Tech News Today 241

Tech News Today Episode 241

Tech News Today 241: Scale Me, Baby

Why you need to know who Sheryl Sandberg is, How Android is open and closed at the same time, Paywalls are doomed, and more!

Hosts

• Tom Merritt (@acedtect)
  • TomMerritt.com
• Sarah Lane (@sarahlane)
  • SarahLane.com
• Iyaz Akhtar
  • thisoldnerd.finitecomedy.com
• Jason Howell
  • JasonHowell.net

Top Stories

• Is Comcast blocking the Pirate Bay? (updated: it isn't just Comcast)
• We should keep checking this site
  • number of Comcast users saying they can't access ThePirateBay.org
  • Comcast says they did not block the site
  • Engadget Poll on its site shows that ThePirateBay is accessible for non-Comcast users

• Facebook Busted in Clumsy Smear on Google
• In Pursuit of Openness: Facebook Admits It Tried to Smear Google on Privacy
• B-M Says Facebook Assignment “Should Have Been Declined”
• Google deflects PR firm's attack of Gmail privacy
• Facebook Stands by Google Privacy Doubts, but Says It Should Have Been More Upfront
  • Burson-Marsteller, a PR firm, hired to pitch anti-Google stories to newspapers about privacy invasions
  • The Daily Beast says Facebook hired the PR firm.
  • Facebook spokesman confirmed that Facebook hired Burson, citing two reasons: First, because it believes Google is doing some things in social networking that raise privacy concerns; second, and perhaps more important, because Facebook resents Google’s attempts to use Facebook data in its own social-networking service.
  • Burson's mailings focused on Google's "Social Circle" saying it was "designed to scrape private data and build deeply personal dossiers on millions of users"
  • email exchanges between Burson and bloggers published online
  • USA Today also pointed out it received a number of these anti-Google messages
  • Facebook was trying to call attention to Google’s efforts to build and display accurate depictions of people’s social connections by crawling and scraping sites such as Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Yelp and Yahoo.

• Software piracy hits record high of $59 billion

• BSA's post
• BSA tells old joke about software piracy, wants third world to pay for it
• Global Piracy
• Arrrr, we’re not pirates after all
• Digital music sales 'pass £1bn'
  • Study from the Business Software Alliance found that piracy reached $59B in 2010, 14% growth compared to 2009
  • BSA operates on behalf of Adobe, Apple, Microsoft and others
  • Emerging markets pirated $32B worth
  • Unwitting pirates included: one license, multiple installs, BSA said 47% believed it was legal in the workplace (it's legal at home, not workplace) "The software industry is being robbed blind," BSA CEO Robert Holleyman said in a statement. "Nearly $59 billion worth of products were stolen last year--and the rates of theft are completely out of control in the world's fastest-growing markets."

Discussion Stories

• Why Facebook Needs Sheryl Sandberg
  • Businessweek profile of Sheryl Sandberg, COO of FB, job is to scale FB, it's grown from 66M users to 640M
  • Zuck thinks that FB can be an agent of change in China, Sandberg doesn't like the compromises necessary to be in China"

• White House proposes cybersecurity legislation
• White House Fact Sheet: Cybersecurity Legislative Proposal
  • law designed to force companies to do more to fend off cyberattacks
  • summary of proposal released, but full text not until later today
  • Plan would mandate disclosures of vulnerabilities
  • National Data Breach Reporting: 47 states have laws on this, WH's plan would standardize the method and manner of intrusion disclosures
  • Penalties for Computer Criminals: effectively updating laws that don't cover cyber crimes to cover them such as RICO, the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Would set mandatory minimums for cybe intrusions into critical infrastructure.
  • Proposal would include clarification of DHS authority to help victims of cyber attacks,
  • allow sharing of info (such as id'ing new viruses or threats) bet. private companies, state and local govts.

• How Google controls Android: digging deep into the Skyhook filings
  • Google's leverage comes from the right to preload Google branded apps, like Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, and Android Market.
  • These apps are closed and the license forbids reverse engineering
  • For a specific device to get a license, it must pass the Android Compatibility Test Suite and meet the Android Compatibility Definition. Google reserves the right to change the CTS and ACD in any way it wants up the point a device is certified for launch.
  • Samsung's agreement requires them to only distribute Google-approved Android devices.
  • Motorola also told Skyhook that its carrier agreements require Google’s apps be preloaded on its phones
  • Skyhook devices would somehow contaminate Google’s location database
  • devices using Skyhook would not contribute to Google location database,
  • OEMs might continue to choose Skyhook over Google’s location service.
  • Google called a stop ship on Droid X until Skyhook was removed
  • Google caused a stop-ship on Galaxy S and also required a patch for already shipped phones that temporarily broke location

• Interview: Steve Forbes Says Pay Walls Can’t Pay The Way
• Surprise: 50% of iPad subscribers click "Allow"
  • More iPad subscribers than expected are giving their peronsal info to pubs making them more comfortable with offering subscriptions through iTunes -Meanwhile Forbes makes the argument that paywalls hurt more than they help. Paywalls will only work best if readers have few or no legitimate alternatives. If Forbes provides the free alternative and makes it work, say goodbye to most paywalls.

