Monday, December 17, 2012

Is Google Abusing It's Market?

Title: Onetime Allies in Antitrust Part Ways over Google

Author: Steve Lohr

Date: December 16, 2012

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/technology/onetime-allies-in-antitrust-part-ways-over-google.html?pagewanted=all

Summary: Attorneys that were once on the same side of the anti-trust suit against Microsoft, have differing opinions on Google. Attorney Mr. Reback states that Google is using it's search engine to favor the company's online shopping, travel and local listings, which is stifling competition from Web sites that rely on Google search for traffic.

Relevance: If it's true that google is using it's search engine to keep other websites that offer the same thing for less, it will keep small businesses that rely on internet revenue from competing.

Quote: "Google's conduct is pro-competitive," Ms. Creighton declared in her Senate testimony last year. "Far from threatening competition, Google has consistently enhanced consumer welfare by increasing the services available to consumers."

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Facebook Changes Privacy Settings, Again

Title: Facebook Changes Privacy Settings, Again

Author: Nick Bilton

Date: December 12

URL: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/12/facebook-changes-privacy-settings-again/?ref=technology

Summary: Facebook is adding a new feature that will give users the ability to block the information they put on their site. It is also giving users the ability to block others; however, it's taking away users ability to hide themselves while they are online.

Relevance: Privacy is always been an issue with Facebook and with the internet as a whole. As technology gets better privacy will become an even bigger issue.

Quote: "The company is eliminating the ability for people to hide themselves on Facebook's search, a control, that until now, has existed in the in the privacy settings on the company's Web site."

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

comparison #5

Article 1: Austrian Group Plans Court Challenge to Facebook's Privacy Policies
Author: Kevin J. O'Brien
Date: December 4th
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/technology/austrian-group-plans-court-challenge-to-facebooks-privacy-policies.html?ref=technology&_r=0

Article 2: Student group to go to court over Facebook Privacy Policy
Author: Reuters
Date: December 4th
Link: http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2012/12/04/student-group-to-go-to-court-over-facebook-privacy-policy/

Article 3: Student group take Facebook privacy gripes to court
Author:
Date: December 4th
Link: http://news.yahoo.com/student-group-plans-sue-facebook-ireland-071853454--sector.html

Articles 1,2 and 3 are both reported on the same day.
Article 2, reported by Foxbusiness is the shortest story on here.
Article 1 goes into how Facebook is collecting and retaining data as well as using facial recognition to to tie in whose data it is.
Article 3 explains how Facebook takes several months to give people the data facebook has collected on them
Article 3 goes on to state that the group believes this will be a landmark case for the data protection law

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Article #5

Title: Courts Divided Over Searches of Cellphones

Author: Somini Sengupta

Date: November 25, 2012

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/technology/legality-of-warrantless-cellphone-searches-goes-to-courts-and-legislatures.html?ref=technology

Summary: Judges and law makers are wondering if officers will require a search warrant to view someone's cellphone records. And since the Senate committee is considering changing the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 law. As technology continues to advance the law is being left behind law makers and courts have to consider what information is private and what is owned by the phone company.

Relevance: This article is abcout the governments ability to view data that is personal to the private citizen. If the government is allowed to view anyone's private information without a warrant it can disable the rights of citizens.

Quote: "A proposed amendment would require the police to obtain a warrant to search e-mail, no matter how old it was, updating a provision that currently allows warrant-less searches of e-mails more than 180 days old."

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Source Comparison #4

Article 1
"Scientist Find cheaper way to ensure internet security"
November, 20
"http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/technology/fiber-optic-breakthrough-to-improve-internet-security-cheaply.html?ref=technology&_r=0"

Article 2
"Scientist at Toshiba, Cambridge University finds cheaper way to ensure internet security"
November, 20
"http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/scientists-at-toshiba-cambridge-university-find-cheaper-way-to-ensure-internet-security/articleshow/17291905.cms"

Article 3
"Scientist discover cheaper way to enure internet security"
November, 20
"http://www.todayonline.com/Technology/EDC121120-0000093/Scientists-discover-cheaper-way-to-ensure-internet-security"



  • Article 2 copies it's article from the New York Times website; however, article 3 is similar but not bordering on plagiarism.
  • All the articles are were written on the same day.
  • Article 3 almost copies for the first article's title except for the word "find" is now "discover."
  • All articles state that there is an encryption key called "one-time pad" where it's used only once but with the method half of the data are used in different lines.
  • Article 1 and 2 explains how the scientist came up with this discovery. While article #3 leaves that information is out.
  • Articles 1 and 2 delves into the technique of using quantum cryptography is while both article 3 only gleam that information.
  • Where as, articles 1 and 2 both state that governments will be the first to use the new technology, on the other hand article 3 explains how the Swedish government is already implementing such a security measure.
  • Article 3 does not mention what the old method for keeping private files on the internet safe are; where as articles 1 and 2 do.
  • What article 3 also does is explain how with the current system there could be fibres available to use but they are not always easily accessed.
  • All articles states how quantum cryptography will make it easier to show if data was tampered or eavesdropped on. 

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Article Review# 4

Title: "Zynga Executive Defects to Facebook"

Author: The Associated Press

Date: November, 13

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/11/13/technology/ap-us-tec-zynga-cfo.html?ref=technology

Article Summary: Zynga, a company known for it's mobile games from off Facebook, are having trouble keeping it's executives. Recent concerns about if the company can make profits off of selling mobile games, are worrying executives so much so that some are jumping ship early. Due to recent stock prices decreasing more executives have left, some as early as a year and a half.

Relevance to Class: With many leaving Zynga, that leaves the doors open for those willing to try their hands at mobile games. With new people, there will be better ideas on how they could balance content with greater profits by having a more structured plan of how these games impact their users and thus their profits.

Quote: "The appointments seeks to fill some of the holes left by executives who've left Zynga in recent months. John Schappert, Zynga's chief operating officer, left in August after less than a year and a half on the job. Schappert's exit was followed by that of Mike Verdu, the company's chief creative officer."

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Article Review #3

Title: "Photo-sharing app expands to the web"

Author: Barbara Ortutay

Date: November 5th

Link to Original Article: http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2019611279_apustecinstagramweb.html

Summary: The photo-sharing app, Instagram, is expanding beyond mobile phones. On Monday, Facebook made the announcement this announcement in a blog post. Instagram will now have a website to go along with their profile photo, bio and a few snapshots that have been recently shared on Instagram. 

Relevancy: With Facebook expanding it's photo sharing app on the web, those who design the sites will have to figure out a way for the app and site to seamlessly blend without any structural hiccups between the two. 

Quote: " Facebook has insisted since it bought Instagram this year that it will keep it running as a separate service. That still appears to be the case. The Instagram web pages don't link to Facebook and don't ask users to log in using their facebook accounts."