Progressive groups want FTC to split Facebook into multiple companies

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOdVd_4dY-NtEoDXTrmFBDclEcvrqi8YQfEU6iheofFqM7h13vzDTgveSx0EvY9HM7N1XxBOFfiaMfacB3wKmqAWDY-pQ0UDfrKHC8hBth0bge2OFFmpz1mEa8WtX8qLmS84_CTpCPw/s1600/251d98bfde43855a5444d5fc8ba6a846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOdVd_4dY-NtEoDXTrmFBDclEcvrqi8YQfEU6iheofFqM7h13vzDTgveSx0EvY9HM7N1XxBOFfiaMfacB3wKmqAWDY-pQ0UDfrKHC8hBth0bge2OFFmpz1mEa8WtX8qLmS84_CTpCPw/s640/251d98bfde43855a5444d5fc8ba6a846.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="Today, <a href="https://www.axios.com/facebook-mark-zuckerburg-left-coalition-regulation-c79debfa-5ccd-4af8-a59f-71cb23aa6918.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Axios</em></a> reports that progressive groups will launch an advertising offensive aimed squarely at Facebook. Their mission? To convince the FTC to break up the company. They also want users on competing social networks to be able to communicate with one another, as well as the implementation of stronger privacy rules." style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Today, <a href="https://www.axios.com/facebook-mark-zuckerburg-left-coalition-regulation-c79debfa-5ccd-4af8-a59f-71cb23aa6918.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><em>Axios</em></a> reports that progressive groups will launch an advertising offensive aimed squarely at Facebook. Their mission? To convince the FTC to break up the company. They also want users on competing social networks to be able to communicate with one another, as well as the implementation of stronger privacy rules.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="&quot;Facebook is in a competitive environment where people use our apps at the same time they use free services offered by many others,&quot; a Facebook spokesperson told Engadget. &quot;The average person uses eight different apps to communicate and stay connected. People use Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger because they find them valuable, and we've been able to better fight spam and abuse and build new features much faster by working under one roof. We support smart privacy regulation and efforts that make it easier for people to take their data to competing services. But rather than wait, we've simplified our privacy controls and introduced new ways for people to access and delete their data, or to take their data with them.&quot;" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">"Facebook is in a competitive environment where people use our apps at the same time they use free services offered by many others," a Facebook spokesperson told Engadget. "The average person uses eight different apps to communicate and stay connected. People use Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger because they find them valuable, and we've been able to better fight spam and abuse and build new features much faster by working under one roof. We support smart privacy regulation and efforts that make it easier for people to take their data to competing services. But rather than wait, we've simplified our privacy controls and introduced new ways for people to access and delete their data, or to take their data with them."</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="These ads will run online, and the groups (which include the Open Market Institute and MoveOn Civic Action) are putting six figures of spending power behind them. They will run on both Twitter and Facebook, as well as as more traditional display units on websites." style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">These ads will run online, and the groups (which include the Open Market Institute and MoveOn Civic Action) are putting six figures of spending power behind them. They will run on both Twitter and Facebook, as well as as more traditional display units on websites.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="The groups believe that the new FTC chairman, Joe Simons, might be amenable to taking on a big tech company. While some commissioners might be sympathetic, <em>Axios</em> notes that no commissioners have come out in support of breaking up any American tech giants." style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">The groups believe that the new FTC chairman, Joe Simons, might be amenable to taking on a big tech company. While some commissioners might be sympathetic, <em>Axios</em> notes that no commissioners have come out in support of breaking up any American tech giants.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="Facebook has certainly been in some <a href="https://www.engadget.com/tag/facebook/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">hot water recently</a> over fake news and privacy issues, and it's become popular to cry for more regulation of the social networking service from both the left and the right (who claim that Facebook shows liberal bias). But this feels like a stretch. There are multiple options when it comes to social networking and messaging apps. Facebook doesn't operate all, or even a majority, of them. While stricter privacy controls would be welcome news, breaking up the company doesn't seem like the answer to that problem." style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Facebook has certainly been in some <a href="https://www.engadget.com/tag/facebook/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">hot water recently</a> over fake news and privacy issues, and it's become popular to cry for more regulation of the social networking service from both the left and the right (who claim that Facebook shows liberal bias). But this feels like a stretch. There are multiple options when it comes to social networking and messaging apps. Facebook doesn't operate all, or even a majority, of them. While stricter privacy controls would be welcome news, breaking up the company doesn't seem like the answer to that problem.</div>

Lifestyle Technology Progressive groups want FTC to split Facebook into multiple companies

Today,  Axios  reports that progressive groups will launch an advertising offensive aimed squarely at Facebook. Their mission? To convince t...

