Tech

The Virtual Skinny: All Net Neutrality Every-thang

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11.11.2014

Good to Know:  November 11 is Alibaba’s Singles’ Day in China (and Veterans Day in the U.S. – thank you to all those who have served and are currently serving).  Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce site, is responsible for what is basically the anti-Valentine’s day and also the biggest e-commerce day of the year.  Sales have already reached over $8 billion. We’re starting to reconsider Cyber Monday and Black Friday. 

THE SKINNY.

The InterWebs Is All Abuzz…

Because on Monday, November 10, President Obama ensured that we’d be talking about net neutrality all week when he came out with a strong statement and video in support of net neutrality rules that would keep the Internet open and free.

Why Is This Big Deal?

First, the back-story… For many years, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been working towards implementing net neutrality rules. However, the Commission’s efforts have been consistently challenged in court – first by Comcast and then most recently by Verizon.  In January 2014, the D.C. Circuit struck down most of the Commission’s rules (namely no blocking and no discrimination).  Subsequently, the FCC had started a lengthy, record breaking public comment process of trying to figure out what rules to adopt and how it would legally carry out implementation of these rules.  Through this process, the FCC heard from about 3 million plus people, and many of you want the FCC to reclassify broadband services under Title II of the Communications Act (Title II) as a common carrier service.

What is Title II, and Why Should I Care? 

By reclassifying broadband services under Title II, it is argued that this would prevent ISPs from discriminating against certain types of services and content and stop them from charging Internet users a premium just to access our favorite online shows (kind of like how you have to pay more for HBO).  Proponents say going down the Title II route will protect the open Internet and allow us to do as we please online.   ISPs/cable companies are not feelin’ this idea and think things should be left just as they are.

Ok? So What’s the Punch Line …

Well, there’s been intense debate about what rules are appropriate and the best legal approach to get there.  Last week, we told you about the WSJ leak where we found out that the FCC was considering a hybrid legal approach, which pretty much everyone and their mother hated.  Then yesterday, President Obama called for strong rules that would prevent discrimination and blocking while encouraging transparency. And, Obama recommended that the FCC (an independent agency) implement these rules by reclassifying broadband services under… wait for it … TITLE II!  #MicDrop

What Does Obamacare Have to Do With This?

In a nutshell, the Democrats and Internet companies came out in support of the President’s statement.  As expected, Republicans and ISPs were not pleased.  Speaking of Republicans, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) went there and said that net neutrality is the Obamacare for the Internet.  Needless to say, the Internet responded, and it wasn’t pretty.

Till Next Year … 

President Obama’s statement is a game changer.  Originally, we all thought we’d see an official FCC proposal come out this December but looks like things have been pushed back until the new year.

What Else Is Going On This Week?

They’re Having the Last Laugh …

Remember when Facebook told you that you’d have to download its Messenger app to send messages via your phone? And we were all like ain’t happening … Well, turns out that 500 million of us gave in.  The social network now has over 1 billion users using messaging and has passed 500 million monthly users on its Messenger app in addition to 600 million active users on its newly owned WhatsApp.

Join the Social Movement …. 

In the fight against Ebola, Internet companies are coming out big.  Last week, Facebook released a donations function for its users to contribute towards these efforts. Mark Zuckerberg and his wife personally donated $25 million, and this week, Google donated $10 million to some non-profits and announced that it would donate $2 dollars for every dollar donated through its new campaign.  Oh, Larry Page and fam also contributed about $15 million.

More Stolen Data…

The U.S. Postal Service is the latest victim in data theft.  Though the public is just learning about it, back in September, databases containing about 800,000 employees and retirees personal information (names, birth dates, addresses, and Social Security numbers) were compromised. The government’s not sure who is responsible, but they think it looks like work of Chinese hackers.

The Streets Are Talkin’ 

Let’s talk more about Alibaba.  Last week, we told you about Alibaba’s much anticipated first earnings report.  The company killed it reporting its profit had increased by about 16%, and it’s now valued at $250 billion.  Now, its CEO Jack MA is saying that AliPay (its financial services arm) will definitely be going public.  Note to self:  Should’ve jumped on the bandwagon earlier.

The Virtual Skinny: We’ve Been Gone For A Minute, But Now We’re Back …

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

10.28.2014

Where Have You Been? No, we have not been hiding from you.  After a short hiatus, we're 
excited and happy to announce that we're back in business! We continue to appreciate your 
support as we keep you posted on the top tech and Internet news-related stories to watch 
for the week.  Cheers! 

THE SKINNY.

Your Money’s No Good Here.

Yesterday, CVS and Rite Aid made a bold move and announced that they won’t be accepting Apple Pay – the tech company’s new mobile payment service.

Keepin’ It In the Family.

Though CVS and Rite Aid haven’t commented on their decision, turns out that Walmart, Best Buy, and about 50 other retail chains are developing their own in-house, rival systems. Interesting …

Never Let ‘Em See You Sweat.

In the first few days of Apple Pay’s existence, Apple saw more than a million credit cards registered.  Apple CEO Tim Cook says Apple Pay offers better privacy and security than other services. Cook also said, “Merchants have different objectives sometimes. But in the long arc of time, you only are relevant as a retailer or merchant if your customers love you.” #NoShadeButShade

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON THIS WEEK?

Back to the Future …

Back in August, Taylor Swift announced to the world that she’d be releasing a new album via a live stream on Yahoo .  ICYMI – pop is in, and country is out. Then, just last week, a portion of her already critically acclaimed album, 1989, leaked online. But, yesterday marked the official launch of her album. She teamed up with iHeartRadio for a secret session live streamed on Yahoo to celebrate with some of her closest fans on a NYC rooftop.  Needless to say, the Internet is freaking out. We’re calling it now, record sales by the end of this week! In the meantime, we’ll see how T-Swift continues to leverage online platforms.

It’s All About the Numbers…

The good news is Twitter’s users via mobile is growing, and it’s revenue outperformed projected estimates.   And now for the bad –  Twitter didn’t attract quite as many new users in the third quarter and existing users aren’t engaging with the service as much.  This means a lot on Wall Street.  The social media platform’s shares fell by 11% – losing about $3 billion in market value.  CEO Dick Costolo isn’t discouraged and says the company will continue to reach its ““aspirational goal to build the largest daily audience in the world.” Looks like continued innovation is key.

Facebook Takes on Journalism…

With about 1.3 billion people across the globe signing into the social network at least monthly, Facebook is looking to tap into the journalism and change how people consume news. Even the Washington Post’s Senior Editor for Digital News admits that people will no longer be going to his paper’s website directly but will instead opt for “search and social.”

The Streets Are Talkin’

Content is king, and Amazon knows it.  The e-commerce company just expand its digital content by purchasing online comedy service Rooftop.

YouTube is considering a paid subscription for those of us that want to skip the ads. This new approach being led by Google vet Susan Wojcicki, and the online platform is actively searching for potential content partners for this service.

Rumor has it that Roku streaming player is eyeing an initial public offering aka as an IPO.

You Should Know That…

This Friday is Halloween! We hope you enjoy the festivities and put in a little work to come up with a creative costume.  But, please do try to avoid costumes likes these.  You’re welcome!

The Virtual Skinny: Half Way There

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7.24.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  Pictures of cats are popular on the Interwebs, but they can also reveal interesting things about the location of the people who post them. 

THE SKINNY.

WHAT NOT TO DO FOR CONCERT TICKETS.

Joining an international cybercrime ring to defraud eBay’s online ticketing service, StubHub, is definitely not the way to go.

LEARN FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE.

Yesterday, seven people all based in different parts of the world including New York, New Jersey, Barcelona, London, and Toronto in connection with this group that stole credit and debit card numbers to purchase tickets to a number of high profile events like the JT and Jay-Z concert, a Yankees baseball game, and a Broadway play before reselling them to net profits. They dispersed these profits through PayPal accounts and British and German bank accounts. Six of the seven were indicted in New York yesterday.

WHAT’S THE CHARGE?

In the NY State Supreme Court, the six were charged with a slew of crimes including money laundering, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and identity theft.

TEAM WORK, MAKES THE DREAM WORK. 

In a rare showing of international cooperation, StubHub, Manhattan’s D.A.’s office, and other authorities worked closely with law enforcement around the globe for about a year. This coalition relied on I.P. addresses, and the PayPal and bank accounts to track down the individuals and successfully complete the second largest crime bust in the last year.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

YOU SHOULD NEVER SETTLE.

The European Union’s competition commissioner, Joaquín Almunia, is feeling some pressure to either delay or get rid of certain parts of its antitrust settlement with Google. Alumnia previously proposed a settlement to address anitrust complaints against the Internet company for favoring its services over its competitors in search results. Online review companies involved believe the settlement could be stronger and want the commissioner to at least require Google to use their results to power the company’s specialized search products when appropriate. Almunia is expected to reach final decision on this case this fall in September.

ALL IT DOES IS WIN, WIN, WIN … 

Facebook basically killed it in the second quarter on Wall Street.  According to reports, the social media company saw significant revenue growth all thanks to ads shown to users who accessed its service via their mobile devices.  We recently told you that FB just closed its deal with Oculus, and it also successfully purchased WhatsApp, a popular text messaging app, before that.  Now, the Zuck wants us to turn to the book of faces to search for content.  This plan will roll out over the next six month and will likely prompt us to spend even more time on the platform.  By the way, according to the company, you’re already spending about 41 minutes on FB daily (more than the time we spend exercising). Awesome.

 

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

 

LinkedIn just bought tech ad and measurements company Bizo for $175 million.  As soon as the deal closes in the third quarter, marketers can tap into Bizo’s resources, which will allow them to better target professionals with ads and measure the effectiveness of their ad campaigns.

Twitter is joining the ranks of Google and Facebook by revealing its also lacking in the diversity department. About 60% of its employees say they are white and about 70% identify as male. Unsurprisingly, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and black people are the most underrepresented.

 

 

 

 

The Virtual Skinny: Up and at ‘Em

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7.15.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  People that work for Amazon probably look better than you. According to social networking app, Hinge, its users went for Amazon employees about 14% more than others.  In yo’ face, Google and Facebook! 
 

THE SKINNY.

 

STORY OF THE DAY.

Today is the deadline for the Federal Communications Commission’s public comment period on its proposed net neutrality rules.

WHO CARES?

Turns out a lot of you give a d*mn and like your Internet just the way it is — open and free.  The latest count is over 677,000 submissions to the Commission (thanks, John Oliver), and it looks like people aren’t digging Chairman Tom Wheeler’s plan.

ALL EYES ON THEM.

Everyone’s been waiting to see what Internet companies have to say about the proposed plan.  Yesterday, The Internet Association, a D.C.-based group representing leading Internet companies, turned in their comments. The group, whose mission is to fight for Internet freedom, made it clear that regardless of whether you prefer mobile or wireline, paid prioritization  for content on Internet platforms is a no-go.  So far, individual companies like Etsy and Kickstarter have also weighed in, and they are also worried about paid prioritization .  Etsy says if the proposal were in effect, the company wouldn’t even be able to exist.  reddit’s also activating its user base on this issue and urging them to support the reclassification of broadband services under Title II of the Communications Act (Title II).

WHAT ABOUT TITLE II?

The argument is that reclassifying broadband services as a utility (like your common carrier phone service) Title II would prevent paid prioritization of content that most of us are concerned about at the moment.  Some of us prefer not to pay more for us to watch or access certain content at faster speeds. Proponents say going down this route will protect the open Internet and allow for you and me to think up the next big Internet company.  Others against this idea, think it’ll open up the Internet to regulation and deter innovation. And by others, I mean cable companies.

SPEAKING OF…

Cable companies have yet to submit their filings, but there’s still time.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

This is just the first round.  The FCC will open another comment round for additional input from the public.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

NOT AGAIN.

In other news, privacy advocates, including ACLU and the Electronic Frontiers Foundations, are worried about CISA, the latest cybersecurity bill that would allow companies to share information with the federal government.  These groups compare this bill to a similar bill, CISPA, which would have permitted the same thing if passed into law.  They are writing to President Obama to speak out against the controversial bill.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Move over YouTube, Yahoo!’s got next.  With its push to deliver more content to users, Yahoo! is teaming up with Live Nation to offer free live steam videos of concerts.  If this bodes well, it’ll be a major boost in establishing Screen — the company’s answer to YouTube.  Free Justin Timberlake concert? Please and thank you.

LinkedIn wants in on the content game too.  The social network acquired Newsle, which lets people know when their connections have been mentioned in the news.

How about we acquire another dating site?  IAC/InterActive Corp just purchased HowAboutWe, an online service that matches people based on date-suggestions.  IAC already has OKCupid, Match, and Tinder in its portfolio.

