
From Google Buzz to government bills, there are lots of great stories in today’s Quick Hits. Check them out below, and feel free to follow Reputation.com on Twitter for more news throughout the day.
–
Google Makes Privacy Tweaks to Google Buzz
In response to early criticism over privacy, Google has already made some tweaks to Google Buzz. They’ve made it easier to hide who you are following and who is following you, they’ve made it easier to block people, and they’ve made it easier to see who can appear as a follower on your public profile. While there are still some kinks to be worked out, Google’s speed in addressing concerns based on user feedback has been impressive.
Can Google Catch Facebook?
Of course, no matter how many tweaks Google Buzz makes, it has a whole lot of catching up to do to challenge Facebook as the central location for social activity on the web. In this column from CNET, Caroline McCarthy outlines Google’s uphill battle in making Buzz a relevant and widely used social media service.
Privacy Groups File Objection to Facebook “Beacon” Settlement
Back in September, Facebook settled a class-action lawsuit related to its now defunct “Beacon” feature, which grossly violated users’ expectations of privacy. In the settlement, Facebook agreed to give $9.5 million for the establishment of a new non-profit privacy organization. Now, six existing privacy groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), have filed an objection saying, essentially, that they should receive the money rather than creating a new organization “over which Facebook retains unwarranted influence.”
Wi-Fi on School Buses to Keep Kids Quiet?
Not only are kids online at home and at school, but now they can be online on the way from their home to their school. Annoyed by loud and rambunctious teenagers, a school district in Arizona has turned a school bus into an “Internet cafe on wheels” by installing a wi-fi router. The result? A mobile study hall of sorts, where students can quietly finish school work or play online games. It’s an interesting experiment, and one that I could see being duplictaed across the country.
Anonymous to Australian Government: “Don’t Mess With Our Porn”
A number of Australian government websites were taken down as part of a “massive distributed denial-of-service attack” from Anonymous, a collection of anonymous Internet pranksters. The attack came in response to the Australian government’s plans to censor Internet pornography that “uses adult actors if they appear underage.” In an e-mail to the press explaining the forthcoming DDoS attack, an Anonymous member said “The Australian government will learn that one does not mess with our porn.”
Congress Passes the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2009
The federal government has successfully passed House Resolution 4061, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2009. The passage of this act lays the groundwork for coordination between the US government and technology companies in the case of a serious cyberthreat. For the full text of the bill, visit this link.
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment