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| Twitter Debunks Reports of 55,000 Hacked Accounts | | Tuesday, May 08, 2012 9:57 PM | Sam Laird |
|  Hackers claiming to be affiliated with the hacktivist group Anonymous claimed this week to have accessed and published the details of about 55,000 Twitter accounts. But Twitter said Tuesday those claims are largely bogus, and that the group mostly posted duplicate information or username and password information for suspended spam accounts. An anonymous Pastebin user posted five extremely long pages of alleged Twitter usernames and passwords to the text storage site on Monday. (Here are pages one, two, three, four and five.) The hacking news aggregator Airdemon.net reported the supposed breach on Tuesday, beginning to fuel speculation around the web of a massive successful attack on Twitter's servers. Airdemon said celebrity accounts were among those compromised, and also claimed to have information from a "Twitter insider" confirming the attack. Responding to a Mashable comment request Tuesday afternoon, however, a Twitter representative debunked the notion of a hugely successful breach but said the company is still investigating the situation. The list of accounts posted to Pastebin contains more than 20,000 duplicates and information for many spam accounts that have already been suspended, a spokesperson told Mashable in an email. Furthermore, Twitter says, many of the usernames and passwords do not in fact appear to linked to one another, rendering them essentially useless. Twitter has sent out password resets to accounts that may have been affected and encourages other concerned users to visit the network's Help Center to change their passwords and review security settings. Do you believe Twitter that hackers' claims to have leaked credentials for 55,000 accounts are overblown, or do you worry your security was compromised? Let us know in the comments. Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, sodafish |
| Facebook: Social Reader Usage May Be Down, But Engagement Is Up | | Tuesday, May 08, 2012 9:10 PM | Lauren Indvik |
|  The media, forever a navel-gazing industry, worked itself into a fever earlier this week after evidence emerged that usage of Facebook's social reader apps is declining. In an article designed to further dramatize The Washington Post's recent tension between its editorial and financial divisions, Jeff Bercovici at Forbes pulled up a chart from AppData illustrating a falloff in the number of monthly average users of the Washington Post Social Reader app. John Hermann at Buzzfeed quickly pointed out that usage of social reader apps was down for many news publications, not just The Washington Post. Why the dropoff? Herrman blames the apps themselves, which he calls annoying. He writes: "Social Readers always seemed a little too share-y, even for Facebook; they felt more like the kind of cold, descriptive, invisible and yet mandatory services we're used to seeing from Google rather than genuinely new and useful tools for spreading information. And they feel, I don't know, kind of broken right now? My brain already associates those little blocks of auto-fed stories with second-class content. I mean, I know my friends didn't really mean to show to it to me. Why would I click? And god, why would I sign up for the thing that seems to have tricked its way into my timeline? It's an app that broadcasts Internet illiteracy for everyone to see." I see his point -- but Facebook doesn't. A spokesperson tells me that although the number of people using social reader apps has fallen at some publications, engagement levels are up as the company introduces new tools and adjusts its algorithms to display more relevant content to users. "We're trying to get the right content in front of people, to up the signal to noise ratio," the spokesperson explained. The Facebook representative added that although some apps have seen "short-term traffic swings," which is typical in the ongoing development of any online product, Facebook is committed to the long-term evolution of these apps "to create a good social news experience." User numbers are also up for The Huffington Post's, MTV's and ESPN's apps, the spokesperson noted. Social reader apps were first introduced in September. Through the apps, which are built on Facebook's Open Graph, publications like The Washington Post and The Guardian are able to serve users a mix of content based on the information they've shared with Facebook, including their interests, "likes" and stories that are trending among their friends. Those stories are displayed in the apps and make frequent appearances in the Newsfeed. The numbers may be up for debate, but there was some surprising consensus among media critics -- like Herrman, above -- about the poor user experience offered by social reader apps. We're curious: Do you use any of these apps? What do you like or dislike about them? Front page thumbnail courtesy of iStockphoto, -Oxford- |
| Twitter Stands Up to Court Order for Occupier's Data | | Tuesday, May 08, 2012 5:18 PM | Alex Fitzpatrick |
