Google and Facebook in White House web privacy sights
February 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Facebook News
23 February 2012
Last updated at 15:33 ET
The Center for Digital Democracy filed a complaint this week over Google’s privacy policy
The White House has called on internet firms to develop stronger privacy protections for consumers.
The move comes amid worries that browsing information is being tracked and given to advertisers.
State attorneys in 36 states recently sent a letter of concern over Google’s plan to share personal information across its products.
As part of the announcement, the firms’ ad networks said they would support a “Do Not Track” browser option.
The US has advocated since 2010 for “Do Not Track”, a one-click option to prevent information gathered while web browsing being shared with third parties.
‘Bill of rights’
In a statement, President Barack Obama outlined a “consumer privacy bill of rights”.
The White House said internet users should have the right to limit the context in which information was collected, should be allowed to correct information and should have the right to transparency in privacy policies.
Companies like Google and Facebook have signed on to develop guidelines based on the “bill of rights”, enforceable by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
“American consumers can’t wait any longer for clear rules of the road that ensure their personal information is safe online,” Mr Obama said.
“As the internet evolves, consumer trust is essential for the continued growth of the digital economy.”
Privacy complaints
Privacy advocates will be involved with the development of the new guidelines, but some remain concerned about the firms’ ability to self-regulate.
“The real question is how much influence companies like Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Facebook will have in their inevitable attempt to water down the rules that are implemented and render them essentially meaningless,” John Simpson, who works on privacy issues for Consumer Watchdog, told the New York Times.
Marc Rotenburg, the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, called the announcement “the clearest articulation of the right to privacy by a US president in history”.
However, he told Reuters news agency there were “real concerns about implementation and enforcement”.
The FTC has taken previous action against Facebook and Google over privacy complaints, both of which were settled in 2011.
While US legislators have argued that online tracking should be curtailed, little has been done.
Any guidelines developed by US officials in concert with internet firms would be enforceable by the FTC once agreed on, but would not necessarily apply to companies that did not sign on.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17144760
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2 Baltimore attorneys file lawsuit against Facebook alleging violations of …
February 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Facebook News
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Facebook Insiders Limit IPO by Pushing $100 Billion Value: Tech
February 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Facebook News
Paul Sakuma/AP
Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Feb. 8, 2012.
Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Feb. 8, 2012. Photographer: Paul Sakuma/AP
Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) — Mark Fickes, a partner at BraunHagey Borden LLP, talks about regulators’ scrutiny of Facebook Inc.’s initial public offering filing.
He speaks with Cory Johnson on Bloomberg Television’s “Bloomberg West.” Bloomberg’s Emily Chang also speaks. (Source: Bloomberg)
Facebook Insiders Limit IPO by Pushing $100 Billion Value
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
The Facebook Inc. ‘like’ logo is displayed on a sign at the entrance to company headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S.
The Facebook Inc. ‘like’ logo is displayed on a sign at the entrance to company headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Facebook Inc. (FB) is already trading
like a public company as insiders and wealthy investors use
private marketplaces to buy and sell stock in the social-
networking company ahead of its initial offering.
The shareholder base has grown to more than 1,000, compared
with the 50 to 100 investors most companies have when they go
public, according to an estimate by Sam Hamadeh, head of
research firm PrivCo. Private purchases pushed Facebook’s
valuation past $100 billion this month, possibly limiting
immediate gains for IPO investors, given that Facebook may seek
a $75 billion to $100 billion value.
“Facebook is a blue-chip stock and it’s not even public
yet,” said Kevin Landis, portfolio manager for the Firsthand
Technology Value Fund in San Jose, California. Facebook jumped
as high as $44 this month in private trading, valuing the
company at $103 billion and leaving it higher than when Landis
bought stock at about $30 to $31 in October. He said he aims to
add to his holdings.
While demand for the biggest Internet IPO on record may
push the stock even higher when Facebook goes public, private
trades through channels such as SecondMarket Inc. and SharesPost
Inc. are already making it possible for employees and venture
capitalists to cash out. That may have lessened pressure on
Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to hold an IPO before
this year.
Secondary Offering
Facebook, which filed for an initial share sale this month,
has yet to set its price range for the IPO. People with
knowledge of the matter said earlier this year that Zuckerberg
was weighing a valuation of as much as $100 billion.
Larry Yu, a spokesman for Menlo Park, California-based
Facebook, declined to comment.
The private trading may make Facebook’s debut more like a
secondary offering, where holders sell stock in an already
public company, said Barry Ritholtz, CEO of FusionIQ, an
equities research firm.
“The people buying now at the IPO price are presuming
there’s lots of upside — I’m skeptical,” said Ritholtz, whose
firm is based in New York. “There’s a lot of smart money
agitating for the highest possible valuation, and they don’t
necessarily have the investing public’s best interest at
heart.”
Insiders and investors with $1 million of net worth and a
salary of more than $200,000 can qualify to buy stock on private
marketplaces, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission rules. In an auction this week on SharesPost,
Facebook stock had a clearing price of $42, valuing the company
at $98 billion.
Higher Value?
Widely traded private companies that held IPOs in 2011
traded at about 25 percent to 30 percent less than their
eventual IPO price in the two months prior to going public,
according to Ori Bash, a vice president at Pluris Valuation
Advisors. Facebook may see a smaller gain because it has been
traded more, owned by larger investors and researched more
thoroughly than other private companies, Bash said. It’s also
possible the shares will continue to surge, he said.
“If these private-market trades are truly reflective of
Facebook’s valuation, there’s a possibility that demand for the
IPO shares could drive it even higher than its anticipated $100
billion valuation,” Bash said.
LinkedIn Corp. (LKND), which had 560 shareholders of record as of
April 15, 2011, was valued at $35 a share in private trading in
March of that year, two months before the IPO. The company’s
initial public offering priced 29 percent higher in May at $45,
giving it a valuation of $4.25 billion. Shares more than doubled
to close at $94.25 on the first day of trading.
Early Investors Win
The shareholders who got into Facebook earliest –including
the hundreds of employees who received restricted stock units as
part of their compensation packages — will see the most gains,
said Larry Albukerk, a broker of private securities.
Based on private-market trading, Facebook is “realizing
full value at the IPO, which is the goal of all companies,” he
said. “They don’t want to leave money on the table. Do the RSU
holders and current shareholders benefit? Absolutely.”
Private markets have emerged since the tech boom of the
late 1990s and Google Inc. (GOOG)’s IPO in 2004. SharesPost, based in
San Bruno, California, began in 2009, and SecondMarket predates
SharesPost, offering private share transactions since 2008.
Since the start of the service, New York-based SecondMarket’s
private-market stock trades have topped $1 billion. Facebook is
planning to raise $5 billion with its IPO.
Pricier Than LinkedIn
While the private markets are giving investors a better
idea of where the public market prices shares, they don’t
completely replicate the Nasdaq Stock Market or New York Stock
Exchange, said Landis, the portfolio manager.
“The idea that it should give you the perfect indication
on price — i.e. there would be zero bounce because it’s
perfectly priced in — I’m not sure I’d buy that,” he said.
Facebook’s sales surged 88 percent to $3.71 billion in
2011, according to the IPO filing, and may climb to $6.1 billion
this year, EMarketer Inc. estimates show.
At $100 billion, the company would be valued at about 27
times last year’s sales, almost double the 14.5 times trailing
12-month sales at which professional-networking service LinkedIn
Corp. went public in May. It’s almost triple the multiple of 9.8
times implied by online coupon-company Groupon Inc. (GRPN)’s IPO price
in November, and four times social-gaming provider Zynga Inc.’s
multiple of 6.8 times at its December IPO, Bloomberg data show.
Facebook has 1,070 Class B shareholders based on its latest
filing, almost double the tally for LinkedIn ahead of its IPO,
according to regulatory filings.
“Arguably, given the number of investors that are already
in Facebook, that IPO has already occurred,” Mark Mahaney, an
analyst at Citigroup Inc., said in an interview on Bloomberg
Radio this month.
To contact the reporters on this story:
Brian Womack in San Francisco at
bwomack1@bloomberg.net;
Lee Spears in New York at
lspears3@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Jennifer Sondag at
jsondag@bloomberg.net;
Tom Giles at
tgiles5@bloomberg.net
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-23/facebook-insiders-limit-ipo-by-pushing-100-billion-value-tech.html
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Don’t use Twitter so much… says Twitter BOSS as he brands spending hours on …
February 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Twitter News
By
Daniel Bates
Last updated at 4:54 PM on 23rd February 2012
Warning: Twitter co-founder Christopher Stone said the website he helped create in 2006 was designed to be dipped in and out of
The co-founder of Twitter has urged the 500million people who use the website to do something else instead.
