Bigmouthmedia Search Engine News: Main Headlines

Group sues over Google privacy policy changes

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:25:00 GMT

Activist group the Electronic Privacy Information Centre (EPIC) have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission in an effort to prevent Google from updating its privacy policy on 1 March.

By filing suit, EPIC hopes to force the FTC to prevent Google from implementing its new privacy policy, which will give Mountain View the ability to 'combine personal information' across the majority of its services.

"Google's announced changes to business practices will make it possible for advertisers to gain access to personal information which was previously unavailable to them," EPIC said in its filing.

Google entered into a settlement agreement with the FTC in 2011 over similar privacy charges relating to Google Buzz - as a result of the settlement, an independent professional will provide regular reports on Google's privacy practices for the next 20 years.

In response, Google has said EPIC's lawsuit is misinterpreting the facts.

"We take privacy very seriously," a Google representative told CNET. "We're happy to engage in constructive conversation about our updated Privacy Policy, but EPIC is wrong on the facts of the law.

"We're keeping your private information private - we're not changing how personal information is shared outside of Google."

The spokesperson also added Google has "undertaken the most extensive notification effort in Google's history to ensure that users have many opportunities and ample time to learn about our Privacy Policy changes. And we're continuing to offer choice and control over how people use Google services."

EPIC aren't the only ones feeling uncomfortable about the privacy changes - European Union officials asked Google earlier this month to suspend privacy policy changes so they could be analysed, but according to CNET, Google declined saying "delaying the new policy would cause significant confusion."

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Google pays users to give up their privacy

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:36:00 GMT

Google will pay you to give up your online privacy.

In a new project called Screenwise, Google is offering to pay users up to $25 (£15) to share their search history.

People who sign up to be Screenwise panellists will receive a $5 (£3) Amazon voucher for installing the Google Screenwise browser extension. Participants will then earn an additional $5 (£3) for every three months of participation up to one year.

Though, the fine print on the Screenwise landing page states that gift amounts for participating longer than a year will be reviewed.

The search giant hasn't been overly specific about the details that members of the panel will share, but did state: "As a panellist, you'll add a browser extension that will share with Google the sites you visit and how you use them."

The company also said of its goals, "What we learn from you, and others like you, will help us improve Google products and services and make a better online experience for everyone.

In an official statement about the programme, a Google spokesperson stated: "Like many other web and media companies, we do panel research to help better serve our users by learning more about people's media use, on the web and elsewhere.

"This panel is one such small project that started near the beginning of the year. Of course, this is completely optional to join.

"People can choose to participate if it's of interest (or if the gift appeals) and everyone who does participate has complete transparency and control over what Internet use is being included in the panel. People can stay on the panel as long as they'd like, or leave at any time."

For those interested in joining the Screenwise panel, they must be 13 years or older, have a Google Account (or sign up for one) and be willing to use the Google Chrome browser.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock steps down

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:12:00 GMT

The changes keep coming at Yahoo, as Chairman Roy Bostock steps down; triggering a board overhaul at the beleaguered internet company.

Yahoo Board Chairman Roy Bostock announced on Tuesday that he and three other directors - Vyomesh Joshi, Gary Wilson and Arthur Kern - will not stand for re-election this year to the company's board of directors.

The move comes just one month after Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang stepped down from the company to pursue interests outside of Yahoo. At the time, Mr Bostock announced the company was continuing to undergo a strategic review - striking the tinder of takeover rumours.

Two private equity firms - Silver Lake and TPG Capital - made tentative offers on the company that shareholders rejected as too low. Microsoft offered $44.6 billion for Yahoo in 2008; however Mr Bostock reportedly helped Mr Yang reject that offer. Yahoo is now worth $19.75 billion.

As of late, Bostock and the board of directors have been slammed by investors for mistakes made in managing the company, including losing ground to competitors like Google and failing to take advantage of Microsoft's lucrative offer.

However, in a letter to shareholders released by Yahoo after the stock market closed on Tuesday, Bostock stated the company had "pursued a wide range of discussions with potential partners...although at this time there have not been any proposals which have been deemed by the Committee to be attractive to our shareholders."

Bostock also mentioned that the company was actively trying to sell its Asian assets.

He said: "We are also in active discussions with our partners in Asia regarding the possibility of restructuring our holdings in Alibaba Group and Yahoo! Japan. The complexity and unique nature of these transactions is significant."

Following the spate of departures, the majority of Yahoo's directors will be brand new this year, with the entirety of the board having joined since 2010.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Google introduces Chrome for Android

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:01:00 GMT

Google has introduced two of its most successful products to one another - Chrome and Android - releasing its Chrome Browser App for Android users.

