Social media researcher and general internet guru Danah Boyd gave the keynote address at SXSWi earlier today, focusing on matters of privacy. On paper, Google Buzz was a perfect social network.
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Google Buzz Is the Polar Express of Social Networks [Blockquote]
Privacy in the work place was long gone, email spoofing, social networks monitoring, cameras, phone tapping, etc, just when you thought enough, KDDi Japan has come up with a novel way to monitor employee activity using data from acceleration sensor embedded on cellphones. The motion sensor on an iPhone can detect simple moments like running, walking etc, but combine that sensor with an analytical server and it can detect complex moments as well.
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Motion sensor in cell phones to keep track of employees
Firefox/Chrome extension Rapportive offers contact info Perhaps you love Xobni , the plugin for Outlook which pulls in data and statistics about your contacts and displays them in a handy toolbar.
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NEWS: Gmail gets Xobni-like sidebar
Given the populist sentiment about the way it launched Buzz, by merging it with Gmail, resulting in a million-and-one privacy kerfluffles, Google’s now thinking about going beyond the tweaks it made the other day by cutting the cord between Buzz and Gmail entirely. People might get to claim completely different usernames for Buzz too. A fresh start might be for the best, though the damage is already done. Update: Or maybe it’s just getting a separate app. Hahaha. [Search Engine Land]
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Google Might Pull Buzz Out of Gmail—That’s Why ↓ [Google]
I use my private Gmail account to email my boyfriend and my mother. There’s a BIG drop-off between them and my other “most frequent” contacts. You know who my third most frequent contact is. My abusive ex-husband.
Which is why it’s SO EXCITING, Google, that you AUTOMATICALLY allowed all my most frequent contacts access to my Reader, including all the comments I’ve made on Reader items, usually shared with my boyfriend, who I had NO REASON to hide my current location or workplace from, and never did.
My other most frequent contacts? Other friends of Flint’s.
Oh, also, people who email my ANONYMOUS blog account, which gets forwarded to my personal account. They are frequent contacts as well. Most of them, they are nice people. Some of them are probably nice but a little unbalanced and scary. A minority of them – but the minority that emails me the most, thus becoming FREQUENT – are psychotic men who think I deserve to be raped because I keep a blog about how I do not deserve to be raped, and this apparently causes the Hulk rage.
I can’t block these people, because I never made a Google profile or Buzz profile, due to privacy concerns (apparently and resoundingly founded!). Which doesn’t matter anyway, because every time I do block them, they are following me again in an hour. I’m hoping that they, like me, do not realize and are not intentionally following me, but that’s the optimistic half of the glass. My pessimistic half is of the abyss, and it is staring back at you with a redolent stink-eye.
Oh, yes, I suppose I could opt out of Buzz – which I did when it was introduced, though that apparently has no effect on whether or not I am now using Buzz – but as soon as I did that, all sorts of new people were following me on my Reader! People I couldn’t block, because I am not on Buzz!
Fuck you, Google. My privacy concerns are not trite. They are linked to my actual physical safety, and I will now have to spend the next few days maintaining that safety by continually knocking down followers as they pop up. A few days is how long I expect it will take before you either knock this shit off, or I delete every Google account I have ever had and use Bing out of fucking spite.
Fuck you, Google. You have destroyed over ten years of my goodwill and adoration, just so you could try and out-MySpace MySpace.
Harriet Jacobs is the nom de plume of the author of Fugitivus. She’s a mid-twenties white girl living in the Midwest, working at a non-profit that assists families and deals with a lot of racial politics. Harriet has had a fucked-up life, and Fugitivus
—fugitive—is her space to talk, where the fucked-up people who did the fucked-up things couldn’t find her and be creepy.
Bad Valentine is our own special take on the beauty—and awkwardness—of geek love.
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F*ck You, Google [Rant]
New mid-range alternative to the Droid
Verizon has announced it will be adding Motorola’s latest Android smartphone known as the Devour to its handset line sometime this March.
Featuring a 3.1-inch, 320 by 480 capacitive touchscreen, 8GB microSD card, Bluetooth, 3.0 megapixel camera, and a slide out QWERTY keyboard, the phone is mainly noteworthy as being the first device on Verizon to use Motorola’s custom MOTOBLUR Android-powered content delivery system. ?
