Apple drives further into Facebook, Snap territory with video app

 

SAN FRANCISCO - With the release of a new video app called Clips, Apple Inc is inching one step closer to fully engaging in the messaging world, where its huge base of iPhone users could help it compete with Snap Inc's Snapchat and Facebook Inc's Messenger.

Clips, which will hit Apple's App Store in April, lets customers take videos and add animated captions and titles, complete with colorful emoji symbols. The app also makes it possible to stitch together multiple video clips and add speech bubbles and filters.
The functions closely resemble those that drive Snap's wildly popular Stories feature. With Stories, Snap users string together photos and videos, embellish them and then post them to their feeds.
Apple's new Clips lets users post their video to Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo and more. But if users post them to Apple's own Messages app, Apple will recommend whom to share it with based on which friends are in the videos and whom the user frequently contacts -- the kind of predictive social features Facebook excels at.
Apple has a huge number of users for Messages, the flagship app for short notes that is built into the iPhone's iOS 10 software. Apple does not say how many people use the app, but it does say that there more than 1 billion iOS devices on the market and that 79% of them run iOS 10.
Apple also says that Messages is the most commonly used app on iOS devices, giving the company potentially up to 800 million users for its latest messaging platform. Snap, by contrast, has 161 million daily active users. While Apple's Clips competitor will technically be a separate app from Messages, it will be tied closely to it for the ability share Clips videos with other Apple users.
Facebook has more than 1 billion users for both Messenger, which was split off from the main Facebook service in 2014, and for WhatsApp, which it acquired for $19 billion the same year.
Apple has been steadily matching the features of Facebook's Messenger. But Apple is also walking a fine line with other messaging players, cooperating with them often as it competes with them. For example, it has opened up the iPhone's dialer app, long closed off to developers, so that iPhone users could place and receive Skype and WhatsApp calls through the device's native interface.
Alphabet Inc's Google and Microsoft Corp have been scrambling to get into the game, too. Google has more than a half dozen messaging apps, including Allo, its latest.
Microsoft has tried to integrate chat into its Skype app, and Microsoft-owned LinkedIn is a popular tool for business notes.
But tech giants obsess over messaging because it is where users are headed, according to analyst firm Gartner. Between 2015 and 2016, the percentage of US and UK smartphone owners who used social media apps dropped from 85% to 83% while messaging apps jumped from 68% to 71%, a trend Gartner expects will continue.

Thai govt ultimatum has passed

Thai govt ultimatum has passed, but Facebook is reportedly not backing down

 

 

Thailand's Internet Service Provider Association (Tispa), under pressure from the government to block access to Facebook, said the social media giant will not remove illicit content until it receives proper court warrants, local media reported.
The government had given Facebook a Tuesday 10 a.m. local time deadline to remove the content or face legal action, the Bangkok Post reported Tuesday.
The report added that Tispa and internet gateway providers sent an email to the managing director of Facebook Thailand on Friday with the request and reportedly said 131 URLs had been deemed inappropriate have yet to be removed.
After the ultimatum passed, Tispa president Morakot Kulthamyothin told Khaosod English that Facebook stands by its policy.
"They [Facebook] said the request to block 131 URLs lacked court orders in the documents, and they said that if the documents are completed, they will proceed with the requests," she told the Thai media.
A Facebook spokesperson told CNBC that the company will review requests such as that by the Thai government and remove content that violates the law.
"When governments believe that something on the Internet violates their laws, they may contact companies like Facebook and ask us to restrict access to that content. When we receive such a request, we review it to determine if it puts us on notice of unlawful content. If we determine that it does, then we make it unavailable in the relevant country or territory and notify people who try to access it why it is restricted."
Last week, Reuters reported that Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission said Facebook had failed to remove 131 of 309 web addresses on the platform that were deemed a threat to national security or violated "lese majeste" laws that make it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen heir to the throne or regent.