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HTC looks to turn its luck around with the new U12 Plus

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rIYruonoUKjk9lhVFpAMxV3yWiJ7ErSowSQ_kriUoogXwogtKmUhU9eG5rt-2of2QtkzYovWj_HEbflf-lbBIRH4RPMaCEsuHB9TSQu1TTnur-8ZIdPaY-rDWb2zrX2s8SsZ6EWbXg/s1600/cb273e16ddef1e5621f2ffe8fe11215a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="800" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rIYruonoUKjk9lhVFpAMxV3yWiJ7ErSowSQ_kriUoogXwogtKmUhU9eG5rt-2of2QtkzYovWj_HEbflf-lbBIRH4RPMaCEsuHB9TSQu1TTnur-8ZIdPaY-rDWb2zrX2s8SsZ6EWbXg/s640/cb273e16ddef1e5621f2ffe8fe11215a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">HTC is in trouble. The smartphone maker’s sales have crumbled in recent years, as it struggles to come up with interesting designs and faces competition from the likes of Android handset makers ranging from Samsung to <a href="http://www.huawei.com/us/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Huawei</a>.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">HTC is in trouble. The smartphone maker’s sales have crumbled in recent years, as it struggles to come up with interesting designs and faces competition from the likes of Android handset makers ranging from Samsung to <a href="http://www.huawei.com/us/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Huawei</a>.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">But the ailing company has one more trick up its sleeve: the new HTC U12 Plus. Available for pre-order May 23 for $799, the U12 Plus aims to win over consumers with flashy styling and high-end features. And while it looks rather impressive, HTC has its work cut out for it if the company hopes to take down <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/samsungs-galaxy-s9-s9-plus-best-android-phones-around-130555940.html">Samsung’s Galaxy S9</a>.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">But the ailing company has one more trick up its sleeve: the new HTC U12 Plus. Available for pre-order May 23 for $799, the U12 Plus aims to win over consumers with flashy styling and high-end features. And while it looks rather impressive, HTC has its work cut out for it if the company hopes to take down <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/samsungs-galaxy-s9-s9-plus-best-android-phones-around-130555940.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;">Samsung’s Galaxy S9</a>.</div><h2 class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="A familiar face" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;" type="text">A familiar face</h2><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">The HTC U12 Plus looks strikingly similar to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/HTC-2Q4D100-6-0-inches-Factory-Unlocked/dp/B077PJXZFK" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the company’s U11 Plus</a>, which never made its way to the U.S. market. The phone has a glossy design that HTC calls Liquid Surface and is available in translucent blue (the flagship color), ceramic black and flame red. I’m a sucker for the flame red version, which looks stunning when the light dances around its edges.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">The HTC U12 Plus looks strikingly similar to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/HTC-2Q4D100-6-0-inches-Factory-Unlocked/dp/B077PJXZFK" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">the company’s U11 Plus</a>, which never made its way to the U.S. market. The phone has a glossy design that HTC calls Liquid Surface and is available in translucent blue (the flagship color), ceramic black and flame red. I’m a sucker for the flame red version, which looks stunning when the light dances around its edges.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">As its name implies, the U12 Plus is a big smartphone, packing a 6-inch display. Still, it’s about the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus, which has a smaller 5.5-inch screen.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">As its name implies, the U12 Plus is a big smartphone, packing a 6-inch display. Still, it’s about the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus, which has a smaller 5.5-inch screen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eW8dD260PDbEOUE-0A9apGPG7T2O7Ka3AoPhhQeplthEW7HRQZt4eXWOTp2BTnI-lIrS03hTUrmxnMmysPjJLYVCcnltCKTVH4jLLRyCvaVK9zIFmrR-L-lGio6Tl7-JG1VQlHhf-w/s1600/b2239f8f06253e2066de4c22516820ab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="800" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eW8dD260PDbEOUE-0A9apGPG7T2O7Ka3AoPhhQeplthEW7HRQZt4eXWOTp2BTnI-lIrS03hTUrmxnMmysPjJLYVCcnltCKTVH4jLLRyCvaVK9zIFmrR-L-lGio6Tl7-JG1VQlHhf-w/s640/b2239f8f06253e2066de4c22516820ab.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">As its name implies, the U12 Plus is a big smartphone, packing a 6-inch display. Still, it’s about the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus, which has a smaller 5.5-inch screen.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text"><br /></div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">Speaking of its display, the U12 Plus packs a resolution of 2,880 x 1,440 pixels. That’s sharper than the iPhone’s panel, but not as sharp as the Galaxy S9’s 5.8-inch screen with a resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 pixels.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Speaking of its display, the U12 Plus packs a resolution of 2,880 x 1,440 pixels. That’s sharper than the iPhone’s panel, but not as sharp as the Galaxy S9’s 5.8-inch screen with a resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 pixels.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">That said, you’re unlikely to notice such a small difference between the two phones. The U12 Plus’s display looked plenty sharp up front, but I’m curious to see how bright it is compared to the S9. HTC’s phones have always had dimmer screens, which can be a problem in bright sunlight.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">That said, you’re unlikely to notice such a small difference between the two phones. The U12 Plus’s display looked plenty sharp up front, but I’m curious to see how bright it is compared to the S9. HTC’s phones have always had dimmer screens, which can be a problem in bright sunlight.</div><h2 class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="Main squeeze" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;" type="text">Main squeeze</h2><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">Like the HTC U11, the U12 Plus features the latest version of the company’s Edge Sense technology, which can detect when you squeeze its sides to activate certain applications. Edge Sense 2 now determines if you’re holding the phone to view the screen in portrait mode and prevent it from flipping to landscape. It’s a helpful addition, especially when you’re using your phone and lying in bed.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Like the HTC U11, the U12 Plus features the latest version of the company’s Edge Sense technology, which can detect when you squeeze its sides to activate certain applications. Edge Sense 2 now determines if you’re holding the phone to view the screen in portrait mode and prevent it from flipping to landscape. It’s a helpful addition, especially when you’re using your phone and lying in bed.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">You can also double-tap the left and right edges of the U12 Plus to shrink the screen down for one-hand mode. Of course, you can still use Edge Sense 2 to launch specific apps with a quick squeeze, too.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">You can also double-tap the left and right edges of the U12 Plus to shrink the screen down for one-hand mode. Of course, you can still use Edge Sense 2 to launch specific apps with a quick squeeze, too.</div><h2 class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="Double the camera" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;" type="text">Double the camera</h2><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">The U12 Plus is the latest smartphone to get a dual-camera setup around back. But unlike handsets <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oneplus-6-review-killer-smartphone-killer-price-154921827.html">like the OnePlus 6</a>, the U12 Plus’s secondary camera serves as an optical zoom. HTC claims the cameras received the highest marks of any dual-camera combo from independent camera analysis firm DXOMark. That’s a great feather in HTC’s cap, but I’ll need to see what it’s actually like to use the cameras in real life before I can comment on them.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">The U12 Plus is the latest smartphone to get a dual-camera setup around back. But unlike handsets <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oneplus-6-review-killer-smartphone-killer-price-154921827.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;">like the OnePlus 6</a>, the U12 Plus’s secondary camera serves as an optical zoom. HTC claims the cameras received the highest marks of any dual-camera combo from independent camera analysis firm DXOMark. That’s a great feather in HTC’s cap, but I’ll need to see what it’s actually like to use the cameras in real life before I can comment on them.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">We’ll find out more about the U12 Plus when we get our hands on a review unit in the coming days.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">We’ll find out more about the U12 Plus when we get our hands on a review unit in the coming days.</div>

