Verizon eats its supercookies: Lets users opt out of ID tracking

This was unexpected! Interesting…

Gigaom

Verizon said on Friday it will soon launch an program that will allow its customers to opt out of “supercookies,” a pervasive customer tracking tool that records all activity on the mobile web or mobile apps. Verizon customers today can already opt out of receiving advertising drawn from these supercookies – known in the industry as unique ID headers, or UIDH – but the profiles persist and will continue to collect consumer data even though Verizon says its not doing anything with it.

Changes to its opt-out program, however, will let customers remove those supercookies from their devices. Here’s the statement given to us by [company]Verizon[/company] spokeswoman Debra Lewis:

Verizon takes customer privacy seriously and it is a central consideration as we develop new products and services. As the mobile advertising ecosystem evolves, and our advertising business grows, delivering solutions with best-in-class privacy protections remains our focus.

We…

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Facebook buys PrivateCore to strengthen network security

Internet security has so far to go, at least some are taking steps to improve it.

Gigaom

Facebook said Thursday that it’s acquiring PrivateCore, a networking security startup whose founders previously held senior engineering positions at VMware and Google (s goog), for an undisclosed amount. Facebook said it will integrate PrivateCore’s security smarts into its server stack.

Facebook (s fb) has been working to secure all network traffic that gets funneled around its data centers, and one way to do so is to use PrivateCore’s vCage technology as a way to protect servers “from persistent malware, unauthorized physical access, and malicious hardware devices,” wrote Joe Sullivan, Facebook chief security officer.

The idea behind the vCage technology is that in typical private or public clouds, thousands of compute nodes are scattered across multiple regions. If just one node were to be infected or tampered with, there’s a chance that the entire cloud infrastructure could be compromised. Having vCage hooked in to the cloud infrastructure will supposedly provide a…

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Business Identity Theft and Fraud

Identity thieves are on the rise, easily tampering with ATMs and public credit card readers with ‘skimming’ devices that the average person may not recognize.  It’s all over the news that Target and Neiman Marcus had been hit with massive credit and debit card security breaches.  The BBB is issuing warnings about “One Ring” calls because if you return the call, it may lead to big international charges.  Locally, a Beloit, WI business reported that it was a victim of a “name hijacking.”

Business name Hijacking.  The hijack in Beloit was in the form of a duplicate website being created, nearly identical to the business website.  The criminals behind fraudulent website scams use the online storefront of your business to collect data, make threats and ultimately collect money.  They will sometimes use a website like yours, but with a different suffix.  (Instead of “.com” they will use “.net”)

• Be vigilant.  Start by monitoring your company name and address on the internet.  Do this on a regular basis because if you find fraud in early stages, you’ll be more likely to recover.  Your reputation and future business is at stake.  If you don’t have time to do this on your own, hire a professional.
• Report cybercrime.  File a complaint with your local police department and the FBI’s cybercrime division.  They can investigate and have the scam site shut down.  In the meanwhile, put a “scam alert” on your own website.  The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is another valuable resource.

Investigate Suspicious Activity such as requests to verify orders you didn’t place, receiving phone calls to verify business details, and invoices for things such as storage and shipping charges that just doesn’t make sense.

Credit Cards. Your business credit card offers far more fraud protection than a business debit card.  With debit cards, if you wait too long to report the fraud, your bank account could be cleaned out and your bank might not reimburse you.  Credit card or debit, use caution when purchasing from an ATM, even to purchase gas “Skimming devices” are very difficult to detect!  Even after looking at the photos, I don’t think I could spot one?

• Avoid using ATMs which are poorly lighted. 
• Choose a bank ATM over standalones.
• Protect your pin by covering the keypad with one hand.
• If anything looks unusual, give it a wiggle.  (Loose parts, suspiciously placed cameras and unusual signage are all red flags.)

The best prevention is education.  Be aware and stay square!

Cloud computing on Google Chrome

Google Apps for Education

From Nairobi to Wisconsin, Google Apps for Education has transformed education across the globe.  Allowing more control over the students learning environment, Wisconsin Schools currently have a statewide contract with the program.  Beginning in middle-school, all students are required to purchase a chromebook.  The chromebook is affordable, light, easy to carry, and offers internet access to apps and other web resources.  Through “the cloud,” teachers, staff and students can easily collaborate and share within an internet learning environment.

Google HP Chromebook

Google has recently unveiled the HP Chromebook II.  Although this laptop is more expensive that the previous versions, it’s still reasonably priced under $300.  The cromebook is extremely fast, light-weight, supports 3G and 4G data plans, has a 6-hour battery life, beautiful screen display, and carries the Google name.  There’s no need to purchase anti-virus or malware protection programs because Google has this built-in the system.  All information is stored on “The Cloud,”  meaning that this “WiFi-only” computer is dependent upon the internet to utilize its apps.

Safe Google Cloud Computing

The simple explanation regarding how “The Cloud” works is that your data is saved on remote servers so you can access the information from any device, at any time, from anywhere. “Cloud computing,” refers to the practice of moving apps and data to these servers, which is then shared among a number of people.  All of this ‘sharing’ leads to some questions about security risk.  Below are some simple steps that you can take to protect the information you store in cyberspace.

• Password Protect Data
• Store passwords offline
• Practice Safe Webbing
• Update your web browser often
• Don’t share personal information on the cloud

 National Cyber Security Awareness Month

October 2013 marks the tenth anniversary of National Cyber Security Awareness Month.  Through a series of events and initiatives across the country, public and private sector partners raise awareness and educate Americans about cyber security. Identifying challenges for the next ten years, each week this month has been dedicated to a different cyber security issue.

