Facebook is reportedly under FTC investigation

News Items, Software Events
Facebook is reportedly under FTC investigation Facebook has confronted a major issue where personal information was given to a vendor.  Is that a good or bad thing ?  First, this had nothing to do with the 2016 election but our private information was given to a 3rd party vendor.  Now that is the problem here.  Most Facebook users know that whatever is posted on their web sites is Facebook property so you give up on the photos, information, etc. over to the Facebook folks to use whenever they want. The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Facebook violated a government privacy agreement by allowing Cambridge Analytica to obtain users’ personal data, according to a report from Bloomberg. Facebook agreed to the settlement, known as a consent decree, in 2011, after allegedly deceiving users…
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LinkedIn users can now request job referrals from their connections

Microsoft Development, Software Events
LinkedIn users can now request job referrals from their connections LinkedIn has a new feature looking for referrals that could help job-seekers get a head start in their job search.  Users are connected to someone who works at a company with a job opening listed on LinkedIn, they can now ask that person for a referral.  LinkedIn is making it easy to find those jobs where you might have an in. Now on the desktop site, you can filter your job search by those that are "in your network" and at the top of those job listings, you'll see an "Ask for a referral" button. Click it and LinkedIn will display all of the people you're connected to that work at that company. You can then select which one you'd…
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Google believes Android is as secure as iOS

Software Events
Google believes Android is as secure as iOS Google recently published its fourth annual year in review for Android's security and looking  through the comprehensive, 56-page report yourself there are various items you can see and determine whether they are legit. Machine learning is playing a huge role in securing Android devices. Back in May, the company announced Google Play Protect, which is a one stop shop for Google's suite of security services on Android. Machine learning found 60.3 percent of all potentially harmful apps within the Play store, and Google expects that number to continue increasing. Android may be perceived as "less secure" than iOS but in 2016, the annual probability of downloading a potentially harmful app was at .04 percent, which is a pretty small number and in 2017 Google was…
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Windows 10’s Spring Creators Update will be available in April

Microsoft Development, Software Events
Windows 10’s Spring Creators Update will be available in April Microsoft is planning to release its next Windows 10 update in April. The software giant hasn’t officially revealed its name, but the company is planning to label it the Spring Creators Update. Microsoft has, however, revealed the Spring Creators Update will be released in April. In an update to a blog post today, Microsoft provides a Windows 10 overview that includes the April release date, and plans to support the OS version until October 2019. Microsoft is now planning to finalize Windows 10 Spring Creators Update by the end of next week, and the company typically ships it to consumers a few weeks later. Windows 10 Spring Creators Update will include new features like Timeline, HDR support, improved DPI support, and Fluent Design changes to…
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Can you trust Blockchain for your company ?

Software Events
Can you trust Blockchain for your company ? Blockchain has grown so fast in the recent year that sometimes your head will spin on what it can do and what it cannot do. Companies must be extremely careful with various consultants or gurus who indicate that using Blockchain technology will be the end all.   Consultants are cropping up with impressive frequency in even the most unlikely startup pitches and while blockchain technology does have genuinely interesting and potentially powerful use cases, it has enormous drawbacks for consumer applications that get little mention in media coverage. As it stands, blockchain is caught between three competing objectives: fast, low-cost, and decentralized. It is not yet possible to make one chain that achieves all three. Fast and decentralized chains will incur a high…
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