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December 22, 2016

Quitting Facebook Makes People Happier, Study Finds

A study called, the “Facebook Experiment” published in the journal of “Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking” found that people ended up feeling happier after they quit using Facebook.

Tromholt Morten, the lead researcher in the study, found that taking a break from Facebook made people happier. In fact, the study found life satisfaction increased and subject’s emotions became more positive. In addition, the study found that these effects increased for Facebook users who frequently visit the website or tend to envy others on the social network.

The experiment analyzed 1,095 people in Denmark and studied the subjects over the course of a week. Consisting of mostly of women (86%), the average Facebook user in the study had about 350 Facebook friends. Furthermore, each Facebook user in the study spent over an hour on per day on the social networking site.

First, researchers separated the subjects into two different groups. The treatment group, users who will not use Facebook over the course of the week, and the control group, users who will keep using Facebook as usual.

Then, subjects completed a 15-minute online questionnaire on the last day of the study. The results of the study found there was a causal relationship between emotional well-being and Facebook use. However, the amount of reported gain of well-being varied in relation to how people use Facebook.

Overall, the study showed that people who spend a lot of time on Facebook, users who lurk on the social network and users who tend to get jealous others on Mark Zuckerberg’s company reported the highest gain in well being.

Ultimately, Morten explains that if someone cannot change the way they use Facebook, then they should “consider quitting Facebook for good.”

Researchers plan to explore the effects of quitting Facebook for longer periods of time in order to see how it impacts human psychology and behavior.

Facebook: Emotional Contagion experiment

Facebook news feed — Stock Photo: MONTREAL, CANADA – MARCH 25, 2016 – Facebook page under magnifying glass. Facebook is a corporation and online social networking service. (dennizn / Shutterstock.com)

This is not the first time scientists studied the impact Facebook has on their billion users. However, one of the most telling studies came from Cornell University. In 2014, Cornell revealed that the University and Facebook engaged in an experiment that altered the news feeds of 689,003 random Facebook users.

The goal of the study was to change the number of negative and positive stories they saw on their news feed. Ultimately, scientists discovered it resulted in a psychological phenomenon called “emotional contagion”. Emotional contagion essentially means the emotions and feelings of someone else rub off on others. “When positive expressions were reduced, people produced fewer positive posts and more negative posts; when negative expressions were reduced, the opposite pattern occurred,” Cornell researchers explained.

Ultimately, researchers argue that in-person communication and nonverbal cues are not necessary for a emotional contagion to take place.

US Government Claims Edward Snowden is a ‘Serial Exaggerator’

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 22, 2016

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US Government Claims Edward Snowden is a ‘Serial Exaggerator’

Three years ago, Edward Snowden started the largest and most damning public release of classified information in the history of US intelligence. A year after the massive leak of classified information perpetrated by Snowden, the US government launched a comprehensive review of the disclosures. Now, a few days before Christmas, the US House Intelligence Committee released declassified documents going into detail into the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden.

In the now declassified documents, the US House of Representatives released a review of Edward Snowden. The House Intelligence committee documents goes into detail surrounding the former NSA contractor. The House Intelligence Committee reveals that Snowden was able to retrieve more than 1.5 million classified documents from the NSA networks. In addition, the government report asserts Snowden’s release of classified information benefited America’s adversaries. In fact, according to the US government report, last June 2016 the deputy chairman of the Russian parliament’s defense and security committee revealed that “Snowden did share intelligence” with Russia.

National Security Agency — Stock Photo: JANUARY 27, 2014: Photo of the NSA/CSS homepage on a monitor screen through a magnifying glass. (Gil C / Shutterstock.com)

Edward Snowden argued that his objective was to inform people. But, the 33 page document argues that the information he released became available to foreign government intelligence agencies. In addition to any terrorist “with Internet access”.

The declassified documents makes it clear that the government does not see Snowden as a whistleblower. The committee argues that public release of classified information does not make someone a whistleblower. Instead, a whistleblower releases classified information that shows a government agency engaged in illegal activity to the appropriate oversight committee and not to the general public.

