IT Executive news

• Texas urges U.S. judge to delay Obama immigration shift - McClatchy Washington Bureau

  15-01-2015 23:11
  
  Dallas Morning News
  Texas urges U.S. judge to delay Obama immigration shift
  McClatchy Washington Bureau
  ... the president can "unilaterally suspend federal immigration laws," create a "massive" bureaucracy and hand out millions of dollars in benefits, and then insulate that decision from review "by any court at any time by calling it executive action ...
  OBAMA CASE IN COURTValley morning Star
  
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• Prosecution: Silk Road founder nabbed In flagrante delicto

  15-01-2015 23:00
  
  Catching criminals in the online realm often involves the old-fashioned footwork of tracking them down in real life. But the expended shoe leather still only goes so far in cyberspace, U.S. federal prosecutors may be learning.Before a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Justice Department prosecutors are making the case that 30 year old Texas native Ross Ulbricht is the mastermind behind the now-shuttered Silk Road online marketplace, which prosecutors estim
  
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• Cities Cheer Obama's Push for Municipal Broadband

  15-01-2015 21:42
  
  Dozens of U.S. cities are cheering President Obama's proposal this week for the Federal Communications Commission to allow municipalities to provide their own Internet broadband services even in states that have banned such services.
  "Obama's doing just what we have been advocating," said Rick Usher, assistant city manager for Kansas City, Mo., in an interview. "It follows what we've been advocating for repeal of these state laws and measures that prevent broadband partnerships for cities."
  
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• Latest Firefox tries to one-up Skype with WebRTC calling features

  15-01-2015 21:35
  
  With this week’s rollout of Firefox 35, Mozilla is taking a bold step toward reclaiming the relevance that Firefox once commanded. Key to that effort is the organization’s move to take a standard technology called WebRTC and add it to Firefox to let users make voice and video calls from their browser.The new feature, announced Tuesday, is called Hello, and it’s not just Mozilla’s desire to sound friendlier. It’s the organization’s latest salvo in a war against browser obscurity.H
  
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• EMC Shoots Down Break-up Talk: 'We’re Better Together'

  15-01-2015 21:27
  
  Would EMC ever split up its federation of EMC, VMware, RSA, Pivotal and now VCE? According to Jeremy Burton, president of products and marketing at EMC, no.
  “We think we’re better together,” Burton told Network World on Thursday. “At a time when the tech industry is changing, I think the big guys are going to do better than the midsize guys. It’s difficult to make an argument that we’d be better as two smaller entities.”
  But plenty of people have been making the argument that E
  
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• Cloud business cases must address staff, says NOAA exec - FierceGovernmentIT

  15-01-2015 21:03
  
  Cloud business cases must address staff, says NOAA exec
  FierceGovernmentIT
  Cloud computing efforts would see stakeholder buy in improve significantly if there was some assurance that personnel would be protected, says one National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration IT executive. "People would be much more inclined to ...
  
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• Fit & Proper: Don't let stress and pollutants make you lose hair - Business Standard

  15-01-2015 20:42
  
  Fit & Proper: Don't let stress and pollutants make you lose hair
  Business Standard
  Anand Kumar, a 27-year-old IT executive, has seen a marked increase in his hair fall. Every morning, he finds a lot of hair on his pillow, more so since he took up additional responsibilities at his workplace. After nearly two months of persistent hair ...
  
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• Marriott now says it won't block guests' Wi-Fi hotspots

  15-01-2015 20:30
  
  Hotel operator Marriott International has backed off its request to block some outside Wi-Fi hotspots inside its facilities, saying the company has responded to customer feedback.The U.S. Federal Communications Commission in October levied a US $600,000 fine on Marriott for blocking outside Wi-Fi hotspots at conference facilities. The hotel operator, business partner Ryman Hospitality Properties and trade group the American Hotel and Lodging Association had pursued a proceeding asking the FCC
  
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• Google making big changes to Glass program

