News release: “Last week we wrote about initial news reports that Microsoft had searched and disclosed the contents of a blogger’s Hotmail account as part of an internal investigation into the alleged theft of Microsoft source code and other trade secrets. Since then, EFF has been in touch with Microsoft to discuss our objections to the company’s… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Microsoft
Report – How Google Is Trying to Protect Your Drug Supply
“Illegal online pharmacies play a major role in the growing problem of counterfeit drugs, with regulation often challenging because they sell directly to consumers. As National Journal Correspondent Sophie Novack reports, though, some major internet players are working with the federal government to combat the problem. Writes Novack: “Google is now a member of the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies,… Continue Reading
Microsoft Research adopts Open Access policy for publications
Microsoft Research Connections Blog: “In a recent interview with Scientific American, Peter Lee, head of Microsoft Research, discussed three main motivations for basic research at Microsoft. The first relates to an aspiration to advance human knowledge, the second derives from a culture that relies deeply on the ambitions of individual researchers, and the last concerns “promoting… Continue Reading
Microsoft releases global survey on Internet users around the world
“A new global survey of Internet users conducted by Microsoft Corp. reveals distinct regional findings and differing viewpoints between the developed and developing world. However, overwhelmingly the more than 10,000 people surveyed from 10 nations said they embrace personal technology, particularly in emerging markets, and see it as the foundation of innovation and economic empowerment.… Continue Reading
Microsoft – Create strong passwords
“A strong password is an important protection to help you have safer online transactions. Here are some steps to create a strong password. Consider using some or all to help protect yourself online: Length. Make your passwords at least eight (8) long. Complexity. Include a combination of at least three (3) upper and/or lowercase letters, punctuation, symbols, and… Continue Reading
Tech Giants Call for Global Government Surveillance Reform
“The undersigned companies believe that it is time for the world’s governments to address the practices and laws regulating government surveillance of individuals and access to their information. While the undersigned companies understand that governments need to take action to protect their citizens’ safety and security, we strongly believe that current laws and practices need to… Continue Reading
Trading Strategies and Market Microstructure: Evidence from a Prediction Market
Trading Strategies and Market Microstructure: Evidence from a Prediction Market – David M. Rothschild, Microsoft Research – NYC; Rajiv Sethi; Barnard College, Columbia University; Santa Fe Institute. September 8, 2013 “We examine transaction-level data from Intrade’s presidential winner market for the two weeks immediately preceding the November 2012 election. The data allow us to compute… Continue Reading
Microsoft’s Law Enforcement Requests Report for first six months of 2013
What does the data show? “Microsoft (including Skype) received 37,196 requests from law enforcement agencies potentially impacting 66,539 accounts in the first six months of this year. This compares to 75,378 requests and 137,424 potential accounts in the whole of 2012. Approximately 77 percent of requests resulted in the disclosure of “non-content data”. No data… Continue Reading
Grammarly – automated proofreader and personal grammar coach
“Grammarly is an automated proofreader and your personal grammar coach. Correct up to 10 times more mistakes than popular word processors.” This is for use in addition to Microsoft® Word – it “scans your text for proper use of more than 250 advanced grammar rules, spanning everything from subject-verb agreement to article use to modifier placement.” Continue Reading
Microsoft – Responding to government legal demands for customer data
Posted by Brad Smith General Counsel & Executive Vice President, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft “[July 16, 2013] we have asked the Attorney General of the United States to personally take action to permit Microsoft and other companies to share publicly more complete information about how we handle national security requests for customer information. We… Continue Reading
UK Guardian: how Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages
“Microsoft has collaborated closely with US intelligence services to allow users’ communications to be intercepted, including helping the National Security Agency to circumvent the company’s own encryption, according to top-secret documents obtained by the Guardian. The files provided by Edward Snowden illustrate the scale of co-operation between Silicon Valley and the intelligence agencies over the… Continue Reading
NYT: New Bing and Closer Ties to Facebook In Quest for Search Engine Impact
NYT: “The new version of Bing is the biggest overhaul to the search engine since Microsoft introduced it three years ago. It is the result of a continual conversation at the company about how to make Bing a more effective competitor to that other search engine Google and try to stem its considerable… Continue Reading
