Good Morning Silicon Valley
Privacy, security watch: LinkedIn, Airtime
By Levi Sumagaysay
• Talk about a double whammy. LinkedIn is investigating a claim that hackers have stolen more than 6 million LinkedIn user passwords — on the same day that mobile security researchers were scheduled to present their findings that the Mountain View company's iOS mobile app is sending information from users' calendars to its servers, according to the New York Times.
First, the password issue. The Next Web reports, citing a Norwegian IT website, that 6.5 million passwords were posted to a Russian hacker site, and that 300,000 of them have been decrypted so far. The more than 160 million users of the professional social network are being urged to change their passwords, although mostly by news reports and not by LinkedIn, which says on Twitter that it is still working to confirm a breach.
On to the app issue. In a blog post Wednesday, LinkedIn attempted to clarify what it is and what it does with users' information. The company says the "great" feature, which syncs iOS calendar information with the mobile app, is opt-in and can be turned off. Its only purpose, the company says, is to "provide information about the people you are about to meet by showing you their LinkedIn profile," and the information is not stored on its servers. In addition, LinkedIn says it will no longer transmit possibly sensitive information from the Notes section of users' calendars, something the researchers who discovered the issue were particularly concerned about, according to the NYT article.
Last year, LinkedIn co-founder and Chairman Reid Hoffman said "good Internet companies don't ambush their users." (See Quoted: Reid Hoffman on data and 'ambushing' users.) For a long time, the professional social network seemed to have avoided the privacy and security slip-ups that have become all too familiar, from those by Google and Facebook to Path to Twitter to CarrierIQ. (See Twitter, Path and the privacy controversy over contact info and apps and Smartphone tracking: Who's affected? Is it legal?) Now we'll see whether people buy the company's response and attempt to be more transparent about its practices.
LinkedIn shares are down less than 0.5 percent to $92.65 as of this post.
• Airtime, the video-chat service launched by Napster founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning with much fanfare — and embarrassing glitches — Tuesday, is being met with questions about whether there's a need for it. And surprise, there's a privacy issue, too. Kashmir Hill of Forbes reports that Airtime also could record video chats (with permission) and takes still photos of participants "periodically," according to a company representative. The surveillance is supposed to be a feature. Airtime, which connects to Facebook, is being painted as less creepy than Chatroulette, a once-popular video-chat service that is now mostly known for its chatters' aversion to staying fully clothed.
Comment on this post
QUOTED
"Most turnarounds in American industry are anywhere between four and five years. And we're at the beginning of the journey, not the end of the journey."
— Meg Whitman, Hewlett-Packard CEO, talks with the Wall Street Journal about her plans for the computer giant, saying she is trying to provide "a steady hand on the tiller." Whitman said she is "not transforming HP into a software company" and is "pretty bullish on printing." On the 27,000 job cuts over the next couple of years the company announced last month: "I think people understand what we are trying to do." The former eBay CEO also told AllThingsD's Arik Hesseldahl that she sees a "good opportunity" in Autonomy — the database software maker the company bought for more than $10 billion last year, before Whitman predecessor Leo Apotheker was fired — and is thinking of ways to integrate it with the rest of the company. Will Whitman be given time to turn around the Palo Alto company? Some on Wall Street might classify a four- or five-year turnaround plan as slow. HP shares are up more than 2 percent to $22.15 as of this post, amid a positive day for many Silicon Valley tech stocks so far. But that's off about 8 percent since Whitman was named chief executive in September.
Comment on this post
That's entertainment: Pandora and royalties; Netflix and delivery: Some interesting developments concerning tech and entertainment show there's always something going on behind the curtains.
• Pandora Media co-founder Tim Westergren reportedly is testifying before a House subcommittee today about music royalties. Oakland-based Pandora, the online-radio provider, is pushing for what Westergren calls a level playing field when it comes to royalties. According to Westergren's prepared statement, more than 50 percent of Pandora's revenue last year went to royalties, while broadcast radio paid zero. It is an old technology vs. new technology issue, and he says "it is time for Congress to level the playing field and to approach radio royalties in a technology-neutral manner."
• Netflix, a bandwidth hog because of the nature of its business, has built its own content delivery network (CDN) and has invited Internet service providers to connect to its streaming video directly. Open Connect, which the Los Gatos company announced Monday, will be more cost-effective and eventually eliminate the need for Netflix to use middlemen CDNs such as Level 3 or Limelight, according to Netflix's press release. Kevin Fitchard of GigaOm says ISPs such as AT&T have their own CDNs, and wonders how receptive they will be to Netflix's. TechCrunch's Ryan Lawler writes that the move could also help improve Netflix's relationship with network operators. Of course, we've mentioned on GMSV that Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has been publicly critical of Comcast, accusing it of violating net-neutrality principles because video watched via its Xfinity app doesn't count against its data caps.
Comment on this post
Off topic: Hippie approach to language, sad pop songs, Curtis Mayfield's music, 'The Wire' musical and more: If there's one thing that Language Hippie, a blog that calls itself "a voice for increased tolerance and celebration of linguistic diversity," is critical of, it's the over-critical. (via Languagehat) Pop music just isn't what it used to be. The songs are longer, slower, sadder — and more complex, according to a new study. (via Marginal Revolution) Speaking of song, here's a look at the music of Curtis Mayfield. And Omar dancing, Snoop in a dress — from Funny or Die, a trailer for "The Wire: The Musical." By the way, Maxim recently interviewed the show's creators and stars.
Comment on this post
Play Haruki Murakami bingo with lsumagaysay@bayareanewsgroup.com.
But wait, there's more ... Enjoy Good Morning Silicon Valley? Then subscribe to First Edition, a daily digest of tech news headlines. Add GMSV and other tech feeds to your social networking page, your blog or any widget-friendly surface. Click here. Try our apps. Read SV20/20 news on the go by downloading our iPhone or Android apps. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment