GOOGLE ANNOUNCED ON Monday that it is shuttering its Google+ social network, following revelations in a Wall Street Journal report that the company did not disclose a recently discovered bug that had exposed data from up to 500,000 Google+ users users since 2015. In the same breath, the company introduced new tools to give users more control over the data they share with apps and services that connect to Google products.
Category: News and Views
Predictably, America wasn’t thrilled with the nationwide Presidential Alert test | Mashable
At 2:18 pm ET on Wednesday, cell phones across the country buzzed with a Presidential Alert emergency test from President Donald Trump.
It was part of the first-ever national test of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system, part of a pair of tests delivered by FEMA, that’s been buzzing phones on a regional basis for years, alerting customers mostly to severe weather and Amber alerts.
News of the test, which hit back in September, got some folks a little riled up because these alerts allow direct communication between the president and the nation in case of an emergency, like a natural disaster or terrorist attack.
The internet industry is suing California over its net neutrality law | Money CNN
The internet industry is suing the state of California over its days-old net neutrality law.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday by major trade groups representing broadband companies, is the second major lawsuit filed against the state over the law — the first was brought by the Justice Department.
On Sunday evening, California Governor Jerry Brown signed what is considered to be the strictest net neutrality law in the country. Under the law, internet service providers will not be allowed to block or slow specific types of content or applications, or charge apps or companies fees for faster access to customers.
Awesomeness TV founder Brian Robbins named Nickelodeon president | Fast Company
Viacom has named Brian Robbins as head of Nickelodeon, the once-pioneering kids-TV cable network which has been struggling in the ratings lately as it’s faced challenges from both Netflix and YouTube and their seemingly endless supply of children’s programming. Robbins will be moving over from Paramount Players, a division of Paramount Pictures that specializes in creating content related to Viacom’s major brands, including Nickelodeon, BET, and MTV.
The move, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, shows how Viacom sees Nickelodeon’s future in increasingly digital terms.
It Takes 191 Days for a Company to Realize There’s Been a Data Breach | Small Business Trends
Cases of unauthorized persons stealing or accessing sensitive small business data like intellectual property, employees’ personal information or even financial records have been rising.
What’s sad is that when a data breach occurs, companies take an average of 191 days to realize it has happened, according to a recent report highlighted by TekMonks, a global enterprise software development and IT services company.
This slow response to cyber-attacks is alarming. It puts small businesses in a precarious position and demonstrates a dire need for cyber-security awareness and preparedness in every business.
Amazon opens new store, 4-Star | Business Insider
Amazon is letting its customer ratings do the talking at its new store.
Called Amazon 4-Star, the new concept will stock items that customers have rated four stars or above, on average, according to a blog post announcing the store. That means it will include only the best of the best; Amazon says the current assortment averages 4.4 stars.
It opens Thursday in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.
Instagram: The dog that launched a social media giant | BBC News
Instagram has attracted a billion users since it was launched in 2010. Now, its founders have announced they are quitting the company.
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have overseen the app’s rapid rise. But what made their idea so successful? And how has it continued to grow?
Why Amazon Ads Could Be a Disaster Waiting to Happen | Inc.com
When investing, it’s always a good idea to spread the wealth. Whether you invest only as much as can be insured, or you use different financial managers with unique areas of expertise, your goal is to maximize your capital. Everyone gets a piece of the pie, and within portfolios there’s still more diversification.
When it comes to digital marketing, advertisers are wise to spread their budgets around, but the places to spend in an effective way have dwindled. Over the past few years, fewer and fewer players in online advertising have a piece of the pie–especially those trying to protect consumer information–and advertisers looking for the best conversion rates have increasingly directed their ad budgets to a handful of companies where privacy practices and protections are less than stellar.
China splits the internet while the U.S. dithers | TechCrunch
There are few stories as important right now as the internet being ripped asunder by the increasing animosity between the U.S. and China. Eric Schmidt, the former chairman of Alphabet, said last week at a private event in San Francisco that “I think the most likely scenario now is not a splintering, but rather a bifurcation into a Chinese-led internet and a non-Chinese internet led by America.”
A Small Google Chrome Change Stirs a Big Privacy Controversy | WIRED
THOUGH CHROME LAUNCHED in 2008 as a scrappy upstart, it has for years been the dominant web browser, with over 60 percent market share on both desktop and mobile. So when Chrome adjusts its features or policies, it impacts a huge chunk of people worldwide. And a recent change to how Chrome treats logins has shown how poorly those alterations can go over.
