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Facebook Wants Users' Help With 'Hard Questions' On Content, Censorship And Safety Social media's biggest platform announced that it's looking for input on how to manage the content that its close to two billion users are contributing, for better and for worse. Today, Facebook released a list of seven "Hard Questions" that address some of the most complicated issues facing the platform, kicking off a series of blog posts that will focus on and explain the company's reasoning ...Continue reading

If You Have Windows and Don't Want the Wannacry Virus, Update Right Now A massive cyberattack by a ransomware program known as "Wannacry" last Friday infected computers in more than 150 countries. The attack exploited a vulnerability in older versions of Microsoft operating systems like XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows 8. It started in Europe, causing Britain’s National Health Service to cancel procedures and lose access to patient records like X-rays and te...Continue reading

Google to build adblocker into Chrome browser to tackle intrusive ads Google has confirmed it will build an adblocker into its Chrome browser from next year as it targets the most intrusive online adverts.The web giant is working with the Coalition for Better Ads, an independent group comprised of tech companies, publishers and major advertisers and agencies, that aims to improve the experience of web browsing.Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google’s senior vice president for ads and comm...erce, wrote in a blogpost: It’s far too common that people encounter annoying, intrusive ads on the web like the kind that blare music unexpectedly, or force you to wait 10 seconds before you can see the content on the page. These frustrating experiences can lead some people to block all ads taking a big toll on the content creators, journalists, web developers and videographers who depend on ads to fund their content creation.By blocking just the most annoying ads, Google hopes it can improve browsing experience and protect its business model. Advertising makes up 86% of its revenue and it does not want people blocking all ads. About 1 in 4 people are estimated to have used a desktop adblocker and about 1 in 10 on phones.The majority of Google’s own ads already comply with the Coalition’s standards. Its largest single revenue source keyword adverts on search pages is already seen as the gold standard of acceptability. Chrome, which holds 54% of the global browser market according to data from StatCounter, already blocks some adverts such as pop-ups, which were the scourge of the internet in the early 00s. From early 2018 it will block any that fall foul of the Better Ads Standard, including, it says, those owned or served by Google itself.The standards were drawn up after comprehensive research involving more than 25,000 participants. On desktop they ban pop-up ads, autoplaying video ads with sound, prestitial ads with countdown timers and large sticky ads. On mobile pop-up ads, prestitial ads, ads with density greater than 30%, flashing animated ads, autoplay video ads with sound, poststitial ads with countdown, full-screen scroll-over ads, and large sticky ads are outlawed. Google also announced what it calls Funding Choices, a programme available to publishers in North America, the UK, Germany, Australia and New Zealand to generate revenue from adblocking users. Funding Choices identifies adblockers and asks them to either enable ads or to pay to remove them. Users pay using a new digital wallet, Google Contributor, which charges a micropayment for each ad-free visit and passes on revenue to publishers, but also gives Google a cut.Google has been trialling similar programmes for some time but to a muted reception from both publishers, who can implement similar systems themselves without giving money to Google, and users, who have shown no great enthusiasm for a micropayments system.

5 ways to protect your computer from suspicious activity 1. Close your browser The first thing to do is remove this alert from your browser. If the website will not let you leave, go to your computer’s task manager and select the Applications tab. There you will see an option to end the task of a specific page you are trying to close. Then reset your browser before using it again. ... 2. Use a great antivirus software A fake alert is not a computer virus. But your computer may have been compromised once you call any of these companies for help. A good antivirus software should have an option to completely turn off all those pop-ups and fake alerts before they even reach you. 3. Be extra cautious when clicking links from in email or social networking sites Never click ads on the Internet nor links in emails that you believe are suspicious. Avoid using file sharing programs to download movies, games, and music. There is a possibility that these files were infected. 4. Enable the phishing protection settings on your browser Phishing protection keeps you safe from visiting malicious websites. Phishing scams are not limited to fake alerts. Scammers can also use email links to lead you to files that spread malicious software. You can find the Phishing protection feature in all kinds of web browsers including Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. 5. Familiarize yourself with the official virus page of your antivirus software There are fake alerts that are good at mimicking reliable antivirus vendors. They will tell you that your computer is infected and will offer an available software. These softwares will harm your computer rather than protecting it against malware. If you suspect the message did not come from your antivirus vendor, check their official webpage.

Do you need an antivirus software? Do you really need to use PC antivirus software? That's a legitimate question with an answer that's more complex than a simple "yes" or "no." The days of PCs being viewed as virus-ridden boxes of dismay are long gone. But that doesn't mean there aren't lots of terrible people out there creating malicious programs with the intent to steal something or just create havoc....Continue reading