MOTOBLUR stands out from standard Android operating interfaces thanks largely to its home screen centric “stream” based content delivery widgets. Built to handle users ever fragmenting communication outlets,? MOTOBLUR provides the convenience of consolidating an individuals contact information and communications from email, texts, and popular social networks, all into one so called “Universal Inbox”.
Positioned as a mid range alternative to Motorola’s higher end Droid Android handset already on the Verizon network, the Devour is stated to only currently run Android 1.6.
Also, while pricing has not been released, most analysts do expect the device to sell below the Droid’s $199 US Verizon subsidize price tag.?
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Phones Mobile phones Motorola Android Motorola Devour Verizon
New Motorola Devour Android phone coming to Verizon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:40:00 +0000
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NEWS: New Motorola Devour Android phone coming to Verizon
New mid-range alternative to the Droid
Verizon has announced it will be adding Motorola’s latest Android smartphone known as the Devour to its handset line sometime this March.
Featuring a 3.1-inch, 320 by 480 capacitive touchscreen, 8GB microSD card, Bluetooth, 3.0 megapixel camera, and a slide out QWERTY keyboard, the phone is mainly noteworthy as being the first device on Verizon to use Motorola’s custom MOTOBLUR Android-powered content delivery system. ?
MOTOBLUR stands out from standard Android operating interfaces thanks largely to its home screen centric “stream” based content delivery widgets. Built to handle users ever fragmenting communication outlets,? MOTOBLUR provides the convenience of consolidating an individuals contact information and communications from email, texts, and popular social networks, all into one so called “Universal Inbox”.
Positioned as a mid range alternative to Motorola’s higher end Droid Android handset already on the Verizon network, the Devour is stated to only currently run Android 1.6.
Also, while pricing has not been released, most analysts do expect the device to sell below the Droid’s $199 US Verizon subsidize price tag.?
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Tags:
Phones Mobile phones Motorola Android Motorola Devour Verizon
New Motorola Devour Android phone coming to Verizon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:40:00 +0000
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NEWS: New Motorola Devour Android phone coming to Verizon
New mid-range alternative to the Droid
Verizon has announced it will be adding Motorola’s latest Android smartphone known as the Devour to its handset line sometime this March.
Featuring a 3.1-inch, 320 by 480 capacitive touchscreen, 8GB microSD card, Bluetooth, 3.0 megapixel camera, and a slide out QWERTY keyboard, the phone is mainly noteworthy as being the first device on Verizon to use Motorola’s custom MOTOBLUR Android-powered content delivery system. ?
MOTOBLUR stands out from standard Android operating interfaces thanks largely to its home screen centric “stream” based content delivery widgets. Built to handle users ever fragmenting communication outlets,? MOTOBLUR provides the convenience of consolidating an individuals contact information and communications from email, texts, and popular social networks, all into one so called “Universal Inbox”.
Positioned as a mid range alternative to Motorola’s higher end Droid Android handset already on the Verizon network, the Devour is stated to only currently run Android 1.6.
Also, while pricing has not been released, most analysts do expect the device to sell below the Droid’s $199 US Verizon subsidize price tag.?
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Tags:
Phones Mobile phones Motorola Android Motorola Devour Verizon
New Motorola Devour Android phone coming to Verizon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:40:00 +0000
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NEWS: New Motorola Devour Android phone coming to Verizon
Twelve different designs to find
The symptoms are clear – HTC Hero clutched in your hand, dismissal of the iPhone as “for mums”, Gmail, Google Docs and Google Calendar open in three Chrome tabs. It’s time to admit it – you’re an Android fanboy. Or fangirl. Fanperson doesn’t have the same ring to it.
So we bet you’ll be wanting to get your hands on these immediately – they’re vinyl collectible Android figurines. Sure, they’re not quite as awesome as having a whopping great big green robot on your lawn, but they’re as close as the rest of us mortals will get.
They’re created by Dyzplastic and designed by artist Andrew Bell. Series one has twelve different designs in blind-boxed cases of 16. There’s a few super-rare editions scattered in those cases too. Standing 3 inches tall, they’re perfect for sitting under your monitor.
The official site says later this month, but rumour has it that they’ll show up on 10 February, likely shipping from the States.