Available in the Android Market for smartphones fitted with Ice Cream Sandwich, the new Chrome app is 'focused on speed and simplicity' and features many of the same features as the desktop version.

"Today, we're introducing Chrome for Android Beta, which brings many of the things you've come to love about Chrome to your Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phone or tablet," Chrome and Apps Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai wrote on the Google blog.

"Like the desktop version, Chrome for Android Beta is focused on speed and simplicity, but it also features seamless sign in and sync so you can take your personalised web browsing experience with you wherever you go, across devices."

The new mobile Chrome features 'reimagined tabs' designed specifically to fit on a mobile browser, and makes use of gesture-based controls to move across tabs.

"You can flip or swipe between an unlimited number of tabs using intuitive gestures, as if you're holding a deck of cards in the palm of your hands, each one a new window to the web," Pichai said.

Users can also sync their mobile and desktop bookmarks, making it easy to access sites across different devices. Syncing also extends to autocomplete suggestions - for example, a site visited or searched regularly at home will also appear as an autocomplete suggestion on the mobile browser.

This, according to Pichai, allows users to 'bring your personalised Chrome experience with you'.
"When searching, your top search results are loaded in the background as you type so pages appear instantly," he said. "And of course, both search and navigation can all be done quickly from the Chrome omnibox."

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Apple warns appayola-using app-makers

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:37:00 GMT

App Store competition can be tough, but Apple has warned the consequences of trying to game the system are tougher.

Apple is reminding app-makers that using appayola services - paying to artificially inflate an app's chart ranking - will lead to them being stripped of their ability to release apps in the App Store.

In a post on Apple's Developer website, the company said: "Once you build a great app, you want everyone to know about it. However, when you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts.

"Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership."

The reminder appears to have come in response to a recent conversation on the forum for the mobile games site Touch Arcade. In the forum posting, an independent developer claimed to have been contacted by an ad network charging $5,000 (£3,200) for a guaranteed spot in the App Store's Top 25 placement listing for free apps.

The developer also alleged that the company claimed to use a bot farm to automatically download apps and drive up their rankings, as well as implicating eight free apps currently in the Top 25 listing as using the unnamed bot farm's services.

Making the Top 25 is a coveted position in the App Store, and the potential revenue rewards for download popularity are certainly alluring. However, analysts are quick to point out that long-term business models cannot be built on the artificial use of bot farms.

For example, a really bad game in the App Store may just make it into the Top 25 by using appayola firms, but once "real human" users start playing, the rankings can sink very quickly.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Deleted photos live on in Facebook servers

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:24:00 GMT

Old Facebook photos may still be accessible for months - or even years - after being deleted, living on in the depths of the social network's servers.

First revealed in 2009 by Ars Technica, the firm recently queried Facebook again after discovering backup copies - that could potentially be accessed by users - still existed some three years later.

"Users who might have had second thoughts about posting a photo could certainly remove the image from Facebook's main user interface, but as long as someone had a direct link to the JPEG file in question, the photo would remain accessible for an indefinite amount of time," the company said in a blog post.

According to Facebook, a poorly-functioning legacy system is the culprit, but a new system is on its way to ensure deleted photos can no longer be accessed.

"We are in the process of migrating these photos to the newer system to ensure proper deletion, but until this migration is complete, CDN URLs from deleted photos stored on this legacy system may still be accessible," Facebook spokesman Frederic Wolens told CNET.

Under the new system, Facebook photos that have been removed from the social networking site will be deleted - permanently - within 45 days, and according to Facebook, only a very small percentage of photos are still accessible on the company's old servers.

"The process is nearly complete and there is only a very small percentage of user photos (fewer than 3 per cent) still on the old system awaiting migration," Wolens said.

"We expect this process to be completed within the next month or two, at which point we will verify the migration is complete and we will disable all the old content."

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Ofcom caps broadband and phone line prices

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:12:00 GMT

Talk may be getting cheaper, as Ofcom recently proposed an Openreach price cut.

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, wants BT Group to cut the prices it charges to internet providers and others who sell services using its lines - calling for an £87.41 price cap on broadband and phone line services and an £11.92 cap on using a broadband line only; dropping the prices from the current £91.50 and £14.70, respectively.

The Ofcom proposals have been submitted to the European Commission for approval, which has one month to comment on the changes. If approved, Ofcom says the new rates could take affect from April.

This is the third time that Ofcom has set the prices BT's wholesale division, Openreach, charges companies for the use of its lines - which Ofcom says it does because the company has a dominant position in the market.

