Facebook collects data - this insight is as old as Facebook itself. What many don't realize is that their data collecting doesn't stop at the gates of their portal. By means of their own and external sources, Facebook is creating comprehensive user profiles to the point where German, Russian and French authorities have begun to step in. They're focusing on two problem areas: Facebook's enormous market power and the extent of their data collection activities. In other words: once you know enough about billions of people, you'll be able to fix ad prices and likely violate several laws in the process. This even affects non-Facebook members!
Do you enjoy getting compliments? They're surely nice but who do we get them from - and how and when do we make them? Statements like "Hey lady in front of me that I never met, your dress is equally elegant as it is terrific and matches the color of your neckline very well." seem rather inappropriate while waiting in line at the local meat and sausage counter - unless we're looking for some confused stares and maybe enjoy having a shopping bag smashed against our heads. Even among friends, compliments are often considered problematic and reduced to the bare minimum: a few niceties about someone's house, children and car. That'll have to do. Since resourceful developers are also aware of this issue, a new breed of apps is now breaking into the market.
Security holes are a much sought-after commodity especially those still unknown to the security community. As there is no defense against these attacks, they're fittingly called zero-day exploits with zero being the number of days software developers have to provide a fix. They are the perfect attack vector to distribute malware, steal data or sabotage computer systems - and there's a global market for them!
Google is peeved. And every time Google is enraged, Chrome, the market leader among browsers, is readied for battle. This time, it's about certificates, a cornerstone of the Internet and data security. With the upcoming versions 66 (scheduled for April) and 70 (October), Google seeks to make the web more secure - and tries to settle a few scores in the process. Read on to learn why many sites will soon be flagged as "insecure" and disappear from the top search results!