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Phones Android Google Toys Dyzplastic Operating Systems Mobile phones
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Vinyl Android collectibles coming soon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:40:06 +0000
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NEWS: Vinyl Android collectibles coming soon
Just mash the pad and let something else remember them for you
Hands up who uses the same password for everything? Shame on you, and is there anyone out there who uses the same small clutch of passwords for everything? Yes, some shame on you people too. You lot may have been lucky so far but there’s a very good chance that sooner or later you’re going to get hacked which could lead to all sorts of fraud and identity theft at the worst or some severe social network embarrassment at the least.
Now, what you’re going to say to us is, “Oh but Pocket-lint, I’ve got so many user profiles for so many sites out there. It’s impossible to remember a different one for each of them”, and we’d have to agree. So don’t. Don’t remember them. Get something else to remember them for you. Follow a few steps below and we’ll have you 100% secure by the time you reach the bottom of the page. Okay? Let’s go.
There’s all sorts of different password managers out there. They’re either web-based, desktop applications or even browser extensions as well. The most obvious one and very good choice is the Firefox password manager. So, all users who browse with Firefox may as well use this one. It’s automatically attached to the main build of the program, so you’ll all have seen it popping up at the top of the window each time you enter credentials asking if you’d like Firefox to remember the details you’ve just entered. If you haven’t already, then start answering “yes”.
Each time you do that, the browser will save them for you and you can go and have a look at them now if you wish in Tools > Options and under the Security tab. Note the area where you can put exceptions, in case you share your computer with others and happen to surf some rather sensitive sites. Do be sure to set a master password while you’re there though as anyone will be able to scoop the lot otherwise.
For those not on Firefox, a popular choice is the desktop application Keepass which has the bonus of working across all platforms. It also happens to be free and it’s even portable onto all good smartphones as well. All the information you put into your password database is highly encrypted and the only thing it all hangs on is locking it up with a single master password. You will still have to remember one password, but then that’s not too much to manage.
Your database is all set up, so now all you need to do is remove the trace of your old unsecure ways by changing your credentials each time you enter them. There are plenty of good tips on creating strong new passwords and make sure you employ them to the max when selecting your master passwords. Also, bear in mind that it’s only the master that needs to be memorable in any way. Essentially, you can mash the keypad for the others, so long as you tell your password manager to remember them.
So, now you have a huge bunch of all sorts of different passwords that are impossible to crack and a piece of software to do all the remembering work for you. The only issue now is if your computer happens to die, well, then you’ve lost the lot and you’re locked out of your entire virtual life. Not pretty.
There are two ways around this. One is that you can use an online password manager but the problem here is that you’re putting your life into someone else’s hands. They may be corrupt or they may be hacked themselves.
Better is to back up the two solutions we’ve suggested. The Firefox password manager can be backed up by an extension called Password Exporter, which allows you to turn your database into an encrypted XML or CSV file and Keepass also has a similar feature built in. Take this file off your computer – either somewhere far away and virtual or onto a USB stick and put somewhere safe. You can go out and buy an expensive/inexpensive external disk drive if you must but there’s really no need.
Congratulations you are now safe from all the normal everyday security dangers of the online world. Well done you. Most of the attacks these days are by phishing or keylogging. The fact that your passwords will be called up automatically means you’ll have no keystrokes to log as you enter your details. The second bonus is that bogus phishing sites are designed to fool your eyes but not password managers. Your new system will not automatically provide your details for websites that are designed to look the same. It can tell the difference. So you’re now safe from those too.
Sadly, nothing in this world is 100% certain. There’s always room for human error and indeed if there’s a single mind out there doing its very best to hack into your specific life, they’ll probably manage it eventually no matter how many layers of security you use.
Additionally, a few very high end websites, such as banks, may not be compatible with password managers, so you might have to remember those ones the old fashioned way. There is also the possibility that you could pick up a screen sharing piece of malware somewhere that even an unkeyloggable master password system might be cracked, but only if you allow your typed characters to be displayed on your desktop too, but these are all pretty rare circumstances indeed.
So, if you’ve followed this all step by step we’ll stake our reputation that you’ll be surfing safe for now and always. Congratulations.
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Software Firefox Security Features
How to keep your passwords super secure originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:26:01 +0000
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NEWS: How to keep your passwords super secure
I’m going to need someone to prop up my Apple Tablet while I drink coffee, so we need some more interns in New York City. But this time, we’re lookin’ for a few different kinds of interns.
Four different kinds, to be precise:
Writing Intern: Your main task will be writing posts, but with a secondary focus on all the other intern duties as outlined here.
