Facebook launches dating service in Europe

Facebook Inc said on Wednesday it is launching its dating service, Facebook Dating, in 32 countries in Europe after the launch was delayed earlier this year due to regulatory concerns.

The social media company postponed the rollout of the service in Europe in February after Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), the main regulator in the European Union for a number of the world's biggest technology firms including Facebook, raised concerns about the launch.

Facebook Dating announced the launch of the services in the United States in September last year. It is currently available in 20 other countries.

-reuters-

Web inventor Berners-Lee launches plan to stop internet abuse

BERLIN - World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee on Monday unveiled a "Contract for the Web" to halt "misuse" by governments, companies and individuals, bringing several capitals and tech titans like Google aboard.

"If we don't act now -- and act together -- to prevent the web being misused by those who want to exploit, divide and undermine, we are at risk of squandering" its potential for good, Berners-Lee said in a statement from his World Wide Web Foundation.

Credited with laying the groundwork for the web -- the universe of multimedia webpages accessible via the internet -- in 1989, the computer scientist has since last year been developing the so-called Contract for the Web.

His unveiling of the final document Monday comes as government, business and civil society leaders gather in Berlin for the four-day UN Internet Governance Forum.

Berners-Lee said his contract, developed in cooperation with dozens of experts and members of the public, is "a roadmap to build a better web."

He called on governments to "strengthen laws and regulations" and companies "to ensure pursuit of profit is not at the expense of human rights and democracy."

"Citizens must hold those in power accountable, demand their digital rights be respected and help foster healthy conversation online," Berners-Lee added.

More than 150 organisations including companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Reddit and interest groups like Reporters Without Borders and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have backed the plan.

Meanwhile, the governments of France, Germany and Ghana are on board, as are thousands of individuals.

"I will stand up for the preservation of the free internet that we have grown to know and love in recent decades," German economy minister Peter Altmaier said in a statement ahead of the UN gathering.

Berners-Lee originally conceived the web while working at European particle physics lab CERN, as a way for scientists around the world to share information about their research.

But in recent years he has grown alarmed by abuse of the technology in society, business and politics.

The WWW Foundation highlighted rising cyber-bullying, growing use of the web by politicians to manipulate news media and widespread online scams.

It also noted that rates of web access in emerging economies lag far behind those in industrialized nations, with 46 percent of people worldwide not online.

"We need real and durable involvement of emerging and developing countries," Germany's Altmaier said. "Free access to the internet must be a fundamental, human right, valid for people around the world."

As well as his "Contract for the Web," Berners-Lee has looked to tackle the web's issues from a technical angle, in 2018 launching a development platform called "Solid" aimed at giving users control of their data.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

WhatsApp urges users to upgrade app after report of spyware attack

JERUSALEM - Facebook's WhatsApp on Tuesday urged users to upgrade to the latest version of its popular messaging app following a report that users could be vulnerable to having malicious spyware installed on phones without their knowledge.

"WhatsApp encourages people to upgrade to the latest version of our app, as well as keep their mobile operating system up to date, to protect against potential targeted exploits designed to compromise information stored on mobile devices," a spokesman said.

"We are constantly working alongside industry partners to provide the latest security enhancements to help protect our users."

The Financial Times reported that a vulnerability in WhatsApp allowed attackers to inject spyware on phones by ringing up targets using the app's phone call function. It said the spyware was developed by Israeli cyber surveillance company NSO Group.

Asked about the report, NSO said its technology is licensed to authorized government agencies "for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror," and that it does not operate the system itself.

"We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system. Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies," the company said.

"NSO would not or could not use its technology in its own right to target any person or organization, including this individual."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Huawei is not controlled by China, executive says

LONDON - Huawei is a private company that is not controlled by the Chinese government and would refuse to hand over information to Beijing although no such request has been made, the firm's Vice President of Western Europe said on Tuesday.

The United States has told allies not to use Huawei's technology to build new 5G telecommunications networks because of concerns it could be a vehicle for Chinese spying, an accusation the firm has denied.

