Internet

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a new report allowing the use of improved satellite antennas on commercial aircraft. The new hardware will significantly improve in-flight wireless Internet (WiFi) service on many US airline ... flights. Right now, few US airlines have outfitted their planes with hardware capable of offering their passengers fast and reliable wireless Internet service. For many passengers, the result is significantly reduced productivity during the time they spend in the air. FCC: Americans Want Better In-Flight WiFi Apparently, that's about to change. A ... (view more)

Streaming video service Netflix suffered an international service outage on December 24-25, 2012, that left perhaps 90 per cent of its subscribers unable to access the company's massive catalog of TV shows and films. According to Netflix, Amazon was ... responsible for the problem. Netflix users intent on spending Christmas Eve in front of the boob tube were upset to find the service completely unavailable. One subscriber told The Wall Street Journal that they "came home to relax and watch movies," but after trying to access the Netflix catalog "several times" they simply "gave up" and turned to ... (view more)

Facebook is testing a new messaging system that will cost people $1 to send a message to a stranger. It's designed to deter spammers from using the site to annoy Facebook members, but some analysts have suggested Facebook could also be looking to ... profit from the new system. Right now you can send a Facebook message to another user for free, even if they aren't your 'friend' on the site. However, in most cases, this message will not find its way into the recipient's 'Inbox.' Instead, it will go into a separate message folder marked 'Other.' Because you won't get alerted in the same way as you ... (view more)

Yahoo has now given its free email service, Yahoo Mail, a major overhaul. Not only does the service look different, but Yahoo says it's also much faster than in the past. Yahoo Mail users, among whom you can include yours truly, were greeted with a ... brand new interface last week when logging into their accounts. The goal of the overhaul, according to Yahoo chief executive officer Marissa Mayer, was to simplify the email experience. Interface More Intuitive, Yahoo CEO Says "You've told us loud and clear that you want fewer distractions when it comes to email. You want to quickly login, ... (view more)

Facebook has implemented changes designed to simplify users control over their privacy on the site. The move follows complaints about, and even a government investigation into, the site's treatment of its members' personal data. According to ... Facebook, the changes are intended to improve privacy three ways: giving information when most needed; showing how data will appear; and improving removal of data that is already online. (Source: fb.com ) Privacy Information Easy to Find Because of the changes, you need no longer hunt through settings pages to find the most relevant privacy options. A ... (view more)

Video streaming service Netflix has named Google Fiber the fastest Internet Service Provider (ISP) in America. Unfortunately, at the moment Google Fiber's service remains limited to the Kansas City area. High installation costs make it likely that ... Google will take its time about expanding its super-fast service to other geographical areas. Netflix has an interest and expertise in high-speed Internet service because it sells access to its huge catalog of movies and television shows only through Internet-connected computers, video game consoles, DVD or Blu-ray players, and streaming set-top ... (view more)

Austrian students are reportedly planning legal action over the way Facebook handles customer privacy. However, the lawsuit would be launched against European data regulators based in the Republic of Ireland, not Facebook itself. The students have ... formed a group dubbed Europe-v-Facebook. Its leader is law student Max Schrems, who made headlines in 2011 after exercising his right to demand a copy of all the data Facebook stored about him. Schrems learned the company had collected so much data about him it had to be delivered on a CD rather than in print. Shortly thereafter, Schrems discovered ... (view more)

Google is urging Internet users to join a campaign designed to discourage governments from wielding additional control over how the world wide web functions. According to a recent report, the search giant fears an upcoming international ... communications conference could change worldwide rules that affect how websites are regulated. The conference is being held by the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency that develops worldwide communications standards. Conference Could Change Internet As We Know It: Google Observers expect officials attending the conference will ... (view more)

Facebook is planning to drop a system that allows users to vote on whether or not the social networking site can alter its policies. The company says the site is now too large for such a system to work effectively. Until now, Facebook has been ... tracking comments on posts related to its proposed policy changes. Once there are more than 7,000 "substantive" posts, the proposal automatically goes to a vote of all Facebook users. The voting system began in 2009, when Facebook received complaints about proposed changes to the legal rights it claimed over photos, videos, and other materials its users ... (view more)

You've Got Mail -- again. AOL is introducing a new email tool designed to make life easier for Internet users, even those running rival email services. About 20 million people still use AOL's email service. That user base is dwarfed by some rivals; ... for example, Google's Gmail boasts 425 million users. Nevertheless, AOL thinks it can improve everyone's email experience. That's why it's launching Alto, an email service that runs in a web browser and brings into a single location messages from AOL, Apple, Gmail, and Yahoo accounts. AOL plans to tweak the service later on so it can work with ... (view more)