In the news today: 1 Billion Smartphones to be shipped in 2013 | Facebook Scam targets FB page owners | Smartphone Security Guide | iphone user gets £19K Bill | Footballer “Hooked” on Social Media | Facebook to pay users for sharing content
The news that 1 Billion smartphones will be shipped in 2013 will bring the global total in circulation to over 2 Billion. With more than 50% of website views usually coming from phones and tablets, the way we acccess data online will continue to evolve further in 2013. Yet it is estimated that 1/5 of users never actually use their smartphones to go online due to confusion over tariffs and fear of high data charges. Stories like that of the iphone user facing a £19K bill due to a malfunctioning phone can’t help. The network actually tried to take money from the user’s account and are investigating with Apple to ensure that the charges have indeed been made due to a malfunction, leaving the user to a nervous wait.
Another scam on Facebook targets those operating their own pages. Users are set to receive a phising “security” message confirming that their page is in violation and requiring verification, i.e. for the user to enter personal data. Users should refrain from doing so, and note that the link that the message is supplied with begins “apps.facebook” – hence it is taking users to a third party app, not a official Facebook page.
The US Federal Government has provided a helpful guide to basic smartphone security measures – users can select their type of phone and see the initial steps they should take to guard their privacy and security online.
Meanwhile the Independent refers to a Bolton Wanderers footballer whose addiction to Social Media has led to the club trying to keep him away from his smartphone after he has engaged in exchanges with other users online that have harmed his reputation, that of the club and potentially the FA. All sports organisations should take note.
Mark Zuckerberg and many of his staff became Billionaries and Millionaires overnight in 2012 after Facebook’s IPO. Now, after a court settlement, many users stand to receive a nominal $10 due to the sharing that they carried out online which made Facebook so valuable in the first place.
New scam targets Facebook page owners
Lewd Facebook confessions ‘making students unemployable’
ICO committing to producing by May this year a Code of Practice on the processing of personal data by the press in response to Leveson
Make sure you know how to protect your new phone with the FFC Smartphone Security Checker
Facebook’s Sponsored Stories Settlement Means It’s Facebook’s Turn To Pay You
BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT
Think tank calls for ‘broadband for all’ across the UK
iPhone user hit with £19,000 Orange bill for ‘excessive internet usage’ after fault with mobile
Barclays’ own cloud technology ‘will slash 90 per cent of IT costs’
Apple App Store tops 40 billion downloads
Tablet enthralls CES 2013 by treading thin line between computers and paper
Smartphone shipments ‘to reach 1bn in 2013′
Bolton Footballer Marvin Sordell ‘hooked on Facebook’, Club trying to limit player’s Social Media activity
Facebook’s questionable policy on violent content toward women
Please let me know in the comments below if you see any other Digital Law related news elsewhere online today
