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| Obama says he's not allowed iPhone for 'security reasons' Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 06:21 PM PST  The troubled mobile phone maker BlackBerry still has at least one very loyal customer: U.S. President Barack Obama. At a meeting with youth on Wednesday to promote his landmark healthcare law, Obama said he is not allowed to have Apple's smart phone, the iPhone, for "security reasons," though he still uses Apple's tablet computer, the iPad. Apple was one of several tech companies that may have allowed the National Security Agency (NSA) direct access to servers containing customer data, according to revelations by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Obama fought to keep his BlackBerry after coming to the White House in 2009, though he said only 10 people have his personal email address. Full Story | Top |
| Google's mystery barge in San Francisco Bay under investigation Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 05:59 PM PST  By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The agency that oversees development in the San Francisco Bay in California has begun a formal investigation into the construction of a secretive Google Inc barge on an island in the bay. The probe, which began in the past week, will examine what permits are needed to build the barge and whether the owners of the Treasure Island pier where the vessel is moored have the proper permits, said Larry Goldzband, the executive director of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. "We want to make sure that the permits that are used by the owners of the pier actually allowed for construction to happen," Goldzband told Reuters on Wednesday, referring to what he described as "a preliminary and formal enforcement investigation." Google officials informed Goldzband in a recent meeting that they are in the process of making changes to the barge's design which have been requested by the U.S. Coast Guard. Jason Tama, a Coast Guard commander, said he could not comment on any specific cases, but noted that it was standard practice for the Coast Guard to inspect new construction to ensure that safety, security and environmental protection regulations are met. Full Story | Top |
| Cyber experts uncover 2 million stolen passwords to global Web accounts Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 04:11 PM PST  Security experts have uncovered a trove of some 2 million stolen passwords to websites including Facebook, Google, Twitter and Yahoo from Internet users across the globe. Researchers with Trustwave's SpiderLabs said they discovered the credentials while investigating a server in the Netherlands that cyber criminals use to control a massive network of compromised computers known as the "Pony botnet." The company told Reuters on Wednesday that it has reported its findings to the largest of more than 90,000 websites and Internet service providers whose customers' credentials it had found on the server. The data includes more than 326,000 Facebook Inc accounts, some 60,000 Google Inc accounts, more than 59,000 Yahoo Inc accounts and nearly 22,000 Twitter Inc accounts, according to SpiderLabs. Full Story | Top |
| Brazil urges Telefonica to exit stake in rival TIM Brasil Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 03:30 PM PST Brazil antitrust watchdog Cade ruled on Wednesday that Spain's Telefonica SA must exit its direct and indirect stake in wireless carrier TIM Participações SA or seek a new partner for its Vivo mobile phone unit. In a meeting that took place at the regulator's headquarters in Brasilia, directors at Cade also ruled that a new partner for Vivo, Brazil's largest mobile phone carrier and part of Telefonica Brasil SA, will not be allowed to own a stake in another rival in Brazil. Wednesday's ruling, which is definitive, gave a strong indication that the approval of Telefonica's stake increase in Telecom Italia SpA - TIM Brasil's parent company - faces serious challenges in Brazil. Full Story | Top |
| Billionaire investor Icahn steps up pressure on Apple Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 01:59 PM PST  Billionaire investor Carl Icahn said on Wednesday that he has filed a shareholder proposal with Apple for a much smaller stock buyback plan than he has advocated previously, as he continued to pressure Apple to share more of its cash pile. "Gave $AAPL notice we'll be making a precatory proposal to call for vote to increase buyback program, although not at $150 billion level," Icahn said in a tweet. CNBC said Icahn's plan calls for a $50 billion buyback program. Icahn had been urging Apple to buy back $150 billion worth of shares. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says online ads should be clearly marked, undeceptive Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 11:07 AM PST  By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The growing online usage of ads designed to blend in with the rest of a website's content, a practice known as "native advertising," may be illegal in some instances, the Federal Trade Commission warned on Wednesday. The FTC said that a survey of online publishers found that 73 percent allowed native advertising, the digital descendent of the newspaper "advertorial" and television's infomercials. "Marketers have ... moved past the banner ad into advertising that is more seamlessly, and inconspicuously, integrated into digital content," FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said in a speech that opened a conference on "Blurred Lines: Advertising or Content." "While native advertising may certainly bring some benefits to consumers, it has to be done lawfully," she said. "By presenting ads that resemble editorial content, an advertiser risks implying, deceptively, that the information comes from a non-biased source." The website Buzzfeed.com is often cited as an effective user of native advertising. Full Story | Top |
| Fingerprint sees touch ID going mainstream for smartphones Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 10:49 AM PST  By Mia Shanley and Olof Swahnberg STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Fingerprint Cards is aiming to sell its identity technology to most of the world's biggest smartphone makers, which are likely to follow Apple in offering touch recognition for mobiles from next year. Apple's September launch of the iPhone 5S was the first smartphone with a fingerprint identity touch sensor, provided by AuthenTec, part of Apple. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. court questions Google defense against Oracle over Android Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 10:41 AM PST  By Dan Levine WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday closely questioned Google's claim that Oracle does not enjoy copyright protection over certain parts of the Java programming language. The issue, under review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, is being closely watched by software developers in Silicon Valley. Google's Android operating system is the world's best-selling smartphone platform. The Java programming language was created by Sun Microsystems, which Oracle acquired in 2010. Full Story | Top |
