Ebooks in 2013 – Promises broken, promises kept, and Faustian bargains, By Clifford A. Lynch “Printed books have served us rather well—as a society, as readers, and as authors—for centuries. When the possibilities of ebooks first emerged, we hoped that they would build on this strong foundation, improving the experience of the printed book, making… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: E-Commerce
FTC – Guidance to Search Engine Industry on the Need to Distinguish Between Advertisements and Search Results
News release: “In an ongoing effort to ensure that its guidance for online advertisers stays current with changes in digital media, the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer protection staff sent letters to search engine companies to update guidance published in 2002 on distinguishing paid search results and other forms of advertising from natural search results. The… Continue Reading
The Hill – Tech companies fret over loss of consumers’ trust after NSA revelations
Jennifer Martinez : “The country’s most prominent tech companies, including Google and Facebook, are scrambling to save their reputations with users following the revelations over a National Security Agency surveillance program that monitors Internet traffic to thwart terrorist attacks. Since the reports broke, tech companies have mobilized into full-on damage control mode in hopes of… Continue Reading
EFF – How Dozens of Companies Know You’re Reading About Those NSA Leaks
Follow up to previous postings on NSA’s big data domestic surveillance program via Micah Lee: “Each time your browser makes a request it sends the following information with it: Your IP address and the exact time of the request User-Agent string: which normally contains the web browser you’re using, your browser’s version, your operating system, processor information… Continue Reading
United States Opening Statement Presentation: U.S. v. Apple Inc., et al
Antitrust Case Filings – United States v. Apple, Inc., Hachette Book Group, Inc., HarperCollins Publishers L.L.C., Verlagsgruppe Georg Von Holtzbrinck GmbH, Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC d/b/a Macmillan, the Penguin Group, a Division of Pearson PLC, Penguin Group (USA), Inc., and Simon & Schuster, Inc. United States Opening Statement Presentation: U.S. v. Apple Inc., et al, June… Continue Reading
EPIC Comments as Google Bans Facial Recognition Glass Apps
EPIC: “Google announced that it will not approve any facial recognition apps for Google Glass, pending the development of privacy safeguards. “[W]e won’t add facial recognition features to our products without having strong privacy protections in place,” the company said in a blog post. In comments on facial recognition to the Federal Trade Commission last… Continue Reading
NISO Publishes Recommended Practice and Technical Report on Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics
News release: “The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) announces the publication of a new recommended practice, Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics (IOTA): Recommendations for Link Resolver Providers (NISO RP-21-2013). These recommendations are the result of a three-year study performed by the NISO IOTA Working Group in which millions of OpenURLs were analyzed and a Completeness Index was developed… Continue Reading
2013 Internet Trends Report – Slides from Mary Meeker and Liang Wu
Published May 2013 by Mary Meeker and Liang Wu – “The latest edition of the annual Internet Trends report finds continued robust online growth. There are now 2.4 billion Internet users around the world, and the total continues to grow apace. Mobile usage is expanding rapidly, while the mobile advertising opportunity remains largely untapped. The report reviews the shifting… Continue Reading
IDC Reports PC Outlook Falls As Market Increasingly Looks to Tablets
News release: “Worldwide PC shipments are now expected to fall by -7.8% in 2013 according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. The new forecast reflects a shift in PC buying trends as users increasingly consider alternatives such as delaying a PC purchase or using tablets and smartphones for more of their computing… Continue Reading
FTC Issues Updated FAQs on Amended Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule
“The Federal Trade Commission has issued an updated set of frequently asked questions designed to help website operators, mobile application developers, plug-ins and advertising networks operating on child-directed websites and online services prepare for upcoming changes to the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Rule. The document, titled Complying With COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions contains information directed… Continue Reading
EFF Surveys Major Tech Companies' Privacy and Transparency Policies
News release: “As you search the Internet, visit websites, and update your social media accounts, you entrust a wealth of data to service providers: your thoughts, your photos, your location, and much more. What happens when the government wants access to all of this information, held by companies like Google and Facebook and AT&T? Will… Continue Reading
FindTheData – Data Driven Comparison Platform
“When it comes to researching big purchasesfrom smartphones to enterprise softwarethere are plenty of valuable sources online to help. However, the Internet is also full of untrustworthy, biased information cluttered with advertising influence. Instead of making it easier to choose, online information often confuses more than it helps. We created FindTheData to give consumers and… Continue Reading
