FBI Says Social Media Monitoring Won't Infringe Privacy Rights

The FBI today said that its proposed plans to monitor social media sites as part of a broader strategy to improve real-time situation awareness will be fully vetted by the agency's Privacy and Civil Liberties Unit.

The unit will review the legal implications of the monitoring application and ensure that it meets all privacy and civil rights obligations before it is implemented, the agency said in a statement emailed to Computerworld "Although the FBI has always adapted to meet changes in technology, the rule of law, civil liberties, and civil rights, will remain our guiding principles," the agency said.

The FBI was responding to questions about its plans to use technology to quickly gather and analyze data posted on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and on blogs using simple keyword searches and phrases.

In a Request For Information (RFI) last month, the FBI said that data posted on such sites would let it more quickly detect specific and credible threats, locate those organizing and taking part in dangerous gatherings and predict upcoming events.

It noted that social media networks have been trumping police, firefighters and news media when it comes to communicating news of developing incidents and protests. "Social media is rivaling 911 services in crisis response and reporting," the RFI noted.

Similar monitoring by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has already stoked considerable privacy concerns. Groups such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have called for more transparency and oversight of such monitoring activities.

EPIC last month warned that some of DHS' monitoring activities appeared to have little to do with public safety; it has expressed similar concerns over the FBI's plans.

Such concerns have prompted the House Committee on Homeland Security to schedule a hearing Thursday to examine the privacy implications of DHS' social media monitoring activities.

In its statement, the FBI said that information gathered from social media networks will support the activities of its Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC). "In accordance with its core mission, SIOC has a responsibility to enhance its techniques for collecting and disseminating real-time publicly available open source information to improve the FBI's overall situational awareness and support of mission requirements," the FBI said.

Social media monitoring will help the agency stay on top of breaking events, crisis activity or natural disasters that have already occurred or are still in progress, the FBI said. The effort will not focus on specific persons or protected groups, but on words that relate to specific events, crisis scenarios and criminal or terrorist activities.

Examples of the words that the FBI will use in its social media searches will include 'lockdown,' 'bomb,' 'suspicious package,' 'white powder,' 'active shoot' and 'school lock down.'

The federal government already uses publicly available open source information to identify immediate or emerging threats to national security. "The type of social media application being researched by the FBI, to view publicly available information, is no different than applications used by other government agencies."

http://www.pcworld.com/article/249984/fbi_says_social_media_monitoring_wont_infringe_privacy_rights.html


By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28

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Staying Safe on Social Networks

The fun part of online social media is the networking and sharing. The dangerous part of online social media can also be the networking and sharing.

To get a sense of why people enjoy online social networking, visit Twitter or Facebook during a playoff game or during a live broadcast of a show like “American Idol.”

Thousands of people might be sitting alone on their couches watching the game or the show, but they are interacting with people – cheering on their favorite person or trash-talking an opponent.

Personal information is exchanged as if the conversation were happening in a private space. The fact is, these people are speaking publicly.

Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media

Do take advantage of privacy settings available and encourage your friends to do the same. Even if you only share information with designated people using privacy settings, others can neglect to do the same and everyone they are connected to can see information about you.

Don’t announce your vacation plans. It may not be only your closest friends who can see when you are leaving and when you will return. Wait until you come home to share your vacation information online.

Don’t stay logged into Facebook while you are visiting other websites. Any time you browse the internet without first logging out of Facebook, other sites can gain access to any profile information you’ve marked as public information.

Do resist the urge to share identifying information on your social media profiles. On Facebook, for example, you can include your full home address, phone number, date of birth and other personal information. This gives criminals enough details about you to steal your identity or worse, if you give this info and share your vacation plans, they not only know where you live, they also know exactly when your home will be empty!

Do ask questions before clicking on links. Malware is common on status updates on social media sites. If you are uncertain about a link posted, ask the sender first.



Courtesy of Safety Daily News

Google Updates YouTube with Discovery Features

Google is updating the YouTube app for Google TV owners this week, promising performance improvements and easier ways to discover videos you like.

Google quietly announced the refresh on Sunday. The revamped app will be available as an update in the Android Market.

The new YouTube app for Google TV now features channel pages, and you can see related videos and more videos by the same user when you press up or down on your remote. A feature called Discover also allows you to browse through YouTube channels by categories.


“First you’ll notice the app works faster with smoother navigation for a better experience,” says Google TV product manager Jurek Foryciarz in Google's statement. “Whether you’re looking for hilarious comedy, delectable cooking content, or the latest news, you can find great channels for any of your interests.”

With the improved integration of channels on YouTube for Google TV, the company continues its push for original channels that began last year. In a bid to attract more viewers and compete with streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix, these new channels are intended to complement the amateur videos and the non-exclusive, professional movies and TV shows on YouTube.

Updated Apple TV Looms
Google is not the only one pushing updates for its set-top box software. Apple is expected to make a further foray in living rooms with an updated Apple TV set-top box, too. Last updated in 2010, the Apple TV appears to be running out of stock at all major retailers, which according to a 9To5Mac report, indicates an updated version is looming.


Beside an updated Apple set-top box, several reports in the past few months suggest the company is also working on a full-fledged television set. First hints are found in Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Steve Jobs, in which Isaacson quotes Jobs as saying of his quest for integration: "I finally cracked it." The set purportedly features Siri-style voice input and would ship as early as 2013.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/249850/google_updates_youtube_with_discovery_features.html#tk.hp_new



By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Surprise! Windows 8 for ARM Will Come with 'Office 15' Apps

Since Microsoft shared the first obscure hints of expanding the architecture horizon to include running Windows 8 on ARM processors, there has been rampant speculation and anticipation of what that will really mean when the OS finally launches. Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky is providing some more clarity about Windows 8 on ARM (WOA), including the fact that it will have “Office 15” apps built in.

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The Sinofsky post details extensively the techniques and technologies that WOA is built on, and how it will work. There are two points stressed by Sinofsky that I found particularly interesting, though – WOA will have the Windows 8 desktop and not just the Metro UI, and WOA will have “Office 15” apps built in.


Microsoft revealed that Windows 8 on ARM will have "Office 15" apps built in.
There seem to be surprisingly high expectations for Windows 8 tablets built on ARM architecture, but there has also been some serious anxiety over the past few months regarding the capabilities and limitations of WOA. One of the reasons there is so much apparent demand for a Windows 8 tablet is that there is a customer base out there that wants the power and functionality of Windows, with the features and capabilities of an iPad -- and Android tablets thus far have failed to meet this demand.

It makes sense, then, that those same users are worried about how the tablet will integrate or work with the more familiar desktop version of Windows 8. While the traditional x86 and x64 versions of Windows that run on Intel and AMD processors are distinct from the WOA versions (I’m assuming multiple flavors, but Microsoft hasn’t yet revealed details of the actual Windows 8 lineup), Sinofsky spells out in the blog post that Microsoft has gone to great lengths to ensure a consistent user experience across the entire Windows 8 ecosystem.

The most exciting news in the blog post, though, is the revelation that WOA will include “Office 15”. When Microsoft revealed plans for a summer beta of “Office 15”, there was concern that Microsoft seemed evasive about whether or not it would be available for WOA. A lack of Microsoft Office would severely handicap the potential of Windows 8 tablets.

Thankfully, Sinofsky states unequivocally that WOA will include “Office 15” version of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. He explains, “The new Office applications for WOA have been significantly architected for both touch and minimized power/resource consumption.”

He then goes on to say, “This engineering work is an important part of being able to provide Office software with WOA, as these are not simply recompilations or ports, but significant reworking of the products with a complete and consistent user experience and fidelity with their new x86/64 counterparts,” which implies that they are separate distinct, separate versions from the x86/64 versions.

With the Windows 8 Consumer Preview expected to be available by the end of this month, there is an expectation that Microsoft will officially launch Windows 8 before the end of 2012, and we may see Windows 8 tablets in time for the holidays.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/249679/surprise_windows_8_for_arm_will_come_with_office_15_apps.html#tk.hp_pop



By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

How to Tell if a Link Is Safe Without Clicking on It

Even the best security software can’t protect you from the headaches you’ll encounter if you click an unsafe link. Unsafe links appear to be shortcuts to funny videos, shocking news stories, awesome deals, or “Like” buttons, but are really designed to steal your personal information or hijack your computer. Your friends can unknowingly pass on unsafe links in emails, Facebook posts, and instant messages. You’ll also encounter unsafe links in website ads and search results. Use these link-scanning tips to check suspicious links. All of these solutions are free, fast, and don’t require you to download anything.

Hover Over the Link
Sometimes a link masks the website to which it links. If you hover over a link without clicking it, you’ll notice the full URL of the link’s destination in a lower corner of your browser. For example, both of these links connect you to PCWorld’s home page, but you wouldn’t know that without hovering:

Click Here!

http://www.freerolexwatches.com/

Use a Link Scanner
Link scanners are websites and plug-ins that allow you to enter the URL of a suspicious link and check it for safety. There are many free and reliable link scanners available; I suggest you try URLVoid first. URLVoid scans a link using multiple services, such as Google, MyWOT, and Norton SafeWeb, and reports the results to you quickly.

URLVoid scans several security databases for information on sketchy Web domain names.

Check Out Shortened Links
URLVoid can’t properly handle shortened URLs from services such as bitly, Ow.ly, and TinyURL (URLVoid will scan the shortening service website instead of the link to which it points). To scan the mysterious shortlinks you’ll often find on Twitter and Facebook, use Sucuri. Sucuri automatically expands the shortlink and draws upon a handful of services, such as Google, Norton SafeWeb, and PhishTank, to determine if the real link is safe. You can also use Sucuri for scanning nonshortened links, but URLVoid checks more sources.

Sucuri can help you determine whether shortened links are safe or not.

Copy a Link--Safely
Services like URLVoid and Sucuri require you to type in or paste a suspicious link—but how do you quickly and safely grab the URL without opening anything? Easy. Just right-click the link to bring up a context menu, then click Copy shortcut (in Internet Explorer), Copy Link Location (in Firefox), or Copy Link Address (in Chrome). The URL is now copied to your clipboard and you can paste it into any search field.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/248963/how_to_tell_if_a_link_is_safe_without_clicking_on_it.html#tk.hp_fv



By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Top Torrent Site BTjunkie Shuts Voluntarily

BTjunkie, one of the largest torrent file-sharing sites, shut down voluntarily over the weekend. The service ranked among the top five torrent sites on the Internet and was never involved in legal action, but recent moves against the likes of MegaUpload and The Pirate Bay have influenced BTjunkie’s closure.


“This is the end of the line my friends,” reads a short message from BTjunkie owner, now visible on the site. “The decision does not come easy, but we’ve decided to voluntarily shut down. We’ve been fighting for years for your right to communicate, but it’s time to move on. It’s been an experience of a lifetime, we wish you all the best,” the message says.

BTjunkie’s founder told TorrentFreak the recent high-profile legal action against popular sharing sites such as MegaUpload and The Pirate Bay “played an important role” in making the decision. The founders of MegaUpload were arrested in January and face up to 20 years in prison for the biggest charges of copyright infringement in U.S. history by enabling some $500 millions of illegal downloads of films, music, and other content.


Founders of The Pirate Bay, probably the largest torrent file-sharing site, were ordered to serve up to one year of jail and fined around $5 million by a Swedish court in late 2010. Unlike MegaUpload, where feds seized the domain and shut down the site, The Pirate Bay is still up and running and moved from .org to .se to avoid U.S. officials seizing the domain. The site is also serving magnet links by default now, instead of torrent files, to make downloading harder to trace operations down to individuals.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/249330/top_torrent_site_btjunkie_shuts_voluntarily.html#tk.hp_new


By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus & Ice Cream Sandwich Review

Google employs more than 20,000 people worldwide and the number of them working on Android are in the single digit percentage range. Google's business is search, but it has always had aspirations of more. Android isn't just a chance to capitalize on mobile search for Google, it's also an opportunity to grab power in the next era of personal computing. If you believe that smartphones will eventually replace mainstream PCs, who wouldn't want to be to smartphones what Microsoft was to PCs in the early 1990s?

Previous versions of Android have been cautious, evolutionary steps along a path to being a more open/flexible alternative to iOS. Starting with Honeycomb (Android 3.0) however, Google began to step out of the shadow of its competitors and really start to define Android as a mobile computing platform. Honeycomb was limited to tablets but its successor, Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), would bring unification to Android across both tablets and smartphones.

read the rest at: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5310/samsung-galaxy-nexus-ice-cream-sandwich-review


By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.