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  Greg Collier 10:01 am on August 22, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook ( 182 ), Lifestage, Safety ( 47 ), security ( 46 ), Social Network ( 2 )   

  Facebook announces new app aimed at teens 

  

  Over the weekend, Facebook announced a new standalone app aimed at teens called Lifestage. Not only is it meant to be a competitor to Snapchat, but it’s also said to return to Facebook’s roots. Facebook’s first incarnation was a social network geared specifically toward college students. Lifestage, which so far has only been released for iPhone, is geared towards users that are 21 and under and is supposed to help you get to know the classmates at your school as the app is very school-centric.

  As is the norm with most apps geared towards kids and teens, there are some security concerns. The first is that there is no actual age verification system for Lifestage, so it has the potential to be abused by offenders. Another issue is that Facebook doesn’t say what the under in 21 and under is. The closest to an age limit that I’ve found was the rating on the Apple app store which says that app is rated 12+. Lastly, since the app is so focused on schools it has the potential to be used for cyberbullying.

  This is not to say that Lifestage doesn’t have its advantages. For example, a user can only list their school once. This prevents potential offenders from changing schools to in order to target new victims at a different school. Lifestage also has a feature where someone can be blocked with a single swipe.

  However, like most apps Lifestage is just a tool. While most apps have security concerns or features, the only true defense between potential predators and kids are parents that are actively engaged with their child and their social network use.

   

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  Greg Collier 10:06 am on August 19, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Gawker ( 8 ), Peter Thiel ( 13 ), Press ( 7 ), Univision   

  Gawker: The Final Chapter 

  

  After losing its infamous lawsuit against Hulk Hogan and declaring bankruptcy, Gawker Media was purchased for $135 million. While tech media publisher Ziff Davis was an early suitor, the network of blogs under the Gawker banner were purchased by Spanish language TV network Univision. However, after the purchase was made final, it was announced that Gawker.com itself will be shuttered next week after 14 years of being online. Gawker founder, Nick Denton, announced that Gawker itself was unable to find a buyer while properties like Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Deadspin, Lifehacker and Kotaku were worthwhile to their purchaser.

  While some may celebrate the demise of Gawker it has set a dangerous precedent that if you have enough money you can silence any media that is unfavorable to you. The Hulk Hogan lawsuit, and others, were admittedly funded by Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel after Gawker outed Thiel as gay some years ago.

  If we’re not careful, we could be seeing the start of an era where freedom of the press could be squelched by the super rich elite if the media crosses them.

   
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  Greg Collier 10:06 am on August 18, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: backspace key, Chrome ( 2 ), content creation, Google ( 33 ), writing   

  Google Chrome and the backspace debate 

  

  As a blogger/writer, or even someone just trying to type out a Facebook status, nothing is more frustrating than hitting the backspace key to correct a typo only to have your browser go back three pages and lose all your work. Up until recently, Google’s Chrome browser on the desktop had the backspace key mapped as a shortcut for the command to go back in your history. While most users celebrated Google’s latest decision to free the backspace key for its intended purpose, others, who we’ll refer to as Philistines, lamented the change.

  In an unusual move by Google, they’ve tried to please all the people all the time by releasing a Chrome extension called Go Back With Backspace. When Google removes a feature or service, they usually don’t care whose toes they step on. Google Reader anyone?

  While this may be a textbook example of a first world problem, this comes as a great relief to many a writer who has accidentally lost their content after hitting a mis-functioned backspace key.

   
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  Greg Collier 10:02 am on August 17, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: hacking ( 32 ), malware ( 28 ), ransomware ( 11 ), security ( 46 )   

  New ransomware knows you by name and address 

  

  Ransomware is a nasty bit of malware that can lock you out of your computer or network and will hold your files ransom until you pay a bad actor to release them. One of the more infamous ransomware incidents involved a hospital in Kansas that paid the ransom in order to regain access to their patients’ records. One of the main ways ransomware infects a computer network is when a user either opens a strange email attachment or goes to an infected website.

