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Google reveals plan to use users' name, photos in its ads

Posted by Unknown Senin, 14 Oktober 2013 0 komentar

Google Inc plans to launch new product-endorsement ads incorporating photos, comments and names of its users, in a move to match the "social" ads pioneered by rival Facebook Inc that is raising some privacy concerns.

The changes, which Google announced in a revised terms of service policy on Friday, set the stage for Google to introduce "shared endorsements" ads on its sites as well as millions of other websites that are part of Google's display advertising network.

The new types of ads would use personal information of the members of Google+, the social network launched by the company in 2011.

If a Google+ user has publicly endorsed a particular brand or product by clicking on the +1 button, that person's image might appear in an ad. Reviews and ratings of restaurants or music that Google+ users share on other Google services, such as in the Google Play online store, would also become fair game for advertisers.

The ads are similar to the social ads on Facebook, the world's No. 1 social network, which has 1.15 billion users.

Those ads are attractive to marketers, but they unfairly commercialize Internet users' images, said Marc Rotenberg, the director of online privacy group EPIC.

"It's a huge privacy problem," said Rotenberg. He said the U.S. Federal Trade Commission should review the policy change to determine whether it violates a 2011 consent order Google entered into which prohibits the company from retroactively changing users' privacy settings.

Users under 18 will be exempt from the ads and Google+ users will have the ability to opt out. But Rotenberg said users "shouldn't have to go back and restore their privacy defaults every time Google makes a change."

Information Google+ users have previously shared with a limited "circle" of friends will remain viewable only to that group, as will any shared endorsement ads that incorporate the information, Google said in a posting on its website explaining the new terms of service.

Google, which makes the vast majority of its revenue from advertising, operates the world's most popular Web search engine as well as other online services such as maps, email and video website YouTube.

The revised terms of service are the latest policy change by Google to raise privacy concerns. Last month, French regulators said they would begin a process to sanction Google for a 2012 change to its policy that allowed the company to combine data collected on individual users across its services, including YouTube, Gmail and social network Google+. Google has said its privacy policy respects European law and is intended to create better services for its users.

Google's latest terms of service change will go live on November 11.

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India and Japan to collaborate on information and communication technology

Posted by Unknown Senin, 07 Oktober 2013 0 komentar

India and Japan have decided to set up a working group to identify specific areas in information and communication technology (ICT) where they can collaborate - in areas such as cyber security.

Masahiro Yoshizaki, vice minister for policy coordination, ministry of internal affairs and communications, Japan, and Anil Kaushal, member of Telecom Commission of India, signed a joint statement Thursday, which said the thrust area would be development of technology and standards.

"We wish to cover many topics in ICT under this partnership. The working group will implement the intent of the joint statement," Kondo Masanori, Director for International Cooperation Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan, told IANS in an interview.

Masanori said each country has its own expertise and they are looking at a mutual collaboration.

"Basically we have identified three key areas of specific work - cyber security, disaster management and capacity building," added Kaushal.

Masanori said Japan would look forward to Indian collaboration in combating cyber attacks. "Every day there are numerous cyber attacks. We are looking forward to combating those."

Talking separately to IANS, Kaushal said Japan is much ahead in broadband technology compared to India. "We have much to learn from them."

There are over 50 Japanese companies in India in the ICT filed. Some renowned names include Fujitsu India, Olympus (India), Ricoh India, Panasonic Industrial Asia, Sony India and Sumitomo Electric Industries.

There are also many Indian companies operating in Japan, mostly in software development.

Both the countries are keen on private sector collaboration as well, he said.

Talking about the importance of ICT in disaster management, Masanori said India has evinced interest to learn disaster mitigation through ICT from Japan. " The Indian government is keen to adopt our disaster mitigation strategy through ICT. We are also ready to cooperate and share."

Japan, which is very prone to earthquake, manages to mitigate natural disaster to an extent using ICT. It collects data through censor-linked function, do data analysis and sends out alert to people. "Data dissemination is very important. We have to build the entire eco-system."

Kaushal said it is important for India to learn disaster management, especially after the Uttarakhand floods in which thousands died.

The two countries will also look forward to mutually beneficial collaboration on international platforms like the International Telecommunication Union and the Asia Pacific Telecommunity.

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Karbonn and Micromax surpass both Apple and Samsung in India

Posted by Unknown Senin, 02 September 2013 0 komentar

The rising demand for affordable smartphones in India has lead to increase in demand for domestic products, helping local manufacturers surpass demand from international brands such as Apple and Samsung, according to market research firm IDC.

According to the IDC data, for the Asia/Pacific region, excluding Japan, homegrown vendors shipped 46 million units, while Apple and Samsung combined only shipped 35 million units for the 2nd quarter of 2013. In the latest statistics, Samsung kept its lead ahead of Micromax in second and Karbonn in third.

Furthermore, IDC recognized Indian phonemakers such as Micromax, Karbonn, Lava, and even Intex as rising stars in the emerging smartphone market in India. Homegrown companies comprised of 38 percent for volume in the 2nd quarter of 2013, up from 20 percent in the same quarter in 2012 and 7 percent in the same quarter for 2011.

Clearly, Indian devices are receiving more brand awareness and recognition than ever before as Indian consumers are leaning towards domestic products instead. If you ask me, except for the name itself, I personally think Indian devices are just as good as any devices sold from Apple, BlackBerry, and Samsung.

Downside to Indian devices

That being said, there is one drawback to purchasing Indian devices that many Indian consumers aren't aware of. Even though all of the devices are unlocked and can easily be used with all Indian mobile operators, the devices itself only work in India. The GSM bands and frequencies Indian devices currently are equipped with means they only work in the Indian sub-continent. Consequently, those roaming internationally in places such as Europe or North America won't be able to use their devices.

This is a shortcoming which I feel Indian companies should address in the long term, as then eventually their devices could be exported and sold abroad. Furthermore, this would alleviate the current international roaming issues Indian consumers face with an Indian device. On the contrary, devices made by Nokia and Samsung in India, for example, that are also unlocked, do work abroad. However, these devices, as they're manufactured in India, are usually just for sale within India itself.

Furthermore, Indian companies could reduce costs to consumers even further by sourcing production of parts within India itself. At the moment, all the parts come from China and final assembly takes place in India. As a result, the import tariffs for these parts are passed on to Indian consumers. Now, with the depreciating Indian rupee, even the prices for the most basic Indian device are set to rise in the short term. That being said, India is still probably one of the only places in the world where you can purchase a decent device for less than US$50.

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