Google Algorithms Penguin and Hummingbird

Google changes or updates its algorithms 500-600 times per year.  (yikes!)  For a small business, this is a lot to keep up with.  Having a webmaster that keeps up with these changes will make a big difference in your bottom line.

Had changes recently in your search results?  Knowing when the Google algorithm updates took effect may help explain those changes:  SEO MOZ list of major algorithmic changes that have had the biggest impact on search.

August 2013, Google Hummingbird

Hummingbird was created to help provide better “conversational search” results, paying more attention to every word in a query, rather than pulling from a few key words.  When you speak a search topic such as, “Place to buy Green Bay Packer jersey?”  Traditional search engine may have focused on matches for the words, “buy” and “Green Bay Packer,” for example.  Hummingbird takes the search a step further by focusing on the meaning behind the spoken search words.  If you’ve shared with Google, it will recognize your location and compare it to your search.  It may understand that “place” means you want a brick-and-mortar store. It might get that “Green Bay Packer jersey” is a particular brand and type of clothing carried by certain stores. The goal is that pages matching the meaning do better, rather than pages matching just a few words.

October 2013, Google Penguin

Penguin is not a replacement for Hummingbird, but rather a part of it.  Hummingbird is like Google’s entire ranking engine, whereas Penguin is like a small part of that engine, a filter that is removed and periodically replaced with what Google considers to be a better filter to help keep out bad stuff.  Penguin is a part of Google’s overall search algorithm, designed to detect web spam and remove it from results.  If links are showing high in search results, but appear to be “Paid links” or “spammy,” Google will penalize your search results.  They just want to ensure that the results appearing in SERPs are all relevant and provide quality content pertaining to your search.

Over the years, there have been many update versions of the penguin algorithm.  (Penguin 1, 1.2, 2, 2.2, etc.)  If your site was affected by the most recent Penguin update, you would have noticed a marked drop in traffic over the past week.  How to fix the problem?  Get rid of those paid links.

Web Masters keep in mind, “Relevance and Quality”

Content on sites must be relevant and sector-related to fair well on Google search.  Web masters should double check to ensure links are relevant to their specific topics and that they have developed organically.   It is also vital that the content on your site is frequently updated and changing.

Content Marketing and Google Algorithms

Recently, Google rolled out some new quality controls for content marketing which will play into algorithms important to organic search results.  The change is designed to place relevance on the QUANTITY of new content, and will affect 35% of all search queries.  For businesses who are constantly updating their blog, social media sites, website content, and participating in inbound marketing….this is great news. For those who are not, this change could put a little fire in the seat to do something about it.  Stated in a Google press release,  “Search results, like warm cookies right out of the oven… are best when they’re fresh.”

If you want a piece of the SEO action, be prepared to push out more blogs, tweets, posts, and join in on discussions related to your products, services, and industry at any moment!

Don’t wait another minute to check your Google+ Business Places accounts and ensure you are within the guidelines.  The penalty?  Google will remove your business information and your business will lose precious search engine leverage.

Just because Google is asking for more quantity doesn’t minimize the importance of current and relevant information.  If you buy Google AdWords, familiarize yourself with Google’s Quality Score.  In addition, here are some basic definitions for marketers and business owners alike:

• SEO:  abbreviation for “Search Engine Optimization,”  how to appear higher in search engine results.
• Inbound Marketing:  Marketing efforts focused on getting found by customers rather than traditional marketing which is more intrusive.
• Content Marketing:  Technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract and engage an audience with the objective of driving profitable actions.

All of the above utilize blogs, social sites, websites, Press-releases, etc.  Instead of merely “selling” your products and services, you’re delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent.  Not only that, but consumers don’t respond to traditional marketing like they used to.  It takes more to catch their interest than an online banner or TV ad alone.  

Mobile phones surpass PC’s in Sales

 

 

Mobile phones have come a long way from the 5lb brick, ‘stupid’ phones we used to keep in our cars for emergency calls.  There was a time that I hesitated to own a mobile phone because I wasn’t sure that I wanted the extra hassle, or the extra monthly expense.  However, today mobile phones are so small, light and inexpensive that 9-year old kids carry them to and from school.  They have become necessary for everyday living.  Smartphones have changed the way we use phones, internet, radio and tv.  In addition, mobile advertising will continue to be a merging opportunity as apps and audiences grow.

 

Big tech news last week released Friday by an industry research firm called Canalys, there were more than 158 million smartphones shipped in the fourth quarter of last year.  That’s a 57 percent increase over the same quarter in 2010. For the entire year, smartphones were up 63 percent, to 487.7 million units.  http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=82045&full_skip=1  Mobile phones have surpased PC’s in sales. Apple is now the 3rd biggest phone maker, thanks to the iPhone.  Although smartphone sales are growing, it’s interesting that  mostof the phones purchased are still ‘feature’ phones.  (Their appeal still exists on the basis of price and ease of use.) Smartphone or not, it appears that problems with phone reception will always be present.

The point of matter right now is which one to choose when both are good and both are bad.  The difference between smartphones and small tablets is becoming less distinct, yet I still prefer word processing and research to be done on a PC and for my mobile phone to be ‘mobile.’  Some will argue that they can do the same thing but I disagree.  To me, their purpose and ease of use is very different.  I expect to be able to carry a mobile phone in my purse or briefcase without it being cumbersome or too heavy.  (Once we start talking about iPads that changes.)  When I’m on a PC I want a large monitor and the ability to easily navigate between programs and tasks.  Good news for the manufacturer though;  smartphones have become necessary. (Gotta’ have one)  Tablet PC’s are the new luxury.  This shift has changed the way we communicate on a daily basis and the reason why mobile phone sales continue to grow.