| Investor campaign against Telecom Italia board gains traction Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 10:22 AM PST  By Danilo Masoni and Stefano Bernabei MILAN/ROME (Reuters) - An activist shareholder campaign to reform Telecom Italia won traction on Wednesday as influential proxy adviser ISS recommended institutional investors back a proposal to remove the company board at a meeting on December 20. The potentially disruptive vote comes as Italy's biggest phone company by market share tries to revive years of sluggish growth and share underperformance while at the same time cutting its 28 billion euros of debt. Businessman Marco Fossati, Telecom Italia's No.2 investor through his 5 percent stake, and small shareholders group ASATI have proposed to oust the Italian phone company's board, which they say caters more to the interests of core shareholders such as Spain's Telefonica than to other investors. Holding company Telco, which owns 22.4 percent of Telecom Italia, is controlled by Telefonica together with Italian financial companies Assicurazioni Generali, Intesa Sanpaolo and Mediobanca. Full Story | Top |
| Google's former head of Android now running its robotics group: report Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 10:17 AM PST  Google Inc has quietly acquired more than a half-dozen companies for a new robotics groups led by Andy Rubin, formerly in charge of Google's popular mobile software, according to a report in the New York Times on Wednesday. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment. Google Chief Executive Larry Page wrote on his official Google+ profile page on Wednesday that it was still "early days" for the robotics project, but that he was looking forward to seeing the progress. Rubin was formerly in charge of Google's Android mobile operating system, which is now used on roughly 80 percent of the world's smartphones. Full Story | Top |
| Britain to give all-clear to Huawei security centre Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 09:26 AM PST  By Andrew Osborn and Peter Griffiths LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will clear Chinese telecoms equipment firm Huawei to run a UK-based cyber security center if it agrees to tighter rules to allay spying and hacking fears, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Huawei supplies software and equipment which channels phone calls and data around Britain and has found itself at the center of a debate, particularly in the United States, over whether it is a risk for governments to allow foreign suppliers access to their networks. Last year, the U.S. House Intelligence Committee urged U.S. telecoms companies not to do business with Huawei because it said potential Chinese state influence on the firm posed a security threat. Australia's government upheld a ban in October on Huawei bidding for work on its National Broadband Network, citing security agency advice. Full Story | Top |
| Brazil delays vote on anti-spying Internet bill -lawmaker Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 09:16 AM PST  A vote on a bill that would force Internet giants like Google and Facebook to keep Brazilians' information inside the country will be delayed until next year over disagreements about its content, a senior lawmaker told Reuters on Wednesday. The bill would give President Dilma Rousseff powers to order Internet companies to store users' data in local servers, a move seen as response to allegations that the United States spied on her communications and that of thousands of regular Brazilians. The delay is a temporary relief for Google and Facebook, which oppose a requirement they say would increase costs and erect unnecessary barriers in one of the world's largest Internet markets. The postponement of the vote stems from disagreements among government allies in Congress over the requirement and a "neutrality" clause that bars telecom companies from charging different rates for Internet speed. Full Story | Top |
| EU Commission approves Microsoft takeover of Nokia business Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 08:41 AM PST  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union antitrust regulators have approved Microsoft's $7.3 billion acquisition of Nokia's mobile device business without conditions, the European Commission said on Wednesday. "The Commission concluded that the transaction would not raise any competition concerns," the European Commission said in a statement, adding that it was unlikely "to lead to competitors being shut out from the market". (Reporting By John O'Donnell; editing by Robin Emmott) Full Story | Top |
| Russian double-sided smartphone has global ambitions Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 08:22 AM PST  By Maria Kiselyova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian modem developer Yota Devices has launched its first smartphone, hoping its novel double-sided screen will allow it to break into foreign markets although analysts doubt it will gain a sizeable share from established rivals. Yota has been developing the phone since 2010. On Wednesday, it was presented to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a lover of modern gadgets, who suggested the novelty had made iPhone maker Apple "strain", Russian news agencies reported. Oil-rich Russia is a major market for foreign handset makers such as Apple and Samsung Electronics, but it has so far not been successful in designing handsets. Full Story | Top |
| Netflix meets with officials on French launch Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 05:05 AM PST  By Julien Ponthus and Leila Abboud PARIS (Reuters) - Online video company Netflix met with the French president's staff on Tuesday to discuss a possible launch of its streaming service in Europe's third-largest market, in what would be a blow to traditional television companies. Netflix, which was created in the United States and is now available in 41 countries, has to-date focused on English-speaking markets in Europe such as Britain, the Netherlands, and the Nordics, although rumors of their arrival in France have been recurrent for years. "Netflix wanted information about the legal conditions that would affect its potential arrival in France," an official at the president's office said, adding that the executives were also visiting Germany and other European countries. Netflix sells monthly subscriptions that allow users to watch television series and movies via the Internet on their televisions, tablet computers and mobile phones. Full Story | Top |
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