Christopher Stone said that he did not want anybody spending hours using the social networking site because it is ‘unhealthy’.
Instead he said they should dip in and find what they want – then stop and do other things.
Stone was one of the four people who in 2006 helped create Twitter, which yesterday passed the half a billion user mark.
He has remained creative director, helping it become one of the most influential social networks in the world.
But users have repeatedly complained that it is incredibly addictive with some staying logged on for 12 hours at a time.
At a conference in Montreal, Stone, 37, said that using Twitter that much was not what he intended.
He said: ‘To me, that sounds unhealthy.
‘I like the kind of engagement where you go to the website and you leave because you’ve found what you are looking for or you found something very interesting and you learned something.
‘I think that’s a much healthier engagement. Obviously, we want you to come frequently.’
Rapid growth: Twitter has just passed the billion user mark
Twitter allows users to send messages that are no longer than 140 characters long via its micro blogging website.
Among the first celebrities to use it was Stephen Fry who in 2009 Tweeted a picture of himself when he got stuck in a lift.
In his speech, Stone admitted that
when it first launched many people thought it would fail because they
did not think it was useful.
He said: ‘Nobody thought it was a good idea.
‘And I distinctly remember my
colleague Evan Williams saying, “Well, neither is ice cream. Should we
ban ice cream and all joy or can we have something that’s just fun?
What’s wrong with that?”’
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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2105462/Dont-use-Twitter--says-Twitter-boss-brands-spending-hours-site-unhealthy.html
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‘Rowling For Adults’: Twitter Updates Harry Potter For The Aged And …
February 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Twitter News
With the final installment of the “Harry Potter” movies on the horizon, it’s a bittersweet time for anyone who’s been charmed and awed over the past decade by the boy-wizard and his adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Now, J.K. Rowling has announced her next book will be an adult novel, meaning future stories involving Harry are officially on the back burner.
So for many “Harry Potter” fans — especially the generation that came of age with the books and movies — today’s announcement ushers in decidedly unmagical feelings, many of which are being documented on Twitter today under the hashtags #rowlingforadults, #JKRowlingAdultNovelSpells and others.
From taxes to exhaustion to sexual problems, tweeters are reimagining Rowling’s stories with scenarios that are more relatable to all the sad, miserable adults out there. But that doesn’t mean some of them aren’t pretty darn funny.
Check out the slideshow below for some of our favorite Tweets. Oh, and don’t forget to check out The Onion’s brilliant take on the book series’ coming of age.
13 Bizarre 2012 Calendars (PHOTOS)
7 Sites You Should Be Wasting Time On Right Now (PICTURES)
Bill Oakley Tweets Top 10 ‘Simpsons’ Episode Pitches That Never Made It To Air For 500th Episode
Presidents Day: 44 Facts You Didn’t Know About U.S. Presidents (PHOTOS)
Women React to Proposal Seen On London Zoo’s Penguin Cam (VIDEO)
The Best Candy Heart Rejects Tweets For Valentine’s Day (SLIDESHOW)
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Article source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/23/rowling-for-adults-twitter-harry-potter_n_1297293.html
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Facebook and Twitter Cause Insider Trading Headaches for the SEC
February 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Twitter News
U.S. News World Report
February 23, 2012
Article source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-201202231010usnewsusnwr201202220222whisper1feb23,0,6984689.story
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appsbar Introduces Web and Facebook Apps
February 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Facebook News
NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
appsbar (appsbar.com), the free-to-use resource for creating and publishing smartphone apps, is building on its success with the introduction of tools to share apps across websites and social networks.
The company has now made it possible for its apps to be shared and used on sites supported by HTML5, including Facebook, enabling appsbar to continue its tremendous growth as a community of do-it-yourself app builders.
“appsbar has grown into the leading resource for anyone to build and publish apps, and our users wanted the ability to share their apps wherever their audience is; including their own website and Facebook,” said Scott Hirsch, founder of appsbar.
In addition to a native Android app, in as little as 30 minutes on appsbar.com, appsbar, with its latest HTML5 technology, will provide three more ways to get an appsbar app out to the world. Firstly, an Optimized Mobile Web App will offer all those who visit an appsbar user’s website from their mobile device the full app experience. Furthermore, there is now a Facebook App for users to post on their Facebook page and share their appsbar apps with all their friends. In addition, an appsbar publisher can choose to install the appsbar app widget on their existing website that replicates the appsbar app experience.
