Bigmouthmedia Search Engine News: /americas/

Google criticises potential changes to the UN's internet treaty

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 03:37:00 GMT

Changes made at an upcoming UN conference could threaten the independence of the internet, according to Google.

Government officials are attending the meeting in December to decide upon a new information and communications treaty which will govern how the internet operates.

Opponents of the changes believe that some countries will attempt to use the agreement as a way of suppressing free speech and restricting access material critical of them.

In a statement on their Take Action website Google voiced their concerns, saying, "The [UN agency] International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is bringing together regulators from around the world to renegotiate a decades-old communications treaty.

"Some proposals could permit governments to censor legitimate speech - or even allow them to cut off internet access. Other proposals would require services like YouTube, Facebook, and Skype to pay new tolls in order to reach people across borders. This could limit access to information - particularly in emerging markets."

Google is encouraging internet users to sign their online position to support their objections, with the company also critical of the fact that only nation states have been invited to the conference. The search engine giant is particularly fearful control over domain names and technical aspects of the internet could end up being transferred from the US to the international body.

The ITU has refuted Google's criticisms, stating that a new treaty is essential for allowing increased access to the internet and continuing its open and informative character. They also believe that the previous 1998 communications treaty needs drastically overhauled to encompass online advances and the development of smartphones.

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Rise in attempts by governments to monitor Google

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 02:13:00 GMT

Almost 21,000 requests for information were made to Google by governments in the first half of 2012.

The figure emerged as part of Google's recent Transparency Report, with the American government again the most zealous in pursuing data with 7,969 requests.

British appeals doubled to 1,425 during the first six months of 2012, with the search engine giant complying with 64 per cent of these requests.

Dorothy Chou, Google's Senior Policy Analyst, told the BBC that, "This is the sixth time we've released this data, and one trend has become clear: government surveillance is on the rise.

"It reflects laws on the ground. For example in Turkey there are specific laws about defaming public figures whereas in Germany we get requests to remove neo-Nazi content. And in Brazil we get a lot of requests to remove content during elections because there is a law banning parodies of candidates.

"We hope that the report will shed light on how governments interact with online services and how laws are reflected in online behaviour."

In total requests for user data affected 34, 614 people, with governments seeking to gain access to their search history, Gmail accounts or YouTube videos.

The Turkish government made 501 requests for content to be taken down, with the US making 273 whilst Germany was third with 247 demands. The most common reasons for removing information or online content are defamation, privacy breaches or security issues.

The report also disclosed the fact that a British law enforcement agency made 14 requests to have information criticising the police removed but Google rejected their appeals. The company also turned down a demand to remove a YouTube video that accused the police of racism.

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Google announces Hurricane Sandy tracker

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 08:37:00 GMT

Google has announced the launch of interactive maps, which will allow users to track the path of Hurricane Sandy.

The map includes information on nearby evacuation centres and emergency shelters set up by the Red Cross.

Google was also due to launch its new product the Nexus 4, but was cancelled due to the events location now being an evacuation zone.

"The Google crisis response team has assembled a Hurricane Sandy map to help you track the storm's progress and provide updated emergency information," wrote Google software engineer Ka-Phing Yee on the firm's blog.

"We hope that you get the information you need to make preparations and stay safe if you are in the area.

"We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more," Google's Android team said in a statement announcing the cancellation of the event because of the hurricane.

Social media giant Facebook has also cancelled two New York events, both the announcement of its Facebook Gifts facility and an engineering open house day. People are taking to their social media accounts to locate and share updates regarding the Hurricane.

"I've found the most up-to-date information on Facebook and Twitter rather than the more traditional news sites, albeit the Facebook/Twitter accounts of certain news sites in some cases," assistant professor at Parsons The New School for Design Timo Rissanen told the BBC.

"The Consulate General of Finland in New York was doing a sterling job last night providing information on Facebook."

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Man hires woman to slap him in the Face(book)

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 07:12:00 GMT

A computer programmer in San Francisco has hired a woman to slap him in the face every time he looks at Facebook, after realising he wastes around 19 hours a week on social networks.

Maneesh Sethi advertised the unique position using classified site Craigslist, in the hope of increasing his productivity by having someone monitor his computer screen.

Writing on his blog, Sethi explained: "Humans are social animals - we aren't designed to live and work alone.

"Having worked mostly alone, on my computer, I found that the majority of my time is spent unproductively."

Using an app to measure the amount of time he spends on individual websites, the computer expert calculated his productivity over a week was only 38 per cent.

Sethi continued: "Nothing makes me more embarrassed than seeing the amount of hours I spend on Reddit and Facebook chat."

The prominent blogger received a barrage of responses to his advert, entitled "(Domestic gigs) Slap me if I get off task."

One lucky applicant named Kara was selected for the position, which pays $8 (£5) an hour and allows her to work on her own computer at the same time.

Describing the experiment, Sethi said: "The next day, at 9 am I found Kara sitting and waiting for me. I gave her a list of action items I needed to accomplish, and made her promise to force me to stay on task.

"A few times she definitely had to slap me."

Although the violent working technique attracted questioning looks from those around him, the programmer found his average productivity during the experiment shot up to 98 per cent.

"Without a doubt, this experiment was a success. If you add a social element to the work that you do, you will become more productive."

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Surge in 'likes' for President Obama

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 05:25:00 GMT

US President Barack Obama's re-election campaign received a welcome boost following a huge surge in the number of Facebook users that 'like' his page.

The spike comes after his campaign team orchestrated a social media promotional push, with them paying for ads to appear in selected users' news feeds in the hope that they can convert them into voters.

Around one million people a day liked President Obama's Facebook page during this campaign compared with just 30,000 in the previous weeks.

However, a recent study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania found that such advertising can have detrimental effects, with lead researcher Professor Joseph Turrow telling the BBC that, "The findings represent a national statement of concern.

"We have a major attitudinal tug of war - the public's emphatic and broad rejection of tailored political ads pulling against political campaigns' growing adoption of tailored political advertising without disclosing when they are using individuals' information and how.

"Our survey shows that in the face of these activities, Americans themselves want information."

The Pennsylvania research found of the 1,503 people surveyed, 86 per cent stated they did not want to receive tailored political advertising, whilst a further 70 per cent felt seeing ads from candidates they already supported could dissuade them from voting for them.

Obama's targeted advertising resulted in some users expressing their anger on his Facebook and Twitter pages.

Both presidential candidates have increased their social media presence in recent weeks, with it seen as a key battleground for attracting swing voters and mobilising their party's core supporters. Political adverts have appeared on Twitter and video games as well, with Obama also taking to Reddit to answer voter questions earlier in the year.

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iPad Mini photos leaked ahead of a November release?

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 04:49:00 GMT

A Twitter user has fuelled speculation Apple is set to release the iPad Mini - a pint-sized and cut-price tablet - in November by uploading pictures of what appears to be the device.

According to The Reg, Sonny Dickson - a self-titled "tech enthusiast" and "9to5Mac researcher" - has posted what appears to be three pictures of the yet-to-be-released iPad Mini to his Twitter feed.

The shots show a 32G model that looks around 50-75 per cent of the size of the average iPad and features Apple's new lightning connector. But as the images do not show the device powered-on or working it's unclear whether the pictures are a yet another i-hoax or a legitimate look into a the future of Apple's tiny tablet.

The publication of images of what's thought to be the iPad Mini has come at an interesting time - sources have told The Guardian the release of the iPad Mini "is imminent" and retailers expect to be able to put the model on shelves as early as 2 November 2012, with case-maker Knomo confirming it will have iPad Mini covers available to ship in days.

The newspaper also reported sources have indicated the iPad Mini will likely be Wi-Fi only.

Analysts have predicted Apple could sell as many as 10 million iPad Mini tablets before Christmas, particularly if the pint-sized device is priced at the lower end of the market allowing it to go toe-to-toe with Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire.

It's also thought the Apple will bring even more profits to its Cupertino coffers by also releasing a revised version of the iPad 4G that comes with the all-new lightning connector and can connect to the Everything Everywhere network.

Apple has yet to confirm whether the photographs are legitimate. At present, no invitations have been sent to the press to announce the launch of the mini model.

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Facebook tests 'Want' button for retailers

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 04:48:00 GMT

Social media giant Facebook is testing a facility allowing users to create public wish lists of products from seven key retailers.

The new feature will allow Facebook users to click on a "want" option, adding their choice of desired products to a forum similar to that of photo sharing site Pinterest.

"People will be able to engage with these collections and share things they are interested in with their friends. People can click through and buy these items off of Facebook," Facebook said in an official statement.

The facility is being dubbed "Collections" and it has been suggested the move could create a platform upon which the social media site could take a step into e-commerce in the future. With a recently estimated 1 billion users, this kind of feature could lead to Facebook becoming a significant competitor in online commerce markets by encouraging users to buy products and sending them directly to online stores.

Currently, Facebook has said it will not not receive a fee when someone purchases an item using the facility, which will be gradually introduced to 100 per cent of its U.S users.

"E-commerce is one of the best ways to monetize the Internet. Thinking about how large they are as a platform and how engaged people are, there are lots of levers they haven't pulled yet in terms of monetization," Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastien told Reuters, adding the feature could open up a new source of revenue for Facebook.

The social network's Collections feature will be tested with products from brand names such as Victoria's Secret, Michael Kors and Pottery Barn.

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Windows set to release its own phone?

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:49:00 GMT

Claims have emerged that Windows is set build its own smartphone handset.

The computing giant has already collaborated on models with Nokia, Samsung and HTC but it is believed the company wants to have complete control over its own hardware to demonstrate the full capabilities of the new Windows 8 operating system.

The claims were made on both The China Times and WPCentral, with them pointing to increased security procedures at certain Microsoft offices plus tip-offs from unnamed sources.

Industry expert Daniel Rubino has speculated at the motivation behind Microsoft's change in strategy, claiming on WPCentral that it could be, "in case the Windows Phone 8 launch doesn't go well and the currently announced devices don't catch on. Nokia could be in trouble financially and Microsoft would need another dedicated hardware partner."

It is rumoured the phone has already been developed and is currently undergoing testing, with an intended release date sometime after HTC's latest model.

The move would confirm Microsoft's intentions to increase its presence in the mobile computing market place, with the company having recently announced it will release its own tablet device. The Surface is also intended to showcase the potential of Windows 8, with its development conducted in secret in a process similar to that of the rumoured smartphone.

Whilst Microsoft's new operating system has received strong reviews on the phones it has been licensed to, sales have struggled to match those of market leaders Apple or Android. Like the Surface, it is believed that any smartphone would attempt to be more powerful and quicker in order to gain an edge over its rival models.

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Apple map app fails to meet expectations

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 00:12:00 GMT

This morning's release of the iPhone 5 may have attracted record numbers of queuing Apple addicts, but today's success may have been tarnished by reports that the tech-giant's new maps app is not up to scratch.

The new mapping software comes pre-installed on all products with the latest version of Apple's operating system, iOS6, including the new iPhone 5.

The company announced in June that it was to stop using Google Maps, instead opting to develop its own system using data from navigation firms including, notably, TomTom.

However, early reports from users of Apple's new map app have been less than complimentary.

The BBC recorded a number of complaints from iOS6 users about the quality and accuracy of the software, including reports that certain locations on the map were obscured by cloud cover, in the wrong place or missing altogether.

One Twitter user posted a screenshot of a map showing the location of a furniture museum to be in the middle of a river.

TomTom are denying any responsibility for the sub-standard app, telling the BBC: "The user experience is determined by adding additional features to the map application, such as visual imagery."

The spokesman continued: "User experience fully depends on the choices these manufacturers make."

Responding to the outcry of disgruntled users, Apple released a statement overnight, saying: "We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it...We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better."

67 per cent of those questioned at Apple's Regent Street store this morning said they would prefer to have Google Maps on iOS 6, according to statistics from text message Q&A site 63336.

However, this didn't seem to damage sales of the new product, with London's flagship store recording a record queue of 1,297 iPhone fans waiting to get their hands on the latest device.

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Twitter revamps profile pages

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 09:13:00 GMT

Twitter has revamped profile pages and also launched a new app on the iPad, hoping to bring greater emphasis to photo sharing on the micro-blogging site.

Now users can place a large photograph at the top of their profile, much like the cover photo feature on Facebook and Google+, except the Tweeter's profile picture and short biography will appear in the centre of the header photo. The photostream on a user's profile is also being given more prominence, and the changes are being rolled out across mobile and iPad platforms too.

Twitter announced the update on NBC's Today programme, and several high profile Twitter users have already started updating their profiles.

"Starting today you can make your presence on Twitter more meaningful with new Twitter profiles," Sachin Agarwal, product manager at Twitter, wrote on the company blog.

"Upload an all-new header photo on mobile apps for iPad, iPhone and Android or twitter.com, and the same image will appear whenever anyone views your profile on the web or these apps. You can upload your header photo, which appears above your Tweets, to express yourself instantly, anywhere.

"New profiles also help you get to know people better through their pictures. Photo streams now appear below anyone's most recent Tweets on iPhone, Android and iPad. Swipe through the stream to see the photos other users have shared or tap any thumbnail to view their photos in fullscreen.

"While the header photo keeps your profile simple and consistent on iPhone, iPad and Android, you will also still have an additional photo - a background photo - on twitter.com."

The newly launched iPad Twitter app allows users to see what's trending, track conversations and view personalised information, and comes amid reports third party image services such as Twitpic are being removed from Twitter's apps.

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