Internet

The organization that oversees the distribution of Internet domain names has given final approval to ".xxx", a domain dedicated to adult subject matter. The new domain is known as a generic top-level domain, meaning it is the final part of a website ... address and isn't country-specific (like .ca for Canada and). This is the first new top-level domain since 2004's .pro for professionals. It could be the last to get specific approval, as there are plans to open up the system so that individuals and organizations can register and control their own top level domains using any word or ... (view more)

Great news for Windows XP users and especially Mozilla Firefox fans -- Firefox 4 (final version) has just been released to the public and is available for download. According to initial reports, the fourth version of Mozilla's Firefox was downloaded ... 1 million times in just its first three hours, putting it on pace to easily eclipse the popularity of Microsoft's IE9. For the record, users downloaded Internet Explorer 9 2.4 million times in its first 24 hours of availability. Surprisingly, this isn't the best Firefox launch to date. Instead, as Mozilla executive Mike Beltzner says that Firefox ... (view more)

A recent report suggest as many as 1 in every 5 divorces can be directly related to Facebook. Why? Because it's the perfect place to re-ignite old relationships, but also because many users are unaware of what data will be shared to the public when ... it comes to maximizing their privacy settings on Facebook. That was the downfall of one Grand Rapids, Michigan man, whose recent marriage collapsed when his new wife found out that he was already married. In July, 34-year-old Richard Barton Jr. got married. It was a special moment in his life, and to celebrate he posted pictures of the wedding on ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced that Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) supports two separate technologies for restricting access to information related to a user's online activity. One of the privacy features was recently prompted by the Federal Trade Commission ... (FTC). Both technologies involve the way websites share data with third-parties. The most prominent example is with advertisements that appear on a page; for example, rather than simply linking ads to the page content (such as a newspaper site running golf equipment ads alongside a golf match report), a site might pass on details of all the pages a ... (view more)

AT&T is imposing a maximum monthly download limit for its broadband customers. It's a move more reminiscent of smartphone data plans, where bandwidth is more restricted. Under the new policy, which begins in May, DSL users will be allowed to ... download up to 150GB of data per month, a cap that's raised to 250GB for those on the U-Verse service which delivers fiber optic cable right to the customer's home. The company estimates that around 2 per cent of customers will be affected by the limit. (Source: dslreports.com ) $10 for 50GB Overage Fee to Apply Those who exceed the limits won't face ... (view more)

According to a new report, about four in every five college admissions offices now check out the social networking accounts of prospective students. In fact, in some cases they're actually using these unlikely resources to recruit students. Kaplan ... Test Prep recently surveyed college and university admissions officers and found most reported using Facebook and Twitter to pursue ideal students. According to Kaplan's Russell Schaffer, Senior Communication Manager, "we found that 82 percent of admissions officers reported that their school is using Facebook to recruit students." (Source: ... (view more)

Internet phone and video chat service Skype is to begin carrying limited advertising. It comes as figures show the company is failing to convert enough free Skype accounts to paid Skype accounts. In short, Skype allows users to digitally telephone ... another Skype user's computer using a microphone or webcam, and is completely free to do so. Other premium Skype services are available (but cost a fee), including: using the PC to call a landline or cellphone long distance, or using group video calling and various business services. As of early 2009, more than 40 million different people used Skype ... (view more)

Facebook fanatics are more than likely miserable with their personal lives, according to a recent report . Another report has surfaced, which now suggests that the statistics for married Facebook users are perhaps even more dismal, after the popular ... social network was cited in 1 out of every 5 divorce cases. The study is according to a new survey of American marriage lawyers. The reason for the eventual separation is not because one spouse posts slanderous messages against another spouse. It's also not because of all of the other inequities that comes with "creeping" a partner's page. Rather ... (view more)

A Facebook "relationship notifier" application -- originally designed as a joke -- has proven to be a major hit. The app, which lets users know when a Facebook user changes their relationship status, has been downloaded more than 100,000 times. The ... app works in a simple manner: you click a list to confirm which of your existing friends you want to track, and then you receive an email whenever their listed relationship status changes. Facebook Users Love 'Breakup Notifier' Aptly named "Breakup Notifier", the Facebook app notifies you if a "friend" on your list changes their ... (view more)

Libya has followed Egypt's lead in restricting Internet access. But the operators of a service that helps foreign companies take advantage of the country's domain code says it will be unaffected. As with Egypt, the Internet crackdown is associated ... with anti-government protests. And as with Egypt, the measures mean all traffic into and out of the country appears to have been completely blocked. Internet Blocking: a Form of Curfew However, there is one key difference: the Egyptian incident involved net access going down and then not returning for several days, apparently after officials decided ... (view more)