  15-01-2015 20:25
  
  Google will stop selling its Glass head-mounted computer to the public on Jan. 19, as part of other big changes Google is making to the product’s program.On that day, Google will close its Explorer program for Glass, the company said Thursday, adding that future versions of Glass will be made available “when they’re ready.”That could happen later this year, according to an article from The Wall Street Journal, which also reported that Google will continue to sell Glass to businesses a
  
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• University of Texas Team Hooks $100K in IBM Watson App Contest

  15-01-2015 20:12
  
  Augusto F Menezes/Feature Photo Service for IBM
  
  The University of Texas at Austin team flashes the school's "hook 'em horns" sign as they celebrate their first place win in the Watson University Competition.
  
  A team of students from the University of Texas at Austin is being awarded $100,000 in seed funding for an app based on IBM's Watson technology that's designed to give Texas citizens easier access to social services. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please clic
  
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• Google Halts Glass Explorer Sales, Amid Leadership Changes and Lagging Development

  15-01-2015 20:08
  
  As Google tries to hash out the next steps for Google Glass, it’s discontinuing consumer sales of the $1,500 Explorer edition.
  The high-tech specs will exit the Google Play Store on January 19, though Google will still sell Glass to businesses and developers for enterprise uses, the Wall Street Journal reports. Google is also shaking up the Glass management team, putting Nest CEO Tony Fadell in charge of a new independent division for the product.
  Google is putting a positive spin on the c
  
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• Marriott Backs Off From Blocking Wi-Fi Hotspots But Leaves its FCC Petition Open

  15-01-2015 19:58
  Facing a backlash from customers and a $600,000 government fine, Marriott says it will no longer block Wi-Fi hotspots at the hotel chain's convention centers.
  “Marriott International listens to its customers, and we will not block guests from using their personal Wi-Fi devices at any of our managed hotels,” the company said in a statement to Re/code. “Marriott remains committed to protecting the security of Wi-Fi access in meeting and conference areas at our hotels.”
  Marriott came un
  
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• BrandPost: Take Business Continuity to the Cloud

  15-01-2015 19:35
  Modern IT departments are under constant pressure to implement new technologies that enable the business while simultaneously keeping critical data, applications and processes secure and the network running 24 x 7.It’s no wonder, then, that planning for business continuity and disaster recovery often takes a back seat to the day-to-day challenges of managing IT for an enterprise. But failure to prepare adequately for technological or natural disasters that disrupt the business could lead to
  
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• Hands-On With Boston's New Pay-by-Phone Parking App

  15-01-2015 19:29
  
  I hate quarters with every ounce of my admittedly sullied soul. I detest them. I have no particular affinity for cherry trees, and therefore don't hold a grudge against President Washington. Nor do I have any reason to dislike the mighty bald eagle. E Pluribus Unum, you say? Fine, good. I'm all for unity. It's my City-of-Boston-induced reliance on the tiny, silver-colored disks of copper-nickel alloy that raises my ire. If you've ever lived, worked or spent any significant amount of time in
  
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• Time for CEOs to Step In and Stop CIO-CMO Bickering

  15-01-2015 19:26
  
  Is it time for the CEO to put a stop to the juvenile bickering between the CIO and CMO? Is it time for the parent to step in and threaten to put everyone on the firing line, the corporate equivalent of a timeout? "Definitely," says Michael Broberg, vice president of consulting services in the strategic technology solutions group at Hitachi Consulting.The fast rise of marketing technology and, more importantly, its growing impact on sales and the customer experience, has gotten the attention o
  
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• Solar Industry Jobs are Growing at 20 Times the National Rate

  15-01-2015 19:15
  
  The solar power industry created 31,000 new jobs last year, a growth rate that was 20 times the national average, according to the fifth installment of the Solar Jobs Census, released today.
  Since the first Solar Jobs Census in 2010, solar industry employment has grown by 86%.
  The new Solar Jobs Census showed that the installation and maintenance of solar power now supports more than 173,000 jobs. Accounting for some additional jobs in the component and materials supply chain, as well as the
  
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• Google Ties iPhones, iPads to Chrome with Remote Desktop