"There is no obligation on Huwaei's part to cooperate with the government in the way in which the Americans are indicating," Tim Watkins told BBC radio.

"There is no mandate in (China's national intelligence) law that we have to had over customer data or intelligence that we do not wish to hand over or we think should be sensitive."

Watkins added that the code used in their products was safe and secure.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Web inventor urges users to seek 'complete control' of data

GENEVA -- World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee on Monday slammed the increasing commodification of personal information and appealed for internet users to strive to maintain "complete control" of their data.

Berners-Lee, credited with creating the web in 1989, is on a mission to save his invention from a range of problems increasingly dominating online life, including misinformation and a lack of data protection.

"You should have complete control of your data. It's not oil. It's not a commodity," he told a small group of journalists gathered at Europe's physics lab CERN, where he first came up with the idea for the web 30 years ago.

When it comes to personal data, "you should not be able to sell it for money," he said, "because it's a right".

Berners-Lee, who last year launched a development platform called "Solid" aimed at giving users control of their data, described a frightening future if we do not rise to the challenge of privacy protection.

"There is a possible future you can imagine (in which) your browser keeps track of everything that you buy," he said.

In this scenario, "your browser actually has more information then Amazon does", he said, warning against complacency in expecting no harm will come from this loss of control over one's own data.

"We shouldn't assume that the world is going to stay like it is," he said.

People needed to do more to protect themselves and their data and not to simply expect that governments will look out for their best interests, he argued.

Berners-Lee told a Washington Post event last week that he launched the Solid project in response to concerns about personal data being bought and sold without the consent of users.

DON'T FAIL THE WEB 

The platform aimed "to separate the apps from the data storage" so users could decide where and how they would share their personal information, he said.

He acknowledged Monday that enforcible laws would be needed to protect the most sensitive personal data.

"Sometimes it has to be legislation which says personal data, you know, genetic data, should never be used," he said.

In addition to his work advocating for data protection, Berners-Lee has launched a "Contract for the Web", aimed at ensuring the integrity of online information.

In a letter published Monday, he hailed the opportunities the web had created, giving marginalized groups a voice and making daily life easier.

But he warned, "it has also created opportunity for scammers, given a voice to those who spread hatred, and made all kinds of crimes easier to commit".

He was nevertheless optimistic that the problems could be fixed.

"Given how much the web has changed in the past 30 years, it would be defeatist and unimaginative to assume that the web as we know it can't be changed for the better in the next 30," he wrote.

"If we give up on building a better web now, then the web will not have failed us. We will have failed the web."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hacks and facts: 10 things you didn't know about data privacy

LONDON - From hackers exposing private information online to the handling of users' data by internet giants, online privacy has become a matter of growing concern for countries, companies and people alike.

On Monday, countries around the world marked Data Privacy Day, also known as Data Protection Day - an initiative to raise awareness of internet safety issues.

Here are 10 facts about online privacy:

* Less than 60 percent of countries have laws to secure the protection of data and privacy.

* Europe's data protection regulators have received more than 95,000 complaints about possible data breaches since the adoption of a landmark EU privacy law in May.

* More than one in two respondents to a 2018 global survey by pollster CIGI-Ipsos said they had grown more concerned about their online privacy compared to the previous year.

* Almost 40 percent of respondents to another survey by cyber-security firm Kaspersky Lab said they did not know how to protect themselves from cybercrime.

* A survey of tech professionals by security key maker Yubico suggested experts might not live up to safety standards. It found almost 70 percent of respondents shared passwords with colleagues.

* More than half reused an average of five passwords across their work and personal accounts.

* About 4 percent of people targeted by an email phishing campaign would click on it.

* In 2017, almost 17 million U.S. consumers experienced identity fraud - the unauthorised use of personal information, such as credit card data, for financial gain.

* Data breaches carried out by hackers are expected to go up 22 percent annually, exposing some 146 billion records, including personal information such as name, address and credit card numbers by 2023.

