Internet

Microsoft has released a customized edition of its popular Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) web browser, this one intended for use by children. In addition to adding links to online safety sites, the new version includes content protection that is switched ... on, by default. The new children's edition of IE9 has been developed with the help of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), a British organization that includes police officers, government officials and representatives from some major tech firms, including Microsoft. Bookmarks, Tabs Bring Safety to Forefront The updated ... (view more)

Both Facebook and Google have removed online material alleged to pose a risk of social unrest in India, following legal threats to block the sites completely. The two companies are among 21 firms hit with a civil lawsuit regarding offensive content. ... The lawsuit, brought by a private citizen, claims the material involves religious issues that could provoke unrest. Google's problems appear tied to its sites Blogger and YouTube. Google says it has taken down the material pursuant to a court request, its standard policy regarding legal issues, regardless of country. The material has been removed ... (view more)

If you've developed an application capable of spying on users of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) would probably like to have a chat with you. But don't worry -- it would appear they're more ... likely to use your app than putting you in prison for it. In a recent post on the site FedBizOpps.gov, the FBI's Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC) openly admits it's looking for an app that will allow the investigative organization to go behind the scenes in social media sites and news networks. According to the post, the much-wanted ... (view more)

For years, analysts have expected Facebook to become publicly traded. Now, the company confirms it will be offering at least $5 billion worth of shares, making the entire company worth as much as $100 billion. It's not yet known when those shares ... will be made available, but Facebook has formally registered the move with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The $5 billion is a preliminary figure put forward to determine the registration fee the company must pay. The actual public offering may vary, depending on whether Facebook's financial advisors believe that setting a higher initial ... (view more)

Facebook has unveiled a new feature that allows users of the popular social networking site to share their favorite music with other users. Called "Listen With Friends," the feature supports online social groups oriented toward music-listening. "You ... can listen to the same song, at the exact same time," explained Facebook product designer, Alexandre Roche. "So when your favorite vocal part comes in you can experience it together, just like when you're jamming out at a performance or dance club." (Source: pcmag.com ) Spotify, Rdio Key to Listen With Friends The new system ... (view more)

The National Football League (NFL) has signed a deal that allows US viewers to watch the Super Bowl live on the Internet and smartphones, as well as on TV. It's considered the biggest test yet of the potential for audiences beyond traditional ... television sets. Under the deal, the game will be broadcast on NBC television as scheduled, but will also stream live on the NFL's own website, as well as on NBCSports.com. The service will be restricted to viewers in the United States. It will work in the same way as an existing arrangement by which NBC shows regular-season games online. The new ... (view more)

Mozilla has released the latest version of Firefox, its popular web browser. The firm claims that this latest edition, Firefox 9, performs significantly faster with its new JavaScript engine. Available simultaneously for Windows, Mac, Linux, and ... Android, Firefox 9 showcases the JavaScript "Type Inference" enhancement that Mozilla has been developing for the past 12 months. With the new JavaScript code, a browser that visits web sites which make heavy use of JavaScript (such as Facebook, iGoogle, many game websites, etc), the pages should load significantly faster and with less ... (view more)

A new study reveals why we join Facebook, why we add new 'friends' and, why we dump those we have 'friended.' The study also reveals the impact our real-world relationships have on our Facebook interactions. The new study comes to us from Neilson, ... best known for its research on television viewing. The study focused on Facebook user behaviors, including why we join Facebook in the first place. Real-World Interactions Behind Online Friendships The study revealed that 82 per cent of people add friends on Facebook because they know and like the person in real life. Other reasons folks added ... (view more)

Facebook has received a great deal of criticism in the past for its inability to protect the privacy of its 700 or 800 million users. However, it was the site's very public approach to information sharing that recently helped save a woman and her ... child from a boyfriend, who invaded their home and held the pair hostage for five days. According to reports, a Utah woman was able to use Facebook to seek help five days after she and her 17-month-old son were first taken hostage in their home. Police said the woman was able to gain access to a laptop, hide in a closet, open her Facebook account, ... (view more)

Facebook has been ordered by Ireland to give users greater control over their privacy settings. The order comes after a privacy practices audit that took 3 months to complete. The order will indirectly affect all Facebook accounts, except those held ... inside the US and Canada. (Source: washingtonpost.com ) Facebook Data Commissioner Issues Order The order comes from Billy Hawkes, the data protection commissioner for the Republic of Ireland. His order has such wide effect because all of Facebook's data, outside of North America, is held by a subsidiary based in Ireland and is thus subject to ... (view more)