Lifestyle Technology HTC looks to turn its luck around with the new U12 Plus

HTC is in trouble. The smartphone maker’s sales have crumbled in recent years, as it struggles to come up with interesting designs and faces...

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Why Apple, Facebook and Google are worried about your ‘digital well-being’

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QF8814zasghQDXo9USS6ZzJhSA96ykL-S5jOthJtaJaqQzboGjlOh8xYonfDxuRmOQKmW1R0f9nE7NKdZYjgoMPdcpZh9AGfMHmXqy1hqvWmfO_6fQiAAZfIMK8z43e5rIpFyGP1AQ/s1600/14557e3a999f2fe35b50f87a9d12ccb6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="800" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QF8814zasghQDXo9USS6ZzJhSA96ykL-S5jOthJtaJaqQzboGjlOh8xYonfDxuRmOQKmW1R0f9nE7NKdZYjgoMPdcpZh9AGfMHmXqy1hqvWmfO_6fQiAAZfIMK8z43e5rIpFyGP1AQ/s640/14557e3a999f2fe35b50f87a9d12ccb6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">For years, tech companies have moved at breakneck speeds, rolling out experiences and features to draw new users and keep current ones hooked. But companies like Facebook (</span><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/FB?p=FB"><span style="font-weight:400;">FB</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">) have recently glommed onto a mindset gaining traction: more time spent on a device or service isn’t necessarily better for the user. On the contrary, increased time on that device, app or website can actually impact your health — a fact tech leaders have acknowledged.&nbsp;</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">For years, tech companies have moved at breakneck speeds, rolling out experiences and features to draw new users and keep current ones hooked. But companies like Facebook (<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/FB?p=FB" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;">FB</a>) have recently glommed onto a mindset gaining traction: more time spent on a device or service isn’t necessarily better for the user. On the contrary, increased time on that device, app or website can actually impact your health — a fact tech leaders have acknowledged. </div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">“We’re very focused on making sure that people’s use of technology is good for people’s well-being,” Mark Zuckerberg conceded on Tuesday </span><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mark-zuckerberg-testifies-eu-parliament-160351481.html"><span style="font-weight:400;">during an appearance</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;"> in front of </span><span style="font-weight:400;">lawmakers from the European Union in Brussels. </span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">“We’re very focused on making sure that people’s use of technology is good for people’s well-being,” Mark Zuckerberg conceded on Tuesday <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mark-zuckerberg-testifies-eu-parliament-160351481.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;">during an appearance</a> in front of lawmakers from the European Union in Brussels.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">Zuckerberg’s acknowledgment comes nearly two weeks after Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff called </span><span style="font-weight:400;">Facebook the “</span><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tech-execs-called-facebooks-trust-problem-152935213.html"><span style="font-weight:400;">new cigarettes of our industry</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">” and nearly a month </span><span style="font-weight:400;">after the Facebook CEO’s</span><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/facebooks-mark-zuckerberg-returns-second-day-congressional-hearings-133901976.html"><span style="font-weight:400;"> appearance</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;"> before Congress, in which he discussed the social network’s responsibility to </span><span style="font-weight:400;">build services that are “good for people and good for society.” In early May, </span><span style="font-weight:400;">Google (</span><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GOOG?p=GOOG"><span style="font-weight:400;">GOOG</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">, </span><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GOOGL?p=GOOGL"><span style="font-weight:400;">GOOGL</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">) also announced at its annual developer conference its </span><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/android-p-outperform-apples-ios-new-ai-features-210424835.html"><span style="font-weight:400;">Digital Wellbeing initiative</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">, a set of features focused on helping Android users manage how they spend their time on their smartphones. </span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Zuckerberg’s acknowledgment comes nearly two weeks after Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff called Facebook the “<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tech-execs-called-facebooks-trust-problem-152935213.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;">new cigarettes of our industry</a>” and nearly a month after the Facebook CEO’s<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/facebooks-mark-zuckerberg-returns-second-day-congressional-hearings-133901976.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;"> appearance</a> before Congress, in which he discussed the social network’s responsibility to build services that are “good for people and good for society.” In early May, Google (<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GOOG?p=GOOG" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;">GOOG</a>, <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GOOGL?p=GOOGL" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;">GOOGL</a>) also announced at its annual developer conference its <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/android-p-outperform-apples-ios-new-ai-features-210424835.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;">Digital Wellbeing initiative</a>, a set of features focused on helping Android users manage how they spend their time on their smartphones.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">It’s a particularly fraught time for big tech companies, which have come under scrutiny for&nbsp;issues such as data privacy and “tech addiction” — an over-dependence on gadgets and the internet</span><span style="font-weight:400;">. Several studies have linked </span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201710/is-facebook-making-you-depressed" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:400;">long-term use of Facebook</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;"> with depression and chronic loneliness among some types of people. Meanwhile, our psychological dependence on smartphones has become so complex that just having them nearby can&nbsp;</span><span style="font-weight:400;">hinder</span><span style="font-weight:400;"> our ability to focus, <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/03/having-your-smartphone-nearby-takes-a-toll-on-your-thinking" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">according to some research</a>. </span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">It’s a particularly fraught time for big tech companies, which have come under scrutiny for issues such as data privacy and “tech addiction” — an over-dependence on gadgets and the internet. Several studies have linked <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201710/is-facebook-making-you-depressed" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">long-term use of Facebook</a> with depression and chronic loneliness among some types of people. Meanwhile, our psychological dependence on smartphones has become so complex that just having them nearby can hinder our ability to focus, <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/03/having-your-smartphone-nearby-takes-a-toll-on-your-thinking" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">according to some research</a>.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">As a result, companies such as Apple, Facebook and Google are proactively rolling out measures to look after your digital well-being, likely in part to help shore up their public image. </span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">As a result, companies such as Apple, Facebook and Google are proactively rolling out measures to look after your digital well-being, likely in part to help shore up their public image.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">“I do think what Facebook, Apple and Google have done in the last 12-18 months are all positive steps to addressing this issue,” says Gartner analyst Mark Hung. “I think there’s no easy answer. The good news is that the tech providers are looking at ways to address it. Ultimately, if it persists on a negative path, it will affect their bottom line.”</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">“I do think what Facebook, Apple and Google have done in the last 12-18 months are all positive steps to addressing this issue,” says Gartner analyst Mark Hung. “I think there’s no easy answer. The good news is that the tech providers are looking at ways to address it. Ultimately, if it persists on a negative path, it will affect their bottom line.”</div><h2 class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="‘They’re more than an appendage’" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;" type="text">‘They’re more than an appendage’</h2><div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">As devices and services have become more advanced — recognizing friends in photos, scanning our mugs to unlock phones — our consumption of these devices has increased, too. </span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">As devices and services have become more advanced — recognizing friends in photos, scanning our mugs to unlock phones — our consumption of these devices has increased, too.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">“To many smartphone owners, they’re more than an appendage — they’re a physical and virtual connection to relevance,” contends Brian Solis, a principal analyst at the San Francisco-based Altimeter Group. </span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">“To many smartphone owners, they’re more than an appendage — they’re a physical and virtual connection to relevance,” contends Brian Solis, a principal analyst at the San Francisco-based Altimeter Group.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">Hyperbolic as that sounds, look at the numbers.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-weight:400;">The average user checks their smartphone well over 320 times a week <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloitte-americans-look-at-their-smartphones-more-than-12-billion-times-daily-even-as-usage-habits-mature-and-device-growth-plateaus-300555703.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">according to a study from Deloitte</a> released in November 2017. That number is much higher among users ages 18-24, who check their phones 86 times a day — up from 82 times daily in 2016. The <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloitte-americans-look-at-their-smartphones-more-than-12-billion-times-daily-even-as-usage-habits-mature-and-device-growth-plateaus-300555703.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Deloitte survey</a> polled 2,000 U.S. internet users between ages 18 and 75.</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Hyperbolic as that sounds, look at the numbers. The average user checks their smartphone well over 320 times a week <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloitte-americans-look-at-their-smartphones-more-than-12-billion-times-daily-even-as-usage-habits-mature-and-device-growth-plateaus-300555703.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">according to a study from Deloitte</a>released in November 2017. That number is much higher among users ages 18-24, who check their phones 86 times a day — up from 82 times daily in 2016. The <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloitte-americans-look-at-their-smartphones-more-than-12-billion-times-daily-even-as-usage-habits-mature-and-device-growth-plateaus-300555703.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0081f2; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Deloitte survey</a> polled 2,000 U.S. internet users between ages 18 and 75.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">Unless you’re a road warrior traveling for work or a high-flying business executive, is it really necessary to engage with your phone that often? Doubtful. But society — at least American society — has conditioned its denizens to feel intense bouts of instant gratification by constantly sending friends emoji-laden messages, playing brief “snackable” games and sending updates into the digital ether that earn likes, comments and retweets. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Unless you’re a road warrior traveling for work or a high-flying business executive, is it really necessary to engage with your phone that often? Doubtful. But society — at least American society — has conditioned its denizens to feel intense bouts of instant gratification by constantly sending friends emoji-laden messages, playing brief “snackable” games and sending updates into the digital ether that earn likes, comments and retweets.   </div><h2 class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<strong>‘If they have your attention, they can monetize it’</strong>" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;" type="text"><span style="font-weight: bolder;">‘If they have your attention, they can monetize it’</span></h2></div>

Lifestyle Technology Why Apple, Facebook and Google are worried about your ‘digital well-being’

For years, tech companies have moved at breakneck speeds, rolling out experiences and features to draw new users and keep current ones hooke...