Secret, an app people use to anonymously post gossip about their professional and personal lives, has raised $25 million to offer its services more broadly. It now wants to link its app to Facebook so users can easily connect with their “friends.”

 

 

 

 

 

The Virtual Skinny: Case of the Mondays

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter, Uncategorized 0 Comment

7.14.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  Germany bested Argentina with a score of 1-0 during yesterday’s World Cup final.  But, Facebook and Twitter also came out as winners.  The book of faces saw 280 million interactions (likes, posts, and comments), and tweets reached almost 620,000 per minute during the game. 

THE SKINNY.

 

HATERS GONNA HATE.

Remember that time Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s  Founder and CEO, announced to the world that Amazon was testing delivery drones to deliver packages in 30 minutes or less?  Well, you can start bracing yourself to eat crow.  Amazon is taking steps forward and recently asked the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to use its drones.

WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON? 

Two years ago, Congress directed the FAA to allow for broader uses of drones, previously limited to things like surveillance and law enforcement.  Recently, a court ruling stripped the FAA of its authority to ban commercial use of small-unmanned aerial vehicles.  Amazon says its Prime Air service will feature aerial vehicles that go up to speeds of more than 50 mph and can carry up to 5 lbs. (about 86% of the company’s deliveries). 

THE ASK

Amazon wants a pass so it can test its vehicles on its private property in Seattle – away from people, airports and military bases. 

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

MOVIN’ ON UP

YouTube is growing up and continuing to establish itself as a legit content/video-streaming site.  The online service is in talks with Hollywood to offer premium content.  No word on exactly how this will work.  A few years back, YouTube began funding about 100 channels for content creators.  Bring on more YouTube stars! 

HOW WAS YOUR FLIGHT?

We’re used to reading and/or leaving reviews for our latest vacation and accommodations, but now companies like SeatGuru, Seatmaestro, and Airline Ratings are allowing you to leave reviews on the airline you took to get there.  You can now feel free to air your latest grievances about that horrible flight experience you had or do your research to learn which flights have the best food. 

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

eBay is teaming up with auction house Sotheby’s so that you too can buy a Picasso or Persian rug online –  via the e-commerce platform.  This partnership is an effort for Sotheby’s to move away from traditional business practices and into the online realm.  

 

The Virtual Skinny: HAS LEBRON DECIDED YET?

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

7.11.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  The Internet is the new television.  Emmy nominations came out yesterday, and Netflix’s programming picked up 31 nominations for its hit shows like “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” – over twice the amount the online service received last year.  

THE SKINNY.

 

SO, BASICALLY …

Netflix and Verizon aren’t feeling each other right now.

THROWING SHADE WITH THE BEST OF ‘EM.

Despite a recent agreement allowing Netflix direct access to Verizon’s network, the blame game over which party is responsible for slow streaming speeds continues.  Yesterday, Verizon said in a blog post that Netflix’s streaming issues is the online service’s own fault. The telecom company says these problems exist because Netflix chooses insufficient third party providers to deliver a huge amount of its traffic to Verizon even though the providers can’t handle it.

DON’T COME FOR ME, UNLESS I SEND FOR YOU.

Netflix responded and thanked Verizon for making its point. A Netflix spokesperson said that the ISP’s failure to upgrade its interconnection causes congestion.  Ultimately, everyday people like us are paying the price for it when we can’t watch our favorite shows online without any interruptions.  Netflix continues to call for strong net neutrality rules that also addresses interconnection.

WHAT IS NET NEUTRALITY?

Net neutrality is the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally, and preferential treatment should not be given to any one application, content, platform, etc. based on who pays for what.

IT’S COMPLICATED.

We’ll let John Oliver take it from here.  His breakdown of the net neutrality debate is EPIC. Watch it.  Trust us, you won’t regret it.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

 

THE COST OF APPS IS TOO DAMN HIGH.

The Federal Trade Commission claims that Amazon allegedly permitted unauthorized in-app purchases by kids without parental consent.  This action comes after the Commission received complaints presumably from parents who had to foot the bill for these apps, which the agency says collectively cost millions of dollars.  Amazon is ready to put up a fight.

FREE CELLPHONES. 

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee just cleared a bill that would allow cellphone users to “unlock” their devices.  If this bill turns into law, users will be able to use their phones on the wireless network of their choice.