|  Twitter, which has a history of complying with court requests for users' data, appears to be drawing a line in the sand. The company filed a motion in a New York State court on Monday to quash a court order that would force it to hand over data pertaining to a user involved with the Occupy Wall Street movement, according to a blog post from the American Civil Liberties Union. Malcom Harris, the user in question, is being prosecuted by the District Attorney's office in Manhattan for disorderly conduct during the Occupy movement's march across the Brooklyn Bridge last year. The prosecution is asking Twitter for Harris's email address and all his tweets over a three-month period. Twitter, however, countered that the court would need a search warrant to get that information. It pointed to a recent Supreme Court decision which found that attaching a GPS device is considered a search under the Fourth Amendment, which prevents unreasonable searches and seizures. "If the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement applies merely to surveillance of one's location in public areas for 28 days, it also applies to the District Attorney's effort to force Twitter to produce over three months worth of a citizen's substantive communications, regardless of whether the government alleges those communications are public or private," wrote Twitter in its motion. Twitter also suggested that Harris owns his own tweets and could therefore file a motion to quash on his own, despite the prosecution's assertion of the opposite. The ACLU is calling Twitter's move a "big deal." "If Internet users cannot protect their own constitutional rights, the only hope is that Internet companies do so," wrote Aden Fine, senior staff attorney at the ACLU. "That is why it is so important to encourage those companies that we all increasingly rely on to do what they can to protect their customers' free speech and privacy rights." Harris, who tweets under the handle @BigMeanInternet, welcomed the news becoming public. Oh sweet, it's public. Twitter motioned to quash my subpoena all on their own, saying that I do retain rights to my content.— Malcolm Harris (@BigMeanInternet) May 8, 2012 He also expressed gratitude toward Twitter for defending his personal information. @AlexJamesFitz You'd have to ask @Safety, I'm not gonna speculate on their motives. Though I'm grateful no matter why.— Malcolm Harris (@BigMeanInternet) May 8, 2012 "Twitter's Terms of Service make absolutely clear that its users own their content," a spokesperson from Twitter told Mashable. "Our filing with the court reaffirms our steadfast commitment to defending those rights for our users." SEE ALSO: Have You Occupied Wall Street? NYC Wants Your Twitter Data Earlier this year, Twitter gave the Boston Police Department one users' data. Another user subpoenaed by law enforcement, Jeff Rae, told Mashable that he would be filing his own motion last March. Rae called Twitter's recent decision "excellent." "I think that this goes to show that Twitter realizes what allowing the state to subpoena accounts can do to their credibility to social and political movements," Rae told Mashable via email. "Twitter has one of the better user policies out there (they actually notify their users of subpoenas), and to see them standing up to fight subpoenas like this is promising." Do you think Twitter should stand up to court orders such as these? Sound off in the comments below. Twitter's Motion to Quash Image courtesy of iStockphoto, SimmiSimons |
| Watch What Happens Live: Behind the Scenes of Bravo's Most Social Show | | Tuesday, May 08, 2012 4:53 PM | Samantha Murphy |
|  Bravo's Watch What Happens Live studio is not your typical live studio audience setup. Visitors walk through an open floor plan office, where staffers are hard at work, to arrive at the pint-sized studio. There is enough room for about three chairs on its living room-styled stage. There's a bar too, where a bartender not only mixes drinks for host Andy Cohen, Bravo's executive VP of talent and development, and his celebrity guests, but also for the 15-plus audience members snuggled into the tiny space. In essence, Watch What Happens Live wants viewers to feel like as if they are a part of the show itself. It's this mantra that runs through every aspect of the show's operations, from sending in questions via Twitter in real time to encouraging home viewers to play drinking games along with the guests. Every night is a party and you're invited. That said, it's no surprise that Watch What Happens Live is the most socially interactive show on the most socially engaged network on TV. "Bravo's audience is the most engaged group on cable right now," Cohen told Mashable. "They don't just watch TV on the couch -- they use their iPads and mobile devices to participate in real time. In a way, it's like the audience is playing along." To bring the show to life, a team of two to three staffers scour Watch What Happens Live's Facebook and Twitter pages for engaging comments and questions. They keep track of the most interesting conversations in a basic Google Doc. The staffers are research producers by day, social media managers by night. During each commercial break, the team prints out two sets of questions -- one for each guest -- and attaches them to cards, which Cohen holds in his hands for the remainder of the show. Before the show goes back on the air, he reads each suggestion and circles the questions he wants to ask. A team member also mans the phone lines and connects callers to Cohen. Although people can also text in their questions and comments, Twitter is by far the most popular way to interact with the host and guests. This adds a personal touch to the show, and often creates for the most dynamic and memorable moments. @China_Chow China, that was my Mom's dress that she wore to my Mitzvah circa 1991- I sold it to NY Vintage two years ago-— rbr (@rbr37) November 15, 2011 For example, Twitter user @RBR37 once sent a tweet to the show to inform Cohen that his guest, actress and model