* Data breaches cost companies worldwide almost $4 million on average for every incident. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

'We don't sell people's data,' says Facebook's Zuckerberg

SAN FRANCISCO, United States -- Facebook co-founder and chief Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday renewed his defense of the social network's business, arguing that targeting ads based on interests was different from selling people's data.

"If we're committed to serving everyone, then we need a service that is affordable to everyone," Zuckerberg said in an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal.

"The best way to do that is to offer services for free, which ads enable us to do."

Last year was a horrific one for Facebook, marked by a series of scandals over data protection and privacy and concerns that the leading social network had been manipulated by foreign interests for political purposes. 

Despite the scandals, Facebook revenue and user numbers have continued to grow.

Making ads relevant, and less annoying, involves understanding people's interests, according to Zuckerberg.

Facebook uses "signals" such as pages users "like" and what they share about themselves to target advertising.

"Sometimes this means people assume we do things that we don't do," Zuckerberg said of the business of supporting the social network with targeted ads.

"For example, we don't sell people's data, even though it's often reported that we do."

Selling user data would not only undermine essential trust in the social network, it would go against Facebook's business interests because rivals could use it to compete for advertising, he reasoned.

Facebook also provides users with controls regarding information used for ad targeting and lets them block advertisers, Zuckerberg pointed out.

Criticism of Facebook has included the social network being used as a platform to spread divisive or misleading information, as was the case during the 2016 election that put US President Donald Trump in the White House.

"Clickbait and other junk may drive engagement in the near term, but it would be foolish for us to show this intentionally, because it's not what people want," Zuckerberg wrote.

"Another question is whether we leave harmful or divisive content up because it drives engagement. We don’t."

Facebook has been investing in artificial intelligence and adding employees devoted to ferreting out content that violates the social network's rules.

The expense could weigh on its quarterly earnings, due for release next week.

"The only reason bad content remains is because the people and artificial-intelligence systems we use to review it are not perfect -- not because we have an incentive to ignore it," he said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

What to expect at CES 2019, world's largest technology fair

WASHINGTON -- Under the shadow of trade wars, geopolitical tensions and a decline in public trust, the technology sector is seeking to put its problems aside with the Consumer Electronics Show, the annual extravaganza showcasing futuristic innovations.

The Jan. 8 to 11 Las Vegas trade event offers a glimpse into new products and services designed to make people's lives easier, fun and more productive, reaching across diverse sectors such as entertainment, health, transportation, agriculture and sports.

"Smart" devices using various forms of artificial intelligence will again be a major focus at CES.

Visitors are likely to see more dazzling TV screens, intuitive robots, a range of voice-activated devices, and folding or roll-up smartphone displays. Also on display will be refinements to autonomous transportation and gadgets taking advantage of 5G, or fifth-generation wireless networks.

But the celebration of innovation will be mixed with concerns about public trust in new technology and other factors that could cool the growth of a sizzling economic sector.

"I think 2019 will be a year of trust-related challenges for the tech industry," said Bob O'Donnell of Technalysis Research.

CES features 4,500 exhibitors across 2.75 million square feet (250,000 square meters) of exhibit space showcasing artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, smart homes, smart cities, sports gadgets and other cutting-edge devices. Some 182,000 trade professionals are expected.

MUCH ADO ABOUT DATA

There will be a focus on artificial intelligence that can "personalize" a user's experience with a device or a car, or even predict what someone is seeking -- whether it's music or medical care.

But because this ecosystem is built around data, confidence has been eroded by scandals involving Facebook, Google and other guardians of private information.

"The public is wary because of recent events," said Roger Kay, analyst and consultant with Endpoint Technologies Associates. "I think the industry will be slowed by this skepticism."

Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with Creative Strategies, said, "You'll definitely hear people talk about security more, and really looking at how you secure the data," at CES.

TRADE FRICTIONS

The Consumer Technology Association, which operates the show, acknowledges that the sector is being hurt by tariffs and trade frictions between the two largest economic players, the United States and China.

Tariffs on tech products jumped to $1.3 billion in October, according to CTA, raising fears about growth.

"It's almost inevitable that an economic slowdown will occur if these tariffs continue," said Sage Chandler, CTA vice president for international trade.

The US-China trade issues and the arrest of a top executive of Chinese giant Huawei in Canada have thrown into question the "supply chain," the system in which US designs are manufactured in China for the global market.

"This does cast a shadow over CES," O'Donnell said.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND PERSONALIZATION

The auto sector will again have a major presence at CES with most major manufacturers on hand, some with prototypes of self-driving vehicles.

Japanese carmaker Honda will be showing an "autonomous work vehicle" which can be configured for search and rescue operations, firefighting and other uses.

Other exhibitors will be showing technology designed to serve as the "brains" of self-driving vehicles, not only for navigation but to create a better, more personalized "user experience" for travelers.

The show includes startups offering "predictive" health care solutions designed to anticipate the kind of care senior citizens may need.

Facial recognition, which is already being used on many smartphones, will be incorporated into vehicles, doorbells and security systems as part of efforts to increase personalization and improve security.

And consumer products group Procter & Gamble, making its first appearance at CES, will demonstrate ways to use facial recognition and AI for improved skin care and beauty recommendations.

The new applications raise questions on whether consumers are ready for technologies that evoke the notion of Big Brother and a surveillance state.

Brenda Leong, senior counsel at the Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington think tank, said consumers should be mindful about whether data from facial recognition is kept only on the devices, such as in the iPhone, or held in a database.

"Even if commercial institutions are collecting the data, everybody is worried about government access," she said.

Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said consumers have shown a willingness to adopt these new technologies if they offer convenience.

"If they are balanced from a benefit point of view, those worries are going to go away," he said.

Moorhead noted that as facial recognition has become a standard feature for many smartphones, "those fears have faded."

O'Donnell said consumers are starting to understand more about data and become more discerning about which companies and devices they trust.

"Personalization is something people want, and they are willing to give up some privacy to get it," he said.

"But if they can get personalization on the device without sending it to the cloud, they get the benefits without giving up privacy."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Facebook shares drop as data privacy fallout spreads

WASHINGTON - Facebook Inc shares sank on Wednesday as concerns about its ability to safeguard user data sparked a government lawsuit, criticism in the US Congress and a New York Times report on how it had shared data with other companies.

The stock of the world's largest social media company fell 7.25 percent, its biggest intraday drop since July, taking losses for the year to about 24 percent. Investors are concerned about snowballing legal and regulatory efforts over data use polices that have upset many customers and could carry significant penalties and costs.

In particular, the Silicon Valley firm has drawn global scrutiny since disclosing earlier this year that a third-party personality quiz distributed on Facebook gathered profile information on 87 million users worldwide and sold the data to British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine said the US capital city was suing Facebook, accusing it of misleading users because it had known about the incident for 2 years before disclosing it.

It further alleges Facebook misled users by allowing several app makers it called partners "to override Facebook consumers' privacy settings and access their information without their knowledge or consent."

Facebook said in a statement, "We're reviewing the complaint and look forward to continuing our discussions with attorneys general in D.C. and elsewhere."

The New York Times reported new details on Tuesday about the user data that remained available to such partners years after they had shut down features that required them. Facebook acknowledged the lapse in a blog post but said it had not found evidence of wrongdoing by those partners.

In response, both Democrat and Republican lawmakers criticized the company and queried whether Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg had lied to Congress in hearings earlier this year.

The incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee, Representative David Cicilline, tweeted: "Zuckerberg told Congress that Facebook users had 'complete control' over their data. Sure looks like he lied."

Incoming Republican senator Josh Hawley made similar comments about Zuckerberg's testimony.

The stock slide was the worst since the owner of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram warned in July that profit margins would erode in coming years because of consumer and government pressure to better guard data and suppress objectionable content.

"Facebook could have prevented third parties from misusing its consumers' data had it implemented and maintained reasonable oversight of third-party applications," according to the lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

The court could award unspecified damages and impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation of the district's consumer protection law, or potentially close to $1.7 billion, if penalized for each consumer affected. The lawsuit alleges the quiz software had data on 340,000 D.C. residents, though just 852 users had directly engaged with it.

'CONFUSING SETTINGS'

Facebook offered separate privacy settings around 2013 to control what friends on the network could see and what data could be accessed by apps, enabling the quiz and other services to collect details about users' Facebook friends without many of them realizing it, according to the lawsuit.

Racine told reporters that Facebook had tried to settle the case before he filed suit, as is common during investigations of large companies, but that a lawsuit was necessary "to expedite change" at the Silicon Valley company.

Britain's data protection authority in July fined Facebook 500,000 pounds ($631,000) for breaches of data in the Cambridge Analytica incident.

Since then, Facebook has disclosed a pair of security breaches involving profile data and posts of up to 29 million users and 6.8 million users, respectively.

At least 6 US states have ongoing investigations into Facebook, according to state officials.

In March, a bipartisan coalition of 37 state attorneys wrote to the company, demanding to know more about the Cambridge Analytica data and its possible links to US President Donald Trump's election campaign.

At the same time, the Federal Trade Commission took the unusual step of announcing an investigation into whether Facebook had violated a 2011 consent decree, exposing the company to a multi-billion dollar fine.

State attorneys general have found some success taking on technology companies over data privacy. Uber Technologies Inc in September agreed to pay $148 million as part of a data breach settlement with 50 US states and Washington, D.C..

Agnieszka McPeak, a professor at Duquesne University School of Law, said states will likely make claims similar to those of D.C., pressuring Facebook into a settlement that involves both a monetary fine and modified business practices. "If a company faces 51 separate actions around the country for deceptive practices, that can have a real impact," McPeak said. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

New Facebook bug may have exposed unposted photos

SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook apologized Friday for a "bug" that may have exposed unposted photos from as many as 6.8 million users over a 12-day period through third-party applications.

In the latest in a string of incidents on data protection, the leading social network said using Facebook login and granting permission to third-party apps to access photos may have led to the unintended lapse between September 13 and 25.

"When someone gives permission for an app to access their photos on Facebook, we usually only grant the app access to photos people share on their timeline," engineering director Tomer Bar said in a message to developers.

"In this case, the bug potentially gave developers access to other photos, such as those shared on Marketplace or Facebook Stories."

Bar added that the bug also impacted photos that people uploaded to Facebook but chose not to post -- in situations where someone uploads a photo but doesn't finish posting it, for example.

"We store a copy of that photo so the person has it when they come back to the app to complete their post," he said.

Bar said affected users would be notified and directed to a help center where they will be able to see what images may have been affected.

"We're sorry this happened," he said. "Early next week we will be rolling out tools for app developers that will allow them to determine which people using their app might be impacted by this bug. We will be working with those developers to delete the photos from impacted users."

Facebook has been facing heightened scrutiny over its data protection practices in recent months, notably since the revelations over hijacking of personal data of tens of millions of users by Cambridge Analytica, a consultancy working on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

New tech regulation 'inevitable,' Apple CEO says

WASHINGTON - Apple CEO Tim Cook predicts that new regulations of tech companies and social networks to protect personal data are "inevitable."

In an interview with news website Axios being broadcast broadcast Sunday on HBO television, Cook said he expected the US Congress would take up the matter.

"Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of regulation," Cook said in an excerpt released by Axios. "I'm a big believer in the free market. But we have to admit when the free market is not working. And it hasn't worked here. I think it's inevitable that there will be some level of regulation.

"I think the Congress and the administration at some point will pass something."

Cook has previously been a proponent of self-regulation, especially as concerns user data protection.

But following the scandal that saw data consultancy Cambridge Analytica obtain data from millions of Facebook users, Cook said the industry was now "beyond" the scope of self-regulation.

