access

Wed
11
Jun
John Lister's picture

Google Purchases Satellite Firm for $500M

Google has spent half a billion dollars purchasing Skybox, a firm that operates a suite of specialized satellites. It says it will use the satellites to improve its mapping services, offer Internet access to remote areas, and help in disaster ... relief. The move, however, has prompted speculation that the technology might used to gather highly confidential data, and could even find itself commandeered by US government. Skybox Satellite Technology Offers Real Time Insight Skybox is open about the fact that its satellites are designed more for gathering data, rather than communications. It says ... (view more)

Wed
19
Mar
John Lister's picture

Privacy Debate: High Tech Cars, Tracking, Info Sharing

Politicians in California are to consider a proposed law that would give drivers more control over what happens to data gathered in their high-tech cars. It's prompted a heated debate between driver clubs and automobile manufacturers. According to ... senator Bill Monning, around one in five new cars are designed to automatically send data to manufacturers. That proportion is expected to grow rapidly in the next 10 years as more cars integrate mobile technology and rely heavily on electronic control systems. (Source: latimes.com ) The type of data collected varies widely. In some cases it ... (view more)

Fri
13
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

New Dell Chromebook Boasts Unique Cloud Features

Dell has announced plans to launch its first 'Chromebook', a laptop using Google's Chrome operating system (OS). Dell's Chromebook will offer unique online storage features, including access to Wyse PocketCloud. Chromebooks are budget-priced laptops ... designed for people who mainly use their computers for working and surfing online. The devices run an OS that's effectively an enhanced version of the Chrome Internet browser. Because most of the actual processing work is done on Google computers, the hardware requirements of the Chromebook, and in turn its price, are much lower. Not having a full ... (view more)

Thu
07
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Windows Vista, Office Vulnerable to Zero-Day Attack

Microsoft has warned users of its software to beware bogus file attachments. The firm says a newly discovered vulnerability in Windows Vista and the Office software suite could allow hackers remote access to a victim's computer. The flaw affects the ... Windows Vista and Server 2008 operating systems. It also affects Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, and 2010, plus Microsoft Lync, a communications package. Later editions of Windows, such as Windows 7 and Windows 8, are unaffected. The problem does not affect Windows XP, either. The problem involves the way the affected software handles image files in ... (view more)

Thu
17
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

D-Link Routers Vulnerable to 'Backdoor' Exploit

Up to ten different router models, including some by popular manufacturer D-Link, are now vulnerable to hackers. It appears the code that runs the devices contains a master password that anyone could find and use. The problem was discovered by ... security researcher Craig Heffner, who admitted he had nothing more exciting to do on a Saturday than nose through code accompanying a recent firmware update for his D-Link DIR-100 router. Like most routers, the settings menu for the D-100 router is accessible through a web browser -- the idea being that the user can access the router through one of ... (view more)

Mon
19
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

New 'PirateBrowser' Prevents Web Censorship

The Pirate Bay, which is arguably the world's most controversial site, has introduced its very own Internet browser. Setting this browser apart from rivals like Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox: one-click features that allow users ... to avoid censorship. Sweden-based The Pirate Bay provides users with access to torrent files and facilitates peer-to-peer file sharing. Since it was founded a decade ago, The Pirate Bay has often been accused of helping users exchange copyright-protected material -- such as music, movies, and TV shows -- illegally. The Pirate Bay has also faced a ... (view more)

Thu
11
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

'MailDrop' Service Offers Disposable Email Address

Want to access a service that requires an email address but don't want your inbox bombarded with annoying spam messages? Then you may be interested in disposable email address service 'MailDrop'. In essence, MailDrop gives you access to a throwaway ... email address. That's a useful tool for scenarios where you want to try out a new service or learn information about a program or product but don't want to receive a plethora of unnecessary spam emails. MailDrop is especially useful in situations where accessing a program, product, or service requires you send a confirmation message via email. ... (view more)

Fri
21
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

Most Americans, Brits Won't Pay For Online News

The percentage of people willing to pay for online news appears to be on the rise. However, an international study suggests the vast majority of people are still unwilling to pay for the news they find on the Internet. Reuters has published a study ... based on research in nine countries. The study examines the way people consume news on the Internet, both via laptop and desktop computers and through portable devices, like smartphones. (Source: digitalnewsreport.org ) Researchers found the percentage of people who had paid for an online news service, such as a digital newspaper subscription, ... (view more)

Tue
18
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

Microsoft Office Arrives On iPhone, But Not iPad

You can now access the Microsoft Office software suite on your Apple iPhone. However, Microsoft doesn't appear to have any plans to extend that support to Apple's iPad tablet computer. Starting late last week Microsoft made Office Mobile for iPhone ... available through Apple's app store. A subscription costs $100 per year and gives users access to the cloud-focused Office 365 . Excel, Word, PowerPoint Now Available to iPhone Users Using the new Office 365 app, iPhone users can create, read, and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. They can also create slide presentations using PowerPoint ... (view more)

Mon
17
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

NSA Scandal: Google Reveals How It Shares Your Data

Google has revealed extensive details about what it does when the government asks for access to your personal data. It's part of an ongoing attempt by the search giant to distance itself from the National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance scandal . ... Google's explanation is designed to make a clear point: that it delivers the data directly to the government, rather than allowing the government to physically access Google computers. The company wants to make clear it doesn't allow officials the opportunity to access more data than the law requires. (Source: nytimes.com ) Google continues to ... (view more)

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