  15-01-2015 17:45
  
  Google earlier this week launched its Remote Desktop app for iOS, fulfilling a promise made nine months ago.
  The free app, available on Apple's App Store, lets users remotely operate a personal computer running the Chrome browser, or a Chromebook powered by Google's Chrome OS, from an iPhone or iPad.
  Users do not need to have Chrome installed on their iOS devices to run Remote Desktop.
  In April 2014, when Google released an Android version of Chrome Remote Desktop, it said it would issue one
  
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• BrandPost: Paper, Plastic or Compromised Security? The Point-of-Sale Risk in the Internet of Things

  15-01-2015 16:58
  
  As technology becomes smarter and more intuitive, conveniences like tableside payment kiosks in busy restaurants have become more commonplace, leading to highly personalized (and time-saving) experiences for consumers. This is just one example of how the Internet of Things creates a unique opportunity to improve people’s daily lives.Unfortunately, developments like these provide malicious actors opportunities to access private payment card data and other highly sensitive information. As was
  
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• Update Makes Google Translate a Must-Have App for International Travelers

  15-01-2015 16:40
  
  Many international travelers yearn for a gadget that can instantly translate their speech into other languages, and vice versa. Imagine speaking into the gadget in Paris to order a steak with a glass of spicy pinot noir. The waiter hears the French translation and responds, in his native tongue, into the same device, to ask how you'd like your steak prepared. You say, "medium well, please," and boom, no more lost in translation.
  Google's latest update to its Translate app for Android and iOS
  
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• LinkedIn Makes Enterprise Inroads With New Communication Tools

  15-01-2015 16:34
  
  LinkedIn, the social network for professionals, now wants to help you share ideas and increase productivity within your company, in addition to finding outside opportunities. You will soon get LinkedIn tools that make it easier to connect with colleagues and share content within specific divisions of a company.The company's plans, as first reported by Re/code and then confirmed by CIO.com, also include a new app that will make it easier for colleagues to engage and stay connected. The move i
  
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• BrandPost: How To Make Valuable Insights Out Of A Mountain Of Data

  15-01-2015 16:12
  
  Every business has a mountain of data to manage.In the real-estate world, those mountains of data are what stand between customers choosing their first home, and the financial service to fulfill their dream.Half A Billion Decision Points
  Australia’s real estate market has been strong in recent years. The need for faster data delivery has become essential to success in that market.RP Data, the largest provider of real estate property information in Australia and New Zealand, continuously c
  
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• Study: Stop Blaming Twitter for Your Stress

  15-01-2015 16:00
  
  Social media, on its own, probably doesn’t explain why you’re stressed out, according to a study released today by the Pew Research Center.
  The research, which is based on a survey of 1,801 American adults, showed that people who didn’t use social media did not, in general, feel less stressed than people who did. In fact, a certain level of email, Twitter and mobile photo sharing was linked to less stress, at least among female respondents.
  +ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: United, American airl
  
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• Cleared your browser cookies? It won't stop ad company using Verizon tracking header

  15-01-2015 15:15
  
  A company that correlates data about users across different websites to share with marketers is using unique IDs inserted by Verizon into mobile Web traffic to recreate tracking cookies that have been deleted by users.The story began a few months ago when it was reported that both Verizon and AT&T were injecting unique identifiers in the Web requests of their mobile customers. Privacy activists criticized the practice because it creates so-called perma-cookies (permanent cookies) that can
  
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• Mobile Malware Up 77 Percent in 2014

  15-01-2015 15:10
  
  Mobile users encountered malware 75% more often in 2014 compared to 2013, according to a new report from San Francisco-based mobile security firm Lookout, Inc.
  The mobile malware encounter rate was 7% last year, up from 4% in 2013, largely due to the proliferation of new ransomware campaigns such as ScarePakage.
  "We were expecting an increase, but not of this magnitude," said Aaron Cockerill, the company's vice president of enterprise products.
  And the threats aren't just more common. They a
  
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• Who’s Calling, Please?

