John Lister

Microsoft has joined Apple and Google in releasing browser security updates to patch a bug dubbed FREAK. The bug could make it easier for hackers to decrypt data that intercept from website users. The vulnerability of FREAK doesn't allow hackers to ... see data in plain sight. Instead, it allows them to remotely change what's meant to be a secure website connection into an unsecure one, meaning that previously encrypted data would then travel without any encryption. To be of any use, a hacker would need to combine the FREAK exploit with another vulnerability that let them intercept data, ... (view more)

The US government is being sued by civil liberties groups who say the security services' collection of personal data online fundamentally breaches the constitution. At issue is the question of whether or not the government's interpretation of the ... law correctly allows for mass surveillance without probable cause about specific individuals. The lawsuit is led by the American Civil Liberties Union and is joined by at least nine other groups, including the organization that oversees Wikipedia. It makes the accusations against the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of ... (view more)

Apple is making its technology available to medical researchers to conduct mass studies. Participation is entirely voluntary, and the company insists user privacy will be protected. The technology is called ResearchKit, and it's a set of tools ... available to researchers to make use of data gathered by smartphones that could relate to health and medicine. As well as collecting data from Apple products such as the iPhone, ResearchKit will be able to use data from fitness gadgets from other firms such as Fitbit. Using ResearchKit, researchers will be able to develop iPhone apps, even if they don ... (view more)

A Supreme Court judge says its time to re-examine laws that make it difficult or impossible to impose sales tax on many online sales. The decision could mean some states start collecting the tax without waiting for the law to change. Justice Anthony ... Kennedy made the comments in a Supreme Court ruling on a case involving the way Colorado attempts to collect sales taxes from companies based outside the state that sell goods to Colorado residents. At issue is Colorado's policy that any firm which does not collect and pay such taxes must provide extensive paperwork anyway. The ruling itself ... (view more)

Twenty years ago, ordering a pizza online was virtually unheard of, but in 1994, the first-ever online pizza transaction took place . The idea proved to be way ahead of its time, but eventually caught on and more restaurants followed suit. In recent ... years smartphone apps have been developed so that mobile users can order their favorite foods on the go. Flash forward to today, and now Domino's and Pizza Hut have both reached agreements to allow customers to place orders through unconventional means -- by using smart watches and dashboards on high-tech cars. Domino's is no stranger to ... (view more)

Smartphone dating app maker Tinder, Inc. has sparked controversy after announcing it would start charging based on age for its newly revised premium services. Users in the US will have to pay $9.99 a month if they are under 30 years old, and $19.99 ... if they are 30 or older. In the UK, the price difference in age for the same service is almost quadrupled. The move has not only outraged older customers, but ignited accusations of cynicism with the suggestion the people behind the app want to make it full of younger, and theoretically more attractive, singletons. How Tinder Works Tinder is a ... (view more)

A recent article published by Facebook suggests that less than 40 percent of the world's population has an Internet connection. While that figure continues to increase each year, the rate of growth has now slowed for four consecutive years. The ... figure combines data from multiple sources around the world, plus Facebook's own activity logs. The data suggest that as of December 2014, approximately 37.9 percent of people in the world use the Internet, even if that involves going online as little as once a year. In 2010, the number of people using the Internet grew by 14.7 percent year on ... (view more)

Google has added a new measure to protect users from visiting risky websites. It's now going to warn users about bogus downloads, even before they go to the website concerned. The changes will affect Google Search, users of the Chrome browser, and ... advertisements provided by Google to third-party websites. Safe Browsing Warnings Extended to Chrome Google's Chrome browser will now contain special warning messages built into the web browser. The warnings are part of Google's Safe Browsing Service , which is also available as a third party API (application program interface). Parts of the ... (view more)

PC manufacturer Lenovo may have to defend a class action lawsuit after it reportedly sold notebook computers that contained unwanted adware. The lawsuit follows the revelation that the adware had the potential to spy on users. The case involves a ... piece of software called Superfish. It was designed to look at images users were viewing online, identify items, find websites selling the item at a cheap price, and display an offer in a pop-up window. The software came pre-installed on some Lenovo notebook PCs and integrated with multiple browsers. Superfish came under several different categories ... (view more)

Windows 10 will support a key standard for security measures designed as an alternative to the traditional password. It could make it easier to use methods such as fingerprint recognition or a "key-like" USB stick. Microsoft has confirmed the ... operating system will support the Fast Identity Online (Fido) standards. That's an industry-wide specification supported by tech firms such as BlackBerry and Google and financial firms such as PayPal, Discover and Visa. (Source: windows.com ) Fido isn't specific to any one device, but rather is a specification about the way computers ... (view more)