Spammers Quick to Exploit eBay Breach

A new email scam preys on eBay customers by implying reputation damage due to its recent data breach. Unwitting recipients click on a link that offers a free arrest-record search. "It will pretty much turn up anyone listed in the white pages in the U.S., and tell you it has information on the person in its files," said security researcher Andrew Conway. That's when money starts changing hands.

If you're a spammer, big news like the recent breach of eBay's computers is like striking oil in your back yard.

Perpetrators of unwanted email live for headline-grabbing events that they can use to separate gullible Web wanderers from their money, so the eBay breach is a perfect vehicle for the scammers, Cloudmark reported last week.

"We see this around security events like the eBay breach and natural disasters," Cloudmark Threat Researcher Andrew Conway

"In some cases, they'll take you to a malicious site that will try to convince you to install a Trojan on your system," he said, "but this one is not that bad."

The scam discovered by Cloudmark tries to scare recipients of the spam message into believing that their eBay credentials may be used to give them a criminal record.

"My name was used falsely in an arrest, and I didnt even Know it until I checked my public record," one typical spam message reads.

White Pages Arrest Record

Gulls who follow the link in the spam are taken to an arrest record website called "Instantcheckmate.com." When a target lands on the site, it tries to puff up its importance by reminding visitors through a popup screen that the site contains confidential information and has established a secure connection to the visitor's computer.

Actually, the connection isn't secure HTTPS, but plain, old insecure HTTP.

"So why would someone go to these lengths to try to make it look like the connection is secure rather than paying the (US)$70 or so it costs to buy a certificate and set up a genuinely secure connection?" Cloudmark asked in a company blog. "Could it be someone doesn't want to have their real identity on file at the certificate authority?"

First-time visitors are given a free arrest record search, but that too is bogus.

"It will pretty much turn up anyone listed in the white pages in the United States, and tell you it has information on the person in its files," Conway explained. "After you pay to see the data, you'll see it's not an arrest record at all. They just have a name and address on file from the white pages."

Moreover, when a visitor agrees to pay for a search, that agreement contains fine print setting up a recurring monthly charge for the site.

"That's a trick we see across various sorts of scams," Conway said. "You'll sign up for something without realizing it's a monthly fee rather than a one-time fee."

Find My Ransomware

Apple device owners in Australia received an unwelcome surprise in the early morning hours last week. Their iPhones sounded an alarm and displayed a message saying they were locked and wouldn't be unlocked unless a ransom was paid to "Oleg Pliss."

Apparently, the users' iCloud accounts were being accessed, and the Find My iPhone feature was being used by the intruder to lock the phones remotely.

As it turned out, getting around the ransom demand was relatively easy for most users. If the iPhone had a pass code activated, the ransom screen could be bypassed, allowing users to log into their account and fix the problem. iPhones without pass codes could be reset by doing a return-to-factory-settings-reset via iTunes on a computer.

The account violators did not breach iCloud's security, according to Apple, so that suggested the attack may have involved compromised user credentials.

"Many users tend to use the same credentials across multiple sites," Grace Zeng, a security researcher at SilverSky

"As iCloud/Apple IDs have to be registered to email addresses, chances are good that some passwords are the same as their email accounts," she noted.

"It could be the case that one's email address and password was leaked as a result of phishing or the recent retailer data breaches," Zeng speculated, "and attackers were able to use this same credential to log on to iCloud."

The Find My iPhone incident is just a prologue to things to come, said SilverSky CTO Andrew Jaquith.

"The bigger lesson here is that as consumers rely more and more on cloud services to manage their devices, automate their homes and consolidate their entertainment, thieves will increasingly target these services,"

Breach Diary

• May 27. U.S. Federal Trade Commission submits report to Congress calling for legislation to protect consumers from unbridled collection and sharing of their data by data brokers.
• May 27. Jordan Lee Jones, the college student who discovered one major vulnerability in eBay two weeks ago, publicizes a second flaw that he says could be used to hijack users' accounts.
• May 27. Spotify disables its Android app and notifies users to upgrade to new app after discovering a data breach in a single user's device.
• May 27. Security software maker Avast takes support forum offline after it discovers data breach placing at risk some 400,000 user names, email addresses and encrypted passwords.
• May 27. California Assembly approves and sends to Senate bill requiring retailers to notify customers of data breaches. Measure also makes mandatory provision of credit monitoring services to customers affected by a data breach.
• May 27. Los Angeles County board of supervisors votes to require encryption of data on all county departments' workstation hard drives. A similar requirement is already in place for laptops. Earlier this year, a theft of computers at a county health contractor's office put at risk personal information on 342,000 patients.
• May 27. Illinois state court rules parties in case involving the compromise of four million patient records on four laptops stolen from the Advocate Medical Group, of Downers Grove, Ill., cannot claim damages based solely on potential losses.
• May 27. Chinese government releases report claiming U.S. has flagrantly breached international law through unscrupulous surveillance on Chinese government offices. Earlier this month, the U.S. indicted five members of the Chinese military for hacking U.S. companies to steal trade secrets.
• May 28. Apple states that iCloud, its online storage service, was not compromised in series of attacks on Australian iPhone users through the company's Find My iPhone service.
• May 28. Institutional Shareholder Services, a proxy advisory firm, recommends Target shareholders replace seven of 10 members on retailer's board of directors for not doing enough to ensure the chain's information systems were fortified against security threats. In data breach during last year's holiday season, payment card and personal information of 110 million customers was stolen by hackers.
• May 28. ProMedica Bay Park Hospital in Ohio begins notifying 594 patients that their computer records were accessed without proper authorization by a former employee.
• May 28. America First Credit Union in Utah begins notifying some 20,000 debit card users that their cards were involved in skimming scam.
• May 28. SEC Consult reports Nice Recording eXpress, a communication interception program popular with law enforcement agencies, is riddled with weaknesses that can expose users to attacks that could compromise investigations and the security of their networks.
• May 28. Microsoft launches myBulletins, a service that allows users to search for security bulletins for the company's products that they use.
• May 29. iSight Partners releases report detailing three-year cyber espionage campaign by Iran aimed at high-value targets in the United States and Israel.
• May 29. Corey Kallenberg, a security researcher with Mitre, demonstrates how BIOS replacement UEFI can be hacked to facilitate cybersabotage of around half the computers that use the technology.
• May 29. The Constitution Project releases paper making case for a "speical advocate" to represent citizens' interest at FISA proceedings.
• May 30. Bloomberg reports data security was breached at Monsanto's Precision Planting unit placing at risk information on some 1,300 farmers.
• May 30. ThreatPost reports that San Diego State University has begun informing an undisclosed number of current and former students in its Pre-College Institute that some of their personal information was placed at risk by a configuration error that allowed the database containing those records to be accessed by unauthorized parties.
• May 30. Google releases form to comply with European court ruling allowing citizens to request certain information about them be omitted from search engine results.

Upcoming Security Events

• June 3. Meeting on Commercial Use of Facial Recognition Technology. 1-5 p.m. ET. Held by National Telecommunications and Information Administration at American Institute of Architects, 1735 New York Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
• June 5. Cyber Security Summit. Sheraton Premiere, Tysons Corner, Va. Registration: $250; government, $50.
• June 5. Portland SecureWorld. DoubleTree by Hilton, 1000 NE Multnomah, Porland, Ore. One Day Pass: $165; SecureWorld Plus, $545; exhibits and open sessions, $25.
• June 6-7. B-Sides Asheville. Mojo Coworking, Asheville, NC. Fee: NA.
• June 6-7. B-Sides Cape Town. Dimension Data, 2 Fir St., Cape Town, South Africa. Fee: NA.
• June 10. Get Your Ducks in a Row. 1 p.m. ET. Webinar on Phase 2 HIPAA audits sponsored by IDexperts. Free with registration.
• June 14. B-SidesCT. Quinnipiac University-York Hill Campus, Rocky Top Student Center, 305 Sherman Ave, Hamden, Conn. Fee: NA.
• June 18. Cyber Security Brainstorm. Newseum, Washington, D.C. Registration: Government, free; through June 17, $495; June 18, $595.
• June 20-21. Suits and Spooks New York City. Dream Downtown hotel, 355 West 16th St., New York City. Registration: Before May 6, $299; after May 6, $549.
• June 21. B-Sides Charlotte. Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel, 3315 Scot Futrell Dr., Charlotte, NC. Free.
• June 21-30. SANS Fire. Hilton Baltimore, 401 W. Pratt St., Baltimore. Courses: by April 30, $1,249-$4,695; by May 14, $1,249-$4,845; after May 14, $1,249-$5,095.
• June 24. Meeting on Commercial Use of Facial Recognition Technology. 1-5 p.m. ET. Held by National Telecommunications and Information Administration at American Institute of Architects, 1735 New York Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
• June 27-28. B-Sides Manchester (UK). Reynold Building, Manchester University (M1 7JA). Free.
• July 12. B-Sides Detroit. COBO Center, 1 Washington Blvd., Detroit. Free.
• July 19. B-Sides Cleveland. B side Liquor Lounge & The Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Free.
• Aug. 2-7. Black Hat USA. Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. Registration: through June 2, $1,795; through July 26, $2,195; after July 26, $2,595.
• Aug. 7-10. Defcon 22. Rio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. Registration: $220.
• Sept. 17-19. International Association of Privacy Professionals and Cloud Security Alliance Joint Conference. San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, Calif. Sept. 18. Cyber Security Summit. The Hilton Hotel, New York City. Registration: $250; government, $50.
• Sept. 29-Oct. 2. ISC2 Security Congress 2014. Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta. Registration: through Aug. 29, member or government, $895; non-member, $1,150. After Aug. 29, member and government, $995; non-member, $1,250.

