Social Networking

Instagram appears to be backtracking on plans to update its privacy policy and terms of service following an uproar from users. The proposed updates were scheduled to come into effect Jan. 16. Provisions that stirred users' wrath apparently let the company use posted images in advertisements without...

The European Union gave Google a January deadline to devise detailed proposals to resolve a two-year antitrust investigation into whether Google used its market dominance to thwart rivals. The Union's antitrust chief, Joaquin Almunia, issued the deadline Tuesday in Brussels to Google Executive Chair...

While Google is poised to agree to changes in the way it displays search results and skirt an antitrust investigation in the U.S., things are still unresolved with the European Commission. Google is reportedly still negotiating with European Commission antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia. The EC is app...

Instagram is rolling out an update of its terms of service that gives it more control over users' photos. The changes have unleashed a storm of criticism on various social networks. The new policies are privacy measures that will help Instagram integrate more easily with its parent company, Faceboo...

I am a Left Leaning Authoritarian -- a person characterized as submissive to authority and who advocates significantly more government regulation, especially in economic behaviors. At least, that is how I have been classified by YouStand, a new social network formed around the notion that people l...

TECH TREK

Pope Gives New Meaning to 'Followers'

Pope Benedict XVI made his Twitter debut on Wednesday in front of a congregation of more than 1 million faithful. Benedict has eight separate accounts to deliver messages in various languages, including Polish, Portuguese, Arabic and English. His inaugural tweet: "Dear friends, I am pleased to get...

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested 10 individuals from around the world, including the United States, which it alleges are part of an international cybercrime ring linked to the Yahos malware. Yahos is associated with the notorious Butterfly botnet, which compromised more than 11 milli...

Yahoo has given its email service a major makeover, both for its desktop and mobile products. The changes include a streamlined and less cluttered interface that is easier to navigate. The new version of Yahoo! Mail is also faster for users to open and read messages. The changes have been long in co...

In an attempt to harmonize the various patent systems used throughout the European Union's 27 nations, the European Parliament adopted a uniform patent system Tuesday. The unified system, which is expected to come into effect in early 2014, could be a boon for innovation. Following the Parliament's...

Facebook has introduced a number of changes to its privacy controls, positioning them as easier for users to manage. For example, a new icon on the toolbar will allow users to ask three questions: Who can see my stuff? Who can contact me? and How do I stop someone from bothering me? For further info...

Twitter raised the ante Tuesday in its competition with Instagram for the hearts and eyes of smartphone shutterbugs by introducing image filtering to its mobile applications for Android and iOS. The debut of the filter feature comes on the heels of moves by Facebook-owned Instagram to limit its memb...

A notable behavioral shift has occurred in the United States over the last few years. Communication methods have changed. One transformation is that people are less dependent on the classic voice telephone call -- landline or mobile -- and rely more on textual communications like those provided thro...

Instagram has changed the way photographs on its site display in tweets, the latest salvo in its ongoing feud with Twitter. Instagram photos viewed on Twitter appear cropped or otherwise changed because Instagram has disabled its integration with Twitter Cards, Twitter said. Trouble between the tw...

Facebook on Tuesday introduced a new messaging app for Android smartphones that can be used by members and non-Facebookers alike, a move aimed at building an alternative to SMS text messaging. Initially, the distribution of the Messenger app will be limited to Australia, India, Indonesia, South Afri...

Facebook has elaborated on the changes it wants to make to its Data Use Policy and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. This new explanation is in response to the user feedback it has received thus far on a proposal it made late last month. The crux of its proposed change is to scrap its user ...

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