<IT WORLD> Google caught in the cookie
jar By Martin J
Young
HUA HIN, Thailand - Google and the US
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are close to an
agreement that may see the search giant landed
with the largest fine yet levied by the
commission. The company could be ordered to pay
US$22.5 million in connection with accusations
that it bypassed security settings in the Safari
web browser in order to gather data on its users.
The figure itself is a drop in the ocean
compared with Google's cash holdings, but it is a
step in the right direction by the FTC, which is
stepping up its approach to online privacy
violations. According to a Wall Street Journal
report citing sources familiar with the matter, a
settlement is imminent.
Google was accused
in February of manipulating code to bypass
the blocking of tracking
cookies by Apple's browser (see Web
police show their power , February 25, 2012.
At the time, Google said the situation was
unintentional and that its ad cookies did not
gather personal data or harm consumers.
An
emailed statement from the search company said "We
do set the highest standards of privacy and
security for our users. The FTC is focused on a
2009 help center page ... we have now changed that
page and taken steps to remove the ad cookies,
which collected no personal information, from
Apple's browsers."
The action spurned an
FTC investigation into whether Google had violated
a 20-year agreement in which it established not to
misrepresent its privacy practices to consumers.
Similar consent decrees with the FTC governing
privacy and data security violations had also been
agreed with Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.
The latest impending levy adds to the list
of charges and accusations that are mounting up
against Google and its ever increasing
stranglehold on the World Wide Web and those that
use it.
Security Microsoft's
monthly software security fix day, "Patch
Tuesday", rolled by this week with the usual slew
of repairs to Windows and Internet Explorer. A
zero day Windows vulnerability that has been
exploited for weeks was finally patched; the flaw
in XML Core Services (MSXML) had been used to
target high-value victims, such as those in the
aerospace and defense industries.
A total
of 16 patches were applied to Windows, Office and
IE9, the company's latest web browser. Three of
them were rated critical and the rest important.
IE9 had been touted as Microsoft's most secure
browser, but already the company is applying the
digital band-aids to prevent malicious code
entering the browser when users are directed to
fraudulent websites.
Microsoft officially
confirmed that its next generation Windows 8
operating system will roll out to manufacturers in
the first week of August and reach the shelves in
late October. It also mentioned strong sales of
Windows 7 and stated that 630 million licenses had
been sold to date. Those who buy a computer
running Windows 7 at the moment will have the
option to upgrade to 8 for just $14.95.
Yahoo was on the wrong end of a major
security breech this week when hackers infiltrated
its system and gained access to more than 453,000
user log-in credentials. Using powerful database
commands on search boxes in poorly secured web
applications, the hackers tricked the server into
dumping large amounts of sensitive data.
The information was posted on a hacker
website and those responsible stated "We hope that
the parties responsible for managing the security
of this [Yahoo!] subdomain will take this as a
wake-up call, and not as a threat. There have been
many security holes exploited in webservers
belonging to Yahoo! Inc that have caused far
greater damage than our disclosure. Please do not
take them lightly."
Hardware Apple will start
selling the newest version of its market
dominating tablet computer, the iPad, in China as
of July 20. The device went on sale in the United
States and a number of other countries in March.
The delay in China may have been due to a recently
settled trademark dispute that resulted in the
company paying out $60 million. (See Nexus
in eye of patent storm, July 7, 2012)
Chinese consumers can't get enough of the
company's gadgets, even though they often cost
several times more than the average monthly wage
for many. The new iPad's launch in the People's
Republic is likely to generate more hype than it
should, so Apple need to keep on its toes to
prevent a repeat of a sales fiasco earlier this
year.
When Apple's flagship Beijing store
was scheduled to open to sell the iPhone 4S,
frustrated aficionados who waited overnight in
sub-zero temperatures pelted it with eggs after
being told that the shop didn't actually have any
new smart-phones and wouldn't really be opening
yet.
Telecoms Myanmar, which has
been a closed door nation for several decades, has
started the process of reforming its Internet and
telecommunications services in order to offer
international standards and cheap prices.
Communications are currently considered a major
obstacle to development in the country, where
mobile phones cost hundreds of dollars and are
available only to an estimated 4% of the
population.
This week officials said the
state-owned telephone operator Myanmar Posts and
Telecommunications and Internet provider
Yatanarpon Teleport plan to form joint ventures
involving "local and overseas companies that have
experience in international telecommunication
services". If successful, the initiative could
result in an increase of mobile penetration to 50%
by 2015.
International firms have been
eagerly eyeing Myanmar following recent reforms
and the easing of sanctions. Analysts have called
it one of the last untapped telecoms markets in
the region.
Martin J Young is an
Asia Times Online correspondent based in
Thailand.
(Copyright 2012 Asia Times
Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please
contact us about sales, syndication and
republishing.)
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