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Apple Putting doctors, trainers and nutritionists in your pocket

Apple Putting doctors, trainers and nutritionists in your pocket:

It's been a long day. You were in meetings from nine in the morning until five in the evening, with barely enough time to eat in between. So you gorged on donuts from the cafeteria and indulged in a slice of pizza on the way home. When you enter that dietary data in your nutrition-tracking app, you get a notification that you've exceeded your daily caloric amount, sidelining your weight loss goals. Feeling guilty, you lace up your running shoes and head out to the park with a Fitbit in tow, knowing that you need to burn at least 500 calories in order to get back on track. Feeling pretty good after the run, you get a text from your doctor reminding you to have a good night's sleep tonight to rectify the erratic sleep patterns she's been tracking via a daily health report app. You tell her that will definitely not be a problem.
This is a picture of the future that Apple is envisioning with HealthKit, one of the more interesting features of yesterday's iOS 8 announcement. In essence, it's Apple's attempt to unify and share the disparate data of your health and fitness apps with each other, and -- if you want -- with your medical institution as well. With HealthKit, Apple wants to be the one-stop shop for your health and fitness needs. It's a rather ambitious goal, but it's also a necessary one given the increasingly crowded fitness field. And, of course, it also lays the groundwork for that long-rumored iWatch.%Slideshow-197984%

Before we get into the ramifications of HealthKit, let's dive a little deeper into what it is. It's essentially a set of tools that lets developers integrate health data into other apps, including one from Apple called Health that houses all of that info in one central hub. Currently, information from different apps and devices is siloed -- you can't sync Fitbit data with any other app, for example. With HealthKit, devs can build that kind of cross-app syncing.
This means that you could use devices and apps from different companies -- say a Nike FuelBand, a Withings Blood Pressure Monitor and an iHealth Wireless Smart Gluco-Monitoring System -- and have information from all of them gathered in the Apple Health app, which serves as a dashboard for your health and fitness data. You could also have applications talk to each other, like a nutrition app syncing with a fitness app to calculate just how many calories you need to burn to lose that extra pound. But the really interesting part of HealthKit is its potential to enable fitness trackers and health apps that are out there to work together.
Obviously, HealthKit could very well be the foundation for the iWatch, the wearable that Apple's supposedly been working on for a while. We imagine it could be used to sync with Apple's Health app so you could view all of your fitness data in one handy, wrist-worn location. After the rumor that Nike would be ending its FuelBand production, we were hoping to hear more on Nike's and Apple's collaboration on this front, but sadly that didn't happen. However, Apple did use Nike's Fuel on stage as an example of one app that's HealthKit-compatible, so we wonder if that's a hint of a hardware partnership to come.
But the really interesting part of HealthKit is its potential to enable fitness trackers and health apps that are out there to work together. Use both a Fitbit and a FuelBand? Not a problem, as the Health app will be able to track info from both. It gives you a much more holistic view of your health, as you could potentially see how the lack of sleep affects your blood pressure, for example. It could also enable a much more advanced and intimate take on health care, allowing patients to interact with their doctors in real time. This lets you, along with your health care provider, make more informed decisions to enhance your overall well-being.
However, in order for HealthKit to truly live up to its potential, a whole mess of developers will need to get on board. There's certainly a strong incentive for them to do so, but big names need to be involved beyond just Nike. Fortunately, Withings, Fitbit and iHealth already appear to be on the docket, but we're hoping smaller apps like MapMyRun and Strava get in on the action as well.
Further, there's a surprising lack of standards compliance across different devices and apps, and it's not entirely clear how Apple's HealthKit would resolve it. For example, the number of calories that my Fitbit says I've burned can be very different from the number that my FuelBand reports. Will it know to prefer one over the other? Even a metric as simple as the number of steps taken can differ wildly from app to app. Additionally, will companies that deal in proprietary metrics be okay with opening that up to other apps? Nike, to its credit, has agreed to share its made-up Fuel stat with at least a few third-party applications, though it's still relatively locked down compared to the competition. It remains to be seen how Apple will put all of this together to paint an accurate picture of your health.
Letting different apps and devices talk to each other essentially makes your iPhone the ultimate all-in-one fitness tool.
And, of course, we have to consider the competition. Samsung announced last Wednesday that it's planning on launching Simband, a modular, wrist-worn reference platform that might inspire a multitude of different Samsung-powered wearables, which could provide serious competition to the fabled iWatch. Simband will also work in concert with SAMI (Samsung Architecture for Multimodal Interactions), the company's open-source data-collection effort that'll make all that fitness data accessible to other services and devices -- perhaps the very same ones that've signed on for Apple's HealthKit.
HealthKit is iOS 8-only for now, so it likely won't be compatible with older iOS devices or desktop apps on OS X, which at least hints that Apple is still testing the waters as HealthKit slowly gains momentum. Regardless, the future for HealthKit is great if Apple can pull it off. Letting different apps and devices talk to each other essentially makes your iPhone the ultimate all-in-one fitness  tool. As a stream of new wearables and apps place a heavier focus on health and fitness, HealthKit is a clever attempt by Apple to keep those loyal to the iPhone within the fold.

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FAA May Approve Use of Drones for Filmmaking

FAA May Approve Use of Drones for Filmmaking:

The Federal Aviation Administration is considering a proposal to allow production companies to use drones in film and TV production.

Seven aerial photo and video production companies, with the blessing of the MPAA, have asked the FAA for an exemption that would allow for the use of the unmanned aircraft, the agency said on Monday.

"If the exemption requests are granted, there could be tangible economic benefits as the agency begins to address the demand for commercial UAS operations," the FAA said, referring to the unmanned aerial systems, also known as drones. "However, all the associated safety issues must be carefully considered to make sure any hazards are properly mitigated."

The FAA said that the firms are asking for exemptions from general flight rules, pilot certificate requirements, manuals, maintenance and equipment mandates, as well as airworthiness certification requirements.

Neil Fried, MPAA senior VP of government and regulatory affairs, said that use of the unmanned aircraft "offer the motion picture and television industry an innovative and safer option for filming. The new tool for storytellers will allow for creative and exciting aerial shots, and its the latest in a myriad of new technologies being used by our industry to further enhance the viewer experience."

The FAA said that other industries have also asked for exemptions, including precision agriculture, power line and pipeline inspection, and oil and gas flare stack inspection.

An FAA spokeswoman said that a decision is expected in a few months.

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Miley Cyrus' stolen Maserati located by police

Miley Cyrus' stolen Maserati located by police:

LOS ANGELES — Police say they have recovered a luxury car that was stolen from Miley Cyrus' home last week.
Los Angeles police Lt. Andy Neiman says Cyrus' 2014 Maserati was found Monday afternoon in Simi Valley, a city about 45 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
Neiman says detectives are searching the car for evidence, but there's no new information about the two people suspected of taking it from Cyrus' home.
Police have said a man and a woman scaled a fence and got inside the house and garage while no one was home Friday. The car and an unknown amount of jewelry were stolen from the home.
Police have asked anyone with information about the crime to call burglary detectives at the North Hollywood station

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what is happiness?

what is happiness?

Happiness. It's something that we all need, however do we truly acknowledge what makes us upbeat? Like the idea of "achievement", it is maybe best that we comprehend what makes us joyful, if so we don't fall into the trap of pursuing another person adaptation of the statement.

The accompanying are 10 quotes that each, as I would like to think, give a key understanding into what happiness truly is:

Love:

“There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.” – George Sand

Living in harmony

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” - Mohandas K. Gandhi

Something that must come from within

“People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place they ever needed to search was within.” - Ramona L. Anderson

Enjoying today

“It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day to day basis.” - Margaret Bonnano

A state of mind

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” - Abraham Lincoln

Is something that comes naturally

“If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator.” - W. Beran Wolfe

Experiencing both pleasure and meaning

“Happiness is the overall experience of pleasure and meaning” - Tal Ben-Shahar, author of Happier

Lies in the thrill of creative effort

“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Appreciating what we have

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” - Federick Keonig

The meaning of life

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” - Aristotle

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The top 50 restaurants of the world

The top 50 restaurants of the world:

1. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
2. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
3. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
4. Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA
5. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London, UK
6. Mugaritz, San Sebastián, Spain
7. D.O.M, Sao Paulo, Brazil
8. Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain
9. Alinea, Chicago, USA
10. The Ledbury, London, UK
11. Mirazur, Menton, France
12. Vendome, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
13. Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand
14. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan
15. Central, Lima, Peru
16. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria
17. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand
18. Astrid y Gastón, Lima, Peru
19. Fäviken Järpen, Sweden
20. Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico
21. Le Bernardin, New York, USA
22. Vila Joya, Albufeira, Portugal
23. Restaurant Frantzén, Stockholm, Sweden
24. Amber, Hong Kong, China
25. L’Arpège, Paris, France
26. Azuermendi, Larrabetzu, Spain
27. Le Chateaubriand, Paris, France
28. Aqua, Wolfsburg, Germany
29. De Libreije, Zwolle, Netherlands
30. Per Se, New York, USA
31. L’Atelier Saint-Germain de Joël Robuchon, Paris, France
32. Attica, Melbourne, Australia
33. Nihonryori RyuGin, Tokyo, Japan
34. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain
35. Martin Beragategui, San Sebastian, Spain
36. Mani, Sao Paolo, Brazil
37. Restaurant Andrew, Singapore
38. L’Astrance, Paris, France
39. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy
40. Daniel, New York, USA
41. Quique Dacosta, Denia, Spain
42. Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark
43. Schloss Schauenstein, Furstenau, Switzerland
44. The French Laundry, Yountville, USA
45. Hof Van Cleve, Kruishoutem, Belgium
46. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
47. The Fat Duck, Bray, UK
48. The Test Kitchen, Cape Town, South Africa
49. Coi, San Francisco, USA
50. Waku Ghin, Singapore

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Breaking news in karachi Altaf Hussain arrested in London

Altaf Hussain arrested in London on charges of money laundering:

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain is arrested in London on charges of money laundering.

