Articles by date
14 May 2013
Google Search scratches its brain 500 million times a day (CNET)
Google's search engine is powerful, but not all-knowing. Every month Google processes 100 billion queries, and typically returns results with microsecond speed. However, on a fairly regular basis, Google's search engine has to think a bit harder to render a result. On a daily basis, 15 percent of queries submitted -- 500 million -- have never been seen before by Google's search engine, and that has continued for the nearly 15 years the company has existed, according to John Wiley, the lead designer for Google Search.
France Should Soften Internet 'three Strikes' Law, Says Gov't (PC World)
France should stop cutting off the Internet access of those accused of illicit file sharing, and close down the agency that polices online copyright breaches, according to a government-commissioned report.
FBI says more cooperation with banks key to probe of cyber attacks (Reuters)
The FBI last month gave temporary security clearances to scores of U.S. bank executives to brief them on the investigation into the cyber attacks that have repeatedly disrupted online banking websites for most of a year.
US porn troll case prompts ISPs to fight to protect customer IDs (PC World)
Several major ISPs embroiled in a copyright lawsuit with an adult film copyright holder are appealing a ruling in the case that could permit hundreds of innocent subscribers to be harassed by copyright trolls.
Firms Brace for New European Data Privacy Law (New York Times)
The effort in Europe to adopt the world's strongest data protection law has drawn the attention of dozens of lobbyists from U.S. technology and advertising companies.
European Commission plans guide through global internet policy labyrinth (Europa)
The Commission today unveiled plans for the Global Internet Policy Observatory (GIPO), an online platform to improve knowledge of and participation of all stakeholders across the world in debates and decisions on Internet policies. GIPO will be developed by the Commission and a core alliance of countries and Non Governmental Organisations involved in Internet governance. Brazil, the African Union, Switzerland, the Association for Progressive Communication, Diplo Foundation and the Internet Society have agreed to cooperate or have expressed their interest to be involved in the project.
Award-winning EU project redefines the Internet strengthening users' online safety while boosting broadband speeds (Europa)
An EU funded project that paves the way to an innovative Internet architecture meeting current traffic and growing security demands has just been awarded a prize at the Future Internet Assembly (FIA) in Dublin. The PURSUIT project received the Future Internet Award for its outstanding contribution to redefining the existing Internet design in order to ensure users' stronger control over their data while enhancing broadband connections.
13 May 2013
3D printed guns are going to create big legal precedents (The Guardian)
By now, everyone's heard about the 3D printed gun that Defense Distributed demonstrated last week. The Texas-based group has been steadily working its way up the 3D printed firearms evolutionary ladder, making parts for guns, then guns themselves, then firing a gun, then making the plans for running up your own pistols on a nearby 3D printer. If Defense Distributed had set out to create a moral panic over 3D printing, they could have picked no better project.
Editorial: Google's Offer to Europe (New York Times)
Google's competitors, like Microsoft, Expedia and Yelp, have long complained that the company uses its dominant search engine -- it has more than 90 percent market share in Europe and about 70 percent in the United States -- to promote its own services, like YouTube, Google Maps and others, at the expense of rivals.
Samsung Claims 5G Mobile Breakthrough (Wall Street Journal)
Samsung Electronics said Monday it has made a breakthrough in developing mobile technology for fifth-generation networks, though it expects it will take years until the service is brought online for subscribers.
Cyberattacks Against U.S. Corporations Are on the Rise (New York Times)
A new wave of cyberattacks is striking American corporations, prompting warnings from federal officials, including a vague one issued last week by the Department of Homeland Security. This time, officials say, the attackers' aim is not espionage but sabotage, and the source seems to be somewhere in the Middle East.
20 ways to keep your internet identity safe from hackers (The Observer)
Do you use the same password for all websites? Do you overshare on Facebook? If so, you're a target for cybercriminals - whose computer scams are costing Britain £27bn a year. We asked experts for their top tips to beat the fraudsters
How to Fight Revenge Porn (The Atlantic)
For those whose privately shared photos have made their way to the web, an argument of implied confidentiality may be a good bet.
12 May 2013
United Nations Agency to Discuss Internet Governance Again (New York Times)
Here we go again. The United Nations is trying to take over the Internet! Or maybe it isn't.
Microsoft's broken Windows is lesson for Apple (Financial Times)
When the geniuses in Apple's design department started thinking about how to make a phone, the first thing they came up with was the scroll wheel. This, after all, was the invention that had made the iPod great: you could swirl through long lists of songs or artists with a satisfying swipe of the thumb. Could there ever be a better user interface for a pocket-sized digital device?
Limiting Data Use in Germany (New York Times)
The debate over "network neutrality," the principle that all bits of digital information are created equal, has come home in a real way for millions of Germans.
11 May 2013
Worth paying for? YouTube is becoming more like normal television (The Economist)
One of the most popular videos this month on YouTube, an online video site, is a commercial by a bottled-water firm, Evian. In it, adults walking by a shop window see their baby lookalikes reflected, and start dancing with their former selves. The grown-up YouTube, however, looks nothing like it did in its infancy. Once a warehouse for pirated clips and amateur footage of cats, YouTube has been trying to transform itself into a sleeker, more sophisticated site that can compete with television for advertisers. It will soon look even more like television. On May 9th it is expected to announce that it will charge users for subscriptions to some "channels".
Spammers Revived Old Schemes in March Quarter (CIO)
Spammers revived some old scams during the first three months of the year to wrap their tentacles around unsuspecting netizens, according to junk mail fighters.
New Study from Internet Society and Analysys Mason Examines Factors Hindering Development of Internet Access in Africa (ISOC)
The Internet Society today published a new study, 'Lifting barriers to Internet development in Africa: suggestions for improving connectivity,' which examines the factors hindering Internet development in Africa and explores possible remedies.
.MELBOURNE One Of 300 Passing ICANN's Initial Evaluation
The first Australian generic Top Level Domain application has passed its initial evaluation. On Friday ICANN said '.melbourne' has passed its technical and financial evaluations, with the number passing this stage now reaching 300, and being the next step in getting the gTLD up and running.
10 May 2013
US government orders removal of Defcad 3D-gun designs (BBC News)
The US government has demanded designs for a 3D-printed gun be taken offline.
In Hours, Thieves Took $45 Million in A.T.M. Scheme (New York Times)
It was a brazen bank heist, but a 21st-century version in which the criminals never wore ski masks, threatened a teller or set foot in a vault.
No 'Sharks With Lasers on Their Heads': What Protects the Internet in the Ocean? (The Atlantic)
If you've been following the events in Syria over the past few days, you know the country's Internet is now back from the dead after a 19-hour outage that the government blamed on "terrorist" sabotage--an explanation bought by approximately zero people.
Youtube Rolls Out Paid Subscription Channels (CIO)
Not everything on YouTube is free any more. The video-sharing website will now charge users a monthly fee to view certain content offered through subscription channels, the Google-owned site announced Thursday.
Mobiles 'to outnumber people next year', says UN agency (BBC News)
There will be more mobile subscriptions than people in the world by the end of next year, according to a UN agency report.