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Golden Globes Best Red Carpet Pics – Kendall Jenner, Emma Stone & More

<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; line-height: 29.44px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">The 2018 Golden Globes red carpet is definitely one event that will go down in history as an event that propelled a much needed change and highlighted a much pressing concern. All our favourite stars dressed up in black as a protest against the rampant sexual harassment that is practiced in Hollywood. From Allison Williams and Emma Stone to Kendall Jenner, and many more, we’ve picked out all the glamorous fashion moments from the Golden Globes red carpet for you to see.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; line-height: 29.44px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">This year, the stars decided to stun the crowds in solidarity for a splendid cause. On 8th January, the 2018 75th Golden Globe Awards kicked off with a spectacular start. Seth Meyers was the host for the night, so naturally, the celebrities in attendance were torn between tackling surprises of laughter, and wiping away tears from laughing too hard. The greatest names of Hollywood and television graced the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California before the ceremony officially started and the awards were given out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlbwsVxsUJXErOEOLlWUZdSyS1_BaLjMsPK8osi8lRLOjt0NfC7kLAkaC084oqOMHjbmlNjDn6ShPDkwdPdb0JounnWki5rMim_RPIJm3qfXWZBLmEOt1-43vVEs4npQT9BRdblhbJg/s1600/Blanca-Blanco-75th-Golden-Globe-Awards-Red-Carpet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlbwsVxsUJXErOEOLlWUZdSyS1_BaLjMsPK8osi8lRLOjt0NfC7kLAkaC084oqOMHjbmlNjDn6ShPDkwdPdb0JounnWki5rMim_RPIJm3qfXWZBLmEOt1-43vVEs4npQT9BRdblhbJg/s400/Blanca-Blanco-75th-Golden-Globe-Awards-Red-Carpet.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; line-height: 29.44px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; line-height: 29.44px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 18.4px;">Black was the colour of the evening, and celebrities were extremely enthusiastic about flaunting it as a sign of protest against the inequality and sexual harassment that is rampant in the film industry. Allison Williams, Kristin Cavallari, and Laura Marano were the very first to arrive on the red carpet and their gorgeous black silhouettes were right on-point with the theme. Allison allowed a tantalizing splash of orange in her gorgeous dress, but her solidarity was evident. Kendall Jenner, who was representing the Kardashian clan, graced the red carpet in a beautiful princess-like black gown.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL92Ft5N7FQ2g4GcPHlV5QriMcty9A_d8wuSg5ZO5a6JHCg5u-TEA0UwaVsROrnMUvsdBwIYC99Bsoueg9IoNQfNIC99UXV0w0fKR82149KQUO5B6hlqbgHK2Qbkqgr5Qj_jzZ5Rnt4w/s1600/Angelina-and-Maddox-75th-Golden-Globe-Awards-Red-Carpet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL92Ft5N7FQ2g4GcPHlV5QriMcty9A_d8wuSg5ZO5a6JHCg5u-TEA0UwaVsROrnMUvsdBwIYC99Bsoueg9IoNQfNIC99UXV0w0fKR82149KQUO5B6hlqbgHK2Qbkqgr5Qj_jzZ5Rnt4w/s400/Angelina-and-Maddox-75th-Golden-Globe-Awards-Red-Carpet.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; line-height: 29.44px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; line-height: 29.44px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">Time’s up organized this monochromatic trend of silent protest against sexual harassment, and it is basically a remarkable initiative taken by 300 leading actresses, female agents, producers, entertainment executives, directors and writers. It was an attempt to highlight the struggle women are forced to put in while building their careers and rising up the ranks in a male-dominated and sexist workplace. It put forward the notion that this sexual harassment and male-domination must end. The movement was announced by the New York Times on 1st January, and Reese Witherspoon and Eva Longoria made an announcement that they will lead a march towards the red carpet to display their solidarity and protest silently.</div><div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_12497" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8rem; margin: 5px auto 30px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 660px;"><a href="https://www.lifestylecrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Emilia-Clarke-75th-Golden-Globe-Awards-Red-Carpet.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #0077ee; font-size: 12.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.25s; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Emilia Clarke 75th Golden Globe Awards Red Carpet" class="size-full wp-image-12497" height="975" sizes="(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" src="https://www.lifestylecrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Emilia-Clarke-75th-Golden-Globe-Awards-Red-Carpet.jpg" srcset="https://www.lifestylecrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Emilia-Clarke-75th-Golden-Globe-Awards-Red-Carpet.jpg 650w, https://www.lifestylecrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Emilia-Clarke-75th-Golden-Globe-Awards-Red-Carpet-200x300.jpg 200w" style="backface-visibility: hidden; border: 0px; font-size: 12.8px; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="650" /></a></div><div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_12497" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #777777; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8rem; margin: 5px auto 30px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 660px;"><div style="border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; line-height: 29.44px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">We saw stars organizing demonstrations, for instance the blackout of the red carpet, which was aimed at raising awareness against the culture of male domination and sexual offenders like Harvey Weinstein, Lars von Trier, Brett Ratner and others. The demonstrations also aimed to help the working class women, along with setting up a legal defense fund that has reached up to $15 million in donations. This fund will be used to help women from all income groups and social spectrums, including nurses, farm workers and janitors, so they can shield themselves against sexual aggression and the retaliations that occur after reporting harassment.</div><div style="border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; line-height: 29.44px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">There were a few people who decided to skip out on black, but we must admit, those who wore black and those who didn’t-everyone looked spectacular on the red carpet. It is downright remarkable that the red carpet alone made history without even have to announce a single award. It fills us up with hope that the year 2018 will witness a better and reformed Hollywood that will stand for gender equality, women will be able to receive equal salaries, the fear of sexual assault will vanquish and everyone will have equal chances and opportunities to achieve the success they dream for.</div></div>