The best part of all these new appsbar features is, like everything in the appsbar community, they are absolutely free at appsbar.com.
Every app built using appsbar can now be shared and downloaded on sites supported by HTML5 programming. HTML5 can run on any device, giving the app an infinite amount of exposure. Since appsbar was launched in 2011, apps built at appsbar.com were optimized for publishing to Android Market, where the apps were available for download on smart phones.
Each appsbar users’ dashboard at appsbar.com will provide the option to capture the code for posting the apps to websites. Once a user posts their app, it can be used, shared and downloaded across digital platforms, all at no cost to the app builder or user.
The direction of appsbar is guided directly by the feedback from app users on appsbar.com; whose apps each receive an average of 900 downloads.
Anyone can join the community at appsbar.com to build an app from a library of ready-to-use templates. appsbar gives the builder unlimited opportunities to build personalized, dynamic apps. Options include uploading videos and pictures, recording sounds, connecting social network sites, building in calendars and more. Businesses in particular can add catalogs of merchandise, customize their own digital coupons, make order forms, and create interactive maps to engage customers.
Once the user is ready to publish their app and make it available to the public, they will have the option to use appsbar’s simple, efficient and user-friendly tool to publish it to their website, blog, or social networks such as Facebook. appsbar is designed so even the least tech-savvy users can build and publish apps through a guided, step-by-step process.
About appsbar: appsbar was launched in 2011 to fill the gap between over-simplified apps and costly, professionally-produced apps. appsbar was developed by Appsbar Inc., a company founded by Scott Hirsch. appsbar has grown to a community of everyday app developers and opened the way for businesses and people to engage with friends and brands online through the development of customizable digital tools. For company contact information and partnership opportunities, visit
www.facebook.com/appsbar or
www.appsbar.com .
SOURCE appsbar
Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved
Article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/appsbar-introduces-web-and-facebook-apps-2012-02-23
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Your Facebook profile ‘can help employers predict your job performance’
February 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Facebook News
LONDON: The idea of a potential boss trawling through your drunken pictures on Facebook can be a source of great fear, but according to a new study your profile can be used to quickly predict if you’ll be a good worker or a straight-A student.
The study is part of a U.S. study, which found that employers are able to tell how good you will be at a job based on your Facebook profile, the Daily Mail reported.
For the study, the researchers considered photos, hobbies and a person’s number of friends before answering questions such as “how dependable is this person?”
They found that there was a strong correlation between someone’s job success and certain characteristics displayed on a Facebook page.
These included a high number of friends, a wide range of interests and photographs showing far-flung travels, as these demonstrate agreeability.
Researchers also found that photographs of partying were overall seen to be positive as it showed the person was more sociable and extroverted.
The study, carried out by Northeastern Illinois University, the University of Evansville and Auburn University, asked a professor and two students to look through the profiles of 56 employed students.
They looked at each profile for 10 minutes and considered information such as pictures, comments, friends and interests.
According to the Wall Street Journal, they then answered questions about the person’s personality, such as “Is this person dependable?” and “How emotionally stable is this person?”
Six months later, the results were compared with employee evaluations from the students’ supervisors.
The researchers found a strong connection between job performance and the scores for traits including conscientiousness, agreeability and curiosity.
Results showed that there was a connection between high scores in these areas and the person’s success in the working world.
The findings come amid reports that employers could ask candidates for their Facebook passwords.
Article source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/your-facebook-profile-can-help-employers-predict-your-job-performance/articleshow/12003589.cms
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Milyoni Demystifies Facebook Credits With New Whitepaper
February 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Facebook News
PLEASANTON, CA, Feb 23, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Milyoni, the leader in social entertainment, today published its
whitepaper, Facebook Credits 2012: A Merchant’s Perspective, to
examine the benefits, drivers, inhibitors and uses of the world’s
most popular social currency. Facebook Credits 2012: A Merchant’s
Perspective also looks at how Facebook Credits have grown in the past
few years to become a dominant currency for virtual and digital goods
on the Facebook platform and a unique way for brands to gain or
maintain customer loyalty.