BT, however, isn't overly pleased with the changes this time around. In a statement, the company said: "We disagree with some of the underlying assumptions that they have used to determine these controls.

"Our primary concern throughout this process is to ensure that we are able to achieve a fair rate of return in order to continue our investment in the future of the UK's communications infrastructure.

"We will consider all options available to us, including appealing, after Ofcom confirms its final decisions."

Ofcom has said that the new price cuts were determined in part by an assessment of the costs Openreach incurred running the network of underground ducts used to carry copper lines to properties.

Industry experts also state there was growing pressure from Europe to bring down the cost for alternative operators to access incumbents' networks.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Study finds Twitter hard to resist

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:49:00 GMT

A new study is suggesting that Twitter users may not be able to help themselves, as it's revealed the microblogging site just might be more addictive than cigarettes.

The University of Chicago Business School study - measuring how well people can resist desires - also claimed that some individuals may be more likely to give into cravings for social media than those of sleeping and sex.

"Modern life is a welter of assorted desired marked by frequent conflict and resistance, the latter with uneven success," experiment leader Wilhelm Hofmann said.

The study monitored participants aged 18 to 85, who were signalled seven times a day over a 14 hour period. They were asked to report whether they were experiencing any desires, what type of desires they were experiencing, the strength of the desire and whether it was in conflict with any other desires they might also be having.

Researchers discovered that as time wore on, participants found their willpower weakened - the most frequent instances of 'self-control failure' were recorded with media.

Dr Hofmann said: "Desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability and also because it feels like it does not 'cost much' to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist.

"With cigarettes and alcohol there are more costs - long-term as well as monetary - and the opportunity may not always be the right one," he continued.

"So even though giving in to media desires is certainly less consequential, the frequent use may still 'steal' a lot of people's time."

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Android Market gets a Bouncer

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:36:00 GMT

Google has released an automated service for the Android Market to help detect malicious apps when they are uploaded.

The new service - code-named Bouncer - "provides automated scanning of Android Market for potentially malicious software without disrupting the user experience of Android Market or requiring developers to go through an application approval process," VP of Engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer wrote in a blog post.

"Once an application is uploaded, the service immediately starts analysing it for known malware, spyware and Trojans.

"It also looks for behaviours that indicate an application might be misbehaving, and compares it against previously analysed apps to detect possible red flags."

Once scanned, if the app has been identified as malicious it will be scanned manually for confirmation. Following that, the app could be blocked or removed from the store altogether. If it's an instance of known malware, the app won't be uploaded to the store at all.

The Android Market has come under fire for not policing apps more closely, with critics arguing users were being made vulnerable to malware on their smartphones. Unlike Apple, which inspects every app before it's made available to users, the Android Market doesn't require pre-approval for its apps.

Prior to the announcement, Google tested 'Bouncer' for a number of months, reporting the program resulted in a 40 per cent decline in the number of malicious app downloads in the second half of 2011.

"While it's not possible to prevent bad people from building malware, the most important measurement is whether those bad applications are being installed from Android Market - and we know that rate is declining significantly," Lockheimer said.

"Our systems are getting better at detecting and eliminating malware every day, and we continue to invite the community to work with us to keep Android safe."

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Apple pulls iPad and iPhones in Germany

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:37:00 GMT

Motorola has dealt a double-whammy to Apple in Germany.

Following a December ruling by a German court that Apple failed to license one of Motorola's wireless intellectual properties and the ruling's subsequent patent injunction, the Cupertino-based company has now begun to pull older iPad and iPhone models from it German online store.

In a separate lawsuit, Motorola also won a permanent injunction against the push email service of Apple's iCloud and any devices that can access the services in Germany.

The sales ban relates to a Motorola-owned patent for a "method for performing a countdown function during a mobile-originated transfer for a packet radio system."

The separate push email ban would only come into effect if Motorola decides to enforce the judgement, which deals with a patent relating to two-way communications between pagers and other devices.

Apple isn't taking the news sitting down, however, and has vowed to appeal the rulings and to keep its products available elsewhere for its German customers.

"While some iPad and iPhone models are not available through Apple's online store in Germany right now, customers should have no problem finding them at one of our retail stores or an authorised reseller," Apple said in a statement.

"Apple is appealing the ruling because Motorola refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite have declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago."

The ruling could also pit Apple against its arch-nemesis, Google, in the near future, as the search giant recently acquired Motorola for its patent portfolio.

The ruling only applies to Germany, but could have implications for other European lawsuits. The European Union allows member-states to reach different legal conclusions,but they must explain why.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia