Facebook Announces Increased Privacy Protection
http://bit.ly/nPEZaG
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Facebook Announces Increased Privacy Protection

thenewamerican.com – 8/30/2011
Raven Clabough

In the wake of criticism over privacy issues on Facebook, the social network has responded by indicating it will make significant changes to its site in order to protect individual privacy. In fact, Facebook officials went so far as to pay hackers — whom they call “independent researchers” — $40,000 to find holes in the site’s security system to assure that they have addressed all issues.
According to Facebook’s chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, the social network has launched a “Bounty Bug Program” in order to discover any flaws in the system’s software due to “software complexity, programming errors, changes in requirements, errors in bug tracking, limited documentation or bugs in software development tools.” Facebook posted the following explanation of the program:

Because bug reports are often complicated and can involve complex legal issues, we chose our words carefully when announcing the program. Perhaps because of this, there have been several inaccurate reports about how the program works. For example, some stories said that the maximum payment would be $500, when in fact that is the minimum amount we will pay. In fact, we’ve already paid a $5,000 bounty for one really good report. On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve had to deal with bogus reports from people who were just looking for publicity.

At the end of the day, we feel great knowing that we’ve launched another strong effort to help provide a secure experience on Facebook. A bug bounty program is a great way to engage with the security research community, and an even better way to improve security across a complex technological environment. Facebook truly does have the world’s best neighborhood watch program, and this program has proven that yet again for us.

Facebook has faced harsh scrutiny recently because of its use of facial recognition technology and the fact that phone numbers from members’ contact lists are available for view.

Facebook first denied the presence of privacy issues on its site, but eventually caved in to users’ demands. Last week, the social network announced in a blog entitled “Making it Easier to Share With Who You Want” that it would improve privacy:

Today we’re announcing a bunch of improvements that make it easier to share posts, photos, tags and other content with exactly the people you want. You have told us that “who can see this?” could be clearer across Facebook, so we have made changes to make this more visual and straightforward.

Plus there are several other updates here that will make it easier to understand who can see your stuff (or your friends’) in any context.

One of the changes made by Facebook’s administrators is a new inline menu that shows who can see certain parts of a member’s profile, which can be changed with a simple click. Likewise, Facebook users may also confirm or reject photos or posts in which they have been tagged, and may even reject or confirm those who have attempted to tag them.

Likewise, the site has now added a feature allowing members to view their profiles as others see it, so that they may know exactly what is visible to other members. It has also added new controls which permit users to specify who may see each post, picture, etc.

According to PC World, Facebook is not the only company which has hired hackers: Google and Mozilla have as well. The Blaze writes that Google officials have such confidence in its security that they offered hackers $20,000 to find any bugs.

Facebook notes that the program has been a success thus far. In a post about the new privacy efforts, the company said, “We know and have relationships with a large number of security experts, but this program has kicked off dialogue with a whole new and ever expanding set of people across the globe in over 16 countries, from Turkey to Poland who are passionate about Internet security.”

Facebook contends, however, that while it is interested in protecting the privacy of its users, it will not be able to extend its bug bounty program to all those Facebook applications written by third parties, as such an endeavor is “not practical.”

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HP on the $99 TouchPad: Dont call us, well call you http://bit.ly/o48HBK
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HP on the $99 TouchPad: Don’t call us, we’ll call you

CNN.com – 8/29/2011
Suzanne Choney

HP, inundated with customers who want a $99 TouchPad, Monday stopped accepting customer requests to be notified if and when the tablet is available again.

“We have received an overwhelming number of requests to be notified if the TouchPad is again available for sale. As a result, we have turned off the ability to be notified,” HP says on its Touch Pad website when the “notify me” button is clicked. “We will have more information on product availability shortly. The most current information will be provided here. Those who signed up for notification will also be receiving an email as soon as we have more information to share.”

The TouchPad frenzy has been in full gear for the past 10 days, since HP slashed prices on the two-month old tablet, which started its retail life at $499 for a 16 GB version, and $599 for the 32 GB model, to $99 and $149, respectively.

Mark Budgell, HP’s social media strategist, said on a company blog Monday that HP has been “surprised by the enthusiastic response to the TouchPad price drop, and we understand and that many customers were disappointed that HP and our retail partners ran out of supply so fast.”

Bryna Corcoran, HP’s social media manager, has been busy on Twitter keeping those who are tracking TouchPad availability in the loop, but also with little good news for potential buyers. Monday morning, she tweeted: “Mourning TouchPad Tweeps. k, the bad news: TouchPads still not available. Good News? Yes you can stop.”

In a Q-and-A on its site, this is some of what HP has to say about the TouchPad:

When is HP getting more HP TouchPads? One week, two weeks, a month?

We will have more information available in the next few days about whether or not more will be available and if so, what the details will be about the situation.

Q: Will the notification/alert emails go out all at once so everyone has a fair shot?

All emails to those who signed up will be sent at the same time.

Q: What about retailers? Some retailers won’t price match or drop their price to $99.

Each retailer will manage their own policy and process regarding pricing and price matching. Please contact the local retailer of your choice to see what their current position is.

And, as is expected, there is price-gouging going on by some individual sellers, who nabbed up TouchPads and are reselling them at twice or more from the discounted price for the tablets:

Q: Please limit stock to 1 per person: some people are getting 20 and then selling them on craigslist and eBay for a major profit.

If more inventory is available in the future, there will be an order limit.

Some view the TouchPad torrent of interest as a good lesson about tablet pricing. “Apple’s iPad finally met its marketing match,” wrote Brooke Crothers of CNET: “Over the last year and a half, no other tablet had been able to come as close as the TouchPad to eclipsing the fixation that consumers have had on the iPad,” with the sale price triggering “the kind of buying frenzy that had been reserved exclusively for products from Apple.”

Noted another observer:

“It’s funny how none of us were willing topay $400 for a touchpad but we’ll do anything to get it for $99.”

HP on the $99 TouchPad: Don’t call us, we’ll call you

A Simple PC For Seniors http://bit.ly/qjcnwJ
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Add comment August 29, 2011
A Simple PC For Seniors Is Complicated By Its Flaws
wsj.com – 8/11/2011
WALTER S. MOSSBERG

If you’re confused and frustrated by computers, or you serve as the tech-support person for somebody who is, you might be interested in a PC that’s designed to be much simpler than a typical Windows or Mac machine, yet can still perform popular tasks like Web surfing, emailing, photo viewing and video chatting.

I’ve been testing just such a computer, called the Telikin. It’s an all-in-one desktop, with a touch screen, that starts at $699 and comes from a small Philadelphia-area start-up called Venture 3 Systems. To create the Telikin, the company converts standard PCs from the Taiwanese manufacturer MSI by replacing Windows with the Linux operating system and then overlaying that with a greatly simplified user interface and apps of its own design. As simple as it is to use, the Telikin I tested had some flaws and glitches to frustrate most tech novices.

The interface is dominated by a row of big, blue buttons down the left side of the screen, with labels like Email, Photos, Calendar, Web and so forth. Large windows display content, and emails use a big, bold font for easy reading. The home page prominently displays news headlines and weather, and even a quote of the day. There is a built-in feature called Tech Buddy that allows a friend or relative to remotely take over the computer, with permission, to provide help.

After several days of testing the Telikin, I found the interface logical and the built-in apps worked pretty well, albeit sometimes on a very basic level. However, I can only give the Telikin a qualified thumbs up, because I kept running into bugs and limitations. Company officials acknowledged these problems and said they are fixing them. But if you buy a Telikin, you are betting that they will do so.

The company says it originally designed the Telikin for seniors, but is finding that older boomers are interested as well. Personally, because I know seniors who are computer masters and middle-age people whose PCs befuddle them, I’d say such a machine might appeal to anyone of any age who needs or craves greater simplicity in a PC. It’s available directly from telikin.com, or from Fry’s, an electronics retailer whose stores are mainly in the West.

There are two models. The base unit, at $699, is white, has an 18.6-inch screen and a 320-gigabyte hard disk. The second model, at $999, is black, has a 20-inch screen and a 500-GB hard disk. Both have touch screens that can be operated by finger or with an included stylus. Both also can be controlled with a traditional wired mouse, which is included along with a wired keyboard. Each model has 2 GB of memory, multiple USB ports, a DVD drive and a memory-card reader.

The company offers an optional service that gives hand-holding support on basic questions, such as, “How do I set up a Facebook account?” and includes the ability to back up the computer to a remote server for $10 a month.

In my tests, I was able to send and receive email on one of my own accounts; conduct video chats via Skype; view shared photos on Facebook; surf the Web; make calendar appointments; and play simple built-in games, like solitaire and mahjong.

I could create and read word-processing documents in Microsoft Word format; and view, but not create or edit PDF files and PowerPoint presentations.

I found the company’s tech support people to be helpful and patient, and the machine comes with some useful, if very basic, instructional videos, although there’s no real manual provided. The Web browser is pre-loaded with a series of visual bookmarks for common sites, and you can save your own favorites.

But bugs and limitations seriously detract from the Telikin.

For instance, at first, my test unit frequently froze, requiring a reboot each time. The company remotely upgraded its software, and the freezing was almost, but not entirely, eliminated.

I was also unable to attach photos to outgoing emails. The company said this was a known, but intermittent, bug that will be fixed by the end of the month.

Another example: My Telikin test unit couldn’t complete an online backup because, according to a scary error message, a Web file had “vanished.” Again, the company said it knew of the problem and was fixing it.

My test unit also came with an odd little add-on microphone poking out from the bottom, even though it had a built-in mic at the top. The company said it added the extra microphone because it wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the internal one.

And then there are the limitations. The built-in email program lacks the common Reply All and Forward functions, and the browser has no Refresh function.

The company said it left these out because it feared they might confuse some seniors. Now, it is thinking of adding them. Also, the Telikin can’t view spreadsheets, though again, the company says it is working on adding that ability.

On some emails I sent from a Mac, but not from my Windows PCs, attachments or text didn’t come through. And the remote-control Tech Buddy feature is harder to set up on a Mac. The company conceded it did very little testing of the Telikin’s compatibility with Macs, so if you are a Mac user planning on buying a Telikin for a relative, you might have problems.

Bottom line: The Telikin is a good idea with a decent design that suffers from flawed execution. If you have a friend or relative who could benefit from such a computer, you might consider the Telikin, but you should think about waiting until the company fixes the flaws.

Looking for something simpler? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!

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A Simple PC For Seniors http://bit.ly/qjcnwJ
Looking for something simpler, easier? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!

A Simple PC For Seniors Is Complicated By Its Flaws

wsj.com – 8/11/2011
WALTER S. MOSSBERG

If you’re confused and frustrated by computers, or you serve as the tech-support person for somebody who is, you might be interested in a PC that’s designed to be much simpler than a typical Windows or Mac machine, yet can still perform popular tasks like Web surfing, emailing, photo viewing and video chatting.

I’ve been testing just such a computer, called the Telikin. It’s an all-in-one desktop, with a touch screen, that starts at $699 and comes from a small Philadelphia-area start-up called Venture 3 Systems. To create the Telikin, the company converts standard PCs from the Taiwanese manufacturer MSI by replacing Windows with the Linux operating system and then overlaying that with a greatly simplified user interface and apps of its own design. As simple as it is to use, the Telikin I tested had some flaws and glitches to frustrate most tech novices.

The interface is dominated by a row of big, blue buttons down the left side of the screen, with labels like Email, Photos, Calendar, Web and so forth. Large windows display content, and emails use a big, bold font for easy reading. The home page prominently displays news headlines and weather, and even a quote of the day. There is a built-in feature called Tech Buddy that allows a friend or relative to remotely take over the computer, with permission, to provide help.

After several days of testing the Telikin, I found the interface logical and the built-in apps worked pretty well, albeit sometimes on a very basic level. However, I can only give the Telikin a qualified thumbs up, because I kept running into bugs and limitations. Company officials acknowledged these problems and said they are fixing them. But if you buy a Telikin, you are betting that they will do so.

