In a company with tens of thousands of employees and contractors, it can be hard to make sure every one follows the best possible standards. That’s about the nicest thing you can say about two recent incidents that sure don’t tally with Google’s much-hyped “don’t be evil” policy.
Wikipedia has narrowly decided a site blackout to protest against laws billed as combating piracy should be international rather than US only. That’s prompted Twitter’s chief executive to call the move foolish.
An Amazon footwear subsidiary has reported an estimated 24 million customers are affected by a security breach. But while it’s only the sloppy password brigade who’ll suffer among the public, it’s Zappos itself that’s getting the most hassle.
MySpace was, in every aspect, a complete screw-up. That’s not editorial comment, that’s the thoughts of former owner Rupert Murdoch.
Forces appearing to come from Israel and Saudi Arabia have engaged in a tit-for-tat round of attacks. But these aren’t physical engagements: rather the field of battle is stolen credit card details.
A Spanish bank is to use Google’s cloud computing services, a move that will be seen as a credibility boost. But BBVA will only be using the tools for internal communication rather than handling financial data.
When you buy an new television these days, the chances are that within a couple of years it will be out of date in a couple of years. But given how much they cost, you’ll often be reluctant to get a new set before the old one breaks down, which could be a decade or more.
Successful tech products usually meet two criteria: they involve a solution that while technically complex to carry out, is based on a simple concept; and they solve a genuine problem, even if the marketing team sometimes have to make customers aware of the problem. SolarKindle is halfway there.
The British government is to hold a special event to tackle the problems of outdated information on satellite navigation (GPS) systems. It’s designed to deal with high-profile blunders that have even damaged houses.
Microsoft has officially declared Internet Explorer 6 dead — in the United States at least. The 11-year-old browser has been a major security risk in recent years, but looks to be doomed in the coming months.
China has launched ten satellites that will make up a geo-positioning network designed as an alternative to GPS. While compatible with existing technology, Beidou is intended to make sure China isn’t reliant on foreign systems.
“Hacktivist” group Anonymous may have crossed the line from disruptive protest to outright fraud. But as always it’s hard to verify claims or associate individual actions with the “movement” as a whole.
Rumor has it Google is now paying $300 million a year to be the default search engine on Firefox. That’s triple what it previous paid, suggesting a bidding war may have emerged.
The size of the average web page has jumped up by a third in the space of a year. The increase isn’t just because of more content, but also because of more “behind the scenes” tracking tools.
If you’re a rude, miserable, overtly political marketer that I don’t know well, you’re off my Facebook friends list. And it appears I’m not alone.
Senators who questioned Google executives in September have passed on their findings to the Federal Trade Commission. The gist of it is that they can’t prove anything illegal but something doesn’t smell quite right.
Twitter has just made $300 million. And so what if it’s from a source that contradicts everything it stands for?
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