Lifestyle Golden Globes Best Red Carpet Pics – Kendall Jenner, Emma Stone & More

The 2018 Golden Globes red carpet is definitely one event that will go down in history as an event that propelled a much needed change and h...

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This is the secret to Jennifer Aniston's youthful glow and it's only $24!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRdr2lGXYSuQKPdxaRtS4NAogeXBoSjyJf6A8PUhUjS1aUtGt8cyd5dT2Y9tEVT8JIxtOPej6kjBZqZpT0khCVIk4wkKZX04CEPsZZocKBjJQz3rA-v9ogaJQQmYwew42ZTvIhaDk4w/s1600/Jennifer-Aniston-finally-addresses-Rachels-nipples-on-Friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRdr2lGXYSuQKPdxaRtS4NAogeXBoSjyJf6A8PUhUjS1aUtGt8cyd5dT2Y9tEVT8JIxtOPej6kjBZqZpT0khCVIk4wkKZX04CEPsZZocKBjJQz3rA-v9ogaJQQmYwew42ZTvIhaDk4w/s640/Jennifer-Aniston-finally-addresses-Rachels-nipples-on-Friends.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="Jennifer Aniston hasn't changed a bit since her &quot;Friends&quot; days. No, really! The 49-year-old actress looks years younger than her age suggests, and now we know why.&nbsp;" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text"><br /></div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="Jennifer Aniston hasn't changed a bit since her &quot;Friends&quot; days. No, really! The 49-year-old actress looks years younger than her age suggests, and now we know why.&nbsp;" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Jennifer Aniston hasn't changed a bit since her "Friends" days. No, really! The 49-year-old actress looks years younger than her age suggests, and now we know why. </div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="In an interview with <a href="https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/jennifer-aniston-morning-wellness-fitness-beauty-habits/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Well+Good</a>, the California-born beauty revealed the secret to her *glowing* complexion ... and it's only $24 on Amazon! Every morning, Jennifer usually makes a smoothie jam-packed with veggies, fruits and a collagen supplement." style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">In an interview with <a href="https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/jennifer-aniston-morning-wellness-fitness-beauty-habits/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2d90ff; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Well+Good</a>, the California-born beauty revealed the secret to her *glowing* complexion ... and it's only $24 on Amazon! Every morning, Jennifer usually makes a smoothie jam-packed with veggies, fruits and a collagen supplement.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="&nbsp;" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text"><br /></div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="Collagen, which is taking the wellness industry by storm thanks to social media, promises to strengthen hair, skin, nails and joints, ligaments, tendons.&nbsp;" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Collagen, which is taking the wellness industry by storm thanks to social media, promises to strengthen hair, skin, nails and joints, ligaments, tendons. </div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="&quot;I’ve been seeing a difference! My nails are stronger&nbsp;and there’s a healthier ... how do you explain it? A glow.It’s sort of that working from the inside-out thing,&quot; Jen revealed." style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">"I’ve been seeing a difference! My nails are stronger and there’s a healthier ... how do you explain it? A glow.It’s sort of that working from the inside-out thing," Jen revealed.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="The collagen peptide can be mixed into any liquid -- hot or cold -- but clearly, Jennifer prefers it with her morning smoothie. Shop the actress' <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NLR1PX0/ref=twister_B01HPAVL64?th=1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">go-to collagen supplement </a>above for your own Jen-inspired glow!" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">The collagen peptide can be mixed into any liquid -- hot or cold -- but clearly, Jennifer prefers it with her morning smoothie. Shop the actress' <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NLR1PX0/ref=twister_B01HPAVL64?th=1" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2d90ff; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">go-to collagen supplement </a>above for your own Jen-inspired glow!</div>

Lifestyle This is the secret to Jennifer Aniston's youthful glow and it's only $24!

Jennifer Aniston hasn't changed a bit since her "Friends" days. No, really! The 49-year-old actress looks years younger than h...

