Tech news from around the web:
Facebook has approached Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC to build a handset with the social network integrated into its operating system, according to AllThingsDigital. Code-named “Buffy” – after the television vampire slayer – the phone is planned to run on a modified version of Android that Facebook has tweaked heavily to deeply integrate its services. Read more
Tech news from around the web:
Malware targeted towards phones running on the Android operating system continues to be on the rise, TechCrunch reports. According to McAfee’s security report for the third quarter, the amount of malware targeted at Android devices jumped nearly 37 per cent since last quarter. This follows a 76 percent rise in Android malware in the second quarter. Read more
FBI working with NSA, CIA on cyber threats
The FBI must work more closely with the major US intelligence agencies in order to combat threats in cyberspace, its director said on Thursday, likening the government response to that against terrorism. Read more
Tech news from around the web:
Facebook is pursuing legal action after it claimed it had identified the perpetrator of a virus which saw the site flooded with pornographic and violent images, TNW reports. The social network said in a statement:
In addition to the engineering teams that build tools to block spam we also have a dedicated enforcement team that has already identified those responsible and is working with our legal team to ensure appropriate consequences follow.
Tech news from around the web:
Facebook users are becoming increasingly concerned over a hack that turns their newsfeeds into a stream of hardcore pornography and gory pictures, ZDNet reports. The source of the hack is yet to be discovered, however Gawker speculates that an Anonymous ‘Guy Fawkes Virus’ could be to blame. Read more
Tech news from around the web:
A possible security flaw in Apple’s iOS mobile operating system could allow third-party applications add unapproved features, Forbes reports. Accuvant security researcher Charlie Miller has found a flaw in iOS that lets applications download unsigned code that is able to change functionality after it has been installed – that could include accessing user contacts and photos, along with activating hardware features like the vibration motor and speakers. Read more
Elites disagree at London Cyber Conference
The two-day London Cyber Conference wrapped up Thursday with a remarkable lack of unity for such a carefully staged, invite-only event for world political and technology leaders. Read more
Why government should not touch the internet
The London Cyberspace conference is an elegant metaphor for why government involvement in the internet should be limited as much as possible.
Even its name is already out of date, as quaint as calling it the “information super-highway” these days. A roomful of young people, convened as a “Youth Forum” on the fringes of the conference, were asked if anyone used the word “cyber” any more. No one raised their hands. Read more
Tech news from around the web:
Magazine publishers are already claiming Apple’s Newsstand service, which was launched with iOS5 last week, is boosting sales and orders, PaidContent says. Exact Editions reports that downloads of its sample editions have jumped by 14 times in the past few days, while Future Publishing says that it has ‘sold more digital editions in the past four days through Apple’s Newsstand than in a normal month’. Read more
Tech news from around the web:
Security researchers have warned that HTC Android smartphones including the Evo 3D, the Evo 4G, and the Thunderbolt contain a flaw that gives Internet-connected apps access to personal information such as text message data, location info, e-mail addresses and phone numbers, CNET reports. “It’s like leaving your keys under the mat and expecting nobody who finds them to unlock the door,” Artem Russakovskii, one of the researchers, warns. Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.
Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 20 years and since 2004 has reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby.
Maija Palmer has been writing about technology for the FT since 1999 and is fascinated by cybercrime, privacy and all the other issues of the information society. Based in London, she covers European tech companies and hopes that they won't all get acquired by American rivals.
Robin Kwong is the FT's technology, media and telecoms page editor in London. Formerly he was the Taipei correspondent and wrote about the companies that manufacture the vast majority of the world's computers and gadgets. He is interested in the intricacies of the technology supply chain and how China is increasingly changing the tech landscape.
Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent, and has just moved from London to join our team in San Francisco. He has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.
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