Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share

Yahoo Messenger Big Brother censorshipWe've all thought it, but never dared think it could be true: what if Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL actively monitor our instant messenger chats? What if mentions of 'bomb' and 'underage' are tracked and sent to law enforcement agencies? What if chat providers don't agree with the things we say, or the links we share, and filter or censor the content of our transmitted messages?

Well, it looks like our fears may actually have some basis in reality: Yahoo Messenger strips FilesTube links from instant messages. It doesn't tell either party that a URL has been removed from chat -- it just deletes it. Poof. FilesTube, in case you were wondering, is one of the largest file hosting meta search engines on the Web -- it indexes RapidShare, Megaupload, Mediafire, and many other 'cyberlocker' services.

It's fairly obvious why FilesTube links are being removed -- the Censor General at Yahoo is probably one of those perplexed primates who think all uses of BitTorrent are illegal -- but this situation poses a far more important question: is Yahoo censoring messages on the client side, or the server side. Does the messenger client itself maintain a list of 'blacklisted' words -- and if so, why are we not told that FilesTube links are banned? What other words and terms does Yahoo protect us from?

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Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/yahoo-messenger-now-censors-links-raises-serious-privacy-issue/

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The New Windows 8 First Touch: This Is Windows? [Video]

It doesn't sound like a particularly shimmery compliment, but the best thing that I can say about Microsoft's Metro UI is that after well over a year of using it in various guises, it still feels new. Not like never-breached-my-eyeballs-before new, but new as in the promise of something better, something from the future. But it's here, and I'm touching it with Windows 8. And it's going to redefine how like a bajillion people are going to use their computer over the next couple of years. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/k1iY8fOP-5w/the-new-windows-8-first-touch-this-is-windows

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Panasonic Skype tablet eyes-on

At Panasonic's press event here at CES 2012, the company announced and briefly showed off a device it called a Skype tablet, then promptly whisked it away before we could get our hands on it. Well, we swung by the Panny booth to see it up close and some more info on the thing. As you can see in the gallery below, it's got what appears to be a webcam and a 7-inch LCD on the front, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack and an SD slot round back. Unfortunately, our attempts to gather more info about the device were rebuffed, but feel free to peek at our pictures and pontificate on what lies beneath its silver facade.

Panasonic Skype tablet eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/rgmLCyJ054g/

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Solarfocus Solarkindle Cover- Solar Powered Kindle

Solarfocus will introduce the SolarKindle cover at the Consumer Electronics Show today. With a built in reserve battery (1500mah) that will charge via USB or via an optional built in solar panel the cover also includes a built in LED reading light (800 lux) that will last up to 50 hours without using the Kindle’s [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/01/09/solarfocus-solarkindle-cover-solar-powered-kindle/

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Facebook launches unified mobile site, announces 250 million mobile users

Facebook has announced that its two mobile sites -- m.facebook.com and touch.facebook.com -- have been unified, bringing a simpler mobile experience to Facebook users. And there are a lot of those -- a quarter billion, according to Facebook.

Smartphone users won't be losing any functionality because of the consolidation. If your phone supported the enhacned features offered by touch.facebook.com, the new site will automatically flip the switch when you visit.

Rolling the sites together helps simplify things for Facebook's developer team. Now changes can be pushed to a single site instead of two separate sites, which makes it easier to ensure that all mobile users receive a nearly identical experience regardless of the device they're using.

The new Facebook mobile can also check to see if your phone supports geolocation. If it doesn't, you won't be seeing much of Facebook Places -- which obviously relies heavily on geolocation. Images can also be optimized on the fly to keep page performance from suffering on less powerful devices. You can see the three different versions of the share button below, courtesy our friends at TechCrunch.

Facebook launches unified mobile site, announces 250 million mobile users originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/facebook-launches-unified-mobile-site-announces-250-million-mob/

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Washington Does the Security Watusi

With the apparent resurgence of hacker community Anonymous, as well as concerns that cybercriminals may have recently penetrated the networks of a number of small utilities, two United States federal government initiatives to improve cybersecurity were launched this past week.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/74142.html

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Now You Can Totally Start That Barbershop Quartet Cover Band You've Always Wanted [Apps]

A capella music - the kind that consists of just the human voice, was once strictly the domain of college glee clubs and barbershop quartets. Now, it is having something of a cultural moment. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-28lBOm2cP4/now-you-can-totally-start-that-barbershop-quartet-cover-band-youve-always-wanted

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Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface

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Bing's new HTML5-and-CSS3-enhanced search interface, which was first demonstrated back in September 2010 to showcase the power of IE9, has started to roll out.

The most notable addition to the new interface is is smooth page transitions -- the fade in and out -- and navigation tabs (maps, images, videos, etc.) now persistently float at the top of the page. WinRumors is also reporting that a feature reminiscent of Google Instant search is being added to Bing, with page elements smoothly transitioning in and out as you type in your search query.

If you want to try out the new Bing UI, your best bet is to set your locale to United States - English and pray that you're part of the initial roll out. Alternatively, just wait a few days until MIX 2011, Microsoft's Web developer conference, which is when the new Bing UI should be officially launched.

Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/08/bing-begins-roll-out-of-html5-enhanced-search-interface/

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Potato Head Dictators are Probably Smarter Than the Real Thing [Toys]

While I doubt anybody ever called Kim Jong-Il a potato head to his face, I'm sure an awful lot of people thought it. Including artist Stephen Ives, who's created these dictatorial toys. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/L48weQkqX8o/potato-head-dictators-are-probably-smarter-than-the-real-thing

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