Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Facebook changes privacy options

Facebook has announced a major revamp of how users control their privacy on the site.

Among the changes, items posted online will each have their own sharing settings determining who can see them.

It is the latest in a long line of attempts by Facebook to streamline how members manage their personal information.

In the past, the social network has been criticised for seeming to bury privacy settings in obscure menus.

Now when users are tagged in a posting - such as a photograph or video - they will have the option to confirm or remove their identity before it appears on their profile.

It is hoped the safeguard will eliminate the problem of malicious tagging, which is often used by cyberbullies who add other people's names to unpleasant images.

Other changes include:

  • In line controls - each item on a user's wall has individual privacy options, such as public, friends and custom
  • Tag takedown - the ability to remove tags of self, ask the person who tagged you to remove it, or block the tagger
  • Universal tagging - users can tag anyone, not just Facebook friends. Other person can choose not to accept the tagged post on their profile
  • Location tagging - geographic locations can be added in all versions of Facebook, not just mobile app
  • Profile view - the option to see how others view your profile is added above the news feed

Facebook's vice president of product, Chris Cox said that the arrival of another privacy refresh didn't necessarily mean the old system was confusing.

"I don't think the old controls were bad. I just think the new ones are much better," he told BBC News.

"The goal is just to make [the settings] more inline and more immediate, just right there in the profile."

Mr Cox also played down suggestions that Facebook might be improving its privacy controls as it prepares to extend access to children under 13 - something its founder Mark Zuckerberg has said he would like to see.

"This change is really just about the people that are on Facebook today and the new users who just joined today and making it easier for them.

"This really is not in any way about the under-13 experience," said Mr Cox.

He promised there would not be any unexpected changes to users' privacy settings during the changeover process.

Existing users will retain their current default sharing settings.

The first time new Facebook members share a piece of content, their default suggestion will be public - which replaces the "everyone" setting. If users select another option, that will become their default in future.

The new privacy options will begin to be rolled out across the site from Thursday 25 August.



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'Smart' CCTV could track rioters

CCTV that can automatically monitor criminal behaviour and track suspects is being developed by UK scientists.

Researchers at Kingston University have created a system that uses artificial intelligence to recognise specific types of behaviour, such as someone holding a gun.

The technology is capable of following a person across multiple cameras.

Privacy campaigners warned that it might be used to target groups such as political protesters.

However, the developers insisted that their invention would allow police to focus on law breakers and erase images of innocent civilians.

The technology works by teaching a computer to recognise specific types of public behaviour, known as "trigger events".

"In riot situations, it could be people running - a crowd might converge in a certain place," said Dr James Orwell of Kingston University

"If somebody pulls out a gun, people tend to run in all sorts of directions. These movements can be detected."

When an event is triggered, the software collates video footage from before and after the incident to record a full history of the suspect's movements.

"If a window was smashed and shop looted in a town centre street, the technology would trace back to see who smashed the window and then retrace his steps to see when and where he entered the town centre.

"The technology would also trace where the man had gone after leaving the scene," said Dr Orwell.

The study is part of the ADDPRIV project - a European collaboration to build a surveillance solution that acknowledges wider privacy concerns.

A key element of the system is the automatic deletion of surplus video data.

"There is a mainland European resistance to CCTV - tight controls on how long you can keep data," explained Dr Orwell.

"This project addresses it by saying 'This is the event - let's wrap up everything that's relevant, then delete everything else.'

"We're seeking to use surveillance to help control society, while avoiding the Big Brother nightmare of everybody being seen all the time," he added.

Charles Farrier from anti-surveillance campaign group No CCTV believes that excessive security powers would leave the system open to abuse.

"Merely saying 'We promise we won't track innocent people' isn't good enough," said Mr Farrier.

"If you've got a state-run camera system and the state wants it triggered on, say, peace activists, then they won't be bound by the same rules as everyone else."



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Antenna clothes help phone signal

Radio antennas that can be sewn directly onto clothes have been developed by US researchers.

The team from Ohio State University created a prototype using plastic film and metallic thread.

The scientists reported in an IEEE journal that the system's range is four times greater than that of a conventional antenna worn on the body.

The technology could potentially be applied in a number of fields, but is primarily designed for military use.

"Our primary goal is to improve communications reliability and the mobility of the soldiers," said Chi-Chih Chen, one of the researchers.

"But the same technology could work for police officers, firefighters, astronauts - anybody who needs to keep their hands free for important work."

Multidirectional

The idea of hiding antennas is not new. The mobile phone industry moved away from external aerials in favour of those concealed inside handsets.

But while most manufacturers have managed to incorporate the antennas without much trouble, Apple ran into problems.

When the iPhone 4 was released last summer, some owners reported reception issues.

The phone's casing, which is made of stainless steel, also serves as its antenna.

Users discovered that - by gripping the handset - their skin short-circuited a gap in the aerial, causing signal strength to drop.

This has not been a problem for the Ohio State University team, as the prototype antenna is first embedded into plastic film, which is then sewn onto fabric - using an ordinary sewing machine.

To make sure the signal is strong and the antenna is multidirectional, the scientists place several antennas onto a piece of clothing - at the front, back and on both shoulders.

These work together, along with an integrated computer control device, to sense body movement and switch to the optimal antenna.

Currently, the technology would cost about $200 (�120) per person to implement, according to the developers. Once it is in mass production, the price is expected to come down.



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