HUA HIN, Thailand - Browser hacking has become something of a sport, with
official contests pitting browsers against professional hackers as well as each
other. The high-stakes Pwn2Own contest at the CanSecWest security conference in
Canada this week proved that leading browsers are still vulnerable to attacks
despite claims from their creators.
Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Apple's Safari were first to fall as French
security company Vupen walked off with the US15,000 prize for exploiting an
unpatched vulnerability in Safari despite an update to the browser and
operating system by Apple a few days before the contest. Mozilla's Firefox and
Google's Chrome browsers were also made available for security experts to
attack. Vulnerabilities they found are sent to the respective companies in
order for them to issue patches.
Microsoft's regular round of software patches on Tuesday included only four bug
fixes, which dealt primarily with Windows Media Player.
Chrome has been given a recent upgrade that, according to Google, allows it to
render Javascript 66% faster, making a big difference to the speed it takes to
load complex web applications. Google has also added a search box that displays
results as you type along with more integration with Google's data-gathering
cloud. The release of Chrome 10 has been timed to coincide with imminent
launches of rival browsers.
Microsoft confirmed rumors in a company blog post this week that Internet
Explorer 9 will be released on March 14. One major new feature of the browser
is "tracking protection", which will allow users to decide which websites they
do not want to track their movements across the web. This will be handy for
those that have grown tired of Google's Adsense following them from page to
page as they browse the Internet.
Mozilla's Firefox 4 is unlikely to be launched until the end of the month;
however the final release candidate was made available for download this week.
During the next few weeks the development teams will work on ironing out the
final bugs reported from those that are using the RC version of the new
browser. When the new version hits the net in a final completed state, the
competition between the two leading browsers is likely to be as heated as ever;
both have lost market share to Chrome over the past year.
A new European Union law regarding Internet privacy and the tracking of user
behavior by websites is set to come into action in May. However, countries
affected are still not ready for its implementation. The ePrivacy directive
states that websites must ask consent from users before they start tracking
them, but it is still undecided how this will be enforced.
Behavioral advertising is a burgeoning industry that relies on the use of
cookies, a small text file placed on the target computer, to track users'
browsing habits. The Internet Advertising Bureau and the European Advertising
Standards Authority have both campaigned for self-regulation however the
presentation of web forms to accept or deny cookies would hinder user
experience and probably put them off that particular website.
The three leading browsers, IE, Firefox and Chrome are including settings to
protect users from invasive tracking however the obligation should really be on
the website that is benefitting from the data and making millions of dollars
from targeted ads.
Internet
Social networking giant Facebook is venturing into new grounds which will have
media and entertainment companies rightly concerned. In an experimental deal
struck with Warner Bros this week, movie rentals and purchases will be
available to Facebook's estimated 600 million users.
Users will be required to pay US$3 for the movies using Facebook's own online
currency called credits. The 30 credit fee for a 48-hour movie rental will net
the social site 30% for streaming the content within its pages. The first
offering was the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight; those that
clicked the "like" button in Facebook will have the option of renting or buying
the film.
The offer is only available to users in the US at the moment and Warner Bros
has stated that it will begin offering more titles soon. Batman was originally
chosen as it has a solid fan base already on Facebook.
Facebook appears to be attempting to grow beyond its present niche and venture
into the broader market by aiming to become the online portal for
communication, sharing, gaming, and now movies and media. This puts it up
against the likes of Google's YouTube, Netflix, and Apple, which also aspire to
be the only portal people need to use for their online media and
communications.
The rest of Hollywood will need to take note. DVD sales are falling and online
viewing is rising. Facebook has a massive reach and movies "liked" or watched
by one user will automatically be offered to all of their "friends" on the
website via its social tools.
Facebook's credit currency system may also be pitched as a new online currency
that could eventually rival Paypal. Over 400 developers are already using
"credits" and Facebook users themselves buy games, gifts and virtual goods with
them.
Warner Bros is the first major entertainment company to make use of the virtual
currency to offer its own products, and it is highly likely that it will not be
the only one to jump onto the social bandwagon, Sony is considering similar
partnerships.
Martin J Young is an Asia Times Online correspondent based in Thailand.
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