IT Expert who saved the World

IT expert who saved the world from WannaCry cyber attack fears for his safety
The British IT expert who slowed the spread of the WannaCry global cyber attack now fears for his safety.
The security researcher, named in reports as Marcus Hutchins, 22, was hailed an ‘accidental hero’ for his discovery of the virus’s kill switch.
However he has said he is now concerned that ‘terrible things’ may be done in retaliation for his efforts.
An international operation is under way to find the perpetrators behind the unprecedented attack that has infected 200,000 machines in 150 countries since Friday.
Speaking to MailOnline, the cyber specialist, known as MalwareTech, said: ‘In future someone might want to retaliate – they could find my identity within seconds.
‘If they know where I live, they could really do anything.’

The workstation where he is believed to have slowed the spread of WannaCry

He referred to the case of another security blogger who was subject to intimidation, including death threats, after his identity was leaked online.
‘I’ve seen posts about the terrible things people have done to him and for me in future it could be the same things,’ MalwareTech said.
Writing on his Twitter account, he said journalists had already tracked down a friend, whose photograph was published in the press and turned up at her house, saying: ‘Please if you want an interview that badly, DM me.’
The online community pleaded for his identity not to be outed online – a research process known as ‘doxing’ – to protect him.
MalwareTech himself wrote: ‘I always thought I’d be doxed by skids (people in hacking forums), but turns out Journalists are 100x better at doxing.’

(Picture: PA)

Theresa May praises NHS staff in wake of cyber attackLoaded: 0%Progress: 0%
But he added: ‘I guess the upside is now I can be a selfie queen and livestream because I’ve got no opsec (operations security) left.’
The keen surfer, who reportedly lives in Devon, was praised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) for his part in tackling the ransomware’s propagation around the world.
He became an international sensation after he prevented hundreds of thousands of computers from being infected by the virus that wreaked havoc across the NHS.
The blogger said he was ‘jumping around a room with the excitement’ after he discovered that activating a specific web domain could disable the worm.
MalwareTech said he had also been providing the NCSC with data to help notify infected companies, warning that computers which had not had their security brought up to date will be vulnerable to further attack.

(Picture: EPA)

Mother’s horror after her naked children were pictured on Google street view

A mother said she was horrified after her two children were pictured naked on Google street view while playing in a paddling pool outside their house.Google blurred out the faces of the children Laura Haslam, 27, contacted them about the images of daughters Brooke, four, and Eva, three.

But she said that their bodies were still visible in the pictures.
She said: ‘It’s quite scary scared because I don’t know how many people might have seen it. I don’t know how long it’s been there for, but it looks like it was taken last summer.
‘It was a hot day and I put the paddling pool out at the front of the house because that’s where the sun is – but I certainly won’t be doing that again.’

Laura, a business student at Blackpool and The Fylde College, was alerted to the pictures by a neighbour.

She contacted police and Google to complain about the pictures. They have now been fully blurred so their bodies can no longer be seen.

Laura, from Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, said: ‘I couldn’t believe it when a neighbour knocked on the door and said ‘you need to look on Google Maps because your kids are naked on the internet’.

‘I honestly thought nothing of it and thought he was winding me up – but then I was just so shocked to see it.

‘I mean, they had their faces blurred out but it was enough for a paedophile to get a kick out of it.’

Laura, who is engaged to Jordan Senior, 33, said she has kept the original image in case the issue is taken further.

Mum-of-two Laura said: ‘I know I would never win taking on the likes of Google and their army of lawyers – but something needs to be done.

‘I know they automatically blur faces, but surely they should scan the area for naked bodies – any pervert could have looked at my kids on there.

‘Why is it acceptable to show their bodies and not their faces?

‘The images have been totally smudged now but I don’t know why they didn’t do that in the first place.’

Scam Alert: Fake Facebook Customer Service

A Leesburg resident was the victim of an online scam involving access to the victim's Facebook account, according to Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kraig Troxell.

On May 10, the victim told police that they were attempting to reset a Facebook password. They located a Facebook customer service number that turned out to be fraudulent.