Edward Snowden NSA — Stock Photo: WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 26: Signs displayed during a rally against mass surveillance organized by the group Stop Watching Us in Washington, DC on October 26, 2013.

From a “fiery e-mail argument” with a supervisor about how computer updates should be handled. To failing basic annual training for NSA employees, where Snowden complained “the training was rigged to be overly difficult”. The review paints a picture of Edward Snowden’s history weeks before he started downloading classified documents.

The declassified review goes on to call Snowden a “serial exaggerator and fabricator”. The House Intelligence committee argues that Snowden has a pattern of “intentional lying”. For example, the newly declassified report points out that Snowden “doctored his performance evaluations and obtained new positions at NSA by exaggerating his resumé and stealing the answers to an employment test.”

NSA protest — Stock Photo:
BERLIN – SEPTEMBER 07: Under the motto “Freedom not Fear” several thousand people demonstrated for the protection of civil rights on the Internet (Sergey Kohl / Shutterstock.com)

This newly declassified documents comes a day after the release of Facebook’s Global Government Requests report. In Facebook’s press release, US law enforcement agencies accounted for the largest number of data requests. In addition, the total number of government data requests increased by nearly 30%.

Microsoft Inks $927 Million Contract with Pentagon

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 22, 2016

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Microsoft Inks $927 Million Contract with Pentagon

Christmas came a bit early in Redmond, Washington this year. The Department of Defense announced a massive $927 million software contract with Microsoft on Tuesday. Furthermore, the contract was awarded on a non-competitive basis. It will give the Pentagon and other related agencies access to the source code on all of Microsoft’s software packages.

Stock Photo: USA. WASHINGTON, DC NOVEMBER – 24, 2016: The Pentagon building, headquarters for the United States Department of Defense. (Miami2you / Shutterstock.com)

According to a press release by the Defense Information Systems Agency, a portion of the contract includes the issuance of a ‘Blue Badge Cardholder support’.

This is the highest level of after sales support offered by Microsoft and is utilized by only a few of the company’s portfolio of corporate and government accounts.

While it was highly unlikely that the Pentagon would ditch Microsoft for an open source solution, the fact that the Department of Defense has complete access to the company’s source code did raise some eyebrows.

Yet, industry experts noted that some sort of source code access is quite common when software companies are dealing with government agencies or large corporate buyers.

Doing so allows the customer’s IT department to more fully monitor all the software running on a network. It also allows the opportunities to customize the software based on operating requirements.

Even more, one area where this could come in handy is security. Recently, the computer networks of the Pentagon are constant targets for hackers. In fact, military planners have become increasingly concerned about the possibility that some sort of cyber-attack. A serious cyber attack could cause considerable harm to the nation’s defenses. In turn, possibly rendering communication and other systems inoperable.

The probability of a large-scale attack is unlikely. However, it is noteworthy that systems running Microsoft’s, programs are considered more likely to be vulnerable. In some ways, this is part and parcel with the company’s success as the dominant software company in the world. More importantly, Hackers prefer to write malicious code which can infect large number of computers such as those running Windows XP (which is remains widely in use) or Window 10.

Microsoft Hack — Stock Photo: New York City, U.S.A – February 3, 2014: The Blue Screen of Death is an error screen displayed after a fatal system error in the computer. (JaysonPhotography / Shutterstock.com)

To combat the risks of cyber attacks the company has spent close to $1 billion in security initiatives. These security initiatives include the opening of cyber security outposts. Not to mention, hiring a number of experts in the area including ‘white hat’ hackers. In comparison to ‘black hat’ hackers.

According to Bret Arsenault, Chief Information Security Officer at Microsoft, the company has used the investments to expand the capabilities. In addition, Microsoft is currently looking to explore ways to make its software more secure in an ever-changing world.

Similarly, In 2015 Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, outlined the company’s plans for building a security strategy. The mission is discover better ways to find and stop potential threats.

John Podesta hack — Stock Photo: LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 13: Democratic presidential debates, Clinton chairman John Podesta interviewed in the spin rooom after the presidential debate at the Wynn (Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com)

However, the investments are hamstrung by user carelessness. For example, the massive hack of John Podesta’s emails was linked to a phishing incident. A phishing hack occurs after a target clicks a link initiating a data breach.

