IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn Caught Short In New York
May 18, 2011
(Agoura Hills, C.A.) The once high-flying managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 62-year-old Dominique Strauss-Kahn, faces increasing pressure from influential figures across the globe to resign from his powerful position. Judge Melissa C. Jackson of the Manhattan Criminal Court had ordered him held in protective custody at Riker’s Island in New York after [...]
Microsoft Determined To Beat Search Rival Google: Adds More Facebook Integration
May 17, 2011
(Agoura Hills, C.A.) In the latest battle over the future of the social web, Microsoft announced yesterday that Bing will be incorporating several features of Facebook into its search results in an attempt to make its search engine more relevant by utilizing social characteristics of the search user. The results are designed to be customized [...]
India Tightens Internet Rules; Faces Strong Opposition from Web Firms
May 17, 2011
(Agoura Hills, C.A.) New regulations posted by India’s national government have stirred up anger within the Internet community and aroused strong opposition from Google and other Web-focused firms. New Delhi wants all websites that accept user-generated content to notify their users that that they are not permitted to post anything blasphemous, intended to incite hatred [...]
California Bill Would Force Change to Facebook Privacy Settings
May 17, 2011
(Agoura Hills, C.A.) The Social Networking Privacy Act, or California bill SB 242, would place new regulations on Facebook and other social networking websites if it were to pass. The bill targets social online communities and would require them to eliminate personal information for child accounts should parents of the users request it. If the [...]
NASA Launches Social Media Campaign: Green Light for Bigger Web Presence?
May 17, 2011
(Agoura Hills, C.A.) As the Space Shuttle Endeavour was entering her final mission, NASA was opening the book on a new chapter. The Slideshare Network account that NASA launched, which is better known as The NASA Universe, is a new way for space exploration fans to find out about the many missions that NASA is [...]
Disney Interactive Media Group Settles Suit; Will Pay $3 Million Civil Penalty to FTC
May 13, 2011
(Agoura Hills, C.A.) Playdom, an online game provider owned by Disney Interactive Media Group through The Walt Disney Company, has agreed to settle charges by paying $3 million, after allegations that some of the virtual worlds the Playdom service operated violated Federal privacy and safety regulations. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is designed to [...]
Alleged Google Smear Campaign Backfires; Raises Ethical Questions
May 13, 2011
(Agoura Hills, C.A.) The public relations agency Burson-Marsteller began planting stories about Google that were less than flattering, and has issued claims that the firm was breaching the privacy of users. Originally the reports claimed that they were acting on the behalf of a client who had not been named, however later comments suggested that [...]
Rapper Common Goes to Washington: White House Invite Stirs Controversy
May 13, 2011
(Agoura Hills, C.A.) Something of a storm has been raging in Washington, D.C. around the recent appearance of rapper Common at the White House. At the behest of Administration officials, Common performed at an event meant to celebrate poetry and poets. Common has been harshly criticized by a number of conservatives, who claim that Common’s [...]
Cybersecurity Legislation Moves Forward To Capitol Hill
May 13, 2011
(Agoura Hills, C.A.) The White House has asked Congress to approve a significant package of cybersecurity legislation that would give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) additional authority to monitor government and commercial networks. The proposal also asks for a nationwide law that would override the chaotic diversity of state data-breach reporting laws currently in [...]
Netflix Releases Mobile App for Android Phones
May 12, 2011
(Agoura Hills, C.A.) Netflix announced today that they will be offering their streaming video service on phones running the Google-built Android operating system. Although the service has been available on both the Apple iPhone and phones using the Windows 7 mobile operating system for nearly a year, Netflix had been waiting to build the Netflix [...]
