Wi-fi joins presidential campaign

26 October 2012 Last updated at 08:34 ET

A US start-up company has found a way to use free wi-fi to bolster the US presidential candidates' campaigns.

Hot Spot The Vote has written software that alters what people see when they browse the web via free wi-fi.

Instead of seeing adverts, browsers will see campaign messages from either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama.

This comes soon after a separate study which suggests many Americans are declaring their voting preference by the name of their home wi-fi network.

Hot Spot the Vote is offering its software free to any cafe or business that wants to use it. The software comes in two versions so firms can "Obamify" or Romnify" their wi-fi service depending on their political preference.

It changes some of the settings of a business's wireless router it uses to connect to the web. This makes changes to many of the adverts found on webpages a user visits. The ads will be swapped for campaign information or messages urging people to get out and vote on 6 November.

So far, the software will only swap out ads found on the web pages of Amazon, OkCupid and many other sites. Adverts seen on Facebook pages and lists of results returned after a Google search are not affected by changing the settings.

In May, the Open Signal Maps project published a study which showed how many people were changing the name of their home wi-fi network to reflect their political allegiances.

It said the data it gathered was "chaotic" but showed a very slight positive sentiment towards Barack Obama.

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UK store leaks Google Nexus phone

25 October 2012 Last updated at 11:17 ET

Carphone Warehouse has leaked the details of the next Google-branded smartphone days before it was supposed to have been announced.

The UK retailer posted pictures and full specifications of the Nexus 4 on its website.

A spokeswoman for LG - the device's South Korean manufacturer - was not aware of the issue when contacted by the BBC.

The pages were taken off the store's site shortly afterwards.

Carphone Warehouse later issued a statement saying: "Unfortunately a pre-order page for a new handset that we plan to range went live prematurely. We've now rectified this and apologise for any confusion caused."

The leak came ahead of a press event in New York on Monday which Google had said would be Android-themed.

Tech firms often use the element of surprise to build anticipation for their product launches.

Although unverified images of devices often appear on blogs in the run-up to such events, it is unusual for a large retailer to publish the full specifications of a product days in advance.

Neither Google nor LG were able to provide a comment.

Big screen

The deleted pages revealed that the Android-powered handset featured a 4.7in (10.2cm) display with a resolution of 320 pixels per inch.

That makes it roughly the same size as the best-selling Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X handsets, but with a slightly higher pixel density. That should, in theory, mean more detail when watching films or other high-resolution content.

It also includes an 8-megapixel camera on its rear, is powered by a powerful quad-core Snapdragon processor made by Qualcomm and boasts a feature that lets it take "360-degree panoramic photos".

Although the pages are now offline, they can still be viewed using Google's own webpage cache feature on its search tool.

More to come?

Google may still have a few surprises left. There is speculation that it will also unveil tablets by other manufacturers next week. It already sells a tablet made by Taiwanese firm Asus.

The strategy to outsource production of devices has attracted attention since its own Motorola hardware unit, which does not make Nexus products, posted a $527m (£327m) operating loss in its third-quarter results.

The Carphone Warehouse incident is Google's second premature release in a week.

On 18 October, its shares were suspended after its profit figures were accidentally released during the New York trading day.

Its shares dived as a result, wiping $19bn off its share price before action was taken.

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Use fake birthdate, official says

25 October 2012 Last updated at 12:59 ET By Brian Wheeler Political reporter, BBC News

A senior government official has sparked anger by advising internet users to give fake details to websites to protect their security.

Andy Smith, an internet security chief at the Cabinet Office, said people should only give accurate details to trusted sites such as government ones.

He said names and addresses posted on social networking sites "can be used against you" by criminals.

His advice was described by Labour MP Helen Goodman as "totally outrageous".

Ms Goodman, shadow culture minister, told BBC News: "This is the kind of behaviour that, in the end, promotes crime.

"It is exactly what we don't want. We want more security online. It's anonymity which facilitates cyber-bullying, the abuse of children.

"I was genuinely shocked that a public official could say such a thing."

'Sensible'

Mrs Goodman, MP for Bishop Auckland, in the North-East of England, said she had been contacted by constituents who have been the victims of cyber-bullying on major social networking sites by people hiding behind fake names.

Mr Smith, who is in charge of security for what he described as the "largest public services network in Europe", which will eventually be accessed by millions of people in the UK, said giving fake details to social networking sites was "a very sensible thing to do".

