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Saturday, November 03, 2007 |
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Friday, May 13, 2005 |
MasterCard International Inc. said Tuesday that it has shut down nearly 1,400 phishing sites and more than 750 sites suspected of selling illegal credit-card information since launching an ID-theft-prevention program in June (2004). The program also has led to the discovery and protection of more than 35,000 MasterCard account numbers that were in jeopardy of being compromised.
10:59:18 PM 
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Tuesday, April 19, 2005 |
Some lawmakers say that as online dating becomes more popular, users need better protection from predators. Twenty-six million people visited dating sites in January, according to the Internet research firm Nielsen/NetRatings. The Senate is considering legislation that would require an Internet dating company serving Michigan residents to disclose on its Web site whether it has conducted criminal background checks on users, based solely on the names provided. A provider also would have to disclose the limitations of background checks and urge members to adhere to safe dating practices. The legislation is backed by True.com, the only online dating service that performs criminal screening. Similar legislation has been proposed in five other states: California, Ohio, Virginia, Florida and Texas.
Critics — including most online sites — say any feeling of security would be deceptive because there is no way to ensure people give their real names. [Further] ... the measure blatantly favors True.com and argue that the free market should drive demand for background checks, not the government. [Good grief! How did we date (safely) before the Internet came along?]
10:05:34 AM
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Husbands and wives, moms and dads, even neighbors and friends increasingly are succumbing to the temptation to snoop, thanks to a growing array of inexpensive, easily accessible high-tech sleuthing tools once available only to professional investigators. And a growing amount of free personal information is so easy to find online that many Internet regulars don't think of it as spying. Plug a name into Google and you have an instant background check. Spying is so common that thousands of Web sites and dozens of retailers across the country now sell surveillance tools, and business has never been better, says Jason Woodside of the International Spy Shop in San Francisco.
BUT ... A Florida state appeals court judge, for example, ruled in February that spy software that a wife had installed on her husband's computer was illegal. Other cases in the headlines involve a Colorado Springs man who was arrested in February after he was accused of planting a GPS device in his wife's car to track her. And after a privacy outcry, an elementary school in Sutter, Calif., abandoned a plan that gave children mandatory radio-frequency ID badges so the school would know where they were at all times. [It seems inevitable that we eventually "turn the gun on ourselves".]
9:29:25 AM
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Wednesday, March 09, 2005 |
A cyber thief in Wellington, New Zealand apparently installed keystroke-logging software at an Internet cafe that allowed him to harvest user names and passwords belonging to people who conducted online banking there. Consumers are being warned to use caution while banking on line. [Experts warn against using internet cafes when sending/receiving sensitive information. Who needs to be warned about this?!]
1:14:57 PM
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Sunday, March 06, 2005 |
True.com has taken on the rest of the online dating industry in pushing state legislators to require matchmaking sites to conduct criminal background checks on members or post a warning that no such screening has been done.
8:51:31 PM
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Monday, February 07, 2005 |
Company backlash strikes gripe sites By James McNair, The Cincinnati Enquirer Quick-tempered Americans really lose it when they've been had as consumers. Increasingly, they are taking out their anger on strongly worded Internet gripe sites. Take a look at www.MyVWLemon.com, which boasts 2,000 members and about 15,000 message board postings from Volkswagen buyers.Many such sites exist. But a growing number of consumers around the nation are eliciting an unexpected response from the companies they're assailing: lawsuits and legal threats. As companies find their names and logos besmirched on Web gripe sites, they unleash allegations ranging from trademark violations to defamation.
5:31:17 PM
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Friday, November 19, 2004 |
A federal jury Thursday awarded a woman $434,000 in damages after she
sued an Internet matchmaking service that introduced her to her abusive
husband.
3:29:47 PM
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Sunday, November 14, 2004 |
There have always been free riders in various walks of life. But the digital revolution and the rise of networked computers have brought us to the brink of a halcyon age for those who want something for nothing. Intellectual property is the new currency, and it appears that free riders have hit the jackpot.
11:26:11 PM
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Saturday, November 13, 2004 |
Jared Nissim didn't know his [Neighbors] in his East Village [New York City] building, and it bugged him. [So he started an effort ] that evolved [into ] his Web site MeetTheNeighbors.org, begun last month ... One person takes the initiative to register the building, pass out fliers and plan a get-together, enabling neighbors to create "real-life, in-person, face-to-face relationships." So far, about 500 people in more than 200 buildings have registered. Mr. Nissim estimates that 80 percent of the participants are in New York City, though buildings (and neighborhoods) elsewhere are welcome to join.
9:21:06 PM
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The Internet not only is transforming the way we shop and search for information, but it also is quietly smoothing the grind of the daily commute.
8:20:49 AM
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Monday, November 08, 2004 |
A Georgia couple launches a website to complain about the lousy job a company did putting siding on their house. The company sues, claiming defamation. The case may help clarify the limits of online free speech
7:11:22 PM
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Friday, October 29, 2004 |
From the Nielsen Norman Group - 70 design guidelines based on usability studies with kids. $129 for a single report ( 128 pages in PDF format ), $249 for the report and the right to make copies within your organization.
The guidelines are based on usability tests of the following sites:
- ABC news for Kids
- Alfy
- Belmont Bank Kids' corner
- Bonus
- Boom
- Free Zone
- Fun Brain
- Galim
- Game Brain
- Game Goo
- Kids Korner
- Kids.co.il
- Kids.com
- Loop
- MaMaMedia
- Playhouse Disney
- Sesame Street
- Sport Illustrated for Kids
- Squigly's Playhouse
- The Kidz Page
- Willy Wonka
- Yahooligans!
- Yoyo
- Zeeks
as well as usability tests of children using the following sites intended for grownups:
- Amazon.com
- weather.com
- Yahoo!
3:09:57 PM
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Wednesday, October 27, 2004 |
In findings, from a detailed survey of 329 consumers that included inspections of each of their home computers, released Monday by America Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a picture emerges of consumers increasingly using their home PCs for sensitive, online transactions without adequately protecting themselves from cybercrime.
While 77% of the survey respondents believed they were safe from online threats, two-thirds lacked current anti-virus software and did not use any firewall protection. More than half said they did not understand the difference between the two. Yet 84% stored personal data on their home PCs, and 72% routinely used the Internet for sensitive transactions, such as banking and medical data exchanges.
7:45:34 PM
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Saturday, October 23, 2004 |
Linksgiving.com features links of all sorts to various topics such as Humanities, Education, Medicine, Sports, etc. Linksgiving.com's aim is to create a high-quality collection of links to the most interesting and useful Web sites. This site will not be an alternative to the very famous search engines... but when you visit Linksgiving.com, you not only get to visit Web sites, but you get to share them as well.
11:26:52 AM
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Some 41 percent of all Internet users use IM to communicate in real time, according to comScore Media Metrix, a research group that measures Internet demographics. Among users ages 12 to 17, the proportion is even bigger: 55 percent. Conscientious parents are careful about whom their children associate with, but many of the tried and true methods of monitoring behavior are ineffective when it comes to the Internet. But there are tools that allow parents to monitor and restrict children's use of instant messaging services. Controls range from blocking access to limiting your child's contacts, or even controlling what can be typed in an instant message window. The best protection strategy depends on the type of IM system your children use.
9:45:33 AM
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Thursday, October 21, 2004 |
A 58-year-old Colorado man received a new kidney on Wednesday in the first transplant operation in the United States using an organ found on a private Web site ( MatchingDonors.com ), hospital officials said.
3:56:16 PM
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Monday, October 18, 2004 |
People with chronic disease should think twice before relying on the internet for health advice, research suggests. The study found interactive computer tools do improve medical knowledge. But there was no evidence they change behaviour positively, and some that they left people in worse health.
1:05:49 PM
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Wednesday, October 13, 2004 |
MSN TV 2 Internet & Media PlayerMicrosoft's new MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player just doesn't know what it wants to be. On one hand, it's a television-based Internet appliance that lets PC-less folks surf the Internet; on the other, it's a home networking device that lets savvy users use their television to access digital content (like music and photos) stored on their PC. At the first task, it works reasonably well. But as a networking tool, MSN TV 2 leaves plenty to be desired
9:18:08 PM
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A computer program can predict a woman's risk of breast or ovarian cancer with unprecedented accuracy.