  15-01-2015 14:46
  
  Some security weaknesses can’t be found with a scan or a vulnerability assessment of the infrastructure. As a security manager, you have to keep your eyes open for things that aren’t as secure as they should be, based on any evidence that comes your way. That happened to me a few weeks ago, in just about the best way possible. We were able to take steps to tighten security in a particular area after an incident that could have been damaging but actually wasn’t. I wish all our security
  
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• Xiaomi beefs up its patent portfolio amid legal troubles in India

  15-01-2015 14:15
  
  As Xiaomi faces a patent battle in India over its smartphones, the fast-rising company is trying to bulk up its patent portfolio in China and elsewhere.“A lot of people think that Xiaomi doesn’t respect technological innovation, and that Xiaomi has no patents,” said the company’s CEO Lei Jun on Thursday. “I think everyone misunderstands.”During his product announcement revealing a new phone, Xiaomi’s CEO said that it had applied for 2,318 patents last year, 665 of them outside o
  
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• The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Thursday, January 15

  15-01-2015 14:10
  
  Intel earnings may bring a ray of sunshineIntel is expected to report almost 30 percent growth in Q4 earnings on Thursday, says Investor’s Business Daily, powered by strong PC sales during the Christmas shopping season and solid server demand. Intel is one of the first big tech companies to report in this round of fourth-quarter earnings.Xiaomi is coming after iPhone 6 Plus with an even thinner phabletThe latest Android handset from Xiaomi aims to overshadow Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus, with a
  
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• Last call for last-minute flight booking charges, EU court rules

  15-01-2015 14:05
  
  It’s last call for last-minute flight booking charges in Europe: Websites must show the total price for a flight right from the outset, and not wait till the last screen before booking to display additional charges, the European Union’s top court ruled on Thursday.When people use an online flight booking system the first price shown must also be the final price, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled. This applies not just to the flight that is selected by the customer, b
  
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• Leading App Stores See Dramatic Increase in Business Apps

  15-01-2015 14:00
  
  The year 2014 was a productive one for mobile application developers and the people who download and use their apps. Last year saw triple-digit growth in both the numbers of applications and the number of developers creating them for two of the leading app stores, according to new report from appFigures. The company offers a reporting platform for mobile app developers that scans "all the app stores around the world" to track its customers' apps, which is how appFigures collected its 2014 dat
  
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• 6 LinkedIn Tips to Make Your Profile Pop

  15-01-2015 14:00
  
  Most IT professionals are aware of the business-oriented social network, LinkedIn, and many of them use it. However, a large percentage of businesspeople struggle with making the most of the world's largest professional social network. "LinkedIn is probably the most underutilized platform on the face of the planet," according B. Bonin Bough, vice president of Global Media and Consumer Engagement, Mondelez International, a global snack foods conglomerate. Bough spoke last week in Las Vegas at
  
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• 16 Android Widgets to Make Your Smartphone and Tablet Better

  15-01-2015 14:00
  
  Must-Have Android WidgetsImage by ShutterstockOne of the best things about the Android OS is its support for widgets, or live application windows that sit on your Android device's home screen. They both display information and give you access to features so you don't have to open their associated apps. Apple added widget functionality to its Notification Center Today screen in iOS 8, and BlackBerry 10 has Active Frames that update, but these options are second-rate compared to Android widgets.To
  
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• CIOs on the move: High rate of senior IT executive departures in 2014 cuts ... - FederalNewsRadio.com

  15-01-2015 13:08
  CIOs on the move: High rate of senior IT executive departures in 2014 cuts ...
  FederalNewsRadio.com
  These were just five of the 23 federal chief information officers and other senior IT leaders who left their positions in 2014. Turnover at the CIO position is not uncommon. But the data and analysis of this exodus show a combination of encouraging and ...
  