I AM WHO YOU SAY I AM. 

Aereo says that it should be treated like a cable company and now wants authorization to pay for a license to transmit broadcast channels.  In the wake of the Supreme Court decision that found Aereo’s technology illegal, the startup says that a decision on whether it gets a license needs to happen sooner rather than later. Otherwise, stick a fork in them … they’re done.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Lyft is set to debut in New York City today and doesn’t think it should be subject to the city’s for hire regulations. Why? Well, the ride-sharing app says regulations need not apply because its drivers use their own cars to give rides to other for a “suggested donation.” The New York Taxi Commission disagrees.

The Yo app has gone viral, but it’s value is less than $10 million.  For an app that literally lets its users only send the word ‘yo” to each other, we’d say that’s pretty good.

Cover, a new mobile payments app that allows restaurant goers to pay for their checks without actually waiting for the check and all the hoopla that goes with it, just raised $5.5 million.

NOTE TO SELF

 

It pays to have technical skills.  Happy weekend, ya’ll!

 

The Virtual Skinny: Brazil Futbol Has Seen Better Days

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

7.9.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  Next time you want a new, culinary adventure but are short on cash, just launch a Kickstarter campaign. That’s exactly what  Zack Brown of Ohio did for his first attempt at making potato salad.  Brown jokingly sought to raise $10 to fund his trial run but ended up raising about $44,000.  Best. Potato salad. Ever!  

THE SKINNY.

 

SHARING IS CARING. 

In a 12-3 vote, the Senate Intelligence Committee led by Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) passed the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA).

THE CYBER-WHAT, NOW? 

Authored by Feinstein and Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), CISA seeks to improve the nation’s cybersecurity measures by allowing private companies to voluntarily share real-time information regarding potential hacks or cyber threats with the federal government.

PLEASE, TELL ME MORE. 

The bill grants legal immunity for companies that choose to share threat data with the federal government but also with each other.  It also allows companies to monitor their private networks for threats and implement measures to counter potential attacks.  Privacy advocates are not happy. They say the bill basically gives Uncle Sam authority to use the information beyond thwarting cyber threats.  To them, this is a major step back for privacy reform efforts in a post-Snowden world (yeah, that guy again). Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Udall (D-CO) agree that there should be “strong protections for Americans’ constitutional privacy rights.”

LET’S AGREE TO DISAGREE.

Though Feinstein and Chambliss agree that the bill isn’t perfect, they both maintain that the  bill and its seven amendments strengthen privacy protections.  For example, companies must strip personally identifiable information from data before turning it over the government.

IN A NUTSHELL.

This bill becoming the law of the land will be a challenge to say the least. First, it must pass the full Senate. If that happens, it’ll need to be coordinated with a similar bill that passed the House. No word yet on when it will be up for a full vote.

 

 WHATELSE IS GOING ON? 

 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION… 

Like good business people, companies are making the most of the European Court of Justice’s ruling that permits anyone in Europe to request that Google remove links to content based on a belief that the information breaches their privacy.  These companies such as Britain’s Hit Search and French startup Reputation VIP are seeing dollar signs and are offering services ranging from monitoring how many times people are mentioned online to managing their online reputations by assisting people in submitting requests for the search engine to take down less than favorable stories about them.

HOW TO PULL OFF A GOOD ROLE REVERSAL…

The U.S. and China are trying to work things out.  Administration officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, Ambassador Michael Froman, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker were in Beijing for the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue to discuss ways to improve economic relations.  Coming off that meeting, Congressional trade leaders fired off a letter expressing frustrations with China’s trade secret theft and economic espionage impacting the U.S.  Meanwhile, also happening in China, U.S. electric automaker Tesla Motors Inc. is being sued for trademark infringement by a Chinese businessman because he registered the trademark before Tesla entered the Chinese market. He’s asking that the automaker stop all sales and marketing in China and also fork over about $4 million (or about 24 million yuan). It’s important to note that this same court just heard Apple’s case against Shanghai company Zhizhen Internet Technology where the U.S. tech company alleged that Zhizhen’s  patent for speech recognition technology is valid.  The Beijing court felt otherwise and ruled in favor of Zhizhen.