1:49:47 PM
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In August, Joshua Rosen, a San Francisco entrepreneur and art director, went live with a Web site that makes it very simple for people to register to vote. Since its inception, Rosen's site, www.justvote.org, has joined the ranks of higher-profile, big-spending Web sites such as www.rockthevote.com, www.declare yourself.com and www.yourvotematters.org. Operating on a shoestring budget of about $30,000, JustVote.org has registered more than 250,000 voters in just two months. That makes the site one of the most successful grassroots voter drives in advance of the Nov. 2 presidential election.
1:32:28 PM
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Wednesday, October 06, 2004 |
EarthLink Free Online Calling is essentially a stripped-down version of EarthLink Unlimited Voice. The free service is available to the million-plus EarthLink broadband customers, who can use it to call each other and others using SIP (session initiation protocol)-based services. Partnerships with SIP providers SIPphone and Free World Dialup enable free VoIP access to a wider range of users.
Users do have to purchase either a computer headset or an analog-telephone adapter to access the service. Included are unlimited, high-quality calls to SIP users, voicemail accessible via e-mail, an online calling log and online signup and account management. EarthLink's Unlimited Voice service, introduced in March 2003, offers unlimited calling for a flat rate of $39.99 per month. It includes a lot more features than the free offering.
8:39:47 PM
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Thursday, September 30, 2004 |
Vivisimo has entered the crowded Internet-search market with a new site called "Clusty." [Very interesting approach to searching the web or any other data repository. Give it a try.]
9:03:28 PM
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Tuesday, September 21, 2004 |
AOL PassCode uses SecurID, a token-authentication technology developed by RSA that features a keychain-size device that generates and displays a unique six-digit numeric security code every 60 seconds. AOL customers who sign up for the service enter their account password and the current device code in order to access their account. If the authentication server system validates the code, the user can access the AOL account. If not, access is denied. AOL contends that SecurID provides a higher standard of protection through a two-factor authentication system commonly employed by financial institutions, technology companies and other enterprises. AOL PassCode is offered for a one-time fee of US$9.95 for each device, plus $1.95 to $4.95 per month, depending on the number of screen names on the account that are secured to a PassCode device. [Finally! A big step up in security by a major provider albeit at a premium. The future is at least "two-factor" authentication.]
9:17:33 PM
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Sunday, September 19, 2004 |
While the Web makes most travel-related research easier, there are few sites that provide truly informative and well-organized self-guided tours. "You have to pick out bits and pieces from different sites," said Dr. Stefancic, associate professor of history at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Ind.. "There's no way to find the ideal walking tour for yourself in one place." That is certainly true for someone trying to tailor walking tours to the tastes of 50 people, as Dr. Stefancic does, but those traveling alone or in smaller groups can sometimes find a match on the Web sites of well-known travel publishers, like Frommers.com, Travelandleisure.com, Fodors.com, and Concierge.com (Condé Nast Traveler). Of those, Frommer's is the most generous with walking tour information.
8:34:33 PM
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Just over six weeks before the nation holds the first general election in which touch-screen voting will play a major role, specialists agree that whatever the remaining questions about the technology's readiness, it is now too late to make any significant changes.
8:29:04 PM
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Friday, September 10, 2004 |
Next time a stranger sends you an instant message, don't be sure there's a real person behind the exchange. You may be conversing with Chatting AIM Bot, a free service for pranksters that spews out computer-generated conversation. By Daniel Terdiman.
10:30:22 PM
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Skype is the easiest, fastest and cheapest way for individual customers to use their computers with broadband connections as telephones.
9:44:19 PM
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What are many small-business workers doing when they think nobody's looking? The same thing as workers in large firms: Looking at porn.
6:50:56 PM
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Readers fed up with entering personal information in exchange for accessing Web site content can circumvent the process using BugMeNot.com to generate login names and passwords for sites requiring registration
6:40:08 PM
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In his latest Web Informant column, David Strom examines online medical information. The medical Web is still in its earliest stages and the quality and reliability of information varies wildly.
6:12:32 PM
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