain the network, but it means adding new lines or dealing with ... (view more)

Almost one in six American adults do not use the Internet -- even occasionally -- according to a new study. But only around one-third of the "offliners" say they have no interest in ever using the world wide web. The figures come from the Pew ... Internet and American Life Project, which regularly surveys the public about online issues. In a study carried out in May 2013 and published this week, Pew spoke to 2,252 Americans aged 18 or over. (Source: pewinternet.org ) Of these, 15 per cent said 'no' to the question of whether they use the Internet "at least occasionally." This only left ... (view more)

TuneIn for Android 8.0 Listen to the world's best radio stations with TuneIn for Android. This program gives you instant and easy access to a wide variety of radio streams featuring sports, music, news, and comedy. Enjoy 70,000 live stations and two ... million podcasts with TuneIn for Android. http://tunein.com/ Complete Internet Repair 2.0.0.1490 Is your network connection slow or frequently dropping out? Then check out Complete Internet Repair, which will attempt to find and resolve problems with your Internet connection. This program will help you determine if your problem is a network, ... (view more)

The secretive National Security Agency (NSA) insists it only studies about 1.6 per cent of all Internet traffic. The agency suggests that means its level of data collection is comparable in scope to a "dime on a basketball court." The NSA was at the ... center of a media firestorm earlier this year when whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the details about the agency's controversial PRISM surveillance program. Snowden is now hiding out in Russia (where he's been granted asylum) while, back home, U.S. President Barack Obama faces tough questions about the NSA's activity. NSA Studies Tiny ... (view more)

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say they've developed a system that could help speed up the Internet. The research is designed to find an alternative to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) system. TCP is the set of ... rules that govern the way data moves around the Internet. Whenever data travels online, it's broken down into small chunks known as 'packets' (in effect, info packets!). Often, these packets take different routes around the various connections that make up the net, then get reassembled at their destination. Net Currently Favors Accuracy Over Speed ... (view more)

European regulators have raided the offices of three Internet Service Providers (ISPs) said to have intentionally slowed Internet traffic over a business dispute. The officials are exploring a new legal tactic that could also be used to stop such ... slowdowns in the US. The dispute involves Cogent Communications, which is effectively an Internet middleman. It transfers data between major websites and the Internet Service Providers that carry data to customers' homes. Last month Cogent claimed US-based Verizon was intentionally slowing down the traffic it handles for video streaming sites like ... (view more)

The percentage of people willing to pay for online news appears to be on the rise. However, an international study suggests the vast majority of people are still unwilling to pay for the news they find on the Internet. Reuters has published a study ... based on research in nine countries. The study examines the way people consume news on the Internet, both via laptop and desktop computers and through portable devices, like smartphones. (Source: digitalnewsreport.org ) Researchers found the percentage of people who had paid for an online news service, such as a digital newspaper subscription, ... (view more)

A battle between an anti-spam company and a web hosting firm may have caused major Internet service disruptions for many Internet users. However, such claims haven't been verified. The issue involves a dispute between two European companies. The ... first is Spamhaus, which creates and shares lists of web servers known to be used for sending out spam. Companies can use these lists to block unwanted messages. The other firm is Cyberbunker, a controversial web hosting company based in the Netherlands. It's known for viciously defending the rights of its customers, saying it will only block ... (view more)