Continue reading the main story

Don't put all your information on websites you don't trust"

End Quote Andy Smith Cabinet Office

"When you put information on the internet do not use your real name, your real date of birth," he told a Parliament and the Internet Conference in Portcullis House, Westminster.

"When you are putting information on social networking sites don't put real combinations of information, because it can be used against you."

But he stressed that internet users should always give accurate information when they were filling in government forms on the internet, such as tax returns.

"When you are interacting with government, or professional organisations - people who you know are going to protect your information - then obviously you are going to use the right stuff.

But he said that fraudsters gather a lot of personal information "from Google, social networking sites, from email footers, all sorts of places".

He added that they were "bringing this information together and cross-correlating information and then they are using it against you".

'Be cautious'

Mr Smith's comments were backed by Lord Erroll, chairman of the Digital Policy Alliance, a not-for-profit policy studies group which claims to speak for industry and charities, who was chairing the panel. He said he had always given his date of birth as "1 April 1900".

The crossbench peer later told BBC Radio 4's PM programme Mr Smith had given people "a very good bit of advice" - particularly as banks used date of birth as a means of verifying identity.

He said cyber-bullying was "a different issue". There were "technological ways" of discovering the true identity of bullies and, he added, they could also "use your details to pretend to be you".

Asked by BBC News to clarify his remarks, Mr Smith, who is head of security at the Public Sector Technical Services Authority, said there was a "balancing act" to be struck between giving details to reputable sites and posting them on websites where the need to confirm identity was not so vital.

He said: "Don't put all your information on websites you don't trust.

"If it's somewhere you trust - and obviously with government you really do need to put accurate information. Large commercial sites you are going to put the right information.

"If you are not sure about something then just be very, very cautious of what you put up, what you expose if you really don't want to be used against you."

'Educating consumers'

Culture minister Ed Vaizey said he had not seen Mr Smith's remarks but told the BBC that he "wouldn't encourage people to put false identities on the internet".

"The way of viewing this issue is that we should work with Facebook to ensure people feel secure using those sites and that there is not a threat of identity theft," he said.

"It's also important for the government to work with consumers, to educate consumers about the threat of identity theft and what kind of details we should and shouldn't put online."

Citing an anecdote about novelist Salman Rushdie - who won a battle last year to use his commonly used middle name rather than his actual first name Ahmed on his profile page - he said: "Facebook doesn't allow you to put on false details and they will take you off if they discover you have."

Simon Milner, Facebook's head of policy in the UK and Ireland, who was at the conference, also took issue with Mr Smith's comment.

He told the audience of industry experts and MPs he had a "vigorous chat" with the Cabinet Office official afterwards to persuade him to revise his view.

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Unencrypted flight code warning

25 October 2012 Last updated at 14:23 ET

A vulnerability in US domestic airline boarding pass barcodes could allow travellers to bring unauthorised items on board, says a security expert.

The codes reveal what kind of airport checks a passenger will face and can be read by smartphones, he says.

It could undermine the US's PreCheck system which randomly decides which frequent fliers can skip part of the pre-boarding security process.

The barcodes could allow passengers to work out if they had been picked.

Selected travellers are able to avoid having to remove their shoes, jackets and belts. In addition they are allowed to leave their laptops and toiletries in their bags.

Unencrypted codes

The security information on the barcodes is only meant to be decoded by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, so it was not thought to be a problem that PreCheck selected which users would get a less rigorous safety check in advance.

The fact that passengers can use their handsets to find out if they have been picked poses a problem, says Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union.

"The disclosure of this information means that bad guys are not going to be kept on their toes anymore," he said.

The security issue was publicised by aviation blogger John Butler, but had been discussed in specialist online forums since last summer.

"The problem is, the passenger and flight information encoded in barcode is not encrypted in any way," wrote Mr Butler.

"Using a website I decoded my boarding pass for my upcoming trip.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The number means the number of beeps. 1 beep no Pre-Check, 3 beeps yes Pre-Check"

End Quote John Butler Aviation blogger

"It's all there PNR [passenger name record], seat assignment, flight number, name, etc. But what is interesting is the bolded three on the end. This is the TSA PreCheck information. The number means the number of beeps. 1 beep no PreCheck, 3 beeps yes PreCheck."

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) did not respond to a BBC request for a statement, but has previously said: "TSA does not comment on specifics of the screening process, which contain measures both seen and unseen. In addition, TSA incorporates random and unpredictable security measures throughout the travelling process."

Encryption issues

Mr Soghoian told the BBC that information about how to make sense of the boarding pass codes had been documented in the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) implementation guide.

"Thousands of people have reported being able to get the information using their phones," he added.

