Internet

According to a new report, social networking website Facebook is currently in negotiations to purchase Internet browser-maker Opera Software. If true, observers believe the acquisition could give Facebook a launching pad for the construction and ... distribution of a new browser which would revolve around the use of social media. The report comes from technology blog Pocket-lint, which says that unknown though "trusted sources" have said that Facebook is discussing the purchase of Opera Software, based in Oslo, Norway. According to Pocket-lint, a Facebook browser "would allow you keep up to date ... (view more)

'Axis,' a new search tool from Yahoo, is designed to help the company keep pace with rivals Google and Microsoft in the fast-changing search market. Unfortunately, observers seem to doubt the new feature will help the troubled firm out of its funk. ... It has been a tough six months for Yahoo, which announced earlier this year that it was laying off a large part of its global workforce. Then in early May the company's new chief executive officer Scott Thompson was shown to have lied on his resume, leading investors to call for his resignation. Eventually, Thompson obliged . Axis Search Shows ... (view more)

There's no denying the distinctly American origins of Facebook: it was the brainchild of Harvard students and its 'trial by fire' was a monumental court case between its founders. For some, there's nothing more American than either attending an Ivy ... League school or angry litigation. That's why it's worth noting that America's Facebook membership could soon be eclipsed by the number of Facebook users in rising Asian superpower, India. India's Facebook Membership Rapidly Accelerating In a recent interview, leading Gartner research analyst Shalini Verma insisted that India's steady economic ... (view more)

Twitter has unveiled a brand new 'Do Not Track' option that will stop the service from collecting data related to the online behavior of its users. It's a welcome change for privacy advocates. Meanwhile, the move is prompting privacy experts to ... begin asking questions, such as how long Twitter has been tracking user behavior, and what kind of information it collected. In response, Twitter representatives are deflecting such questions with a surprising argument: that tracking user behavior actually makes the service more user-friendly. Said one Twitter spokesperson about the new 'Do Not Track' ... (view more)

Comcast has announced it will no longer freeze downloading by subscribers who use too much bandwidth. Instead, it will revise the monthly limit, and introduce extra charges for those who go over. At the moment, the company cracks down on users who ... consume more than 250 gigabytes (GB) in a month. Comcast first issues a warning, and then may suspend service for customers who refuse to cut down on their data use. The 250 GB limit will now be set aside while Comcast tests two alternative systems in sample markets. One alternative will be a system in which all customers operate under a 300 GB ... (view more)

A major software problem may have significantly limited the number of people able to purchase Facebook stock when it first became publicly available on Friday, May 18, 2012. Nasdaq has assumed total responsibility for the fiasco and says it will ... offer compensation to those negatively affected by it. By some estimates, the payouts could total as much as $13 million. Nasdaq officials had planned carefully for the huge amount of trading that was expected when Facebook stock "went live". The combination of the number of shares put up for sale and the asking price made it the third-biggest stock ... (view more)

Just as its shares are hitting the stock market for the very first time, Facebook has been hit with a massive $15 billion lawsuit. The suit was recently filed in California by law firm Stewarts Law US. It's a class action suit that pools a total of ... 21 different suits from across the United States, and involves the way the company, newly valued at more than $100 billion, tracks its members after they've logged out of their accounts. Federal, State Privacy Acts Allegedly Violated The $15 billion request for damages and penalties is based on provisions in the federal Wiretap Act which say that ... (view more)

For many people, one of the greatest Facebook features is the ability to post status updates for the entire world to see. Unfortunately, in a matter of seconds these personal updates often get bumped down in favor of newer ones, without anyone ... having enough time to read them. However, those behind the popular social network are toying with the idea of allowing certain postings to take precedence over others, for a fee. The new and aptly named 'Highlight' option (available to those willing to shell out a few extra bucks) guarantees that more friends and family will have time to see a status ... (view more)

An upcoming revamp of Microsoft's search engine Bing will allow users to pose queries on Facebook. It's the first visible partnership of its type between the two Internet companies. The new tools will come in the form of a separate sidebar. As long ... as users are signed in to Facebook (meaning they must have an account), the sidebar will be active each time a Bing search is made. Bing, Facebook Coordinate Search Results Once users have typed in their query, the sidebar will come up with a list of Facebook friends that Bing believes may be able to help out. For example, if users search on a ... (view more)

Facebook has unveiled a plan that it hopes will encourage people to register as organ donors. It's an important move, because less than half of all American adults are currently signed up as organ donors, leaving a shortage of organs for ... transplants. At the moment, the most common way to formally consent to organ donation is to register when applying for a driver's license. A doctor quoted by the New York Times said this wasn't the best situation for everyone, however, because drawing the connection between driving an automobile and donating organs makes for an eerie feeling. (Source: nytimes ... (view more)