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Kaspersky Lab, a Russia-based firm and one of the world's most renowned PC security companies, is warning all consumers to carefully research any antivirus application before downloading it to their computers or mobile devices. Kaspersky Lab says it ... recently discovered several fake antivirus apps on Google Play and the Windows Phone app stores . Experts Warn: Kaspersky Mobile Not Legitimate One of the fake apps is called Kaspersky Mobile, which claims to protect a mobile device like a tablet or smartphone and costs just $4 USD. The application uses Kaspersky's own logo and other branding ... (view more)

It appears that Google is getting ready to introduce a whole new user interface (UI) for its Gmail cloud-based email service. Leaked screenshots suggest the overhaul is substantial, meaning current Gmail users could face a significant challenge ... adjusting to the changes. If the screenshots are in fact legitimate, Google is hoping to meld its desktop version of Gmail closer to the mobile version, which is accessible through tablets and smartphones. In that way, it's similar to Microsoft's use of the touch-friendly interface that made its way onto desktop PCs when Windows 8 was released ... (view more)

Google says the rate at which governments and other groups ask it to hand over user data has more than doubled in the past five years. However, a growing proportion of those requests are proving unjustified. The figures come from Google's ... twice-yearly Transparency Report, which it has been publishing since the second half of 2009. Back then it received a total of 12,539 requests in six months. That figure has risen in every period and the latest data, covering the second half of 2013, shows 27,477 requests. Since the first report, the number of requests made by governments has increased ... (view more)

Google says it is going to mediation over claims it unlawfully scanned the contents of emails for advertising purposes. It's a surprise move, considering that Google recently won a major court victory over the affair. The legal dispute centers on ... the fact that Google's computers scan through the contents of email messages sent via its free Gmail service. Google then uses keywords that appear in messages to produce advertisements that appear alongside the message in the user's inbox. As an example: if you received a message from a friend mentioning an upcoming golf game, you might ... (view more)

Google's chief executive officer is promising Google users that their data is safe from the prying eyes of National Security Agency (NSA) officials. Eric Schmidt made that claim before a large audience at the South by Southwest Interactive ... conference, which is being held in Austin, Texas. When asked how he felt after it was revealed that the NSA had worked with Britain's top surveillance agency, the GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) to infiltrate Google's data centers, Schmidt admitted that he was shocked. "The very fact that they did this was very suspicious to ... (view more)

Google is adding a 1-click link for Gmail users to stop unwanted marketing messages. But the system won't work in all cases, especially when it comes to dealing with the worst spam offenders. The new service works along the same lines as the ... unsubscribe link which many legitimate websites use in their bulk email messages. More often than not, however, the unsubscribe link is often difficult to find. Typically, it's buried at the bottom of a lengthy email that the recipient didn't want to read in the first place. Another problem is that the unsubscribe link isn't always a one- ... (view more)

Most stories regarding privacy on the Internet involve complaints that tech firms go too far when divulging personal details of its users. In a twist of irony, however, advertisers are now complaining that Amazon and Apple are far too protective of ... their customer details. Several major advertising groups have told industry magazine 'Ad Age' that the two firms are missing out on ad revenue because they refuse to share personal customer information to the same extent as the likes of Google and Facebook. (Source: adage.com ) The advertisers say that the more details they have about ... (view more)

If Google's latest acquisition is any indication, sound could be the key to enhanced login security. Set up by former members of the Israeli military, SlickLogin is based around high-frequency tones, virtually inaudible to the human ear. In theory ... the system could be used as the main way to log in to a site, but Google seems more likely to use it for two-factor authentication. The idea of two-factor authentication is to combine two different types of security measure: something you know, and something you have. With the system Google already uses, the 'something you know' is your ... (view more)

Update 2014/02/08: we have resolved most of the major technical issues that have plagued our web site / new server since re-launch and expect to resume operations next week. Please note that all email newsletter subscriber data has been ported and ... it is not necessary to re-subscribe. All email newsletter subscribers will receive the newsletter on schedule when it becomes available. Thank you for your patience. -- Dear Infopackets Readers, We have a major announcement to make concerning our website, Infopackets. This article is a bit long, but it's really important -- so please read it ... (view more)