  Now the BBC is reporting a new type of ransomware that tricks you into infecting your computer with your own name and address. In this case the scammers will send you an email that appears to be a large bill that you owe. Normally scam emails like this are generic in their presentation however this new type of attack makes the email look more official by having your name and address listed. Like any other phishing email, it tries to trick you into clicking on to an infected website. Once your computer or network is infected and your locked out from your files, the ransowmware will not only detail instructions on how to pay the ransom with Bitcoin, but it will also give you a timer that shows you how much the ransom increases the longer you wait. There has been no word yet how the attackers have been able to match up the names and addresses to the email addresses. While the malware has only been reported so far in the UK, it’s probably only a matter of time before it shows up in the US.

  The best protection against ransomware is to not click on unknown email attachments or strange websites these emails ask you to click on. It also helps to make multiple back ups of all your important files. According to Wired, if you do become infected, disconnect any infected computer from the network and try to use anti-malwarwe tools to remove the infection from the computer. They recommend only paying the ransom as a last resort as paying the ransom only propagates the attacks.

   
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  Greg Collier 10:11 am on August 16, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Donald Trump ( 13 ), Election ( 21 ), Facebook ( 182 ), Hillary Clinton, politics ( 16 )   

  Sorry Facebook pundits, you’re not convincing anyone 

  

  Even long before the nominees were determined for each party during this presidential election season, many people were posting their political punditry on Facebook. Whether it be the Donald Trump memes or the ‘lies’ of Hillary Clinton or even lamenting the fact that Bernie Sanders was not nominated, virtually no one is having their political views changed on Facebook.

  According to survey of 10,000 Facebook users, over 90% of respondents have not had their minds changed on a political issue due to anything posted on Facebook. However the political postings have had some effect as 13% of respondents say they’ve unfriended someone on Facebook because of a political post.

  It used to be said that in polite company you should never talk about sex, politics and religion. Since Facebook it’s now so ubiquitous in our lives should those same courtesies be extended to Facebook, or is Facebook more akin to a graffiti laden restroom wall? Maybe we would be more united as a country if we used Facebook as a forum of discussion rather than a series of megaphones projecting a cacophony of political clamor.

   
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  Greg Collier 10:04 am on August 15, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: eBay ( 16 ), elephants, etsy, ivory ( 2 ), wildlife   

  Online retailers vow to stop illegal wildlife trade 

  

  Many online retailers, including giants Ebay and Etsy, have banded together, and have vowed to stop the illegal sale of wildlife parts on their sites. This new initiative was announced this past Friday which coincided with World Elephant day and is a collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and TRAFFIC.

  Believe it or not the trade of illegal ivory from elephant tusks is still happening. Elephants are still being poached and slaughtered for their tusks to make jewelry, carvings and other items. While most of the demand for ivory comes from eastern Asia, the United States is also one of the top countries where people buy ivory.

  There is an international ban against ivory trading that was instituted in 1989. However, in 2007, countries that had stockpiles of seized ivory were allowed to sell their ivory inventory. This allowed for illegal ivory to work its way back into the international market. Unfortunately there are a number of ivory consumers who are unaware that ivory can only be harnessed from the elephants by killing them.

  The suppliers of illegal ivory will only be shut down when there is no longer any demand and hopefully this initiative goes a long way in helping to achieve that goal.

   
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  Greg Collier 9:54 am on August 12, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: apps ( 15 ), chat bot ( 2 ), homeless ( 5 )   

  Student builds app to help homeless find homes 

  

  When we think of smart phone apps we usually think of social apps like Twitter or game apps like Pokemon Go. We rarely think of them as tools for social change. If a 19-year-old Stanford student has his way that may change.

  UK native Joshua Browder, has developed a chat bot that is helping the homeless in UK find homes. The bot asks the user a series of questions then crafts a letter that the user can send to the government to request housing. In the UK, housing is a right guaranteed by the government. Browder would like to see his app help homeless in the US be he says because of all the different homeless laws in the different cities and states makes it incredibly difficult.