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How to make sure Russian hackers can’t attack your home router again

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6CWnvFsCjz-G4Lb-PYzlnVijJkzuGFPAbL3AsHTemSJtda-kBiiNFangzy0ztoZ5ND7K-Mf7DOVtnFafVvKS48DJSjgpYRuTavCavDblNmmCCKm3UrUDxLdi9SB3BvYh55jwi2vwDw/s1600/1469956280-hacker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="558" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6CWnvFsCjz-G4Lb-PYzlnVijJkzuGFPAbL3AsHTemSJtda-kBiiNFangzy0ztoZ5ND7K-Mf7DOVtnFafVvKS48DJSjgpYRuTavCavDblNmmCCKm3UrUDxLdi9SB3BvYh55jwi2vwDw/s640/1469956280-hacker.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">A new piece of Russian malware that can destroy consumers’ routers <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fbi-says-foreign-hackers-compromised-155414437.html">has the FBI warning users</a> to restart their devices. But that won’t necessarily ensure that your router doesn’t become reinfected.</span>" data-reactid="15" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">A new piece of Russian malware that can destroy consumers’ routers <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fbi-says-foreign-hackers-compromised-155414437.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2d90ff; text-decoration-line: none;">has the FBI warning users</a> to restart their devices. But that won’t necessarily ensure that your router doesn’t become reinfected.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">To inoculate your device, your best bet is to download the latest firmware. It might sound scary, but it’s surprisingly easy to do on your own.</span>" data-reactid="16" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">To inoculate your device, your best bet is to download the latest firmware. It might sound scary, but it’s surprisingly easy to do on your own.</div><h2 class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="From Russia, with love" data-reactid="17" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;" type="text">From Russia, with love</h2><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">The malware, according to </span><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-actions-disrupt-advanced-persistent-threat-28-botnet-infected" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:400;">The Justice Department</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">, comes by way of the group known as Fancy Bear, which is believed to operate as part of Russia’s military intelligence service. If left untreated, the software could be used to monitor any traffic that goes across your router, surveil basically anything you do online, block certain websites or destroy your device entirely.</span>" data-reactid="18" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">The malware, according to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-actions-disrupt-advanced-persistent-threat-28-botnet-infected" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2d90ff; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Justice Department</a>, comes by way of the group known as Fancy Bear, which is believed to operate as part of Russia’s military intelligence service. If left untreated, the software could be used to monitor any traffic that goes across your router, surveil basically anything you do online, block certain websites or destroy your device entirely.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">About 500,000 devices around the world are said to be infected with the malware, which could be used to form a network of zombie devices that could take down websites by overloading their servers.</span>" data-reactid="19" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">About 500,000 devices around the world are said to be infected with the malware, which could be used to form a network of zombie devices that could take down websites by overloading their servers.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">To protect your router, you can download the appropriate firmware through its manufacturer’s website. It’s recommended that you connect the computer from which you’re installing the update directly to your router using an ethernet cable to prevent any connection issues between the devices.</span>" data-reactid="20" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">To protect your router, you can download the appropriate firmware through its manufacturer’s website. It’s recommended that you connect the computer from which you’re installing the update directly to your router using an ethernet cable to prevent any connection issues between the devices.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">For Netgear </span><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NTGR?p=NTGR"><span style="font-weight:400;">(NTGR)</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;"> routers, you can go to routerlogin.net to </span><a href="https://kb.netgear.com/23442/How-do-I-update-my-NETGEAR-router-firmware-using-the-Check-button-in-the-router-s-web-interface" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:400;">access your router’s page</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">. Enter your username and password, go to the Administration tab under Advanced and click the update option. </span>" data-reactid="21" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">For Netgear <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NTGR?p=NTGR" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2d90ff; text-decoration-line: none;">(NTGR)</a> routers, you can go to routerlogin.net to <a href="https://kb.netgear.com/23442/How-do-I-update-my-NETGEAR-router-firmware-using-the-Check-button-in-the-router-s-web-interface" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2d90ff; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">access your router’s page</a>. Enter your username and password, go to the Administration tab under Advanced and click the update option.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">Owners of Linksys routers can find the latest firmware on </span><a href="https://www.linksys.com/us/support/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:400;">Linksys’s support website</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">. You then have to type the following IP address into your browser’s address bar: </span><span style="font-weight:400;">192.168.1.1 before heading over to the Administration tab. From there, you’ll need to</span><span style="font-weight:400;">&nbsp;select firmware upgrade, choose the firmware you downloaded and install it.</span>" data-reactid="22" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Owners of Linksys routers can find the latest firmware on <a href="https://www.linksys.com/us/support/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2d90ff; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Linksys’s support website</a>. You then have to type the following IP address into your browser’s address bar: 192.168.1.1 before heading over to the Administration tab. From there, you’ll need to select firmware upgrade, choose the firmware you downloaded and install it.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">MikroTik router owners can update their firmware via the RouterOS software, making upgrading relatively straightforward.</span>" data-reactid="23" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">MikroTik router owners can update their firmware via the RouterOS software, making upgrading relatively straightforward.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">TP-Link router users should visit </span><a href="https://www.tp-link.com/ae/download-center.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:400;">TP-Link’s download center website</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;"> to download the appropriate firmware. You’ll then need to access your router by going to tplinkwifi.net and entering your username and password. From there, you can install the firmware to update your device.</span>" data-reactid="24" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">TP-Link router users should visit <a href="https://www.tp-link.com/ae/download-center.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2d90ff; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TP-Link’s download center website</a> to download the appropriate firmware. You’ll then need to access your router by going to tplinkwifi.net and entering your username and password. From there, you can install the firmware to update your device.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">According to </span><a href="https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2018/05/VPNFilter.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight:400;">Cisco’s Talos Intelligence Group</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">, potentially infected devices include the following:</span>" data-reactid="25" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">According to <a href="https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2018/05/VPNFilter.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2d90ff; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Cisco’s Talos Intelligence Group</a>, potentially infected devices include the following:</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<strong>Netgear</strong>" data-reactid="26" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text"><span style="font-weight: bolder;">Netgear</span></div><ul class="canvas-list List(d)" data-reactid="27" data-type="list" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding-left: 20px;"><li data-reactid="28">DGN2200</li><li data-reactid="29">R6400</li><li data-reactid="30">R7000</li><li data-reactid="31">R8000</li><li data-reactid="32">WNR1000</li><li data-reactid="33">WNR2000</li></ul><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<strong>Linksys</strong>" data-reactid="34" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text"><span style="font-weight: bolder;">Linksys</span></div><ul class="canvas-list List(d)" data-reactid="35" data-type="list" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding-left: 20px;"><li data-reactid="36">E1200</li><li data-reactid="37">E2500</li><li data-reactid="38">WRVS4400N</li></ul><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<strong>MikroTik</strong>" data-reactid="39" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text"><span style="font-weight: bolder;">MikroTik</span></div><ul class="canvas-list List(d)" data-reactid="40" data-type="list" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding-left: 20px;"><li data-reactid="41">1016</li><li data-reactid="42">1036</li><li data-reactid="43">1072</li></ul><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<strong>TP-Link</strong>" data-reactid="44" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text"><span style="font-weight: bolder;">TP-Link</span></div><ul class="canvas-list List(d)" data-reactid="45" data-type="list" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding-left: 20px;"><li data-reactid="46">R600VPN</li></ul><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<span style="font-weight:400;">Once you’ve installed the appropriate patch for your system, you should be protected from any potential malware. In fact, you should regularly download software updates for all of your devices, as well as the operating devices for your computer or phone. Doing so should save you plenty of headaches in the future.</span>" data-reactid="47" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text">Once you’ve installed the appropriate patch for your system, you should be protected from any potential malware. In fact, you should regularly download software updates for all of your devices, as well as the operating devices for your computer or phone. Doing so should save you plenty of headaches in the future.</div><div class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)--sm Mt(0.8em)--sm" content="<strong>More from Dan:</strong>" data-reactid="48" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em;" type="text"><br /></div>

