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Twitter Expects To Reach 1 Billion Users — Twitter — InformationWeek

October 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Twitter, currently the world’s third largest social network, expects to reach 1 billion users, site co-founder Evan Williams told attendees of a San Francisco conference on Monday.

Williams did not, however, provide any timeframe for when the microblogging site — which has fewer account holders than Facebook and MySpace — will hit this number. After reporting in July it has 500 million active account holders, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed Facebook would reach 1 billion members.

It could be a while before Twitter arrives at that ambitious mark, based on the most recent statistics from Google Adplanner. Today, Twitter has 98 million users, according to the third-quarter social media update, up only 2 million, or 2.08%, from the prior quarter. In the first quarter of 2010, Twitter had 80 million users, and grew to 96 million users by the end of the second quarter, Google Adplanner found. There are more than 165 million registered users, according to Twitter.

via Twitter Expects To Reach 1 Billion Users — Twitter — InformationWeek.

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Most large companies hit by hack attacks, survey shows – Computerworld

October 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Is this year turning out to be even worse for getting hacked than last year?

That’s what a survey of 350 IT and network professionals would indicate, with large companies in particular reporting this to be worse than last in terms of suffering at least one network intrusion of their user machines, office network or servers.

The Sixth Annual Enterprise IT Security Survey, released Monday, found that 67% of large companies with 5,000 or more employees reported one successful intrusion or more this year, compared with 41% in 2009. Mid-size companies of 1,000 to 4,999 employees fared better with 59% reporting an intrusion, up slightly from 57% in 2009.

via Most large companies hit by hack attacks, survey shows – Computerworld.

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Microsoft encryption technology not widely used, according to survey – Computerworld

September 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Microsoft’s full-disk encryption feature is not being widely used, even where it is part of the Windows operating system, according to a new survey released by security vendor Opswat.

Microsoft added its BitLocker hard-disk encryption feature to the “ultimate” and “enterprise” versions of its Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, in response to greater concern over data losses and breaches. It is also present in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Security companies have also taken an interest in full hard-disk encryption by making acquisitions, including Symantec’s purchase of PGP and GuardianEdge, Sophos’ purchase of Utimaco and McAfee’s acquisition of SafeBoot.

Opswat conducted its survey by analyzing 35,000 reports from the 50 million network endpoints on which it manages applications using its OESIS software framework. It verifies the compatibility of security applications with other applications such as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) VPN and network access control technologies.

But it appears from Opswat’s data that despite having full disk encryption technology, few organizations are actually using it.

via Microsoft encryption technology not widely used, according to survey – Computerworld.

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Officials widen net in HP Russian bribery probe | News | PC Pro

September 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A bribery investigation into HP’s business in Russia looks set to widen, according to a company filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The announcement relates to an ongoing investigation by German officials into allegations that Hewlett-Packard ISE, a former German subsidiary of HP, bribed Russia’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in order to secure a contract worth £30 million.

The latest filing suggests that the net is being thrown wider in the case and may involve other several transactions in the private sector.

The €35 million transaction spanned 2001 to 2006 and was for the delivery and installation of an IT network

“The German Public Prosecutor’s Office has been conducting an investigation into allegations that current and former employees of HP engaged in bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion relating to a transaction,” the company said in its statement.

“The €35 million transaction, which was referred to as the Russia GPO deal, spanned 2001 to 2006 and was for the delivery and installation of an IT network.

via Officials widen net in HP Russian bribery probe | News | PC Pro.

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Sense Networks: Data mining your digital footprints – Jun. 14, 2010

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Forget the so-called paper trail. Wherever you go these days, you’re creating a path of digital data, thanks to GPS technology and an ever-expanding network of location-aware smartphones.

What if one company could mine that data alongside other publicly available statistics, pulling out patterns and predictions? How could the results help both consumers and advertisers? When it comes to answering those questions, investors are betting $9.4 million on Sense Networks, a 16-employee startup in New York City.

This spring, Sense Networks launched CabSense, a free smartphone application that’s been downloaded by more than 11,000 users so far. In New York, where hailing a cab is a timeless — and often frustrating — art, CabSense offers a high-tech strategy for improving your chances of flagging one down. Using GPS and Google Maps, the software marks intersections near you with zero to five stars, indicating the likelihood that you’ll find an unoccupied cab there.

“If you’re in SoHo around 6 o’clock and trying to catch a taxi, you’re much better off walking up Broadway a little bit north of Houston,” explains Tony Jebara, the Columbia University computer science professor who cofounded Sense Networks.

via Sense Networks: Data mining your digital footprints – Jun. 14, 2010.

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Google hit with class-action lawsuit over Wi-Fi snooping – Computerworld

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Google‘s secret Wi-Fi sniffing has prompted a class-action lawsuit that could force the company to pay up to $10,000 for each time it snatched data from unprotected hotspots, court documents show.

The lawsuit, which was filed by an Oregon woman and a Washington man in a Portland, Ore. federal court on Monday, accused Google of violating Federal privacy and data acquisition laws.