Shares of Microsoft were up in early trading on Thursday morning.

Facebook Reveals Government Requests Are Up Nearly 30%

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 21, 2016

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Facebook Reveals Government Requests Are Up Nearly 30%

Facebook releases their Global Government Requests report showing user account requests are on the rise.

Two years ago, Facebook’s relationship with the US government came under fire after the release of confidential documents provided by former NSA contractor turned whistleblower, Edward Snowden, leaked to the press. Snowden explained in a 2014 New Yorker interview that if users want to keep their privacy, then they should avoid using Facebook.

Edward Snowden — Stock Photo: WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 26: Signs held by protesters during a rally against mass surveillance in Washington, DC on October 26, 2013. (Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com)

Fast forward two years later, reports suggested certain toys now have the ability to spy on children. Not to mention the rise of hackers targeting tech companies, in 2016 mass surveillance is still a hot topic issue.

Facebook Global Government Requests Report

Then on Wednesday, Facebook released their 2016 Global Government Requests report. The report illustrated a near 30% percent increase in the number of government user data requests from the social network. In addition, Facebook made sure to note the importance of user privacy data. Especially, the decision to not provide the government “back door” access to Facebook users’ information.

Overall, Facebook points out the number of government requests for account information increased by 27% compared to last years’ Global Government Requests report. In fact, Facebook reports the number of government requests increased from 46,710 in the first half of 2015 in comparison to 59,229 requests in the first of half of 2016.

Mark Zuckerberg Facebook — Stock Photo: Jelenia Gora, Poland – February 25, 2016: New Facebook like button 6 Empathetic Emoji. Facebook is a well-known social networking service. Mark Zuckerberg’s page account on FACEBOOK (Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com)

The US law enforcement accounted for largest number of requests for account information. As a matter of fact, 56% of those requests contained a non-disclosure order prohibiting Facebook from notifying the user. Furthermore, Facebook’s report shows in the United States 80.65% of government records requests were granted.

The total number of items restricted from the social network, due to violating local laws, decreased by 83%. However, Facebook explains that there was a large number of content restrictions last year because of a single image originating from the Paris attacks.

Paris Attacks Facebook — Stock Photo: PARIS, FRANCE – NOV 13, 2015: Francois Hollande at French Television address to the Nation on the Terrorist Attacks. At least 40 people were killed across Paris, with explosions outside the stadium (Hadrian / Shutterstock.com)

Facebook and User Privacy

Facebook wants to make it clear they are putting their users’ privacy first. Zuckerberg’s company explained that the social network does not provide “back doors” or the government access to people’ information.

Chris Sonderby, Deputy General Counsel for Facebook explained the importance of privacy. “We’ll also keep working with partners in industry and civil society to push governments around the world to reform surveillance in a way that protects their citizens’ safety and security while respecting their rights and freedoms,” Sonderby said.

Apple’s European Tax Woes Set to Worsen

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 21, 2016

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On Wednesday, the European Commission (EC) upped the ante in their battle to force companies to pay billions in taxes as a court in Spain backed the collection orders. It is expected that the decision will set the stage for the European Court of Justice to review the matter and deliver a final verdict on the unpaid tax bills of companies such as Apple, Facebook, and even Anheuser-Busch InBev SA.

The question is whether these companies can use their registration in low-tax countries such as Ireland and Luxembourg to skirt taxes in more expensive jurisdictions. While theses structures has been used by companies in Europe for years, they have come under scrutiny as governments seek new sources of tax revenue.

Apple European Union — Stock Photo:HAMBURG, GERMANY, DECEMBER 12 2016: Apple store in Hamburg, Germany, with people passing by in front of it. Apple Inc is an American technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California. (urbazon / Shutterstock.com)

According to Professor Raymond H.C. Luja, who specializes in comparative tax law, the decision ‘clarifies the rules of the game’ in Europe. As the court ruled that regulators were not targeting any one company rather they were seeking to clarify the understanding of rules which were being used to exploit existing tax laws in the common market.