Promotion Intern: Great for people who like to talk to other people. You’ll be promoting our stories on Digg, Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. You should know how to angle stories a certain way, and be familiar with social networks as well as other major sites. When I say familiar, I mean you should read them and know what kind of stories they’re apt to post.
Research Intern: You should be good at pulling together multiple forms of information from multiple sources for our editors. This includes online and offline sources and even calling up people to arrange (and possibly conduct) interviews. Mostly, you should have a good grasp of technology and be able to locate and dissect information fast.
Copyediting Intern: English. You should know it. And you should be able to recognize when we screw up. You’ll be going through our posts as a copyeditor, fixing typos and correcting our grammar. If you’re already doing this in your spare time (for free), you’ll love this position.
All of these internship positions will still have the primary task of finding stories for us—so think of this as your secondary superpower—as outlined here. Look that over (click the link and read it first!) and see if you’re qualified.
If you think you’re suited for one of those four positions (choose one only, please), send an email to jobs@gizmodo.com with the subject “NY Writing Intern” or “NY Promotion Intern” or “NY Research Intern” or “NY Copyediting Intern”—whichever one fits you the best. No attachments. No. Attachments.
Remember, it’s full time, you need your own laptop, and you need to be able to get to Manhattan daily.
Good luck!
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Be Gizmodo’s New York Intern [Interns]
One of the largest social networks in the world, MySpace has announced the acquisition of the online music service, Imeem and as per the deal between the.
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Imeem Music Service Acquired By MySpace | Trends Updates
DARPA would have you believe that it’s the brilliance of modern day social networks that led an MIT-based team to win its red balloon challenge this weekend, and while there’s no doubt that the presence of the internet assisted in the locating of ten randomly placed floating objects, we’re crediting the bright minds at the university for their strategy of soliciting team mates. The challenge was constructed in order to “see whether social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter should be seen as credible sources of information,” not to mention investigate new ways to react to various threats that need instant attention. Less than nine hours after the contest began, MIT’s team had deflated the hopes of around 4,000 other teams by finding all ten, though it’s hard to say exactly how many members were out looking. You see — MIT established a website that promised hundreds, even thousands of dollars to individuals who sent in the correct coordinates of balloons, noting that the $40,000 in prize money would be graciously distributed should their efforts lead to a win. DARPA may call it a triumph of the information superhighway; we’re calling it victory in numbers.
MIT-based team wins DARPA’s Red Balloon Challenge, demonstrates power of social networks (and cold hard cash) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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MIT-based team wins DARPA’s Red Balloon Challenge, demonstrates power of social networks (and cold hard cash)
DARPA would have you believe that it’s the brilliance of modern day social networks that led an MIT-based team to win its red balloon challenge this weekend, and while there’s no doubt that the presence of the internet assisted in the locating of ten randomly placed floating objects, we’re crediting the bright minds at the university for their strategy of soliciting team mates. The challenge was constructed in order to “see whether social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter should be seen as credible sources of information,” not to mention investigate new ways to react to various threats that need instant attention. Less than nine hours after the contest began, MIT’s team had deflated the hopes of around 4,000 other teams by finding all ten, though it’s hard to say exactly how many members were out looking. You see — MIT established a website that promised hundreds, even thousands of dollars to individuals who sent in the correct coordinates of balloons, noting that the $40,000 in prize money would be graciously distributed should their efforts lead to a win. DARPA may call it a triumph of the information superhighway; we’re calling it victory in numbers.
MIT-based team wins DARPA’s Red Balloon Challenge, demonstrates power of social networks (and cold hard cash) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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MIT-based team wins DARPA’s Red Balloon Challenge, demonstrates power of social networks (and cold hard cash)
The projector phone mishmash idea has been around (and even demonstrated) for quite some time now, but only recently have we seen one of these two-pronged, hunchbacked monsters land on a major US carrier. LG’s eXpo is carrying that crown (or burden, depending on perspective), and while we’re itching to get one into our own labs for testing, we’ll happily pass along what looks to be the world’s first real good look at this handset in action. Make no mistake — the DLP-based beamer affixed on the back adds quite the bulge, but the actual video performance looks about as good as any dedicated pico projector that we’ve seen to date. Have a peek past the break to see for yourself.
Continue reading LG’s projector-laden eXpo smartphone gets demonstrated on video
LG’s projector-laden eXpo smartphone gets demonstrated on video originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LG’s projector-laden eXpo smartphone gets demonstrated on video
