Social Items

Social networking has greatly influenced online conversation, the line between strangers keep getting blurrier, while privacy have been utterly relegated to the background. Privacy as regards users personal information will continue to draw attention in lieu of targeting advertisements, and for those users who do not wish to be tracked, there is finally a solution.

BlockPRISM is nonprofit project undertaken by a group of computer science students at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam and a mechanical engineering student at Stanford University in Palo Alto, with the aim of allowing users encrypt their private messages on social networking platforms.

The goal of BlockPRISM is to enhance secure communication on the internet by creating programming tools that allow seamless integration across social media, without the user having to go through any trouble to encrypt his or her messages.

While the cryptographic technology to make this possible has existed for some time, encryption has not been widely adopted because it can be too complicated. And as a first prototype, the team have programmed a Chrome browser plugin to serve as a proof of concept.

Also, in order to complete the development cycle and to make it available on mobile devices (iOS and Android), they have equally launched what they called the indiegogo campaign.

The team is hoping to reach the widest possible audience with their campaign to meet the goal of encrypting every personal information across the social networking platforms and thus create a secure communication on the internet.

BlockPRISM: Encrypt Messages in Social Networking Platforms

Online privacy has indeed taken a center stage in modern internet usage, given the proliferation of tracking technologies aimed to bolster advertising efforts, even at the expense of users personal information. Internet users, on the other hand have always clamored for more control over their data, and had reacted with outrage whenever such rights have been abused.

AdChoice, is a familiar web icon for those who are used to surfing the internet. It's an initiative of Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), which serve to educate users on personal data collected by targeted ads, availing them the option to opt-out of such tracking.

Now, the coalition have devised plans of bringing same user control to mobile browsers, with a disclosure icon that will give users option to Do Not Track command on their mobile devices.

The overriding idea, however, is for internet users to have control over who or what gains access to their personal data, and preventing unwanted intrusion to users privacy.

And the timing is perhaps, even more accurate given the dominance of smart mobile devices in modern internet usage, which has correspondingly driven advertising thereto. The project is still in early developmental stage and according to DAA will be coming on board by next year.

Privacy: "Do Not Track" Icon for Mobile browsers?

Google on Wednesday announced the upgrade of Chrome 28 to the stable channel, with Chrome 28 for Android sporting new features of data compression, translation and fullscreen support which hitherto had been available only on the web version.

Data Compression had been a highly sought after feature for mobile browsers owing to the high consumption of data especially on Android devices. Chrome support for data compression utilizes Google's SPDY network technology to optimize web pages for mobile devices.

Google Translate for Chrome, on the other hand, means automatic translation of web pages right from within the browser, making it easy for users to access information presented in foreign languages. While fullscreen support allows users to display web contents in full-screen mode.

However, the downside of Chrome's data compression is that encrypted websites are not supported, unlike what is obtainable with Opera Mini.

Google's push on Chrome to take a center stage on the web is very much evidence in the current slew of improvements coming to the browser. And also recently have gone ahead to switch to its own rendering engine, Blink

Chrome 28 for Android brings Data Compression

Opera Software has extended its transition to WebKit which started with Android to desktop running Windows and OS X in the launch of Opera 15. The revamped Opera browser for desktop also spot Opera signature feature like Speed Dial, also bringing new features that debuted on Android version like Off-Road Mode and Discovery Tool along.



Off-Road Mode employs Opera's proxy-browsing technology to speed up slow network connections. And the feature automatically turns off when internet connection becomes fast again. While Discovery Tool (Opera Discover) serve web pages based on a user's interests.

The company, however, hinted on their resolve to introducing all old Opera signature features along with the revamped Opera browser in subsequent versions.

Opera next releases will include themes to customize the browser's appearance and vsiual system for tab management according to Sebastian Baberowski, Product Management Director at Opera Software. Also, together with the new Opera is what the company terms release streams: Opera Stable, Next and Developer versions, mimicking Chrome's development cycle.

If a user installs Opera from any particular stream, the update will remain the same, meaning Opera Stable will be updated to Opera Stable, Opera Next to Opera Next and so on. The new Opera 15 for desktop is now available for download.

Opera 15 brings WebKit-based Experience to Desktop

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