Lifestyle Technology How to make sure Russian hackers can’t attack your home router again

A new piece of Russian malware that can destroy consumers’ routers  has the FBI warning users  to restart their devices. But that won’t nece...

Read more »

Facebook investors grill Zuckerberg: 'Emulate George Washington, not Vladimir Putin'

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbd2hYHVzMbazx9sHflUfcYaaZuFSI9rHtSB5h5-GCjrSu5J-aScTaUINubrS6X4NhHu3xDk-iEho5jeHy0M-Qis9hJQ8Qjo7cREDT3kzJjzoumH_TGCIUoLjzLIr6GK1GxTikNtmFg/s1600/4e246d8f178bedcfacf39ca20ec9d7d1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="800" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbd2hYHVzMbazx9sHflUfcYaaZuFSI9rHtSB5h5-GCjrSu5J-aScTaUINubrS6X4NhHu3xDk-iEho5jeHy0M-Qis9hJQ8Qjo7cREDT3kzJjzoumH_TGCIUoLjzLIr6GK1GxTikNtmFg/s640/4e246d8f178bedcfacf39ca20ec9d7d1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Facebook’s (<span style="color: #3d85c6;">FB</span>) shareholder meeting on Thursday was a heated affair, as investors vented their frustrations over the social network’s handling of recent scandals.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“If privacy is a human right … then we contend that Facebook’s poor stewardship of user data is tantamount to a human rights violation,” stated Christine Jantz, chief investment officer at Northstar Asset Management, which is a Facebook investor.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Facebook risked becoming a “corporate dictatorship,” James McRitchie, a Facebook investor, said to Zuckerberg.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Mr. Zuckerberg, take a page from history,” McRitchie added. “Emulate George Washington, not Vladimir Putin.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a good way to ‘hold us accountable’</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Investors’ harsh remarks stemmed from recent controversies, including the Cambridge Analytica scandal that engulfed the company earlier this year. In mid-March, reports emerged that Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm that shut down earlier this month, had acquired Facebook user data sold by researcher Aleksandr Kogan. Kogan had developed a personality quiz app on Facebook called This is Your Digital Life that surveyed 270,000 users.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because of the high level of access Facebook gave developers at the time, Cambridge Analytica was able to harvest the data of the friends of those 270,000 users, affecting up to 87 million individuals in all. The ensuing fallout from the controversy saw Facebook get hammered in the media and on Wall Street.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Zuckerberg, for his part, pledged the social network would be more transparent in its efforts moving forward, such as putting out reports on fake accounts.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“[This is a] good way to have people in the community judge our process toward this and hold us accountable,” Zuckerberg added.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also at the meeting, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg announced that it would adopt the Diverse Slate Approach for future board appointments, a technique Sandberg said Facebook was already doing unofficially.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Facebook first rolled out the Diverse Slate Approach for hiring back in 2015. The strategy, which is similar to the NFL’s Rooney Rule, requires Facebook hiring managers to at least consider underrepresented people for positions.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Added Sandberg: “We wanted to make that commitment publicly.”</span>

Lifestyle Technology Facebook investors grill Zuckerberg: 'Emulate George Washington, not Vladimir Putin'

Facebook’s ( FB ) shareholder meeting on Thursday was a heated affair, as investors vented their frustrations over the social network’s hand...

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