John Lister

Facebook has announced it will step up the amount of advertising displayed to users. It plans to include ads within news feeds and, for the first time, on mobile devices. Advertising makes up the vast majority of Facebook's revenue, the remainder ... coming from revenue associated with applications, like Farmville. However, to date Facebook has not followed the traditional model of offering advertisers a variety of different ad sizes and spaces at different prices. Instead, it has concentrated on its ability to target ads at users who meet a specific description set by the advertiser. That's ... (view more)

A British newspaper has accused Facebook of reading its members' text messages. In response, Facebook says the article is misinformed and "completely wrong." Google Android Security Permissions Scrutinized The dispute involves a Sunday Times report ... based on an investigation into Android-based handsets, the results of which may also apply to Apple iPhones. The investigation scrutinized the security permissions system within Android, which breaks into several different categories the information an application may use. For each category, the application must ask for and receive permission from ... (view more)

Microsoft has accused Google of ignoring the privacy settings on browsers. Google says it's all a misunderstanding, but politicians have suggested there could be legal consequences. The dispute centers on web browser cookies, which are small text ... files a website sends to a user's computer, intended to provide information to various sites for customizing the user's online experiences. However, cookies can also be used to track a web user's online activity. To prevent this, most browsers allow users to limit the acceptance of cookies. For Apple's Safari, the default setting accepts cookies only ... (view more)

British business tycoon Richard Branson has prevailed in one of the first high-profile test cases of the new triple-x website address system. A US tribunal ruled that Australian Sean Truman acted in bad faith registering the richardbranson.xxx ... domain name, and ordered it be turned over to Branson immediately. (Source: adrforum.com ) Notably, Branson had not protected his name under the rules governing the new top-level domain. His victory may therefore lead more people challenging similar unwanted registrations. After a lengthy, controversial debate, the red-light domains debuted last year . ... (view more)

A senior US security official has warned that a high-profile international hacker group may currently possess the ability to cause widespread power outages in the United States. However, the hackers themselves have publicly countered that claim, ... saying they would never carry out such an attack. To underline their assertion, the hackers have attacked the newspaper that first published these claims. General Keith Alexander, director of the U.S. National Security Agency, was reported in the Wall Street Journal to have made the comments about Anonymous, a loose collection of hackers who view ... (view more)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the most respected universities in the world, is planning to launch a course that can be taken entirely over the Internet. It's not enough for a degree in itself, but those who pass will earn a ... certificate. The course will be a prototype for online learning at the university. This is the first time such a high-profile institution has offered a course that yields a passing or failing grade, rather than one where students simply access the information and receive a virtual "attendance" certificate. Existing Course Makes Electronic Leap ... (view more)

An estimated 200,000 computers may be at risk because they are running an un-patched edition of Symantec's PC Anywhere. Late last month, Symantec urged all users to cease running the program unless absolutely necessary. The firm later changed its ... mind, announcing that it was safe to run as long as new security patches were installed. PC Anywhere became vulnerable when hackers threatened to release source code originally stolen six years ago, apparently without Symantec's knowledge. The hackers attempted to extort the company for $50,000 and then released the code publicly when it refused to ... (view more)

Netflix has revealed its $9 million settlement of a claim it breached privacy laws. Surprisingly, the case involved a law intended to govern video rentals rather than Internet data. The lawsuit came to light in Netflix's latest financial filing with ... the Securities and Exchange Commission, in which it is required to detail any major legal actions. The filing said Netflix had not expected the settlement, so this was an unexpected expense. (Source: thehill.com ) The case involved the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The law bars video ... (view more)

Google has temporarily suspended one of the features on its mobile wallet system for smartphones following word the platform has at least two serious security flaws. Google Wallet allows users to make payments using "near-field communications," a ... wireless protocol like Bluetooth, but with a maximum range of just centimeters. Users can hold, tap or swipe their smartphone next to a payment device without having to worry about the signal being intercepted. 'Brute Force' Could Break Code The system can be protected with a PIN (personal identification number) code, to prevent misuse when ... (view more)

In an attempt to limit companies that make automated marketing calls to consumers, a government agency has introduced tougher restrictions and standards. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said the move was necessary because companies had ... failed to take heed of the principles behind the existing rules. The new restrictions and standards involve automated calls, often called 'robocalls' because a robot (computer program) makes them, in which consumers answer their phones and immediately hear recorded messages. Marketers find such tactics profitable because they can conduct whole ... (view more)