A person who answered the call claimed the victim’s account was locked and they needed to purchase an iTunes card and provide bank information.

The victim provided the information and purchased several cards before learning it was a scam.
How stupid can someone be, to pay to be on FACEBOOK? I am not stupid enough to even be on Facebook. There is a sucker born every 10 seconds, every 2 seconds in PWC.

Here are a few things you can do to keep your account secure:

• Protect your password. Don't use your Facebook password anywhere else online, and never share it with other people. Your password should be difficult to guess. Avoid including your name or common words. Learn more about creating a strong password.
• Never share your login information. Scammers may create fake websites that look like Facebook and ask you to login with your email address and password. Always check the website's URL before you enter your login information. When in doubt, type www.facebook.com into your browser to get to Facebook. Learn more about avoiding phishing.
• Log out of Facebook when you use a computer you share with other people. If you forget, you can log out remotely.
• Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know. Scammers may create fake accounts to friend people. Becoming friends with scammers might allow them to spam your Timeline, tag you in posts and send you malicious messages.
• Watch out for malicious software. Learn the signs of an infected computer or device and how to remove malicious software. Keep your web browser up to date and remove suspicious applications or browser add-ons.
• Never click suspicious links, even if they appear to come from a friend or a company you know. This includes links on Facebook (ex: on posts) or in emails. Keep in mind that Facebook will never ask you for your password in an email. If you see a suspicious link on Facebook, report it.
• Use our extra security features. For example, you can get alerts about unrecognized logins and choose friends to be your trusted contacts. If you're logged into Facebook on a computer, you can use Security Checkup to review your security settings.

$300 million lost in online scams as they reach record levels in Australia

A SURGE in scams targeting social media sites such as Facebook has seen a record number of rip-off reports to the national consumer watchdog, according to a report released today.

The unprecedented level of scam activity has prompted the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to provide urgent advice to people to avoid becoming another con job victim.

Last year there were 200,000 scam reports made to the ACCC — costing victims almost $300 million in lost money — which was a 47 per cent hike on the 2015 figures, the ACCC said.

South Australians accounted for more than 13,000 reports worth around $4 million in losses.

ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said there had been a “sharp increase in scams taking place through social media sites’’.

“It can be really hard to tell who’s genuine and who’s fake these days,” she warned.

Ms Rickard said the majority of reports about scams via social media were taking place on Facebook.

“The ACCC is working with Facebook, as well as the major banks, MoneyGram, Paypal,

Western Union and Apple to better tackle scams and reduce the harm experienced by

consumers,” she said.

Among the most common social media scams reported to the ACCC’s Scamwatch involved dating and romance and fake traders.

Around 30 per cent of dating and romance scam victims reported were conducted via social media sites, most commonly on Facebook.

“Dating and romance scammers trick their victims into falling in love with them and then use

their victim’s trust to deceitfully take their money,” Ms Rickard said

“If someone you’ve met through social media but you’ve never met in person asks you for

money, your alarm bells should be ringing. Don’t ever wire transfer or send money to

someone you don’t know because you won’t see it again.”

More than 240 reports of dating and romance scams came from South Australian victims, of whom 68 lost money, 22 being conned out of more than $10,000 each, according to the ACCC report.

While investment scams accounted for the most losses last year, fake trader scams were also on the increase with victims often responding to online store advertisements on social media sites offering discounted products made by well-known brands, the report found.

Ms Rickard urged people to respond to “generous’’ sale offers by researching the company, check where the product is coming from, check the company’s website and try and find

any reviews about the business before making a purchase.

Social media scams are the theme of the annual ACCC Fraud Week beginning today.

''Facebook'' The Domain of Choice For Scammers

Social media is emerging as the new hunting ground for scammers to find victims, according to new data out today.

The consumer watchdog's annual scam report also identifies a whopping 47 % increase in all reports it receives about scams.