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Facebook Gets Nosier Than Ever

No need to come up with a brilliant overture to ask for a date -- just use the Facebook Ask button to find out whether the person you're interested in is in a relationship. If you're on the receiving end and aren't interested back -- no need to come up with a lame excuse. Just don't answer. Simple? Sure. Effective? Maybe. It's definitely effective for Facebook, which gets to gather more user data.

As if it weren't easy and tempting enough already, Facebook recently made it even simpler to pry into your friends' private affairs on the social network.

Specifically, the Ask button -- which already has been available to those seeking more information about many other aspects of a given user's life -- now is an option when it comes to a user's relationship status as well.

"This feature provides an easy way for friends to ask you for information that's not already on your profile," MoMo Zhou, a Facebook spokesperson, "For example, a friend could ask where you work or for your hometown."

If users choose to answer, the information then is added to their profile.

'You Have the Option of Sharing'

"By default, only you and your friend can see it, and you also have the option of sharing it with others," Zhou said.

While the feature has been available to everyone on mobile and Web "for a few months now" for information such as hometown, workplace, college and book/music recommendations, "we recently began testing the 'ask' button on relationship statuses in select countries, including the U.S.," she added.

The feature is in many ways similar to "Poke," which lets Facebook users prompt their friends or friends of friends for a variety of reasons, including "just saying hello, getting their attention." the site notes. "You can understand Poke at Facebook as to say, 'hey, you! wutsup.'"

Meanwhile, Facebook reportedly is working on a new app dubbed "Slingshot" that in many ways will resemble the popular Snapchat app.

'It's Just None of Your Business'

"I don't really think it's nosy," marketing and social media expert Lon Safko told TechNewsWorld. "I think it will be received by Facebook members equally: Some will answer; some will say, 'there's a reason I set my status that way'; and some will just ignore it."

Overall, though, "I think it's a good idea," Safko said. "If someone is interested in you, it might be nice to have a way to show that."

Most people who don't set their status on a particular point do so "because they forgot," he added. "Many didn't want to commit to relationships that might be questionable. Many feel that it's just none of your business."

'That's a Loss of Ad Revenue'

Now, "Facebook incorporated this new feature so friends can ask if you simply forgot to set it, are done with your current relationship, and if you might be interested in having that conversation," Safko explained. "I think either way, someone who gets an 'Ask' request will see it as a compliment."

The business reality of the matter is that "Facebook and the other social megaplatforms are all trying to steal -- or, be inspired by -- the features of the other platforms," he pointed out.

"Facebook and the others don't want you to switch platforms to tweet or IM, send instant photos, pin photos, or look at video anyplace but their platform," said Safko. "If you leave, if only for a tweet, you may forget to come back, and that's a loss of ad revenue."

That revenue is not to be discounted.

'Tens of Billions Annually'

"The ad revenue on these platforms accounts for tens of billions annually," Safko noted. "We will continue to see everybody taking the best, best features from everybody else to prevent [revenue loss]."

In fact, "Facebook might be testing the waters to see if it could emulate eHarmony or another dating site," he suggested. "All of the other elements are already there."

Meanwhile, Safko concluded, "it's a WHOLE lot better than messaging someone, 'Are you on Facebook often?'"

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Twitter Poised for Growth Spurt in Asia

Twitter's strength, particularly in terms of advertising revenue, is decidedly in the United States, but that is not where it's going to be experiencing growth in the next few years, according to a new report. The most active markets for increasing its user base will be India, Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific region in general. That means the company must retool its advertising strategy.

Twitter is positioned for some nice growth in the coming months and years, according to a report released Tuesday by eMarketer. However, that growth largely will be occurring in emerging countries. What makes that trajectory problematic in the view of some investors is this: It was Twitter's U.S. user base that accounted for close to three-quarters of the company's total ad revenue in 2013.

Twitter's user base will increase 24.4 percent this year, eMarketer said in its first-ever forecast of Twitter growth worldwide. However, it is decidedly maturing in the U.S., and by next year Twitter's gains are expected to taper off into single digits.