Apple Europe Commission — Stock Photo: Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland – Aprl 27, 2016: Apple Store in Victoria Square Shopping Centre in Belfast City Centre. (James Kennedy NI / Shutterstock.com)

For Apple’s part, they have viewed attempts by the EC to force back tax claims as a sort of crusade against the company. There is some good reason for this claim, as successful enforcement of the claim would result in a $13 billion tax bill.

While yesterday’s ruling is a breakthrough, it is highly likely that the decision will be appealed to the European Court of Justice. As such, the final verdict on the matter could take six months or longer to decide. From there, companies would seek to negotiate settlements with the EC and there would also be calls to amend or enact new legislation by the European Parliament and the parliaments of the various member states.

European Union — Stock Photo: FRANKFURT, GERMANY – AUG 23: The Famous Big Euro Sign at the European Central Bank on August 23, 2012 in Frankfurt, Germany. The bank was established by the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1998. (Rob Wilson / Shutterstock.com)

This could ultimately lead to long-term tax breaks based on fines and concessions based on future sales. In addition, companies might be forced to break up the complicated structures they are currently using in the EU to offset tax liabilities. These include registering holding companies in low-tax countries and setting up online sales though these jurisdictions only.

However, there is a cost to managing the myriad of holding companies used by multinationals in Europe. As such, any move to clarify the tax codes would also make it easier for companies to set up structures which mitigate taxes while remaining within the law.

Shares of Apple were trading up by the lunch break on Wednesday at $117.08.

“Methbot” Hack Stole Millions Per Day from Video Advertisers

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 21, 2016

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“Methbot” Hack Stole Millions Per Day from Video Advertisers

A White Ops “Operation Methbot” report reveals hackers stole between $3 million by using bot farms.

Last week President Obama promised retaliation against reported Russian election hacks. President Obama asserted America needs and will take action against Russia for the hacks. But, it looks as though Russian cybercriminals are affecting more than just the election.

A White Ops research report released on Tuesday reveals that hackers from Russia were able to defraud U.S. online advertisers of more than $3 million a day.

White Ops, an advertising fraud detection firm, published a report called “The MethBot Operation”. In the White Ops report researchers revealed how Russian hackers were able to hack advertising companies out of millions of dollars. The report argues that the hack against U.S. advertisers is the biggest fraud operation against digital advertising in history.

The Operation was reportedly called “Methbot” after several references to “meth” were found in the code of the Russian hacking program.

According to White Ops, the operation produces large numbers of fake video advertising views by using botfarms and targeting premium advertisements.

White Ops explains that by using several automated web browsers from stolen IP addresses, the Methbot operation works by “watching” as many as 300 million video ads per day on fake websites designed to look like a premium websites.

In addition, more than 6,000 premium domains were targeted and later imitated in order to attract premium advertisers to spend money on their website.

The Methbot operation was able to earn between $3 to $5 million in revenue per day by using over 6,000 spoofed websites. However, White Ops continues on by saying that, the total economic impact may be far greater than the original estimates.

In order to avoid getting caught, the Methbot used faked clicks, fraudulent mouse movements and social network login information to create an illusion of engaged human consumers. Not to mention, hackers manipulated the geolocation information by commandeering IP addresses.

This news comes after several major advertising companies have been contacted by the US Department of Justice antitrust unit. WPP, Ominicon, Publicis and Intercom disclosed that their companies were contacted by government authorities for allegedly “bid rigging”. As the Federal Trade Commission explains, bid-rigging comes in several different shapes. But, it essentially works when competitors work together to share profits of the industry. For example, after working out a deal one company could agree to being a low bidder, to help out their competitor.

Hackers Take Over Netflix’s Twitter

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 21, 2016

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Hacking organization OurMine is making headlines again after hacking Netflix’s official Twitter account. OurMine has a long history of hacking influential social media accounts including Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai and Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

After getting hacked by the hacking group, Netflix’s social media account began tweeting messages out to Netflix’s 2.48M followers on Wednesday morning.