HOW TO START COLLEGE OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT…

Just get an internship with Facebook.  According to media reports, the social media giant is following in the footsteps of LinkedIn and AirBnB and is opening its doors to high school students. Seventeen-year-old Michael Sayman recently landed a summer gig with FB, indicating that Silicon Valley wants to maintain its youth culture and recruiting top talent from high schools or even middle school may eventually become commonplace.  With a healthy compensation and company perks, there is a possibility that these kids may skip college all together.  Sayman is unsure whether he’ll pursue a higher education.

 

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’ 

 

Things are heating up in New York City, and it’s not just the summer solstice.  Lyft is officially entering the New York market this coming Friday.  While Lyft is offering discounts in the form of unlimited free rides in exchange for driver feedback and $25 vouchers for newbies.  Uber also recently temporarily discounted its UberX fares by 20 percent.  We’ll see how this plays out.

In other Uber news, the ride-sharing company just reached an agreement with New York’s Attorney General.  The company has agreed not to kick in its surge pricing during emergencies but will instead limit prices during trying times (to the extent possible within state laws).

Back in June, Yelp – an online review website – filed an objection to the European Union’s proposed antitrust settlement with Google.  This proposal would impose significant penalties on Google but for the most part, reports on this settlement indicate that the search giant would remain unscathed as there will be no regulatory oversight of its secret algorithm.  Yelp says that Google search results favor its services like Google Plus Local, which competes directly with the review site.

Also in Europe (Spain in particular), Catalonia’s regional government is looking to impose fines on AirBnB for being in “serious” breach of its laws. The regional government wants to take it a step further and also block Catalonia users from accessing the company’s site.

 

The Virtual Skinny: Yup … It Really Is Only Tuesday…

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

7.8.2014

GOOD TO KNOW: When your company is lesser known and often confused with militant groups, that’s probably not good for your bottom line.  Note: ISIS (the company responsible for the ISIS mobile payment system) should not be confused with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).  The mobile payment company would likely thank you. 

NEW HOUSE TSA RULES. 

HOW MUCH BATTERY LIFE DO YOU HAVE?

Can’t turn on your phone for airport security? Sorry, you won’t be getting on your flight. TSA is changing up its rules to require more than a dozen foreign airports in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East to check passenger electronic devices for security purposes.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

This isn’t your parents’ underwear bomber anymore.  Turns out some terrorists see aviation security as a challenge and are constantly looking for ways around it.  Recent reports indicate that Al Qaeda affiliates in Yemen may be hatching up plans to transform mobile devices into explosives.  Unresponsive phones may simply be shells with their innards replaced with explosive materials.  Nope, not scary at all.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

GET RICH OR LOSE YOUR PRIVACY TRYING?

Some say money can’t buy you happiness, but it could at the very least buy you privacy. In today’s Wall Street Journal, cybersecurity expert Richard Clarke predicts that in the next 25 years, there will be so much data collected about every aspect of our daily lives from how we drive to how we keep our homes and take care of our health.  He warns that all this data could be known by any governmental and corporate entity.  Clarke opines that privacy will soon become a commodity only briefly available to the rich and in limited locations. For the record, the verdict is still out on the money and happiness thing … just saying …

HACKITY, HACK, HACKED …

A group of Chinese hackers (potentially affiliated with the Chinese government) may be targeting the computers of U.S. experts on Iraq.  Security firm, Crowdstrike, Inc., believes that this group is just one of 30 in China that its following.  The motivation for all of this could be China’s attempts to ward off any interference with its government’s investment in Iraq’s oil infrastructure. Meanwhile, the U.S. governments will continue to push for China’s cooperation on combating cyber espionage.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

‘Cause they’re fancy.  Apple’s stock continues to rise, and it’s full steam ahead for the company as it prepares to offer its smartwatch or “iWatch” this fall. As it transitions to wearable tech, it’s recruiting executives from major fashion brands such as Burberry and LVMH.

Box, Inc., an online storage startup, just raised $150 million from private equity firm TPB – buying it more time before an initial public offering.

Israeli startup Playbuzz is now has more traffic than upworthy.com and aol.com in just two years.  The company targets the U.S. market and provides users with quizzes and ‘listicles’ similar to Buzzfeed.

Coming to a market near you but sooner than you think … though Netflix isn’t officially available in New Zealand just yet, local ISP Slingshot is already offering Netflix services to its users via its “global mode” Internet plan.  To avoid any trouble, ‘global mode’ is essentially a VPN that re-directs traffic through servers located in other countries.