SEO News
Google’s Street View photo-mapping tool cleared by the UK’s privacy watchdog
Google’s Street View photo-mapping tool, which has attracted controversies, has been handed the all clear signal by the UK’s privacy watchdog.
The Street View photo-mapping system takes images of streets and later adds them to online maps to allow user to see what locations actually look like. The project drew sharp criticism from host privacy campaigners who expressed worry over a probable breach of data protection laws.
However, the Information Commissioner stated it was ‘satisfied’ that Google had put in place necessary safeguards to avoid risking anyone’s safety or privacy. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) mentioned in a statement, ‘it had requested a further meeting with the firm to discuss Street View prior to launch of the service.
It stated the safeguards like blurring faces and registration plates were enough to allay worries regarding privacy.
The statement noted:
Although it is possible that in ‘certain limited circumstances’ an image may allow an individual’s identification, it is clear that Google are keen only to capture images of streets and not individuals.
The time elapsed between snapping the images and then putting it up on the web meant it could not be employed as a tracking tool, it concluded.
Intel, Yahoo, HP join hands for cloud computing; term it ‘natural evolution of the internet’
Chip giant Intel is going to team up with Yahoo and HP for creating virtual research centres focused on cloud computing that offers online storage.
Research firm Gartner has termed cloud computing as significant e-business model that promises a wide range of new services for data and devices plugged into the cloud. Initially six data centres will be made available for researchers to test new applications.
John Manley, director of HP’s strategic research lab, said:
Cloud computing stands for a new era of computing. There will be several unanswered questions, to start with, but we want to create an environment, which can attempt to answer some of these challenges.
Apart from providing new means of storing data, cloud computing will offers new ways to utilise the data.
The web-democratised creativity allowed anyone to create something new and innovative. Cloud computing is the next logical stage for that.
To my mind it is no doubt, the natural evolution of the internet. If we look back in 15 years time from now we will be amazed by what cloud computing has allowed to happen.
YouTube needs to do more to vet its content, states a UK committee; the website disagrees
YouTube has come under criticism from MPs in the UK, who have stated that it needs ‘to do more to vet its content’, according to a report by BBC NEWS. The Culture, Media and Sport select committee has just completed a review of net safety policies.
The committee suggested a new industry body should be set up for monitoring content. It also stated a ‘standard practice’ for websites hosting user-generated content only. In response, YouTube’s owners stated the website had very strict rules and had a system in place, which provided users a facility to report inappropriate content.
In its report, the committee noted that some websites that it had monitored as part of its review exercise were found to have a rather ‘lax’ approach towards illegal content. Google, the firm owning YouTube, claimed it was very much confident the video-sharing website hosted appropriate content.
A Google spokesman responded:
We have strict rules on what is allowed (on YouTube), and a system, which enables anyone who sees inappropriate content to point it out to our 24/7 review team. We deal with it promptly. A direct link from each YouTube page makes the process easy and transparent.
Considering the volume of content uploaded on our website, we believe this is by far the most effective way of making sure that the tiny minority of videos, which break the rules come down fast.
China now boasts the world’s largest internet-using population
China now boasts the world’s largest internet-using population, states official figures. Over 253 million users in the country are now online, according to statistics made available by CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center). The figure is higher than that of internet users in the US- about 223 million in June, according to research firm Nielsen Online.
Net penetration in the US is at 71 per cent compared to just 19 per cent in China. This clearly suggests that China will eventually vastly outstrip the former. The development is significant, since the US has always had the largest number of net users till this point. A statement from the CNNIC noted:
This is the first time ever that the number of internet users in China has surpassed the US drastically.
Of course, in spite of having a larger number of people online, the country’s net economy has a long way to go to match that of the US or, for that matter, even of South Korea. Analysis International Figures indicated China’s net firms had a total revenue of £2.96bn in 2007. Net advertising revenue alone, by contrast, for US companies stood at £10.6bn $21.2bn.
Drilldown and Roll-over definitions: two exciting features of Cuil
The following are the exciting features of the all-new Cuil search engine.
After you perform a web-based search, you may note a panel on the right-hand side that states “Explore by Category” along with a list of subjects that are related to your search.
If you roll-over a category, it will open by default and show up refinements that are related to your search. If you click on any, Cuil will automatically direct you to this additional data.
You may discover search data, concepts, or other related areas of interest that you had not expected or thought of by looking at these suggestions. This is useful particularly when you are researching a topic you do not know much about and are not very sure as how to compose the ‘right’ query to get the information you need.
Roll-over definitions is another catchy feature. When you happen to pause on a subject suggested by ‘Explore by Category,’ a definition of that term might appear. This provides you additional data to help you in deciding whether or not to click on that particular term and so save you some effort and time.