One of the tweets read: “World security is ****. We are here to prove this :)”

However, Netflix’s social media account team, were on the case and deleted majority if not all of the tweets in a matter of a few minutes.

Who is OurMine?

In 2016, OurMine has hacked the social media accounts and websites some of the biggest Silicon Valley movers and shakers in the tech industry. Some of the reported victims of OurMine hacks include the co-Founder of Wikipedia, the creator of Pokémon Go, the co-founder of Twitter, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, not to mention the website TechCrunch was also hacked.

According to a 2016 BuzzFeed report, OurMine is linked to a group of hackers led by a teen named Ahmad Makki on social media. However, the report was later denied by the hacking group. In retaliation for the report, OurMine hacked BuzzFeed’s website and changed several of the posts to say “Hacked By OurMine”.

Hacking is becoming more and more common in American businesses. Several weeks ago, adult website Adult Friend Friender announced that they were hacked. Then last week, Yahoo revealed that they suffered the worst hack in history with a billion accounts compromised in a 2014 hack.

What about Twitter?

Netflix’s social media account was not the only piece of bad news for Twitter. Two of Twitter’s top executives left social media company. Twitter’s Chief Technology Officer and VP of Product department both exited the company. Adam Messinger Twitter’s former CTO and Josh McFarland Twitter’s former VP of Product, announced they will be departing the company. McFarland revealed that he will be leaving Twitter to join the venture capital firm Greylock Partners as an investor.

Depression Linked to Using Multiple Social Media Platforms

Business

Brent Edward

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December 20, 2016

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Depression Linked to Using Multiple Social Media Platforms

Researchers have found a correlation between both anxiety and depression and the number of social networks a person has.

A 2016 UCLA study found that a teenager’s brain reward system becomes excited when teenagers see high numbers of “likes” on their photos. Now, researchers are suggesting that if a young adult is on several social media platforms, then they are more likely have symptoms of both depression and anxiety.

The study, published in the journal of “Computers in Human Behavior”, studied the use of several social networking platforms and symptoms associated with depression and anxiety.

Facebook - social media — Stock Photo: Man using Facebook application on his smartphone, background is a image from the projector – photography from social media meeting in city of Lodz, Poland 07.11. 2014 (Michal Ludwiczak / Shutterstock.com)

In a nationally representative sample of U.S. young adults, researchers found a positive correlation between the number of social media platforms used and depression.

Scientists also discovered a linear association between the number of platforms used and anxiety. In addition, regardless of how much time a person spends on a social network website, researchers said the associated symptoms of depression and anxiety continued to remain strong.

This study illustrates that U.S. young adults who use several social media platforms are more likely to become depressed or experience anxiety. In fact, subjects in the study who used 7 to 11 social media platforms were more likely to have increased levels of both depression and anxiety.

Lead researcher Brian A. Primack from the University of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh School of Medicine argued in his study that clinicians should ask individuals with depression and anxiety how many social media platforms they have.

So what social media platforms are young adults using? Studies report Snapchat is the most popular apps among teens, followed by Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and finally Tumblr.

Social media has become an integral part of life for many young adults. Studies have shown that teens are spending approximately six hours per day on their cell phone. Some reports suggest that millions of teens across America are spending every waking minute of their life in front of a screen.

Facebook Under Review for Its Acquisition of Whatsapp

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 20, 2016

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Facebook Under Review for Its Acquisition of Whatsapp

Talk about a delayed reaction. On Tuesday, the European Commission announced that it was investigating Facebook for providing ‘incorrect or misleading information’ to regulators during the social media company’s acquisition of the Whatsapp chat app in 2014. The announcement of the investigation came as something of a surprise to the company who was not available for comment.

At issue is a question regarding Facebook’s ability to match user accounts between the two platforms. In 2014, the company claimed it could not do this; however, investigators have reason to believe that Facebook had this ability as far back as 2012.