The Asia-Pacific Growth Story

The Asia-Pacific region this year will account for 32.8 percent of all Twitter users, compared with North America's 23.7 percent. Asia-Pacific will more than double North America's share, at 40 percent, by 2018. If China is added to the mix -- Twitter currently is banned there -- the region's share will be even larger.

India and Indonesia are expected to post increases greater than 50 percent this year -- and not due to rapid growth from a small installed base, eMarketer pointed out. Rather, India and Indonesia will rise to have the third- and fourth-largest Twitter populations in the world in 2014, with 18.1 million and 15.3 million users, respectively. Both countries will surpass the UK for the first time in user numbers.

This doesn't mean Twitter's demise in the U.S. is around the corner.

"The U.S. remains Twitter's largest market by a wide margin, well ahead of the second-biggest market, Japan," Debra Aho Williamson, a principal analyst at eMarketer, told the E-Commerce Times.

"The appeal of Twitter is strong, but the company has not done a great job of helping people understand how to use it," she continued. "The slowing growth rate in the U.S. is reflective of that fact."

Going forward, "we expect Twitter to continue to use TV tie-ins to draw attention to itself and to enhance its product with more features that will encourage U.S. users to stay committed to the service and also get new users to try it out," Williamson said.

Twitter has other things in its favor, noted Adaptly President Sean O'Neal.

Advertisers want to target precise audiences, like people who have expressed interest in their products or who have visited their website, he told the E-Commerce Times. "These audiences can be difficult to find unless you are targeting them on platforms with a large reach. ... Twitter combines reach with precision."

Also, Twitter generates massive amounts of data that can be leveraged for very some sophisticated advertising executions, O'Neal said. "The more users there are on the platform, the more activity; and the more activity there is, the more data."

Twitter's Mobile Story

Some advertisers might be discounting the potential mobile will play in the company's future, suggested John Milinovich, CEO of URX.

"Twitter's stream is one of the first examples of an information feed that works across all devices and form factors," he told the E-Commerce Times. "With their purchase of MoPub, it's clear that they are doubling down on their mobile strategy and will look to take what Twitter's uniquely good at -- the interest graph -- and extend its reach beyond the walls of Twitter."

International Ads to Come

Another business strategy that is still a work in progress at Twitter is its international ad platform, said eMarketer's Williamson.

"We believe Twitter definitely has a lot of room to grow internationally," she said. "It only gets one-quarter of its ad revenue from outside the U.S. right now, and as international usage grows, the ad products will need to keep up."

One reason Facebook has gotten a lot of revenue from outside the U.S. is its self-serve ad platform, which lets any advertiser with a credit card place ads on the service, Williamson noted.

"Twitter has a self-serve system but it has not fully opened it up to all international markets," she pointed out. "Having a solid self-serve system that is available in many markets will help Twitter to increase its non-U.S. ad revenues."

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China Calls for Increased Testing of IT Products

Adding yet another chapter to the U.S.-China cyberstandoff, China calls for increased vetting of major IT products and services. Also: Cabbies vandalize -- and engage in fisticuffs at -- the London office of a taxi app; a German court tries to legislate against revenge porn; and Twitter heeds Pakistani block requests.

The ever-testy cyberstandoff between the U.S. and China got a new twist when Beijing announced that it would start "cybersecurity vetting of major IT products and services" used for national security and public interests, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The vetting is designed to prevent suppliers from using their products to control, disrupt or shut down clients' systems, or from using the systems to scoop up information.

Companies that don't pass muster will be barred from supplying products and services in China.

The Xinhua article references both a) Congress' 2012 declaration that Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei should not be allowed to work on U.S. networks, and b) Edward Snowden's leaks, which suggest, among many other things, that the National Security Agency created backdoors into Huawei networks.

It is likely no coincidence that this decree comes the same week that the U.S. Justice Department announced indictments against five members of China's People's Liberation Army Unit 61398, which has been linked to extensive hacking in the U.S.

Your move, D.C.

London Office of Taxi App Vandalized

The London office of the taxi app Hailo was the site of both vandalism and fighting fueled by tensions over the firm's launch of private hire vehicles.

"Scabs" was tagged on the wall of Hailo's office -- the firm was launched by a trio of London cabbies -- and police were summoned to break up a fight.

The rivalry between traditional cabbies and private hire apps is building in Europe. In France, for instance, cabbies reportedlyattacked vehicles from the private hire app Uber. France since has floated the idea of banning ride-sharing apps that utilize GPS technology -- while continuing to allow traditional cabs to use the same technology.

Meanwhile, in Milan, cabbies marched through the streets to protest Uber back in March; this week, they staged a strike.

[Source: BBC]

German Court Legislates Against Revenge Porn

A German court ruled that intimate photographs should be deleted at the end of a relationship if a partner so desires.

The case in question centered on (consensual) erotic photographs of a female whose relationship with her boyfriend had ended. The man refused to heed her requests to delete the photos, and the woman subsequently sought legal help.

