social

Personally, I find video games both relaxing and a lot of fun. And it appears that this isn't just the case for thirty-somethings like me; in fact, a new study shows that seniors who play video games are less likely to become depressed. Researchers ... at North Carolina State University recently studied the impact video games had on people aged 63 and older. Researchers separated the study's subjects (whose median age was 77) into three groups: regular gamers (who play games once a week), occasional gamers (who play games less than once per week), and people who never play video games. Senior ... (view more)

Michigan has joined several other US states in passing legislation that prevents employers and school officials from asking people for their social networking login data. Breaking this new law could bring a three-month jail term or a $1,000 fine. On ... Friday, December 28, 2012, Michigan governor Rick Snyder signed the new law, House bill 5523, into effect. In part, the law says "potential employees and students should be judged on their skills and abilities, not private online activity," and blocks any employer from requesting login or password data for social networks like Facebook, Twitter, ... (view more)

Facebook has helped the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) track down the cybercriminals whose "botnet" is said to have caused losses worth more than $850 million. A total of 29 local FBI offices and departments worked on the case, along with a ... half dozen foreign police and crime agencies. Ten people have now been arrested in the United States, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, New Zealand, and Peru. (Source: fbi.gov ) Those accused of participating in the botnet scheme allegedly helped spread a worm virus called 'Yahos.' This virus reportedly self-replicated ... (view more)

South Korea has abandoned a law requiring Internet users to use their real name, declaring it a restriction of free speech. However, the Chinese government continues to employ a similar rule. The South Korean law took effect in 2007, following ... extensive abuse and malicious false stories written about public figures by anonymous individuals. Under the law, any South Korean website with more than 100,000 visitors a day had to verify the identity of those posting comments, including checking their resident registration numbers (roughly equivalent to U.S. Social Security numbers). (Source: bbc.co ... (view more)

Business-oriented social networking site LinkedIn has been hacked. According to new reports, hackers infiltrated the site's systems and stole an estimated 6.5 million passwords. LinkedIn is a social media platform designed with business users in ... mind. It allows members to find past and present colleagues, to search for new jobs, and exchange advice and expertise with workers in their field. It's estimated that approximately 161 million people have LinkedIn accounts, which means that it's no surprise this most recent security breach has caught the attention of many social media users. Stolen ... (view more)

Congress has rejected a bill that would have barred employers from demanding workers reveal their passwords for social networking sites. The vote won't have any immediate effect, but could lead to further legal cases on the issue. The U.S. House of ... Representatives considered the topic as part of a wider bill that aims to limit the power of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by restricting the way it makes new regulations. There's no guarantee the bill itself would ever become law. Even if it passed the House, it may be rejected by the Senate or vetoed by the President. Representative ... (view more)

A new survey suggests social media users frequently engage in political discussions with their friends online, and although they don't always agree on the subject, their differences rarely prompt a break in the relationship. The study, which ... involved interviews with 2,253 adults, comes from the Pew Internet ... (view more)

Microsoft will soon introduce its own social networking site, according to industry observers. Called 'So.cl' (pronounced "social"), the new service is designed to appeal to US-based college students. So.cl is part of a movement on many US ... university campuses to offer courses that investigate the rapid rise of online social media. It is designed to target a very specific niche market: post-secondary students looking to share research and information across various institutions. Students can create or join "video parties" for face-to-face interaction, or they can decide to share their content ... (view more)

Following a recent report that found the people with the most Facebook friends tend to be those with the most anxiety, pediatricians are now warning parents to keep tabs on their teens' use of social networking sites, and to be vigilant in searching ... out "Facebook depression". About a month ago Edinburgh Napier University released a study which suggests that many Facebook users associated a great deal of anxiety with using the site, from rejecting 'friend requests' to navigating stressful social circles. Researchers went as far as associating Facebook use to gambling in some situations. In the ... (view more)

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's fan page has reportedly been hacked. Recently, a message appeared online the fan page, stating: "Let the hacking begin: If facebook needs money, instead of going to the banks, why doesn't Facebook let its users ... invest in Facebook in a social way?" The social networking site has since removed all unauthorized posts from Zuckerberg's fan page. Facebook Hack Embarrassing, Concerning So, how is it that what should have been the most secure of all Facebook fan pages was easily cracked by a hacker? Sophos senior consultant Graham Cluley says it's hard to tell, but ... (view more)