There are two ways to become eligible for the PreCheck system.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

No one should be able to tell in advance what level of security screening they will be receive before an air flight"

End Quote Graham Cluley Sophos

Passengers can pay $100 (£62) to the US customs agency which then performs a background check. If the passenger is approved it gives him or her the right to use all of the US airlines' PreCheck systems for five years.

Frequent fliers could also be invited by an airline to use the system for free.

"You have to be in the system first before they let you to potentially be eligible to skip the standard line," said Mr Soghoian.

"But if you scan the barcode, you can tell 24 hours before you get to the airport that you are not going to undergo a regular search.

"On some random occasion you'll be sent to the other line anyway - and it was meant to keep terrorists on their toes - but not anymore."

Security firm Sophos said the revelation was "very worrying".

"No one should be able to tell in advance what level of security screening they will be receive before an air flight," said the firm's senior technology consultant Graham Cluley.

"The risk is that potential attackers could determine in advance which of them is going to be given the weakest screening - and get them to attempt to carry unauthorised item onboard.

"Potential attackers should not be given advance warning of the security measures they will be facing."

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Microsoft to make more hardware

25 October 2012 Last updated at 14:38 ET

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Steve Ballmer: 'This is one of two or three big moments in Microsoft's history'

Microsoft's chief boss has confirmed he plans to release more devices.

Steve Ballmer told the BBC: "Is it fair to say we're going to do more hardware? Obviously we are... Where we see important opportunities to set a new standard, yeah we'll dive in."

The chief executive's comments came ahead of a Windows 8 launch event in New York, following which Microsoft's Surface tablet will go on sale.

News other devices are likely to follow may worry other PC manufacturers.

Mr Ballmer caused a stir when he revealed in June that his company was making its own family of tablet computers - one offering extended battery-life powered by an Arm-based chip, the other using Intel's technology to offer a deeper Windows experience.

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A look at Microsoft's Surface tablet

Until now Microsoft had focused on software and relied on third-parties to make hardware, with a few exceptions such as its Xbox games consoles and Kinect gesture sensors.

The chief executive of Taiwanese PC-maker Acer told the Financial Times in August that the Surface would have "a huge negative impact for the [PC] ecosystem and other brands" adding that he had been in touch with Microsoft to discuss his concerns.

But Dell - the world's third largest computer maker - was less bothered by the move.

"The announcement of Surface was necessary to have a proof of concept and to get people excited about what was coming to push application development and create some buzz out there," Kirk Schell, vice president of Dell's client and consumer product group, recently told the BBC.

"They've invested so much in Windows 8 it was important to make it work, so I felt Surface was the logical thing to do."

Much of Microsoft's launch event was later dedicated to promoting Windows 8 certified computers from the firm's "partners" including Sony, Dell, Lenovo and Acer.

Continue reading the main story

At the launch

Kim Gittleson BBC reporter, New York

---

It's easy to become immune to the pomp of a technology product launch in New York.

There's the obligatory tiny portions of food and the hyperbolic presentations, peppered with phrases like "best ever", "magical" and "revolutionary."

But for once, it really was a landmark event - Windows 8 needs to be a success if Microsoft is to thrive.

Steve Ballmer was eager to emphasise that this was a step into the future, for a company that has long been accused of staying in the past.

In his trademark booming voice, he proclaimed it, of course, "an exciting day" and said that this launch "shatters perceptions of what a PC now really is".

The question is whether all the manufactured hype can translate into real enthusiasm for Microsoft's reimagining of the PC experience.

Touch-controlled tiles

Windows 8 is a radical update to Microsoft's core product. The operating system introduces a touchscreen-controlled interface featuring tiles.

As well as acting as buttons to launch individual apps, the tiles allow installed software to provide status updates on a computer's home screen. These can include details about the latest emails received, news headlines or social network posts created by friends.

Users can also switch into a more traditional desktop mode.

Devices running the Windows RT version of the new software will only be allowed to install third-party software from Microsoft's curated Windows Store. But other machines will give users the ability to launch programs sourced from elsewhere.

Windows RT is designed to run on machines powered by CPUs (central processing units) based on designs by the British firm ARM, while more fully-featured versions of Windows 8 will run on the x86-based architecture chips used by Intel and AMD.

The strategy allows Windows to compete against both iPads and Android-based tablets as well as higher-end laptops and desktop computers.

Analysts warn the move carries both risks and rewards.

