Google Fined $US22.5 Million For Apple Privacy Breach

That behemoth that is Google has been fined $US22.5 million for violating the privacy of millions of Apple Safari browser users. Last October Google signed an agreement that included a pledge not to mislead consumers about privacy practices, oops.

In fining the behemoth the FTC - US Federal Trade Commission - said that Google had broken an agreement made with the commission in October 2011, Google had agreed not to place tracking cookies on or deliver targeted ads to Apple Safari users, but then went ahead and did so. The fine is the biggest imposed by the FTC against a company for violating a previous agreement with the Commission.

In a statemnet the FTC said that Google has agreed to pay the record $22.5 million civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission charges.

“The record setting penalty in this matter sends a clear message to all companies under an FTC privacy order,” said Jon Leibowitz, Chairman of the FTC. “No matter how big or small, all companies must abide by FTC orders against them and keep their privacy promises to consumers, or they will end up paying many times what it would have cost to comply in the first place.”  :: Read the full article »»»»

Google Fined $US22.5 Million For Apple Privacy Breach

That behemoth that is Google has been fined $US22.5 million for violating the privacy of millions of Apple Safari browser users. Last October Google signed an agreement that included a pledge not to mislead consumers about privacy practices, oops.

In fining the behemoth the FTC - US Federal Trade Commission - said that Google had broken an agreement made with the commission in October 2011, Google had agreed not to place tracking cookies on or deliver targeted ads to Apple Safari users, but then went ahead and did so. The fine is the biggest imposed by the FTC against a company for violating a previous agreement with the Commission.

In a statemnet the FTC said that Google has agreed to pay the record $22.5 million civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission charges.

“The record setting penalty in this matter sends a clear message to all companies under an FTC privacy order,” said Jon Leibowitz, Chairman of the FTC. “No matter how big or small, all companies must abide by FTC orders against them and keep their privacy promises to consumers, or they will end up paying many times what it would have cost to comply in the first place.”  :: Read the full article »»»»

Android Flaw Allows Outside Control

Cyber-security experts have uncovered a serious flaw in a component of the operating system of Google’s widely used Android smartphone that they say hackers can exploit to gain control of the devices. Researchers from startup cyber-security firm CrowdStrike said they have figured out how to use that bug to launch attacks and take control of some Android devices.

CrowdStrike – which will demonstrate its findings next week at RSA 2012 in San Francisco – said an attacker sends an email or text message that appears to be from a trusted source, like the user’s phone carrier. The message urges the recipient to click on a link, which if done infects the device. At that point, the hacker gains complete control of the phone, enabling him or her to eavesdrop on phone calls and monitor the location of the device, said Dmitri Alperovitch, chief technology officer and co-founder of CrowdStrike. Read the full article »»»

Android Flaw Allows Outside Control

Cyber-security experts have uncovered a serious flaw in a component of the operating system of Google’s widely used Android smartphone that they say hackers can exploit to gain control of the devices. Researchers from startup cyber-security firm CrowdStrike said they have figured out how to use that bug to launch attacks and take control of some Android devices.

CrowdStrike – which will demonstrate its findings next week at RSA 2012 in San Francisco – said an attacker sends an email or text message that appears to be from a trusted source, like the user’s phone carrier. The message urges the recipient to click on a link, which if done infects the device. At that point, the hacker gains complete control of the phone, enabling him or her to eavesdrop on phone calls and monitor the location of the device, said Dmitri Alperovitch, chief technology officer and co-founder of CrowdStrike. Read the full article »»»

Facebook And Twitter Built Into Your Car?

If you’re already concerned about how little people actually pay attention when they’re driving, you may have even more cause for alarm, more distractions are on the way. Responding to demand from consumers, more and more auto manufacturers are integrating devices to tweet, check your Facebook, buy tickets to events, and check your e-mail. Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and Ford all have products in the works and we should be seeing them as soon as Spring. Ford Motors was actually the first one to start incorporating modern communication systems into their dashboards with their Sync technology. Now users will be able to interact with their Twitter account, watch streaming video, and get their news right from the drivers seat.

Ford was first to put apps in its cars, bringing out Pandora internet radio integration in the Fiesta. OpenBeak, a Twitter app, and Stitcher, which streams audio programming from the Internet have also been announced, as has iHeartRadio on BlackBerry. To enable integration, Ford makes its Sync AppLink API available to developers, who can modify their apps to use Sync’s in-car voice and manual controls.  Read the full article »»»»

Spool Raises Funding to Help You Take the Web Offline

Spool, which offers a nifty service for saving Web videos and articles for later viewing offline on Android, iOS and HTML5-compatible devices, has raised $1 million in funding from SV Angel, Felicis Ventures, Vivi Nevo and others. The Spool service is made for commuters, travelers and people with limited mobile data plans. It automatically downloads and syncs content between devices when possible. It’s still in limited beta testing, but Spool co-founder Avichal Garg said to expect broader availability in the next few months. This isn’t just a storage service. Users can store links for their own private use, and also in the process send them to one or more of their Facebook friends. While Spool might be most easily compared to services like Readability, Read It Later and Instapaper, Garg made other comparisons.