It identifies a "sharp increase" in scams taking place through social media sites such as Facebook.

"It can be really hard to tell who's genuine and who's fake these days," Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) deputy chairwoman Delia Rickard said.

The joint report from the ACCC and the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network shows 200,000 reports of scams last year, with losses totalling almost $300 million.

 the two most common social media scams reported were dating, romance and fake trader scams.

About 30 per cent of dating and romance scam victims — 1,352 people — reported they were contacted via social media sites, in particular Facebook.

"Dating and romance scammers trick their victims into falling in love with them and then use their victim's trust to deceitfully take their money,

Dating and romance scams cost Australians $42 million in 2016, behind investment scams, which tallied the most losses to scammers at $59 million.

Fake trader scams are increasing, where victims see advertisements for online stores on social media selling discounted products made by well-known brands.

The ACCC says many of these online stores are fake and victims buy goods that do not exist.

Sextortion, an emerging scam, also uses social media to gain access to victims.

It is a form of blackmail, with compromising images of the victim used to extort money.

"We saw a large number of people who had shared intimate videos or photos with someone they'd met online, then being blackmailed and asked for large amounts of money, otherwise these people would release these very embarrassing images to all of that person's friends and family," 

12 Computer Tricks You Should Try Right Now

Computers have simplified our life to a great extent. Things that were impossible earlier can now be completed instantly thanks to computers. However, this does not mean that a PC is all work and no play.

1. Have fun with Notepad
   If you think that Notepad is just a basic text editor, then, you will be amazed by its capabilities. You can use Notepad to create everything from personalized logs to harmless viruses that are incredibly annoying. Go see this post to know just how useful Notepad is.
2. Command Prompt too has some tricks up its sleeves
   If you think that the Command prompt is a boring old program that no one uses, you are making a huge mistake. It can be used for everything from watching ASCII Star Wars to making folders that you cannot delete. See this post to know about all the cool stuff you can do with the Windows Command Prompt.
3. Use Keyboard Shortcuts to get work done in no time
   If you are tired of having to alternate between your mouse and keyboard to operate your Windows computer, you would love to know these really useful keyboard shortcuts which greatly increase your speed and efficiency. See this post for details.
4. Make your computer speak what you type
   You can use your PC's built in features and some VBScript magic to create a simple program that will make your computer speak whatever you input to it. Enter the right words and you could imitate a real conversation. Head over to this post to talk with your PC.
5. Make your computer greet you every time you start Windows
   A simple modification in the previous trick will make your computer welcome you in its own mechanical voice every time you log onto Windows. This is achieved by placing the VBS script responsible for making your computer talk in the Start up folder. 
6. Find your computer's gender
   Want to know if your PC is a male or a female? Simple. Try the previous trick to know if your computer is a 'he' or a 'she'. On a serious note, this depends upon the voice you have selected in Microsoft Text to Speech options.
7. Lock Folders with password
   If you have important personal files that you do not want other people to see, you can hide them in a password protected folder to prevent unwanted users from seeing them. Go see this post to hide your personal files effectively.
8. Change your Processor's name
   
   
   If you are bored of your old processor and want a new one with a staggering name, you will definitely want to see this trick which allows you to change its name to something extraordinary to make your PC special.
9. Make a Keyboard Disco
   You can use some VBScript coding to create a live disco on your keyboard by making the LED lights flash alternately. 
10. Recover permanently deleted files in Windows
    If you have ever deleted a file in Windows that you did not want to and now want to recover it, you would definitely want to know about some free tools to recover your deleted files easily.
11. Use your Keyboard as Mouse.
    You know you can use your mouse as keyboard using the On-screen keyboard utility. What if I tell you that it is also possible to do the reverse? Just read this post to see how.
12. Disable USB ports to prevent others from taking your data
    Ever wanted to disable your USB ports to prevent others from using their flash drives on your PC? This post explains how to do just that with a simple registry trick. Do note that disabling USB ports will also disable your USB connected peripheral devices.