Siljaline's Blog : world

Facebook fine-tunes privacy controls

Randy Knobloch — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:01:00 GMT

Facebook says it is boosting privacy by giving users control over who sees each bit of information they put on the social-networking site, and by doing away with regional and group networks. "We're adding something that many of you have asked...(read more)

Google to limit free access to some news content

Randy Knobloch — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:47:00 GMT

Google Inc. is allowing publishers of paid content to limit the number of free news articles accessed by people using its internet search engine. The concession follows mounting criticism of Google's practices from media publishers — most notably...(read more)

Canadian copyright law to trump Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

Randy Knobloch — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:39:00 GMT

Industry Minister Tony Clement, responding to accusations that an international anti-counterfeiting agreement will criminalize everyday activity by Canadians, says any such pact will be "subservient" to copyright rules created domestically....(read more)

Tech giants to be rated on human rights

Randy Knobloch — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:38:00 GMT

A group of prominent Canadian researchers has launched an initiative to examine how closely companies like Google, Microsoft and Yahoo follow their own principles regarding freedom of expression and privacy. Citizen Lab, which runs out of the University...(read more)

Pirate Bay copyright convicts lose retrial bid

Randy Knobloch — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:49:00 GMT

Four men found guilty of promoting copyright infringement through the file-sharing site The Pirate Bay will not get a retrial, the Swedish court of appeals has ruled. The court found Thursday that the judge who ruled in the original case in April, Tomas...(read more)

Jackson's death slows web to a crawl

Randy Knobloch — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:13:00 GMT

In life, Michael Jackson once ruled the pop charts. With his death, he dominated the internet. As reports of Jackson's death on Thursday spread, celebrity gossip websites crashed, news sites slowed to a crawl and traffic on social networking sites...(read more)

Conficker worm sends new instructions: grow botnet, then die

Randy Knobloch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:29:00 GMT

The Conficker worm has begun to update the machines it has infected with a new set of instructions to spread to other machines and then self-destruct, security experts say. Security researchers tracking the worm said some of the infected computers began...(read more)

Conficker botnet remains dormant - for now

Randy Knobloch — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:04:00 GMT

Conficker changed the way parts of the botnet communicated overnight, but little else of note has happened so far. The malware is far from an April Fool's joke, but it's obviously a long way from the Skynet botnet, as depicted in Terminator 3...(read more)

As Conficker activation looms, scammers seek to profit off fear

Randy Knobloch — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:39:00 GMT

Online scammers are trying to profit from fear of the latest big name in internet viruses by creating and promoting links to fake security software, according to security firms. The scams are hoping to capitalize on consumer fear over the Conficker worm...(read more)

Reported internet spy network just tip of iceberg: researcher

Randy Knobloch — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:33:00 GMT

An internet spy network that targeted hundreds of "high value" computers belonging to government departments and other organizations in 103 countries is likely just one of many, says one of the Canadian researchers who uncovered it. "We...(read more)

Wikipedia passes $6M US donation mark

Randy Knobloch — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:09:00 GMT

Wikipedia has met its fundraising goal of $6 million US with a bit to spare just days after founder Jimmy Wales made a personal pitch for donations. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/01/01/wikipedia-donations.html...(read more)

YouTube poised to screen free full-length films

Randy Knobloch — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:38:00 GMT

The world's most popular video-sharing site, YouTube, is in talks to show full-length Hollywood films free over the internet. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/11/08/youtube-films-hollywood.html...(read more)

Top-secret spy pics found on eBay-bought camera

Randy Knobloch — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:06:00 GMT

A digital camera containing secret images and information about terrorism suspects from the British spy service MI6 was accidentally sold on eBay, according to various reports Tuesday from Britain. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/09/30/terrorcam-sold...(read more)

Android: Why Google's cellphone software is making waves

Randy Knobloch — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:01:00 GMT

What is Android? Google's Android is an operating system for mobile phones, similar to how Windows or Leopard are operating systems for PC and Macintosh computers. Android provides the base on which other software on the phone works. Design of the...(read more)

Apple faces iTunes test case in Norway

Randy Knobloch — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:23:00 GMT

Norway's top consumer advocate said Monday he is taking Apple Inc. to the government's market council in a test case seeking to force the American company to open its iTunes music store to digital players other than its own iPod. http://www.cbc...(read more)

Goo-Hoo! faces EU anti-trust probe

Randy Knobloch — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:21:00 GMT

The European Union's Competition Commission is investigating the proposed search advertising tie-up between Google and Yahoo!. "In mid-July, we decided to open a preliminary investigation on our own initiative into potential effects of the Google...(read more)

China's nonstop music machine

Randy Knobloch — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:48:00 GMT

Baidu versus business http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/13/baidu_investigation/...(read more)

Justice Department signals challenge to Google-Yahoo deal

Randy Knobloch — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:10:00 GMT

WASHINGTON - In a possible blow to Yahoo Inc.'s hopes for an advertising partnership with Google Inc., the Justice Department has hired an antitrust litigator to review evidence for what could become a legal challenge to the deal. The Wall Street...(read more)

Google goes after 3 billion with super satellite

Randy Knobloch — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:26:00 GMT

Hella lotta Gmail Google has hooked up with Liberty Global and HSBC Principle Investments to start funding a satellite network aimed at connecting the three billion people who still can't get access to the internet, at least those living near the...(read more)

Google rolls out free newspaper archives

Randy Knobloch — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:45:00 GMT

In its continuing quest to digitize all of the world's information, Google Inc. is looking to incorporate back issues of newspapers — in some cases going back hundreds of years — into its web search results. The company announced Monday...(read more)