The company says it originally designed the Telikin for seniors, but is finding that older boomers are interested as well. Personally, because I know seniors who are computer masters and middle-age people whose PCs befuddle them, I’d say such a machine might appeal to anyone of any age who needs or craves greater simplicity in a PC. It’s available directly from telikin.com, or from Fry’s, an electronics retailer whose stores are mainly in the West.

There are two models. The base unit, at $699, is white, has an 18.6-inch screen and a 320-gigabyte hard disk. The second model, at $999, is black, has a 20-inch screen and a 500-GB hard disk. Both have touch screens that can be operated by finger or with an included stylus. Both also can be controlled with a traditional wired mouse, which is included along with a wired keyboard. Each model has 2 GB of memory, multiple USB ports, a DVD drive and a memory-card reader.

The company offers an optional service that gives hand-holding support on basic questions, such as, “How do I set up a Facebook account?” and includes the ability to back up the computer to a remote server for $10 a month.

In my tests, I was able to send and receive email on one of my own accounts; conduct video chats via Skype; view shared photos on Facebook; surf the Web; make calendar appointments; and play simple built-in games, like solitaire and mahjong.

I could create and read word-processing documents in Microsoft Word format; and view, but not create or edit PDF files and PowerPoint presentations.

I found the company’s tech support people to be helpful and patient, and the machine comes with some useful, if very basic, instructional videos, although there’s no real manual provided. The Web browser is pre-loaded with a series of visual bookmarks for common sites, and you can save your own favorites.

But bugs and limitations seriously detract from the Telikin.

For instance, at first, my test unit frequently froze, requiring a reboot each time. The company remotely upgraded its software, and the freezing was almost, but not entirely, eliminated.

I was also unable to attach photos to outgoing emails. The company said this was a known, but intermittent, bug that will be fixed by the end of the month.

Another example: My Telikin test unit couldn’t complete an online backup because, according to a scary error message, a Web file had “vanished.” Again, the company said it knew of the problem and was fixing it.

My test unit also came with an odd little add-on microphone poking out from the bottom, even though it had a built-in mic at the top. The company said it added the extra microphone because it wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the internal one.

And then there are the limitations. The built-in email program lacks the common Reply All and Forward functions, and the browser has no Refresh function.

The company said it left these out because it feared they might confuse some seniors. Now, it is thinking of adding them. Also, the Telikin can’t view spreadsheets, though again, the company says it is working on adding that ability.

On some emails I sent from a Mac, but not from my Windows PCs, attachments or text didn’t come through. And the remote-control Tech Buddy feature is harder to set up on a Mac. The company conceded it did very little testing of the Telikin’s compatibility with Macs, so if you are a Mac user planning on buying a Telikin for a relative, you might have problems.

Bottom line: The Telikin is a good idea with a decent design that suffers from flawed execution. If you have a friend or relative who could benefit from such a computer, you might consider the Telikin, but you should think about waiting until the company fixes the flaws.

Looking for something simpler? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!

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Are You Ready For Hurricane Irene? Geeks On Call Tip #2 – Don’t forget to charge your laptops, cell phones and other portable devices. http://ping.fm/TaARW

Are You Ready For Hurricane Irene? Geeks On Call Tip #2 – Charge Up

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Court clears cloud music providers to expand features http://bit.ly/p3P4VS
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Court clears cloud music providers to expand features

The decision by the U.S. District Court in New York could pave the way for Google’s Music, Amazon.com’s Cloud Player, Dropbox and other providers of online storage services to add time-saving features.

Amazon and Google have been cautious in how they implemented their respective Web-based music lockers, a CNN study found. Amazon Cloud Drive and Music Beta by Google each upload users’ entire music catalog and store separate copies of each track, a very lengthy process even with today’s broadband Internet speeds, according to the study.

Technically, they could check a song for an exact match on their servers in order to save people the time of uploading everything. But they don’t, in an effort either to play it safe amidst murky law or to partially appease record labels that the two technology companies have tried negotiating with before.