“When Google created its data collection systems on its GSV [Google Street View] vehicles, it included wireless packet sniffers that, in addition to collecting the user’s unique or chosen Wi-Fi network name (SSID information), the unique number given to the user’s hardware used to broadcast a user’s Wi-Fi signal (MAC address, the GSV data collection systems also collected data consisting of all or part of any documents, e-mails, video, audio, and VoIP information being sent over the network by the user [payload data],” the lawsuit stated.

On Tuesday, the same plaintiffs filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent Google from deleting the data, a move the company has said it would make “as soon possible.” Oral arguments on the restraining order are scheduled for Monday before U.S. District Court Judge Janice Stewart.

via Google hit with class-action lawsuit over Wi-Fi snooping – Computerworld.

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AT&T Sees NY Network Upgrades Wrapped Up By 3Q, SF By 4Q – WSJ.com

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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AT&T Inc. (T) is expected to wrap up its network improvements for New York by the third quarter, with San Francisco to follow three months later, according to the company’s operations chief.

The Dallas telecommunications giant is working to upgrade its network in the two key media markets, which were hit by intense traffic primarily caused by the Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone. But the company has been delayed by component shortages and zoning issues, which have been particularly cumbersome in San Francisco.

The improvements are critical to AT&T repairing the reputation of the network, which suffers from the perception that its coverage lags behind rival Verizon Wireless. It also will enable the company to offer additional features, such as tethering for the iPhone, which allows a handset’s cellular signal to be used like a modem.

Other AT&T smartphones allow tethering.

“It’s taking longer than we’d like,” said John Stankey, chief executive of AT&T Operations, in an interview with Dow Jones. “The dynamics of San Francisco are different.”

The New York improvements are proceeding on schedule, he said, adding that the work in San Francisco is roughly 90 days behind as a result of the logistical complications.

Last month, the company said the number of dropped calls on its third-generation, or 3G, network fell 6% in Manhattan and 9% in the New York metropolitan area, but acknowledged that San Francisco was behind. Earlier Wednesday, Ralph de la Vega, who runs AT&T’s wireless and consumer businesses, told investors that the New York metrics have “improved significantly.”

via CORRECT: AT&T Sees NY Network Upgrades Wrapped Up By 3Q, SF By 4Q – WSJ.com.

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Sprint 4G: The Home Broadband Alternative? – PCWorld

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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In addition to being a pretty cool phone with all the latest bells and whistles, the HTC Evo 4G has one very unique attribute: It’s the first U.S. handset designed for 4G (fourth generation) mobile broadband networks.

Sprint says its 4G WiMax network, a partnership between the wireless carrier and its broadband partner Clearwire, is up to 10 times faster than today’s 3G speeds. That translates into download speeds of up to 6 megabits per second (Mbps), although performance will vary by location.

PC World‘s Mark Sullivan, who tested the Sprint/Clearwire network in Las Vegas in March, saw download rates ranging from a blistering 11 Mbps to 13 Mbps at the high end, to a not-too-shabby 2 Mbps at the low end. At those speeds, WiMax is a viable alternative to today’s home broadband offerings, including DSL, cable, and fiber (e.g., FiOS).

Sprint sees a potential market there too. “We see Sprint 4G as a tremendous opportunity for customers who are interested in choosing a wireless solution over Cable/DSL/fiber,” company spokesman Mark Elliott told me recently. The company’s 4G service is currently available in 32 U.S. markets, and Sprint hopes to reach 120 million people by end of 2010.

via Sprint 4G: The Home Broadband Alternative? – PCWorld.

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How Facebook Pulled a Privacy Bait and Switch – PCWorld

May 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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The firestorm over Facebook‘s rapidly shrinking privacy protections shows no sign of abating, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to Facebook. According to them, the vast majority of users are totally sanguine with the social network‘s increasingly generous data sharing policies – it’s just us cranks in the press who are bitching and moaning.

Ethan Beard, director of Facebook’s developer network, had this to say in an interview with Computerworld‘s Sharon Gaudin:

“I think the response from users that we’ve seen from the products we launched at [Facebook's F8 developer conference late last month] has been quite positive. People are actively opting-in to engage with the social Web. The response from users speaks very, very loudly that they love what we’re doing. I think there’s a lot of other talk that’s not coming from users necessarily. There’s been a lot of interest from the media, from organizations and officials. But to be honest, the user response has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Beard stopped short of accusing the media of inventing this controversy, but you know it’s what he was implying.

via How Facebook Pulled a Privacy Bait and Switch – PCWorld.

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Google Plans To Deliver 1Gb/sec Fiber-Optic Broadband Network To More Than 50,000 Homes

February 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Google is getting into the broadband business. The company plans to deploy its own “experimental” fiber-optic network to at least 50,000 homes, perhaps as many as 500,000. The fiber-optic network will deliver speeds of 1 gigabit-per-second, which is more than 20 times faster than residential fiber optic services offered today in the U.S.

via Google Plans To Deliver 1Gb/sec Fiber-Optic Broadband Network To More Than 50,000 Homes.

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