China Chow, was wearing what appeared to be RBR37's mother's old dress from 1991. Cohen asked Chow if she had bought it at a specific vintage store in New York City, and the actress confirmed she was indeed wearing the same dress. After the show, @RBR37 sent a picture of her mother wearing it at her Bat Mitzvah more than 20 years ago. Check out the video below for the full scene. "I love stories like this," said Cohen. "The home audience brings such a different spin to the show, and takes it to another level. It's always unpredictable, and people can interact with the guests in unprecedented ways." Taking questions in real time from Twitter also requires guests to respond on their feet. For example, actress Kathleen Turner was on the show recently, where she was asked about being compared to legend Elizabeth Taylor. She responded with a monologue about why she was the stronger actress. SEE ALSO: How Oprah is Revolutionizing Social TV in Real-Time "Live TV is pure entertainment, and it's questions like that which come from home viewers that make the show even better," said Cohen. "Not only do I have to stand guard, but so do the guests." Bravo is also experimenting with adding social additions to its other shows, including The Housewives series, which features a pop-up video-inspired concept with home viewer tweets. "We just want to continue to make the network and our shows as fun as possible, and there's no better way to do so than getting our fans and viewers as involved as possible," said Cohen. What do you think of Watch What Happens Live's use of social media to interact with its home audience in real time? Let us know in the comments below. Image courtesy of BravoTV.com |
| MySpace Faces 20 Years of Gov't Scrutiny for Privacy Violations | | Tuesday, May 08, 2012 4:42 PM | Alex Fitzpatrick |
|  Should MySpace last the next 20 years, it'll have at least one close observer: the federal government. MySpace's privacy practices will be kept under close watch by a third-party observer for two decades as part of a settlement related to an investigation of the company's advertising sales strategy, the FTC announced Tuesday. The agreement also prevents MySpace from making "future privacy misrepresentations" and requires it to make significant changes to its privacy policy. MySpace will also have to turn over internal documents and other information about its privacy practices for the next five years. The FTC first targeted MySpace on the belief that the company was selling information about its users to advertising clients, which violates the website's terms of use. MySpace, which had 30 million users in December of last year, issues each user a unique "Friend ID" after asking for personal information including age, gender, full name and other information that's included in a user profile. The website's privacy policy said that it wouldn't share users' information, or, if it did share information, it would first seek the approval of the user in question. According to the FTC's charge, MySpace violated those terms by providing advertisers with the Friend ID number of users looking at certain pages on the site. That, says the FTC, could give advertisers access to users' personal information and the ability to link each user to Internet activity happening off of MySpace. On that basis, the FTC charged MySpace with violating U.S. federal privacy law. The FTC also alleged that MySpace ran afoul of a U.S.-European Union treaty that allows companies to legally transmit data between the two international bodies. MySpace is a nine-year-old company which began running in 2003. It was purchased by News Corp. for $580 million in July of 2005, then sold to Specific Media and actor/musician Justin Timberlake in 2011 for approximately $35 million. Read the full settlement below: MySpace FTC Settlement |
| Pair, the Social Network for Two, Launches an Android App | | Tuesday, May 08, 2012 4:26 PM | Sarah Kessler |
|  Pair, an app that helps couples stay in touch, no longer discriminates against cross-platform romance. The startup launched its first Android app on Tuesday. Like its iOS counterpart, the new app creates a private shared timeline for couples that allows them to easily swap SMS messages, photos, videos and locations. The app takes the concept behind Path a step further. Instead of sharing personal updates within a small network, it's a way to stay constantly connected with the smallest of networks - one other person. Since launching in March, Pair has picked up about 220,000 users, $4.2 million in funding and a lawsuit over its name. Until now, however, only couples who both had iPhones could use the social network for two. Those with Android-toting significant others couldn't participate, even if they had an iPhone themselves. Pair's iPhone and Android apps are identical, down to a feature called "thumb kiss" that vibrates when both parties touch the same spot on the screen. Couples can also co-create drawings, maintain a joint to-do list and send a "thinking of you" message that works like a more thoughtful Facebook poke. Though some have dubbed Pair "the perfect sexting app," co-founder Oleg Kostour says the most-common activity on the app is actually doodling. |
| Zynga Launches Its First Arcade Game: Bubble Safari | | Tuesday, May 08, 2012 4:04 PM | Kate Freeman |
