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Word has it that the social network is planning to debut two-factor authentication to cut down on user account hacking.

After the Associated Press' Twitter account was hacked into on Tuesday and the accounts of CBS News programs "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours" were hacked over the weekend, it's been made clear that Twitter needs to boost security. But, it may be doing just that.

According to Wired's Mat Honan, the social-networking site has reportedly been working on creating a two-factor authentication for user password verification. Honan writes that the company is currently carrying out internal testing before rolling out the new security control.

This isn't a huge surprise considering Twitter posted a job advertisement for a software engineer to work on two-factor authentication in February. The responsibilities listed for the new engineer were to "design and develop user-facing security features, such as multifactor authentication and fraudulent log-in detection." The job listing also says that the engineer's work will "directly impact the security of hundreds of millions of Twitter users."

While two-factor authentication won't necessarily stop hackers in their tracks, it could make it more difficult for them to access user accounts. Multi-factor authentication requires users to type in their password and then the Web site creates a random code that is then sent to the users' cell phone or some other device -- only after users type this code back into the Web site, can they log into their account.

Twitter has worked on upping its security over the last few years, but hackers have still continued to escalate their attacks. The hackers that got into the Associated Press' account Tuesday sent out a false "breaking" news tweet that claimed the White House had been bombed and President Obama had been injured. This news caused a sudden plunge in the stock market.

While Twitter has been dealing with these recent hacking sprees, several other tech companies have already introduced multi-factor authentication. Microsoft, Google, Apple, Dropbox, and more have all heightened their password security with two-factor authentication over the past couple of years.

According to Honan, Twitter hopes to debut the new security control "shortly."

When CNET asked Twitter about the possible two-factor authentication, a company spokesperson said, "We don't have anything to announce at this time."

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Twitter to roll out new password security control?

LONDON

Recession may just be a word. But in Britain it may become a habit - and a dangerous one at that.

It's possible that official figures on first quarter economic growth, to be released Thursday, could put the country back in recession, and tension is building.

Although economists on average expect growth of 0.1 percent on the quarter, they warn it would take the smallest statistical variation to put the figure in negative territory. That would place the country in recession, technically defined as two consecutive quarters of economic contraction.

Another recession - the third since the 2008 financial crisis - is already being referred to with foreboding in the media as a "Triple Dip." Experts warn that its confirmation would create a wave of negative media attention that would scare consumers away from spending, feeding into a vicious cycle that has the economy flat-lining.

"It's psychological - this is all psychological," said Cary Cooper, a professor at Lancaster University Management School. "It's about the message that those figures send to consumers and small businesses."

The government desperately wants a strong number to justify its increasingly criticized policy of painful spending cuts. But recent indicators on Britain's economy, the third-largest in the 27-country EU after Germany and France, have been disappointing.

Inflation is rising, cutting into people's standard of living. Unemployment is up. Two international ratings agencies have downgraded the country's credit grade from the top level AAA, warning about the government's fiscal policies.

The government, which has long played on its AAA rating as a sign of its economic might, has been pursuing a harsh program of spending cuts and tax increases to reduce the budget deficit, which at 7.4 percent of annual economic output is more than twice the EU's 3 percent limit. Like many governments across Europe that have been scarred by the bond market turmoil that forced Greece and four other countries to need rescue loans, Britain is focusing on reducing debt quickly, even at the cost of short-term economic pain.

What some governments and economists are slowly realizing, however, is that they may have underestimated the damage such austerity would do.

View original post here:
UK in dark mood as new recession may be confirmed

When David Cameron said in a radio interview that he did not use Twitter because too many twits might make a twat, at least he had the excuse that he did not know what the word meant. It was explained to him afterwards by his press secretary Gabby Bertin, and he duly apologised.

I doubt that the health minister Anna Soubry can plead ignorance over her potty mouth comment in the current issue of Total Politics on Tory plotters who want to remove David Cameron from the leadership. When people talk about such-and-such a person as an alternative to Cameron, there is no vacancy What we now need to do is stop people in the party engaging in quite a lot of twattery, she said. Shocking. Did she learn that sort of language from her children?

RIP Jim king of putting his Foot in his mouth

On the subject of people who are loyal to leaders, it is sad to hear that Jim Mortimer has died. An honest old cove, he was quite the worst General Secretary the Labour Party ever had.

He played a central part in the disastrous 1983 general election campaign, during which he was annoyed that the press should be speculating that there were moves inside the party to remove Michael Foot from the leadership.

Wanting to put them finally to rest, Mortimer faced a crowded press conference and told the astounded hacks that the matter had been discussed by the Campaign Committee, and that they had unanimously agreed that Michael Foot is the Leader of the Labour Party.

Leaders who lunch stand out from the crowd...

Nigel Farage, UKIPs leader, likes to emphasise the difference between himself and the three main party leaders, all of whom studied economics at Oxford, went straight to work as wannabe politicians, and have sensible lifestyles.

