Google kills 200 ad-injecting Chrome extensions, says many are malware

Google is cracking down on ad-injecting extensions for its Chrome browser after finding that almost 200 of them exposed millions of users to deceptive practices or malicious software.

More than a third of Chrome extensions that inject ads were recently classified as malware in a study that Google researchers carried out with colleagues from the University of California at Berkeley. The Researchers uncovered 192 deceptive Chrome extensions that affected 14 million users. Google officials have since killed those extensions and incorporated new techniques to catch any new or updated extensions that carry out similar abuses.

The study also found widespread use of ad injectors for multiple browsers on both Windows and OS X computers. More than five percent of people visiting Google sites have at least one ad injector installed. Within that group, half have at least two injectors installed, and nearly one-third have at least four installed. Google officials don't bar such ad injectors outright, but they do place restrictions on them. Terms of service for Chrome extensions, for instance, require that the ad-injecting behavior be clearly disclosed. Customers of DoubleClick and other Google-operated ads services must also comply with policies barring unwanted software.

The crackdown comes less than two months after the discovery that Lenovo sold computers that came preinstalled with adware from a company called Superfish. Not only did the software inject ads into search results; it also hijacked encrypted Web sessions and made users vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks that could completely bypass HTTPS protections.

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What Is the Outernet and Is It the Future of the Internet?

For 60 percent of the world's population, regular internet access is about as common as flying cars. Nearly 5 billion people today lack basic internet access either because they live in remote, rural areas or due to restrictive censorship on the part of the local government.

But where the internet has failed, the Outernet hopes to succeed. It's working to get a new breed of satellite-based communication off the ground, promising to give even the most remote corners of the globe access to the whole of humanity's collective knowledge. 

The Outernet is the brainchild of the same-named New York-based tech company, a free content distribution system that would provide basic web access broadcast via a series ofgeostationary and LEO satellites, as well as cube sats using a combination of datacasting and User Datagram Protocols.

Datacasting is exactly what it sounds like: the wide area broadcast of data using radio waves rather than physical mediums (like cable, telephone, or powerlines). User Datagram Protocols, or UDP, is very similar to conventional over-the-air radio or television broadcasts in that it's uni-directional. The data is beamed from its source to any device within range and there's no guarantee that it will be received, just like radio stations broadcast their signals without regard to which or how many radios are currently in range to catch it.

UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is one of the most basic forms of Internet protocol. Invented back in 1980, it's a connectionless transmission model—in that it doesn't require someone to be on the other end of the line when the data is sent.

An ambitious project

Still, some internet is way better than no internet. And with estimates placing global internet reach on par with what Outernet can provide still 15 to 20 years away, the Outernet could provide a valuable stop-gap service until conventional 'net access becomes viable.

To that end, Outernet has partnered with the World Bank in South Sudan to perform a test run of the service next July. Should it prove successful, the company hopes to increase its coverage area and begin offering the self-contained receivers, called "lanterns," from its Indiegogo campaign around that time.

And even if the Outernet itself fails to take off, it is far from the only free access system currently in development. Two of the biggest names in tech have already thrown their weight behind similar strategies. Google's Project Loon would see fleets of high altitude balloons bouncing 3G signals from the straosphere back down to the Earth's most remote regions. Facebook'sInternet.org, on the other hand, envisions swarms of drones and LEO satellites performing the same function. Even SpaceX is rumored to be building a satellite fleet to bring internet to the far-flung corners of the globe.

So, regardless of who actually comes up with the winning design, the internet is bound to become a truly global phenomenon—including the third world.

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What is USB 3.1

USB 3.1 promises to speed up data transfer rates, and be more popular than Thunderbolt.

USB 3.0 is among the most widely used data transfer method among PCs, tablets, hybrids, and smartphones. USB 3.0‘s spec availability was first announced by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group in 2008, and the first big batch of USB 3.0-certified gear was first rolled out during CES 2010. To date, it has only one rival - Intel’s Thunderbolt technology, which is found primarily in Apple’s laptops and desktops.

So What is USB 3.1 anyway?

USB 3.1, according to usb.org, “…extends the existing SuperSpeed mechanical, electrical, protocol and hub definition while maintaining compatibility with existing USB 3.0 software stacks and device class protocols as well as with existing 5 Gbps hubs and devices and USB 2.0 products.”

In other words, USB 3.1 is faster and more powerful, while maintaining backwards compatibility with previous versions of USB, back to USB 2.0. Not only is this new standard twice as fast as version 3.0, but it also uses power more efficiently.

In addition, USB 3.1 introduces a new cable and connector—the Type-C 3.1, which is designed to replace both full-sized USB, as well as micro-USB cables, thereby standardizing the port and cable types across devices. USB Type-C cables will also be reversible, allowing you to plug them in without fail, regardless of how you’re holding and inserting the cable. Plus, based on the image here, they’ll be significantly slimmer, which may allow OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to manufacture smaller devices.

Regarding the size of current micro-USB connectors, the new USB cable is capable of scalable power charging, and, according to the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, the USB 3.1 connector and port are designed to accommodate future updates, making them future-proof.

Also, the Type-C cable provides power up to 100 watts. In other words, it charges your tablets, smartphones, and other devices faster.

When will it be here?

USB 3.1 has been under development for some time now, yet so far, we haven’t seen any devices equipped with the new port.

Industry speculation indicates that the new standard will start to appear later this year. In any case, transfer rates that are twice as fast is always good, and standardized, faster-charging ports should make all of our lives easier once the new ports start showing up before the year is out.

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What is ICT in Education

ICT stand for information and communication technology and is defined, for the purposes of this primer, as a “diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.” This technology includes computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony.

Internet

Broadcasting Technology

In recent years there has been a groundswell of interest in how computers and the Internet can best be harnessed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education at all levels and in both formal and non-formal settings. But ICT is more than just these technologies; older technologies such as the telephone, radio and television, although now given less attention, have a longer and richer history as instructional tools. For instance, radio and television have for over forty years been used for open and distance learning, although print remains the cheapest,most accessible and therefore most dominant delivery mechanism in both developed and developing countries. The use of computers and the Internet is still in its infancy in developing countries, if these are used at all, due to limited infrastructure and the attendant high costs of access.

Moreover, different technologies are typically used in combination rather than as the sole delivery mechanism. For instance, the Kothmale Community Radio Internet uses both radio broadcasts and computer and Internet technologies to facilitate the sharing of information and provide educational opportunities in a rural community in Sri Lanka.Similarly, the Indira Gandhi National Open University in India combines the use of print, recorded audio and video, broadcast radio and television, and audioconferencing technologies.

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About Me

Hey guys, I'm EACIS, a rookie from Sri Lanka. This is my first blog and it's all about Information and Communication Technology. I'm trying to make this blog possible and want your help to make this a better one. Thank you!

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