The ex-partner had not intimated that he would be posting the photos online or otherwise reproducing them, but the woman's personal rights nonetheless took priority over the man's ownership of the photos, according to the court.

The man may appeal the decision, and will be allowed to keep photos which portray the couple wearing clothes.

[Source: The Guardian]

Twitter Heeds Pakistani Censorship Request

Twitter honored at least five requests from a Pakistani bureaucrat who wanted the social media platform to block the display of "blasphemous" and "unethical" tweets in the country.

This is believed to be the first time that Twitter has agreed to withhold content in Pakistan.

The block requests came from Abdul Batin of the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority. He particularly objected to images of burning Qurans; crude drawings of the Prophet Muhammad; messages from an American porn star; and a handful of anti-Islamic bloggers.

Twitter apparently blocked multiple accounts ahead of the fourth annual "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day," which was on May 20.

Twitter has maintained that it is better to block specific tweets that run counter to local law than to have then site blocked altogether in an entire country. Twitter also has agreed to withhold tweets of a neo-Nazi group in Germany, and it recently blocked Russian users from seeing an account operated by an ultranationalist Ukrainian group.

[Source: The New York Times]

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Facebook Wants to Eavesdrop on Your Entertainment

In its eternal quest to know everything about its users, Facebook has introduced an optional feature that encourages them to share information in status updates about whatever entertainment they're currently enjoying. The idea is to compete with Twitter as a discussion forum for hot TV shows -- and of course, to provide marketers with more data for targeting ads.

Facebook is rolling out a new feature that encourages users to share their entertainment experiences on mobile devices.

The new audio identifier uses the gadget's microphone to listen in on any content playing. When posting a status update, a Facebook user will see an audio icon moving on the screen, searching to identify a song, TV show or movie. If it finds a match, the user can choose to share it.

When users share a song, their friends will be able to preview a 30-second snippet. In the case of TV shows, posts will include information about the season and episode being watched so as to encourage conversation among other users that are watching but avoid spoilers.

The feature is optional, and users will have to turn it on to enable it. The sound is not stored, so it won't be possible to use the feature to record ambient audio. If users do decide to enable the feature, the posts will be like any others on Facebook -- users can choose who sees them and who doesn't.

Android and iOS users in the U.S. can expect to see the feature roll out over the coming weeks.

Monetizing Entertainment

Facebook's move comes as social networks are competing to become the primary second screen for discussions of shows and music. However, creating that hub is about more than just giving users another option for their status updates, said Alfred Poor, senior technologist at aNewDomain.

"This is not about customer engagement and doing something to please Facebook users," he told the E-Commerce Times. "It's about trying to make even greater profit for Facebook. This feature indeed has a social element, but the primary value is that Facebook can sell this information to advertisers and other clients."

Facebook has been slower than some of its competitors to recognize the importance of those advertisers looking to capitalize on a second screen, but it's about time it launched such a product, said Peter Koeppel, founder and president of Koeppel Direct.

"It's a way for Facebook to compete more effectively against Twitter, which boasts a sizable audience that tweets about TV shows while a show is airing and now allows ads targeting people having a conversation on Twitter about a TV show," he told the E-Commerce Times. "It also enables Facebook to compete for TV advertising dollars by targeting the same audience that is watching a particular TV show."

Race for the 2nd Screen

Facebook's approach to becoming the No. 1 second screen is a good one, said Renaud Fuchs, director at Alvarez & Marsal Europe.

"Facebook's strategy is smart here, because it makes it Facebook-centric rather than TV-centric," he told the E-Commerce Times. "It's clever, because the approach so far has been TV-centric, meaning a TV show is telling their viewers to use social media to tell their friends they're watching a show, and including a hashtag. But this is coming from within Facebook, so it makes the post inherently about Facebook rather than only about a certain TV show."

Only time will tell if users -- especially the younger ones that Facebook needs to attract and retain -- will adopt that approach to sharing their digital entertainment habits, said Poor. The company also might have to iron out legal issues to make sure it is not playing content that's been obtained illegally. For right now, however, it's a sure bet that Facebook will reel in some extra ad dollars from the feature.

"Whether this helps stem the outgoing tide of Facebook's relevance among younger users remains to be seen," he added. "I'm not sure that it will bring back the younger users -- but it appears to be doing just fine with older users. I expect that it will likely make money for Facebook."

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Google to Spread the Web With $1B Worth of Satellites

It looks as though Google wants to accelerate its plans to hook up the entire world to the Internet by deploying a fleet of satellites. It already is working on a plan to deliver the Web via high-altitude balloons, but a satellite system would be more reliable and durable. Facebook is using drones in a similar effort, and Google recently bought a drone company it had shown interest in acquiring.