|  Zynga will launch its first game in the arcade genre on Wednesday, the social game company announced. Bubble Safari starts with a story of an adorable monkey named Bubbles (a drop-out from the space program) who is living the good life in the jungle when his lady love and monkey friends gets captured by poachers. Bubbles sets off on a journey to find the poachers. The player's job is to pop the right bubbles to supply Bubbles the monkey with fruit for his journey. There are many fun ways to get points -- catch "on fire" to blast away bubbles or get help from hummingbird friends. Each level-up takes Bubbles one step closer to finding the poachers. Levels get increasingly challenging, with obstacles like swarms of bees and bubble spawners. A large team led by arcade game-designing legend Mark Turmell, senior creative director at Zynga San Diego, created Bubble Safari. Turmell has 20 years in arcade game designing (his resume includes being responsible for NBA Jam and NFL Blitz). He began designing games for tangible machines in arcades, then worked on developing games for consoles and finally online arcade games. He said arcade games are perfect for the casual and social gaming space. "It's easy to pick-up and easy to play," he said. Bubble Safari is similar to a console game, he said, in that if you win a level, you can keep playing. Otherwise, players tap into their social network to ask friends for extra plays. Friends who give you extra bubbles to keep playing also get a boost themselves, making the shared bubble more powerful. There are 65 levels in the game right now and new levels will be added on a weekly, Turmell said. "We probably have two years of ideas to keep this game going," he said. What do you think about Bubble Safari? Will you play this game? Tell us in the comments. |
| Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker Put a Pin on Airtime's Launch Date | | Tuesday, May 08, 2012 3:21 PM | Lance Ulanoff |
|  We've got two famous Seans (with two different spellings) but not a whole lot else to go on when it comes to the new social video chat platform, Airtime, Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning are launching together. Now, however, we have a date. Airtime launches June 5 at a somewhat exclusive New York City event. If you don't know anything about Airtime, stop beating yourself up. No one knows anything, except for who is launching it. They're the industry's blue-chip product creators and investors. Sean Parker is Facebook's former president and a current Spotify investor. Shawn Fanning famously launched the world's most popular peer-to-peer song sharing service Napster (no, not Napster's recent, though deceased, upstanding incarnation. Ask your parents or older siblings about the history of Napster, they'll know). Parker also claims to be a co-founder of Napster. Little is known about Airtime. There is a website, complete with a countdown clock -- which we now know means "Countdown to Launch." Parker verified last year that he was working on Airtime, but offered no details. Speculation says the service will offer real-time video chat, but in a social atmosphere. Airtime's site says the company is located in San Francisco, and continues, "Our small team shares a passion for using the latest video technology to bring people together. Our investors include Founders Fund, Accel Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Google Ventures, SV Angel, Yuri Milner, Ashton Kutcher, will.i.am, Scott Braun, and Michael Arrington." It's an impressive list, which means we'll be watching the launch closely. We'll be there at Milk Studios to report on the June 5 event in person. What do you think: Can Parker strike social media gold again? Let us know in the comments. |
| Is Social Media Playing a Role in a Global Power Revolution? | | Tuesday, May 08, 2012 11:08 AM | Alex Fitzpatrick |
|  Social media and technology are mere catalysts in a global revolution that's altering the very nature of power in our civilization. This movement is mixing the top-down "old power" with a sideways-flowing "new power," according to the 92Y's deputy executive director, Henry Timms. Timms believes social media is accelerating a people-driven revolution that's transforming everything from political arrangements to business models, organizations to philosophies. "Old power is download power that served the few," said Timms to the Mashable Connect audience in Orlando, Fla. It's a theory in "beta version," he said. "It flows vertically, it is coveted and it sees power as a currency." However, social media represents the rise of the "new power," a more egalitarian and communal approach to power. In the new power structure, it's uploaders and content creators that hold all the cards. A key difference between the two power structures, however, is that there are more cards held by more players. "'New power' is upload power," said Timms. "It serves the many, it flows sideways, it shares and it sees the power as a current." Timms believes that "new power" won't ultimately replace "old power," but the two will coalesce into a new power structure altogether -- the exact likes of which are still unknown. The "new power," Timms said, lies in the hands of those who embrace the sharing-friendly rise of social media and the changes it's bringing. On the contrary, those politicians and corporations that use social media as little more than a medium to express the same top-down power as in years past will find control slips through their grasp as the power structure rapidly changes. "Think about the organizations and people you see as making the most progress," he added. "I would bet you will see new power thinking and new power thinkers at work. Now think about those that are most stalled. I would bet that it is old power thinking holding them up." SEE