Farage treats it as a selling point that he has worked in the City and lived the lifestyle of a city speculator. I worked damn hard in the City of London for 20 years he told a Press Gallery lunch yesterday up until lunchtime.

EDF wont waste their energy on creating jobs

Originally posted here:
Andy McSmith's Diary: A potty mouth in politics? Personally, I blame the kids

For the past several weeks, we've been writing about the many ways to celebrate National Poetry Month. If you haven't yet had a chance to stop by one of the open-mic readings, read the work of a new poet or reacquaint yourself with old favorite, it's never too late. Hampton Roads is home to a thriving community of poets, spoken-word artists, and those who simply love to read and listen to the special rhythm and power found in poetry.

Case in point: Local poet Talya Chatman, author of "The Good Word" blog which she describes as "Your one-stop shop for writing events in the 757 and 804 area."

I had the pleasure of meeting Chatman at a local event this spring and asked her to share her insights about the Hampton Roads poetry scene. Here is an edited interview:

How long have you been writing poetry? For more than 20 years. I have about 500 pages of poetry, but the majority of (the poems) have been written the past eight or nine years. I guess I've got a lot to say. With poetry I find that I will write a few poems about the same thing. It's not that I enjoy repeating myself, it's just my muse telling me I haven't gotten it quite right. I'll write some poem and never make changes to it and others I've continued to change over the years.

Where can we read your work? You will actually have to come out to a venue to hear my work. I've thought about publishing, but ..

What got you started in the local poetry community? I started getting really active within the past couple of years. Before, I used to go maybe two spots a month, but now I average three spots a week. I call them my happy places because I can really be me and be accepted for my talents.

What advice can you give to a newcomer to our area who's interested in getting involved? You will go to some spots and hear some amazing talents, but don't be discouraged. That amazing talent didn't get that way overnight. We all have to start somewhere. Being nervous is normal. I still get nervous, but always remember, we want you to succeed. The goal is not to be like someone else, but to contribute your unique voice to the poetry scene. If everyone was the same, how boring would that be.

Similarly, what advice can you give to a new poet who wants to test the waters of an open-mic reading? You are not required to read when you go to a spot. You may want to go and listen and get a feel for a place. All the venues I've attended are very supportive to novices. However, I would recommend finding a spot with a small group of people, so it's not as intimidating. I would say any family-friendly venues would be a great place to get your feet wet. It might even be a great idea to bring a friend for support.

What made you start writing "The Good Word" blog? It seems like a huge undertaking, time-wise. Do you do all the work yourself? When I went online to look for venues, I could find them here and there. I pride myself on laziness, and I wanted to find a website that had everything in one place. When I realized it didn't exist, I took it as a sign that perhaps this was something I needed to do. I started off with just providing a list of venues to include the venue name, address, phone number and host, and it was only one page. Now, it has grown into four pages.

When I started, it was not a huge undertaking, but now it is insane in a good way. Yes, it is time consuming, and I do all the work myself (that's the type A in me), but when I hear someone say, "Thank you," it really makes it all worth it. The blog came into the picture later when I was asked to take over an existing blog, and from there, "The Good Word" was born. The "Good Word" is not only a blog for venues, but recaps of venues I attend and other writing-related events going on in the area, to include short story and publishing classes, contests and plays.

Read more here:
Spoken word artist keeps 757 poets in the know

CHRIS PEDOTA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Police and media outside the West New York apartment Sunday of the sister of the two men accused in the Boston Marathon bombings.

WEST NEW YORK Town officials said Sunday that they are waiting to hear if a press conference will be held by the sisters of suspected Boston marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of whom lives in a Buchanan Place apartment. The siblings have remained mostly silent since a Friday manhunt in Massachusetts that left one brother dead and the other hospitalized in serious condition.

Officials, including mayor Felix Roque, have met with Ailina Tsarnaev and her husband who live in the apartment. Ailinas sister Bella was also there on Friday, Roque said.

"It was a surreal situation, they were all huddled like little children," said Roque, who visited the family on Friday night. Both of them were weeping, Ailina with her baby in her hand. Its a very somber feeling, a very depressing feeling.

Roque said his secretary has been in contact with the family should they decide to speak publicly.

They did express the feeling that they want to set the record straight, let the world know what happened, he said. It sounds to us like it is going to be done on Monday, and as the mayor, I have to accommodate them for security purposes, because there are some people out there that are going to try to harm them because of the incident.

Roque said the family has said they dont want their faces and bodies shown if they decide to speak.

Around 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, a man, who did not open the door of the second-floor apartment, told reporters that they had two minutes to leave before he called the police.

"We don't have nothing to say right now," he said. "We got children."

See the article here:
West New York officials wait for word on statement by sisters of Boston bombing suspects