Google's eye on the sky seems wider than ever. The company reportedly is planning to spend at least US$1 billion on a project to bring Internet access to remote areas through satellites.

It is not yet clear whether the plan would augment or replace Project Loon -- Google's proposal to connect remote regions to the Internet through high-altitude balloons. However, the report suggests that Google hopes the plan will help it to overcome technical and financial hurdles that hampered similar projects in the past.

Lower Orbit

While the details of the scheme are shifting, the project will begin with around 180 small, high-capacity satellites that will have a lower orbit than traditional satellites and may expand from there, according toThe Wall Street Journal.

"The potential of the reported Google project would be to help ensure that the next generation of unserved Internet users comes online, said Charles King, principal atPund-IT.

"The fact is that often due to political folly and economic challenges, potential online access suffers. So it's both interesting and admirable that private concerns like Google, Facebook and others are investigating alternatives for creating the infrastructure necessary to support wireless Internet access," he told TechNewsWorld.

Hiring Spree

Google apparently has been hiring engineers from Space Systems/Loral to work on the initiative, which is being led by Greg Wyler, founder of satellite communications company O3b Networks. Wyler and O3b's former chief technology officer recently joined Google. Between 10 and 20 people are said to be working under Wyler.

The company is spending between $1 billion and north of $3 billion -- a price tag that will be affected by the final design of the network, further phases that could expand the number of satellites to double the initial number, and other factors.

Project Loon had the potential to build a network of balloons to cover the entire planet, Google CEO Larry Page said at a conference earlier this year, noting that balloons were cheaper and faster to build.

However, satellites can afford greater capacity and flexibility, while costs to build them appear to have dropped in recent years.

"I think the satellites will initially complement Project Loon," Laura DiDio, principal at ITIC, told TechNewsWorld. At first glance, satellites appear to be more robust than high-altitude balloons circumnavigating the globe, which could be knocked off course or downed by severe weather conditions. Satellites can also be impacted by an incident that might occur in space, but seem more substantial than a high-altitude balloon."

'Cheaper to Build'

"Balloons can more easily be shot down, typically have less range, and are more vulnerable to atmospheric conditions, but they are far cheaper to build and launch," said Rob Enderle, principal at the Enderle Group. "A typical developing country doesn't have the technology to shoot down satellites. They can execute Loon more quickly, but the satellite approach would potentially be far more strategic."

As part of the project, Google apparently plans to take advantage of developments in antenna technology, which can track multiple moving satellites. Some current antennas have no moving parts and can be controlled by software, which lowers maintenance and manufacturing costs.

"They want to increase their reach and do have a belief that every person in the world should have access to the Internet," Enderle told TechNewsWorld. "While they clearly have a revenue goal as well, I think in this instance, it is secondary -- given the audience -- to their goal of making people better informed."

Infrastructure Plan

Along with the somewhat noble notion of connecting people in remote regions to the Internet, Google's latest Internet scheme could be seen as part of tech companies' tussle to take over Internet infrastructure, largely bypassing the networks of telecoms.

Google has laid more than 100,000 miles of fiber-optic cables around the world, a report earlier this year indicated.

"Truthfully, Google's motives are a mix of altruism and pragmatism. They can bring Internet connectivity to remote peoples and portions of the globe and make a profit doing it. Sounds like a win-win to me," Enderle said.

Facebook and several other technology firms have teamed up to use drones to bring Internet access to people in remote areas through Internet.org.

After reports surfaced of Facebook's interest in buying drone maker Titan Aerospace, Googleswooped in to make the acquisition.

"I think their respective plans might be cooperative in the early planning stages and then diverge if and when the project actually takes off," ITIC's DiDio said. "At that point, Google will have to refine its goals to suit the individual usage models. But initially at least, I can see many people in remote locations wanting to use the same technology to connect to Facebook and Internet.org."

Connecting Those at Home

The implications of such ambitious projects stretch far beyond the developing world.

"There is tremendous potential If Google goes forward with its project to give unwired portions of the planet Internet access using small satellites," DiDio said.

"The impact and implications are enormous for both developed as well as developing nations. Location is a huge obstacle and impediment to Internet access," she pointed out.

"While it's unthinkable to city dwellers and suburbanites, there are still many rural or geographically remote areas in the U.S. with no connectivity," DiDio added. "According to the FCC's Eighth Broadband Progress Report released in August 2012, 75 percent or 14.5 million of the 19 million Americans that currently lack Internet access live in rural or remote areas where connectivity and broadband are unavailable.

"The biggest group of disenfranchised here in the U.S. are 5.1 million Native American Indians and Alaska Natives," DiDio continued. "The majority of Native Americans live on 324 tribal reservation lands -- many of which are rural and remote -- in the lower 48 states and Alaska, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. They are miles from any town or power grid, and many reservations lack electrical power -- which means no Internet connectivity. Imagine the difference this could make in their lives."

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