John Lister

A Harvard professor says the ads Google delivers on Internet web pages encourage racial stereotyping. But she adds that this could be related to social prejudices and may not be due to racism on the part of Google. Latanya Sweeney has investigated ... racism extensively. Her previous findings suggested that people with 'black' names were less likely to get a job interview than those with 'white' names, even when submitting an identical resume. More recently Sweeney examined the Google advertisements appearing alongside the company's search results. She also investigated Reuters' own search tool, ... (view more)

California officials have overturned a ban that prevented a smartphone app-based taxi-style service from legally operating. The case was prompted by a smartphone app called 'Uber,' which allows customers to summon a luxury car and driver to their ... location at the press of a button. The cost of the ride is automatically charged to a customer's credit card. The service was a welcome idea for customers who wanted to avoid trying to hail a cab. Unfortunately, Uber initially ran into problems with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). California Officials: Uber a Taxi Service Why? ... (view more)

In the past, someone upset by a newspaper article would write a letter of complaint to the editor. But The New York Times (NYT) says Chinese hackers have unleashed a campaign of cyber attacks in response to an article about Chinese leader Wen Jiabo. ... Though the hackers haven't publicly explained their actions, NYT staff believe the attacks are a response to an article published in October 2012 about Jiabao. The story reported that his relatives had made billions of dollars in business deals. (Source: nytimes.com ) The attackers gained access to New York Times computers through malicious ... (view more)

After months of hype, Microsoft has finally released a subscription edition of Office 365. The new package represents a huge change from the past, when consumers simply bought a physical copy of the Office software and installed it on their machine ... using a disc. Instead, buying Office 365 means signing up to pay an annual subscription fee. Currently, it costs $99 for the Office 365 Home Premium edition. Subscribers will automatically receive any software updates released during this time (and this could include significant new features in addition to bug and security fixes). Access Your ... (view more)

Google has, for the first time ever, detailed exactly what it does when a government agency or court demands to see a user's personal data. That data includes the terms someone has used for an online search and the content of Gmail messages. Google ... says that it's reporting on this issue in an attempt to show that it aims to protect privacy wherever possible. The search giant has for several years produced statistics about how many requests for personal data it gets in each country and what percentage of those requests it complies with. This publication is an attempt to draw attention to the ... (view more)

Twitter has launched a video-sharing service similar to YouTube but designed for people with shorter attention spans. Unfortunately, questions over adult content could spell doom for the service. The service is called 'Vine' and is specifically ... designed for the Apple iPhone. It lets users upload and share a video clip of up to six seconds in length and then publish a link to the clip on Twitter. The idea of a short clip service isn't new: rival application 'Tout' does the same thing but offers users 15 second previews. In both cases, it appears the idea is to minimize the amount of storage ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed it plans to expand its range of Surface tablet computers. The Redmond, Washington-based firm says that building multiple Surface devices will increase the number of consumers who can afford to purchase the product. The ... revelations came during an investors conference call to discuss Microsoft's latest financial figures. The company's chief financial officer, Peter Klein, said the Surface range of tablet PCs had been one of the three main reasons -- alongside Windows upgrades and licensing to businesses -- that Microsoft's revenue has increased. According to Klein, when ... (view more)

Three Eastern European men now stand accused of operating a global scam designed to steal "tens of millions" of dollars from banks by means of a special virus known as "Gozi." The same virus is also said to have compromised about 190 computers at ... NASA during a five year period, revealing confidential log-in information and instant messaging transcripts. Gozi Virus Infects 1 Million PCs The prosecutors in the case claim the Gozi virus infected more than a million computers worldwide, including large numbers in such countries as Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Turkey and the ... (view more)

Security researchers have uncovered a complex virus capable of reappearing even after it is thought to have been removed from a computer system. This so-called 'Red October' virus reportedly attaches itself to Adobe Reader and Microsoft Office ... software. The virus is named after the Tom Clancy novel about a Soviet submarine crew trying to defect. It's an appropriate moniker because the majority of computers infected by the virus are located in Russia and Eastern Europe (though there are victims in at least 37 other countries). The infections mostly affect computers used by government ... (view more)

A court in Saudi Arabia has refused to try a blogger charged with insulting the Islamic religion. Raif Badawi would have faced the death penalty if convicted of his alleged "crimes," which included the simple act of "liking" a Christianity page on ... Facebook. Badawi runs a website called the "Liberal Saudi Network." He was arrested last year after proclaiming May 7 as a day for discussing social and religious matters. Badawi Charged for Allegedly Abandoning Islam A lower court originally concluded Badawi's offenses were so serious that his case should be passed on to a higher ... (view more)