News Fuse

• Users are trading in their PlayStation 3 consoles due to PlayStation Network being offline, according to a report. Retail sources told Edge that there has been an over 200% rise in systems being swapped for cash or Xbox 360s, and that sales of PSN points cards have plummeted. "In the first week of downtime we did not really see any major change in sales or trades," said a store manager at one major retailer. Also NPD reports says Xbox 360 continues to be best selling console of 2011 up 60% over last year.

• Amazon's president and CEO Jeff Bezos told Consumer Reports to “stay tuned” on the company’s plans for a tablet device. Bezos also reassured that any possible tablet would be more likely to supplement than to supplant the Kindle. So he's not saying anything except that they'll announce a tablet and keep the Kindle. But other than that, not saying a thing!

• Remember the hack of Chrome's sandbox reported by Vupent security a few days ago? Google engineers Tavis Ormandy and Chris Evans have taken issue with the claim, saying Vupent has found a legitimate bug but it is with Flash, not Chrome. Assuming they're right, since Flash is bundled into Chrome, as a user, well, I still have a vulnerability in my browser. Stop pointing fingers and fix it!

• Intel is working on a new Atom chip architecture that goes beyond the 3D transistors announced last week. The new Atom-based "micro-architecture," codenamed "Silvermont," will ship in 2013, adding a new architecture on top of the new transistor structures. The Silvermont architecture will be two generations beyond the current Atom chips.

• AT&T has made a big bet that the US will approve it's acquisition of T-Mobile. A 6 billion dollar bet actually. If the merger is not approved, or falls apart, AT&T will have to pay Deutsche Telekom $3Billion in cash, $2Billion in spectrum, and $1Billion in a roaming agreement. And an inestimable amount in shame.

• Facebook is launching several new security features today designed to protect users from malware and from getting their accounts hijacked. The site will display warnings when users are about to be duped by clickjacking and cross-site scripting attacks. Facebook also is offering two-factor authentication called "Login Approvals," and partnering with Web of Trust safe surfing service to give Facebook users more information about the sites they are linking to.

• Google clarified more about the Chromebook subscriptions yesterday and it may change your opinion of them as well. 3-year commitments will be required for Chromebook subscriptions and different rates will be charged for different models. MOnthly fees will range from $20 to $23 a device for educational users and $28 to $33 per device for business customers.

• Like dripping water torture, Bing is slowly eating away at search marketshare. Microsoft raised Bing share to 14.1 percent for April according to ComScore and raised Bing-powered Yahoo to 15.9% giving them an arguable 30%. Google dropped to 65.4%. All of these drops are within the margin of error, but show a continued slow gain for Microsoft. Still, one year ago Google was at 64.7%, so they actually rose slightly year over year, meaning Big's gains are not necessarily Google's losses.

Kickers and Weird Science

• 35% Use Mobile Apps Before Getting Out of Bed

Calendar

• Netflix's Android App is available today for some phones including the HTC Incredible, Evo 4G and the Samsung Nexus S
• Verizon sends out OTA update for the HTC Thunderbolt, lacks fix for LTE
• Nintendo launching 3DS eShop on June 7
• October 29, 2012 - that's when the ITC expects Nokia's current patent complaint against Apple to finish up. Nokia pretty much says every Apple device is violating Nokia's patents. Simple case.

Email

"Greetings Tech News Today peeps!

Just a quick note, yesterday on TNT you were talking about a caller who had a 10 year old using Facebook. The reason Facebook doesn't allow users under 13, is due tot he Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) enacted in 1998. The act prohibits any website/service from collecting any information from children under 13 years of age.

Just a heads up. Thanks for keeping it real.

Jared-"

"BOL & TNT Crews,

WTH?? no, really, WTH??

On your respective shows on 11-May-2011 you both read the *exact* same email from Wayne in Montreal. This means Wayne is a form letter writer....or he is trying to save on Canadian ISP usage caps?

Anyway, I'll assume you both know how to listen to each other's feeds, so I bet you a MacAir(s) that I am not hallucinating.

Love the show(s), Phil in Auburn, AL"

Sponsors

Freshbooks

• Freshbooks.com
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• ad times: :35-:43 and 14:13-16:06

Production Information

• Edited by: Jason
• Notes:

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