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• Laugh sensor among oddball wearables at Japanese expo

  15-01-2015 13:05
  
  If you think you saw all the wacky or questionable wearables at CES earlier this month, Japan still has a few more up its sleeve.At the first Wearable Device Technology Expo in Tokyo this week, Google Glass-style head-mounted displays for workplace applications dominated. But a few exhibitors aired concepts that came out of left field.WaratTell is a sensor that’s based on 10 years of “laugh-detecting technology”—but it’s no joke. Developed by Masafumi Matsumura of Osaka Electro-Comm
  
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• Microsoft Windows Server 2003/R2 nog zes maanden ondersteund

  15-01-2015 13:01
  Over zes maanden stopt Microsoft met de ondersteuning van Windows Server 2003/R2, dat nog altijd bij een aanzienlijk aantal organisaties in gebruik is. Na 14 juli 2015 is er vanuit Microsoft geen technische ondersteuning meer voor de 2003/R2-versie van Windows Server en komen er ook geen updates en patches meer.
  
  De... lees meer
  
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• President Calls for More Cybersecurity Information Sharing

  15-01-2015 13:00
  
  President Barack Obama followed up Monday's speech about data breach notification with another speech Tuesday encouraging companies to share information about cyberattacks.
  In an address to the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) he proposed legislation that offers liability protection to companies that share information.
  Previously, such legislation had stalled due to privacy concerns, but the current proposal requires companies to remove "unnecessary person
  
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• Hands-on with the Xiaomi Mi Note, a super-light phablet

  15-01-2015 12:50
  
  Chinese Handset maker Xiaomi wasn’t afraid to take a few jabs at Apple on Thursday when it unveiled its newest smartphone, a 5.7-inch phablet that could give the iPhone 6 Plus a run for its money.“Our phone is lighter, thinner, narrower and shorter than the iPhone 6 Plus,” declared Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. “But we have a bigger screen.”So how good is Xiaomi’s latest phablet? Well, in our brief hands-on with the device, we were quite impressed, especially with its polished and compact d
  
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• Sharpen Your Vendor Management Skills

  15-01-2015 12:30
  
  There's a seismic shift occurring in IT shops across North America. Traditional vendor relationships are giving way to a brand-new power paradigm in which IT leaders dictate terms and conditions while vendors scramble to meet them. No longer are techie-vendor encounters limited to product pitches and service-level agreements, with minimal contact between the two parties until license renewal time.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Minding the Confidence Gap: How 16 Top Computer Science Programs Measure Up

  15-01-2015 12:26
  
  Image by rjpEditor's Note: If you are unable to advance to the next slide, try disabling AdBlock. We apologize for the inconvenience.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• The 15 Function-Key Strokes Everyone Should Know to Zip Around Microsoft Office

  15-01-2015 12:00
  
  Despite Microsoft Office’s evolution toward menu-driven shortcuts, it’s worth remembering those funky Fn keys still serve a purpose. As part of key combos in Word, Excel, and Outlook, they make it easier and faster to perform commonly used commands.
  Here are 15 of the most essential function-key strokes. Once you get the hang of two-fisted input using the mouse and keyboard shortcuts, you’ll find yourself shaving hours off your projects.To read this article in full or to leave a commen
  
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• Special Report: CIOs on the move, high rate of senior IT executive departures ... - FederalNewsRadio.com

  15-01-2015 10:51
  Special Report: CIOs on the move, high rate of senior IT executive departures ...
  FederalNewsRadio.com
  These were just five of the 23 federal chief information officers and other senior IT leaders who left their positions in 2014. Turnover at the CIO position is not uncommon. But the data and analysis of this exodus show a combination of encouraging and ...
  