Key highlights from Facebook Credits 2012: A Merchant’s Perspective
include the:
-- Significant benefits of using this social currency
-- Explosive growth of Facebook Credits
-- Inhibitors to future growth
-- Distribution of Facebook Credits as incentives
-- Acquisition of Facebook Credits
-- Examples of apps that use Facebook Credits
-- When Facebook Credits can and cannot be used
“Facebook Credits are the airline miles for the next generation of
social network users that want to purchase digital and virtual goods
through a variety of apps on Facebook,” said Dean Alms, VP of
Marketing for Milyoni. “Beyond social games, Facebook users will be
able to access online movies, concerts, sports and special events on
Facebook using this social currency available around the world to
over 800 million people.”
To download Milyoni’s Facebook Credits: A Merchant’s Perspective,
visit Facebook Credits 2012.
About Milyoni
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Milyoni, Inc. is
the leader in social entertainment. The company’s technology provides
entertainment companies with a way to connect and engage with
Facebook fans, and turn them into customers. Whether it’s watching a
live concert, movie or sporting event or shopping your favorite
brands, Milyoni enables companies to monetize fans pages through a
unique level of engagement and a shared, social experience. Milyoni’s
services reach over 150 million fans from industry leading customers,
including Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, Paramount Studios, Big Air
Studios, Austin City Limits Live, Turner Broadcasting, University of
Oklahoma and the NBA to bring a variety of digital content and
physical goods to fans on Facebook. For more information, visit
www.milyoni.com .
Facebook(R) is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.
PR Contact:
Lisa Holden for Milyoni
Email Contact
415-593-1400
SOURCE: Milyoni
http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=DC95FFAF2879C8D6
Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.
Article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/milyoni-demystifies-facebook-credits-with-new-whitepaper-2012-02-23
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Twitter jabs on Saif’s punch
February 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Twitter News
As the news of Saif Ali Khan assaulting NRI businessman Iqbal Sharma at Taj Hotel in Mumbai broke out, Saif started trending on Twitter. The micro-blogging site was flooded with jokes on the incident. Check out some really funny tweets on Chotte Nawab’s famous punch.
@Ohfakenews: Saif ali khan beats up a guy named iqbal sharma in Wasabi restaurant in taj yesterday night who asked ‘Is kareena your Daughter’. #bollywood
@MTVIndia: Next time you go to Wasabi, try the punch. Saif Ali Khan recommended it.
@BollywoodGandu: Saif beats up a guy in Wasabi restaurant after he was told he was being loud. This is what happens when you make it large. Repeatedly.
@kiduva: Saif Ali Khan always used to say that Sharukh khan was an inspiration to him. Who thought that was true!!
@dockydockrat: So the guy Saif Ali Khan hit in the Taj Hotel in Mumbai-Iqbal Sharma is South African. Makes him the first SA’n to be a hit in Bollywood:)
@creative_g33k: @ComedyCentralIn Saif Ali Khan punched Iqbal at The Taj because Iqbal refused to say “Wah! Taj..”
@fuzzhead045: I wonder what strategy would Saif Ali Khan come up with in a bar fight against Voldemort… You cant punch him on his nose man!!
@MTVIndia: So Saif Ali Khan punched some guy last night. Maybe he was trying to Pataodi his girlfriend.
@BewakOOf_Ladka Close: Saif Ali khan’s favourite book “Punch-Thantra” #lrlr
@loveforlingerie: Maybe Saif Ali Khan was wearing a boxer yesterday #unhooked
@anirbanbhar: The Saif Ali khan case is being probed by an inspector named VINOD.
@thetanmay: So it’s true what they say – Wasabi really hits you in the nose. #SaifAliKhan #re
@iambhavin: Saif Ali Khan punched Iqbal broked his nose cos he said, mine is bigger than yours
@thetanmay: Know why Saif punched Iqbal Sharma so many times? Because no one can eat just one. #Sorry
@ranj_vktl: Saif Ali Khan to the PR team of #AgentVinod : “Have I made it large??”
@thetanmay: Iqbal Sharma is a weird name. One half of his name bowls damn well and the other half gets hit for a six by Javed Miandad off the last ball
@mojorojo: Saif didn’t punch anybody. He walked out of the place, and his nose clocked someone. That’ll happen.
@thebest_abhi: If you ever want to commit suicide, jump from Saif Ali Khan’s Ego Level to Kareena Kapoor’s IQ Level.
Check out the video: Saif ‘Slapgate’… Publicity Stunt Or Reality?
Article source: http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrities/features/type/view/id/3113
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