Apple is readying a program called iTunes Match, which is part of the upcoming iCloud suite of Web tools, that can do just that. For $25 per year, iTunes Match will scan a person’s music library against the iTunes Store’s catalog, and if it finds a match, it will unlock access to that track. Before doing this, Apple secured agreements with the record labels.

“It takes just minutes, not weeks,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs said onstage at a conference in June. A “locker in the sky,” like Google’s or Amazon’s, “takes weeks” to download a person’s entire library, he said.

Dropbox, a fast-growing file-storage utility, previously used a method called “de-duplication,” which is also used by MP3tunes. Dropbox’s servers used to send a small digital fingerprint of each file a user was uploading in order to see if another person had already uploaded that same song, video or document. The company disabled the feature several months ago, according to a web forum post by Dropbox co-founder Arash Ferdowsi.

“The feature is off now because the protocol has started getting abused,” Ferdowsi wrote. “Dropbox is being tricked to ‘upload’ files that were never on the uploader’s computer.”

The closure appeared to target a type of software, called Dropship, which was designed to exploit this and facilitate illegal file sharing. The program is no longer functional after Dropbox changed its methods, said Dan DeFelippi, a programmer who hosted a version of Dropship on one of his online accounts after Dropbox executives tried to shut it down.

Ferdowsi said earlier that Dropbox planned to re-enable the de-duplication feature at some point. But it remains off, according to the CNN study. A spokeswoman for Dropbox declined to comment.

In the study, Tom Erbe, a computer music professor at the University of California, San Diego, edited the digital files for several popular songs and produced different versions to be uploaded to music-storage services. Erbe and CNN tested whether Cloud Drive, Music Beta and Dropbox would preserve the nuances in each track or instead return a “master copy,” which provided insight into how these programs work.

Monday’s ruling on the 4-year-old case, involving record giant EMI Group and bygone music locker service MP3tunes, parts the clouds, allowing more companies to offer the scan-and-match feature without labels’ consent, legal analysts say.

Spokesmen for Amazon and Google didn’t return requests for comment about whether they might implement such a feature.

“Many of the arguments raised by EMI weren’t just about MP3tunes,” Sherwin Siy, a legal analyst for digital-rights advocacy group Public Knowledge, wrote in a statement. “They set forth a theory of copyright that would have imperiled remote-storage services and other cloud applications. The court’s rejection of these arguments deflates a lot of the legal uncertainty that record labels have tried to inject into these technological developments.”

One possibility for Google is that it could combine its music service with the ubiquitous search engine in order to find songs that can be easily added to a person’s personal locker, Siy andWired each suggested in reports. However, Google is unlikely to do so, if it would like to negotiate to open, say, a music store or all-access streaming service at some point in the future.

The sign up page for the Google application notes: “Music Beta is only for legally acquired music.”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, another digital-rights group, supported much of Judge William Pauley’s 29-page memo.

“This outcome represents an understanding of copyright law more in line with how technology actually works, and avoids an absurd result where a music locker needs to waste server space by storing thousands of copies of identical files,” Julie Samuels, an EFF legal analyst, wrote in a report. “This means more efficient music locker services, which is good news for music fans and for companies coming up with new and better ways to give those fans access to music they already own.”

Michael Robertson, a digital-music pioneer and MP3tunes founder who is being sued, called the court ruling a 99% victory.

“Those in the industry that are building or contemplating personal music service like Amazon, Google, Grooveshark and Dropbox will surely have renewed confidence in offering similar unlicensed services,” he wrote in a statement. “Our lawsuit with EMI will define legality of storage,” he wrote in an online chat earlier this year.

An EMI spokesman expressed regret that the court has given safe harbor to “a business based on stolen music.” At the same time, EMI celebrated the limited victories over MP3tunes’ and Robertson’s careless handling of certain aspects related to EMI’s infringement claims.

“We will continue to fight,” the EMI spokesman said in a statement.

Joseph DeMarco, a Columbia Law School professor, cautioned that the District Court’s could be influenced by other cases, such as one in a Miami federal court involving the Hotfile online storage company.

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