WhatsApp Facebook — Stock Photo:
MONTREAL, CANADA – FEBRUARY, 2016 – Whatsapp on the web under magnifying glass. Whatsapp is one of the most popular messengers. (dennizn / Shutterstock.com)

Part of the surprise is the fact that the European Commission (EC) originally approved the $22 billion Whatsapp acquisition without any conditions. While this did not raise any eyebrows at the time, many mergers and acquisitions go through without comment from regulators. The EC’s decision to review the transaction has raised the specter that the regulator may consider looking into other transactions as market conditions change.

Besides the potential omission of key information to regulators another issue which has popped up in Europe are changing privacy regulations and a recent European Court decision which voided safe harbor provisions – which govern data transfer between two parties.

A report in The Wall Street Journal pointed out that is it rare for a company to be ‘charged with making misleading statements during a merger-approval process in Europe.’ In fact, the EC has not charged a company with this offense since it changed the rules governing disclosure in 2004.

European Union (EU) — Stock Photo: FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY – AUGUST 7, 2015: Euro Sign. European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank for the euro and administers the monetary policy of the Eurozone. (Angelina Dimitrova / Shutterstock.com)

Sources with knowledge of the case speculated the applicable fine could be as high as 1% of Facebook’s global revenue for 2015. If this is the case, then the company would be facing a $179 million dollar fine – though that amount could go down as the Euro continues weaken against the dollar.

As the company currently has close to $6 billion dollars in Free Cash, the fine is not expected to be a massive financial setback for Facebook. Instead the importance of the proceeding is more about the precedent it sets for future, and in this case past, transactions which require regulatory approval.

This charge is not the end of Facebook’s legal issues in Europe. The company is currently being investigated by data regulators in several European countries for an announcement that it would begin to merge Facebook and WhatsApp user data. While this issues is separate from Tuesday’s news, the two could be tied together as proof of an attempt to circumvent various rules and regulations.

Despite the news, shares of Facebook were trading up 0.29% just before the lunch bell on Tuesday.

Scientists Reveal “Pregnancy Brain” May Actually Exist

Business

Brent Edward

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December 20, 2016

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Scientists Reveal “Pregnancy Brain” May Actually Exist

You may have heard of “Pregnancy Brain”, which some say cause pregnant women to have a heightened emotional response and abnormal food cravings.

While the details of “pregnancy brain” are still being studied, a new study published in “Nature” suggests that pregnancy has a long-term impact on the structure of the human brain.

Researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in Barcelona, Spain discovered that the volume of gray matter (GM) changes after a woman’s pregnancy. Scientists argued that the changes in GM consistently predicted the amount of postpartum maternal attachment.

Scientists suggest that these long term structural changes serves as a biological adaptation to transition a woman into motherhood.

What’s interesting to note is that the GM volume changes lasted for at least two years after pregnancy.

Pregnant Mother — Stock Photo: LEXINGTON, KY, U.S.A., OCTOBER 2016, Pregnant mother and toddler daughter and son, Caucasian, shopping at Meijer Grocery Store. OCTOBER 2016, in LEXINGTON, KY. (Susan M Hall / Shutterstock.com)

In this prospective cohort study, scientists analyzed the MRI results of first-time mothers before and after their pregnancy. The data was collected over the course of five years. Subjects recruited from a fertility center in the Barcelona, Spain.

The new study suggests the hormonal changes may affect the amount of GM in the brain. Studies have previously shown that reduction in GM volume results in synaptic pruning – the biological process that refines and improves the brain’s circuitry.

Synaptic Pruning consequently provides an environment in the brain that allows for healthy cognitive and social development, which changes behavior.

Synapses — The anatomy of the human synapse. (Tefi/Shutterstock.com)

Researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona found the volume GM reductions of the pregnant specifically impacted with the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is known to play a major part in human senses such as touch, taste, and smell.

Ultimately, researchers argue that pregnancy causes an increase in hormonal changes, similar to the hormonal changes found in adolescents. Scientists also assert that the changes in GM volume effects social cognition during pregnancy, which could explain why pregnant women experienced enhanced emotions and enhanced facial recognition.

Facebook: Emotional Contagion experiment

Facebook Global Government Requests Report

Facebook and User Privacy

Who is OurMine?

What about Twitter?

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