Facebook has been trying to fend off concerns about how well it protects user data and defends against use of the site to spread misinformation aimed at swaying elections.

Controversies that have battered Facebook since the 2016 presidential election in the United States have raised questions over whether co-founder Mark Zuckerberg should keep his post as chief executive.

Turning to gender inequality in the workplace, Cook said the tech industry has generally been strong in diversity, even though a male-dominated culture prevails.

"I agree 100 percent from a gender point of view that the (Silicon) Valley has missed it, and tech in general has missed it," he said.

However, Cook added, "I’m actually encouraged at this point that there will be a more marked improvement over time."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Britain hits Facebook with maximum fine over data scandal

LONDON - Britain's data watchdog on Thursday levied the maximum possible fine of 500,000 pounds ($644,000) against Facebook Inc. for failing to protect the privacy of its users in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The Information Commissioner's Office said its probe found that from 2007 to 2014, Facebook processed the personal information of users unfairly by giving application developers access to their information without informed consent.

"Facebook failed to sufficiently protect the privacy of its users before, during and after the unlawful processing of this data," said Elizabeth Denham, the information commissioner. "A company of its size and expertise should have known better and it should have done better."

Facebook is struggling with security issues following its April admission that data on up to 87 million users may have been improperly shared with the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which worked for the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign of Donald Trump.

==Kyodo

source: news.abs-cbn.com/

Japan orders Facebook to improve data protection

TOKYO - The Japanese government on Monday ordered Facebook to improve protection of users' personal information following data breaches affecting tens of millions of people worldwide.

Facebook said early this month that hackers accessed the personal data of 29 million users in a breach at the world's leading social network first disclosed late September.

The company had originally said up to 50 million accounts were affected in a cyberattack that exploited a trio of software flaws to steal "access tokens" that enable people to automatically log back onto the platform.

Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission on Monday demanded the social media giant investigate why the personal data was hacked and draw up preventive measures.

Facebook told Japanese authorities the 29 million people hacked in the latest attack may include Japanese users, top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga has said.

Facebook also acknowledged earlier this year that tens of millions of users had their personal data hijacked by Cambridge Analytica, a British political firm which worked for Donald Trump in 2016.

Up to 100,000 Facebook users may have been affected in Japan in that scandal, the commission said.

"It is the first time that the commission, which investigated the data leak with British authorities, has issued warnings to Facebook," an official told AFP.

The commission also ordered Facebook to communicate better with users and respond to them promptly, for example when they request their accounts be deleted.

Facebook pledged to "promptly inform users if the platform was inappropriately used and cooperate with the commission and other countries' regulators" on its website.

source: neews.abs-cbn.com

Facebook fined $1.4 million by Spanish data watchdog

MADRID - Facebook has been fined 1.2 million euros ($1.4 million) for allegedly collecting personal information from users in Spain that could then be used for advertising, the national data protection watchdog said on Monday.

The fine stemmed from an investigation into the social network company conducted alongside similar probes in Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands, the AEPD authority said.

The 1.2 million euro fine is a fraction of Facebook’s quarterly revenue of about $8 billion and stock market capitalization of around $435 billion.

AEPD said it found three cases in which Facebook had collected details such as the gender, religious beliefs, personal tastes and browsing history of its millions of Spanish users without informing them how such information would be used.

Facebook did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

According to the AEPD, the tech giant did not sufficiently inform users about how it would use data collected on third-party websites, and did not obtain consent to use it.

“Facebook’s privacy policy contains generic and unclear terms,” the authority said in a statement.

“The social network uses specifically protected data for advertising, among other purposes, without obtaining users’ express consent as data protection law demands, a serious infringement.”

Using cookies, Facebook also collects data from people who do not have an account on the social network but navigate other pages containing a “like” button, AEPD said.

Facebook users’ activity can also be tracked on third-party sites, and the information collected added to what is already associated with a Facebook account, AEPD said.

It said it also found evidence the network kept information for more than 17 months after users closed their accounts.

source: news.abs-cbn.com