  As hard as it is for the needy to navigate through the bureaucracy to obtain the services they need, more apps like this could go a long way in assisting those who need help the most.

   
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  Greg Collier 2:13 pm on August 11, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cpap machine, healthcare ( 46 ), sleep apnea   

  It’s dangerous to buy secondhand CPAP machines online 

  

  Here’s a little fact you may not have known. It’s actually against the law to sell a used CPAP machine online. Those are the machines that assist sleep apnea patients with their breathing at night. In case you were unaware, sleep apnea is a condition that affects numerous people where they stop breathing during the night while they sleep. It can be a potentially fatal condition so it’s important that sufferers have their own CPAP machines. Unfortunately the machines can be quite expensive and many people look to purchase a used one online. There are two problems with the scenario. The first is, as I mentioned, it’s illegal to sell a CPAP machine online because you need a doctor’s prescription to purchase one. The second problem is that the machine you’re buying online may not match your prescription and could exacerbate your condition.

  If you do find yourself in need of a CPAP machine but you may nit have the funds to purchase a brand new unit you can look to the CPAP Assistance Program and they may be able to assist you as they sell refurbished CPAP machines at a deep discount.

  This shows a much bigger problem in our country though where life saving medical care has been priced out of reach of those who may need it most.

   
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  Greg Collier 9:43 am on August 10, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: ad blockers, advertising ( 11 ), Facebook ( 182 )   

  Facebook attempts to block ad blockers 

  

  Desktop ad blockers were born out of necessity during a time when not everyone had broadband internet at home. Some websites would be so laden with ads that they would load at a snail’s pace. It didn’t help that often times the ads were obtrusive and irrelevant. To make matters even worse some advertisers would have their ads inject malware into unprotected systems, so the use of ad blockers has had some justification. The problem with them is they’re akin to killing a fly with a shotgun. Most websites use advertising as a way to make money so they can continue to stay in business. Due to a number of abusers all advertisers have been painted as the enemy by some. However, if users continue to block ads, your favorite website could lose revenue forcing them to shut down.

  Within recent years, many websites have been fighting back against ad blockers. Some websites will ask you to disable your ad blocker if you enjoy their content. Others will try to get you to sign up for a paid version of their website that is ad free. Another way websites are fighting back is to disable some of their functionality while an ad blocker is enabled. Now, a major player in the web space has brought the ad blocker wars to a brand new level.

  Facebook recently announced that their new ads will start bypassing ad blockers. While this may be met with controversy by some users, Facebook says it will be offering tools to their users to make the experience more pleasant.

  Facebook is debuting a new ad preferences tool that will make it easier to see how you’re being targeted. You’ll be able to specify your interests, opt out of those Facebook has incorrectly associated you with, and see which advertisers have your details on a customer list.

  Unfortunately when Facebook usually sets out new tools for its users, they have a history of being overly complicated and confusing, such as their privacy tools. However this battle may just be one of attrition since most users access Facebook through their mobile app where the ads can not be blocked. Mobile is where Facebook makes most of its money. With the number of desktop users dwindling, is it worth it to go through all this trouble to get a few more dollars out of a dying breed? Facebook seems to think so.

   
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  Greg Collier 10:02 am on August 9, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: hacking ( 32 ), security ( 46 ), thermostat   

  Hackers Hijack Heater and Hold it Hostage 

  

  Have you thought about purchasing a smart thermostat that you can control from your smart phone or do you already have one? You may want to rethink that purchase after what a couple of security experts were able to do to one recently. At the security conference known as DefCon two security experts were able to remotely hijack one of these smart thermostats and crank the temperature up to 99F. In theory a malicious actor could hold your thermostat hostage until you pay them money to have them release control, much like any other ransomware that could infect your computer.

  This is the second bit of bad news for the smart thermostat market in so many months.This past winter, the leading brand of smart thermostats failed after a buggy firmware update left many houses dangerously cold.

  Your best bet in either of these situations is to just get an old school thermostat from your local hardware store that you should be able to hook up in minutes. Sometimes the most secure solutions are the most simple ones.