"Buyers craving a Windows tablet, touch laptop, or a touch all-in-one PC will jump for Windows 8, once they work through the processor choice confusion," said Frank Gillett from consultants Forrester Research.

"[But] for some the prospect of learning a new interface will cause them to consider alternatives, most likely Apple's Mac; although some will also check out Google's Chrome OS offerings."

Other Linux-based competitors are also hoping to gain ground including free-to-use alternatives Ubuntu and Debian. Research In Motion may also attempt to revitalise its own tablet sales when it launches Blackberry 10 next year.

Surface phone?

Before smartphones arrived Microsoft dominated the market, powering about 95% of personal computing device sales, according to Forrester. It says that figure has now shrunk to 30%.

Surface addresses the software's firm's need to jumpstart demand for Windows-powered tablets.

There is growing speculation that Mr Ballmer's next step could be to order the launch of Microsoft's own mobile phone.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Reminding the Microsoft CEO that he has presided over a period which has seen its stock market valuation eclipsed by Apple is maybe untactful.

He comes back fighting though, insisting that he is proud of what his company has delivered to investors.

It all makes for a slightly testy encounter.

Despite positive reviews, devices running the Windows Phone 7 operating system captured less than a 4% share of global shipments in the July-to-September quarter, according to a study by IDC.

Chris Green, principal technology analyst at Davies Murphy Group Europe, is convinced work is already underway on a Surface Phone but added that it might never go on sale.

"Microsoft is hedging its bets," he said.

"The firm is heavily invested in Nokia succeeding with its Windows Phone handsets but can't allow for its failure to torpedo the platform."

Nokia, HTC and Samsung have announced they will sell new handsets based on Microsoft's upcoming Windows Phone 8 operating system which launches next week.

The product resembles and is based on the same kernel - or software core - as its PC equivalent.

"At the very least Microsoft will be developing its own handset to go to market in case Nokia and others don't do better," Mr Green added.

'Whatever is required'

Nokia's own chief executive Stephen Elop appears fairly relaxed about the prospect of competing with his former employer.

"[It would be] a stimulant to the ecosystem," he told analysts on a recent conference call transcribed by news site Seeking Alpha.

"We're encouraging HTC, and Samsung, and Microsoft or whomever, to have devices in the market and to be making whatever investments that help spur the ecosystem on."

Mr Ballmer would not be drawn on the exact nature of his future plans.

"We have committed ourselves on a path where we will do whatever is required from both a hardware and a software innovation perspective and the cloud innovation perspective in order to propel the vision that we have," was all he would tell the BBC.

For now the only confirmed hardware on the horizon is a Pro version of the Surface tablet, set to go on sale in January.

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China condemns NY Times 'smear'

26 October 2012 Last updated at 05:59 ET

China has condemned as a "smear" a New York Times report saying Premier Wen Jiabao's relatives have accumulated billions of dollars.

The article said Mr Wen's family members "have controlled assets worth at least $2.7bn (£1.7bn)".

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the report had "ulterior motives".

Both the NYT's Chinese and English sites are being blocked inside China, as are references to the report on micro-blogging sites.

"Some reports smear China and have ulterior motives," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said when asked about the story in a daily press briefing. On the blocking, he said the internet was managed "in accordance with laws".

Wealth gap

In its report, the New York Times said Mr Wen's relatives' holdings included property, insurance and construction firms.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Often referred to as "Grandpa Wen" by state media, the premier is one of the few senior Chinese politicians with the popular touch, usually the first to appear at the side of victims of earthquakes or other disasters as a kind of consoler-in-chief. But there have long been rumours that his decade in the job has brought more tangible benefits to his immediate family, and now the New York Times has put a figure on it.

The more than $2.7bn in controlled assets reported by the newspaper are held not by the Chinese premier himself, but by his wife, mother, siblings, children, and their in-laws. The figure though may not come as much of a shock to Mr Wen. A WikiLeaks cable dated 2007 quoted a source as saying the premier was "disgusted" by his family's activities.

But whether he disapproves or not, the investigation shows that much of the wealth has been accumulated in areas of the economy over which he has direct authority. Mr Wen is not the only senior leader over whom that kind of suspicion lingers, but given his position, his public standing and his own championing of the anti-corruption cause, the Times report will be seen by the authorities here as highly sensitive and potentially damaging.

Bloomberg's website is still being blocked after it published, back in June, a similar expose of the family wealth of the man tipped to be China's next leader, Xi Jinping. It may be a while before readers in China get to see the New York Times online again.

"Many relatives of Wen Jiabao, including his son, daughter, younger brother and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership," the newspaper wrote.