ALSO: What's America's Most Engaging Social Network? You'll Be Surprised However, Timms believes that already powerful entities can stay that way -- if they adapt. The key to becoming successful in the "new power" structure, he said, is a commitment to the lessons of the past and a realization of the potential of new power, a move which requires listening to the global conversation and letting go of the reins a bit. "The future will belong to the bilingual -- those who are comfortable with the past and can master the future," said Timms. Timms also took issue with others who are thinking and writing about social media, the changing power dynamic and the future of civilization. Too many commentators, he believes, see the future as a mere "upgrade of the past" -- the same routine with new technology. It's a notion that's becoming increasing common as the power-holders of yesterday, such as politicians and corporations, increasingly turn to social media as a means to stay relevant. "We watch entire fields and sectors turning on their heads, altering essentially from what they had been," said Timms. And how do we talk about this? We simply tack on the suffix "2.0:" Journalism 2.0, Government 2.0, Philanthropy 2.0. We describe the future as no more than a simple upgrade of the past." Timms rejects that notion, instead believing that the the rise of social media and "new power" represents a drastic change in the very fabric of our society. Technology didn't bring about these movements, Timms believes, it merely helped like-minded people find one another and take action. As an example, Timms pointed to movements such as the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street, which he believes were "not so much a 'Twitter revolution' or a 'Facebook revolution' as a 'new power' revolution." While they used technology to organize, they were in actuality reflecting people's desire for fairness and a change in the power distribution. "This was a change in mindsets more than handsets," added Timms. "Catalyzed by new media but driven by new expectations about power." What role, if any, do you think social media is playing in a revolution in the global power structure? Tell us in the comments below. Mashable Connect Sponsors
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| How to Avoid Pinterest Wedding Angst | | Tuesday, May 08, 2012 8:56 AM | Alex Hazlett |
|  So, the initial glow of engagement has worn off. Maybe that's because you started discussing wedding budgets, guest lists and catering options. To make matters worse, you're starting to view Pinterest not as a frilly paradise of inspiration, but as a barrage of nuptial media. Step back from the edge, my friend, and consider our suggestions below. They'll help put a little fun back in the process, and maybe even save your sanity. If you've been holding back from Pinterest, fear not. It's a great place to share ideas with your family and friends, and our tips can help you avoid pantone-color-swatch-tulle-induced madness. SEE ALSO: 10 of the Weirdest Pins on Pinterest And remember, social media should improve your life, not give you one more thing to obsess over. Committing the rest of your life to someone is stressful enough. 1. Cull Your Following List No, you do not need to follow every old high school Facebook acquaintance who repinned your bouquet idea. If you do, you'll end up with 50 of the same repins in your feed, or a million pins from boards you have absolutely no interest in. If you're still in the general idea phase, stick with people or brands that post a variety of content, and that are reliable. Or subscribe to individual boards -- if all you need are table settings, you can skip the wedding dresses board altogether. The goal here is to tame the flood of information so you're inspired, not overwhelmed. 2. Go Beyond Pinterest Pinterest is arguably more useful as a place to store your ideas, rather than a place to generate them. With the "Pin It" browser extension, you can go directly to a site you know you're interested in, bypassing Pinterest's clumsy search function. After you've visited a site, check whether your favorite blogger or brand is on Pinterest and add them to your selective follow list. 3. Split Up Your Boards If you're using Pinterest as a way to store images and ideas for future reference, you're going to want to be able to find them again later. Splitting up your boards is a great way to help with this. Instead of a general "wedding" board, trying having separate ones for different facets: table decorations, dresses, cake, invitations, flowers, etc. This will also come in handy when you want to share your bouquet ideas with a florist (or your grandma), your hairstyle options with your mom, or bridesmaid dresses with your sister. 4. Keep It in Context Like any tool, the goal of Pinterest is to help you out, not make you crazy. Step away from the pinboards, if that's what you need. Or quit following a user who only pins options outside your budget or taste. Remember, creativity comes from constraints -- no need to torture yourself with budget-busting chair covers. Take a moment to define your purpose in using Pinterest for wedding planning, and if you start veering from that, reel yourself back in. The real goal of wedding planning is to get married, however you choose to accomplish that. Pinboards are optional. Got more tips for wedding planning sanity, Pinterest-related or otherwise? Share 'em in the comments. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Brasil2 |
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