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• Xiaomi's new phablet seeks to outdo Apple's iPhone 6 Plus

  15-01-2015 09:05
  
  The latest Android handset from Xiaomi aims to overshadow Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus, with a sleek design, cutting edge specs, and a starting price at less than half that of the competition.The Chinese handset maker unveiled its new phablet on Thursday, calling the device the Xiaomi Note. It’s meant to compete against other high-end big-screen smartphones. Xiaomi will be offering it in China on Jan. 27 for a starting price of 2299 yuan (US$376), when bought without a contract.The 5.7-inch devi
  
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• Google nixes widespread malvertising attack

  15-01-2015 04:10
  
  Google has stopped a widespread malicious advertising attack that bounced Web surfers to dodgy sites hawking weight loss and skin care products.The malicious ads were delivered to website owners signed up with Google’s AdSense program, wrote Denis Sinegubko, a senior malware researcher with Sucuri, a Delware-based security company. AdSense supplies relevant banner advertisements to websites.When displayed, the malicious advertisements automatically redirected a person’s browser to bogus w
  
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• Samsung buying BlackBerry might be a good idea

  15-01-2015 03:40
  
  Samsung’s reported offer of up to US$7.5 billion for BlackBerry may turn out to be only a rumor, but such a match might make sense for both sides.BlackBerry and Samsung quickly denied a Reuters report on Wednesday that executives of the two companies had met about a possible acquisition. But the once-mighty Canadian mobile vendor may need a suitor if it can’t weather its current transition, and Samsung could gain a lot from BlackBerry’s security assets and enterprise relationships.“I
  
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• Zuckerberg discusses balance between local laws and free speech

  15-01-2015 02:40
  
  Mark Zuckerberg tackled the thorny issue of how to balance free speech with local laws at Facebook’s first international town-hall Q&A in Colombia on Wednesday.“Most countries have laws restricting some form of speech or another,” the CEO said. If Facebook were to let users post something that would be illegal in their country, would that result in more people being able to express themselves? The best course of action is often to remove the content, he suggested.“If you break the
  
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• Slack Adds Major Enterprise Collaboration Features, Uptime Guarantee

  15-01-2015 02:08
  
  Slack, the startup that bills itself as IRC for the enterprise, has been on something of a winning streak lately -- it's been the darling of the Silicon Valley set since late last year, and took in $120 million in funding last October to solidify its position. 
  
  Slack is aiming for larger enterprise users.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Ham-fisted phishing attack seeks LinkedIn logins

  15-01-2015 01:55
  
  Symantec has spotted an uptick in phishing emails over the last week that purport to come from LinkedIn support and attempt to steal users’ account credentials.The emails warn potential victims of “irregular activities” on their account and say a compulsory security update is required. The emails include an HTML attachment that purports to be a form for performing the update.The HTML file is actually a copy of LinkedIn’s website and login page, wrote Satnam Narang, senior security res
  
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• Google cooks up a food-truck model to sell Project Ara smartphones

  15-01-2015 01:35
  
  Google wants to sell its first Project Ara smartphones in style, and it’s drawing inspiration from food trucks. Later this year, it will deploy “mobile trucks” where customers will be able to design, print and assemble their own custom handset in under five minutes.The first Project Ara smartphones will go on sale in Puerto Rico. The trucks will stop first in Old San Juan, moving south to Ponce, the island’s second-largest city, then through the rest of Puerto Rico, said Jessica Beave
  
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• BlackBerry denies it talked to Samsung about a buyout

  15-01-2015 00:50
  
  BlackBerry has flatly denied a report that it met with Samsung Electronics to discuss a proposed $7.5 billion buyout by the South Korean powerhouse.The Reuters news service reported on Wednesday that Samsung had offered to buy BlackBerry for between $13.35 and $15.49 per share. Its story cited documents and an unnamed source. The report sent BlackBerry’s stock up dramatically late in the trading day. Its shares on the Nasdaq (BBRY) ended at $12.60, up by nearly 30 percent.“BlackBerry has
  
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• BlackBerry Denies it Talked to Samsung About Buyout

  15-01-2015 00:50
  
  BlackBerry has flatly denied a report that it met with Samsung Electronics to discuss a proposed $7.5 billion buyout by the South Korean powerhouse.
  The Reuters news service reported on Wednesday that Samsung had offered to buy BlackBerry for between $13.35 and $15.49 per share. Its story cited documents and an unnamed source. The report sent BlackBerry’s stock up dramatically late in the trading day. Its shares on the Nasdaq (BBRY) ended at $12.60, up by nearly 30 percent.
  “BlackBerry h
  
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