"In many cases, the names of the relatives have been hidden behind layers of partnerships and investment vehicles involving friends, work colleagues and business partners."

The family's investments reportedly spanned several sectors. The newspaper cited one holding as Ping An, an insurance company which it said had benefited from reforms enacted in 2004 by a state body over which Mr Wen had oversight.

It said that partnerships controlled by Mr Wen's relatives, along with their friends and colleagues, had bought into the firm before its IPO, or stock market flotation, in 2004, and held as much as $2.2bn in the company in 2007.

The newspaper said both the Chinese government and Mr Wen's relatives declined to comment on the investigation, which was based on corporate records from 1992-2012.

No holdings were found in Mr Wen's name, it said, nor was it possible "to determine from the documents whether he recused himself from any decisions that might have affected his relatives' holdings, or whether they received preferential treatment on investments".

China is sensitive about reports on its leaders, particularly when it comes to their wealth.

A growing wealth gap is causing public discontent, as are the frequent corruption scandals involving government officials.

When, in June 2012, a Bloomberg investigative report examined the finances of the relatives of president-in-waiting Xi Jinping, the company's website was blocked in China - even though the report said there was no indication of wrongdoing by him or his family.

Mr Wen has been the Chinese premier for almost 10 years. He is due to step down in a power transition that begins on 8 November.

Continue reading the main story

Wen Jiabao

• Became premier in March 2003, charged with overseeing the economy
• Portrayed in state media as a man who cares for the public
• Began career in provincial geology bureau but was quickly promoted
• Seen as a economic reformist critical of Bo Xilai's "Chongqing model" and "Red" policies

He is seen as a popular figure with the common touch, and is portrayed in state media as a leader with great concern for the lives of ordinary people.

A spokeswoman for New York Times said she hoped that full access to the websites would be "restored shortly" in China.

The BBC has also been affected, with the BBC World News channel blocked when a correspondent was asked about the story during a report, and the BBC News website blocked later on Friday.

On China's Twitter-like weibo platforms, keywords such as Wen Jiabao and the New York Times are blocked. Mr Wen's name, like most other Chinese leaders, has always been a screened keyword.

Some netizens did manage to post the article despite heavy and rapid censorship. A Sina Weibo user tweeted about the article from Kawagoe city in Japan, but his post was removed after 11 minutes.

"The Twist Your Waist Times says the best actor has $2.7bn of assets. I just wonder how will he spend it?" asked a Tencent Weibo user registered in the British West Indies territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

"Twist your waist" in Chinese characters sounds like New York when spoken, while "best actor" refers to Mr Wen, who critics say only pretends to be a people-first leader.

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Windows 8 video games ban u-turn

26 October 2012 Last updated at 06:21 ET

Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Skyrim and other mature games will no longer be banned from the European Windows 8 Store.

The store is the official outlet for programs Microsoft has tested to ensure they work with Windows 8.

A mismatch in the US and Europe over game ratings led to the games' exclusion outside North America.

Microsoft has relaxed its restrictions so the titles will be tested to work on PCs and tablets running Windows 8.

Tablet trouble

In the US games such as Call of Duty, Skyrim and Mass Effect typically win a "mature" rating under its ESRB system. This means anyone aged 17 and over can play them.

By contrast in Europe these titles and many others are marked as Pegi 18 which means only adults can buy and play them.

Before now Microsoft operated a blanket ban on adult-only content on its Windows 8 Store.

"It basically ends up disqualifying games that would be ESRB Mature," Antoine Leblond, Microsoft corporate vice president of web services told tech news site Gizmodo.

This had the potential to cause problems on desktop PCs and laptops as it would have meant that the games would not be certified as working with Microsoft's new operating system. The games would also not be promoted via the Windows Store.

The Windows 8 testing and certification system has won criticism from many games makers. Markus Persson, creator of Minecraft, said it risked turning the PC into a closed platform. Gabe Newell, head of game maker Valve, said Windows 8 could be a "catastrophe" for it and other developers.

Games that do go through the testing and certification process are likely to work with Windows 8 though users will have to find and install the titles themselves.

However, the ban could have caused bigger problems with Windows RT. This is the version of Windows 8 meant for tablets and the only way to get software for it is via the store. This is to ensure the programs work well with touchscreen interfaces typically found on tablets.

Relaxing the rules means the games can now get into the Windows Store and be guaranteed to run on Windows 8 be it running on a PC or tablet.

The change is due to come into force by the end of 2012, Mr Leblond told Gizmodo.

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