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Google Encrypts China Search Results To Prevent Surveillance

The Silicon Valley tech giant announced that it is encrypting web searches in China, in order to protect users from unauthorized surveillance and censorship by government entities or hackers. Google announced that any text entered into its search engine will be automatically encrypted, making the information indecipherable. This new development could render the so-called Great Firewall of China, the nations infamous online censorship system, useless in tracking Google users activity.

The new encryptions will prevent external entities from viewing user activity, allowing users to search Chinas sensitive search terms, like Tiananmen Square or Dalai Lama, without detection. But while the encryption adds a layer of protection to users, China can and does control the search results that return.

Google rolled out the added security measures after the U.S. National Security Agency was revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden to be operating a data-mining scheme known as PRISM. Google, and other tech companies like Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO), have announcedsimilar security measures against future unauthorized access from either hackers or state entities.

The revelations of this past summer underscored our need to strengthen our networks, a Google spokesman announced. Among the many improvements weve made in recent months is to encrypt Google Search by default around the world.

Googles uneasy relationship with Beijing has made encryption a difficult pursuit, while most other users around the world have been able to opt into encrypted searches since 2010. This marks the first time Google has enabled the extra security as a default setting in China.

This builds on our work over the past few years to increase the number of our services that are encrypted by default and encourage the industry to adopt stronger security standards, said the spokesman.

After Googles official departure from mainland China in 2011 (while still operating freely in Hong Kong), Chinas homegrown search-engine Baidu solidified its dominance there. The Beijing-based company, though not state-owned, does abide by government censorship laws, often also using self-censorship.

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Google Encrypts China Search Results To Prevent Surveillance

Media Companies Could Leverage Comcast Deal

Media companies plan to press Comcast Corp for higher fees in the coming year, seeing an opportunity to squeeze better terms from the U.S. cable company as regulators review its planned takeover of Time Warner Cable Inc.

Comcast and Time Warner Cable paid nearly $14 billion to content companies last year for rights to distribute their films, television shows and sporting events.

Broadcasters and cable television networks have "assignment clauses" in their contracts with Time Warner Cable that require the networks to sign off before Comcast can merge the two cable operators' agreements, according to people who have negotiated agreements in the past.

Media executives say most programmers will push for higher rates in return for expanding their deals to cover digital distribution of their content. They declined to give specifics, citing confidential contracts.

"Media companies selling programming can be expected to leverage the policy and politics surrounding the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger to extract sizeable and unusual concessions," said Jimmy Schaeffler, chairman of pay TV consultant firm The Carmel Group.

Comcast is expected in March to formally request a Federal Communications Commission review of the $45.2 billion Time Warner Cable deal. The combined company will control almost 30 percent of the U.S. pay television video market and about a third of the high-speed Internet market.

While content providers are broadly concerned about the long-term negotiating clout of the new company, many of them are looking for immediate ways to benefit from the merger, according to media executives who requested anonymity because their negotiations with Comcast will be private.

Media companies see increased value for their content following a recent deal by satellite operator Dish Network Corp to pay Walt Disney Co for the rights to stream ESPN, ABC and other programs over the Internet.

Analysts say Disney likely pocketed higher subscriber fees from Dish for channels such as ESPN and Disney Channel. In 2013, ESPN was paid an industry average fee of $5.54 per subscriber per month while Disney Channel received $1.15 per subscriber per month, according to SNL Kagan.

CBS Corp CEO Leslie Moonves hinted at an investor conference this week that he would push for better terms from Comcast.

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Media Companies Could Leverage Comcast Deal

Media Invited to Tour Ames Research Center with NASA Administrator

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will visit the agency's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., on the afternoon of Monday, March 17, for demonstrations of and briefings on select aeronautics and space research activities performed at the center.

Media are invited to attend Boldens tour of the laboratory used for research on volleyball-sized free-flying satellites called Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES, which are currently aboard the International Space Station. SPHERES are used on the space station to conduct experiments in space robotics, as well as spacecraft guidance navigation, control and docking. The satellites provide opportunities to affordably test a wide range of hardware and software.

Interested media may also attend Boldens tour of the center's high-fidelity airport control tower simulator, dubbed Future Flight Central, where the administrator will be briefed on research underway in support of next-generation air traffic management. NASA is collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration and industry partners to develop several advanced automation tools that provide air traffic controllers, pilots, and other airspace users with more accurate real-time information about the nations air traffic flow, weather and routing.

Following the tours and briefings, Bolden will be available for a question-and-answer session with attending media. News media interested in attending should contact Sharon Lozano atsharon.k.lozano@nasa.govor 650-604-4789 by 9 a.m. PDT Monday, March 17, to register.

Registered news media may arrive as early as 11:45 a.m. March 17 at the Visitor Badging Office located at the main gate. Government-issued photo ID is required to obtain a visitor badge. News media will be escorted to and from the event Media arriving early will have an opportunity to interview SPHERES experts before Boldens arrival. All media must be at the main gate by 12:30 p.m.

For more information about Ames, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ames

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Media Invited to Tour Ames Research Center with NASA Administrator

Liberty Media Quits SIRIUS XM Buyout Plan – Analyst Blog

Liberty Media Corp. ( LMCA ), which owns 53% of Sirius XM Holdings Inc. ( SIRI ), has called off its plan to buy the rest of the shares of the satellite-radio provider. Meanwhile, Liberty Media announced the formation of two tracking stocks, one to be named as Liberty Media Group while the other will be Liberty Broadband Group.

In Jan 2014, the Liberty Media expressed its desire to take full control of SIRIUS XM Radio, in a deal worth more than $10 billion.

Liberty Media's tracking stock group, Liberty Broadband Group, will comprise the company's 27% stake in Charter Communications, Inc. ( CHTR ), 1% stake in Time Warner Cable Inc. ( TWC ), its subsidiary TruePosition and other investments. The second tracking stock group will consist of the SIRIUS XM stake and interests in other media and entertainment businesses.The present Liberty Media stockholders will gain one Liberty Media Group share and four shares of Liberty Broadband Group along with the right to more cable stocks.

Liberty Media is aggressively pursuing the idea of Charter Communications acquiring Time Warner Cable, the second largest cable MSO (multi service operator) in the U.S. However, Charter Communications has lost to Comcast Corp. in its bid to acquire Time Warner Cable.

In the recently concluded quarter, Liberty Media reported mixed financial results. Earnings came in above the Zacks Consensus Estimate whereas revenues lagged the same. Liberty Media generated $358.6 million of cash from operations compared with $293.2 million in the prior-year quarter. Free cash flow in the reported quarter was $303.27 million against $269.5 million in the year-ago quarter.

Liberty Media currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

CHARTER COMM-A (CHTR): Free Stock Analysis Report

LIBERTY MEDIA-A (LMCA): Free Stock Analysis Report

SIRIUS XM HLDGS (SIRI): Free Stock Analysis Report

TIME WARNER CAB (TWC): Free Stock Analysis Report

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Liberty Media Quits SIRIUS XM Buyout Plan - Analyst Blog

Social Networking Sites a plethora of opportunities How to Ean on Social Network site 1174 – Video


Social Networking Sites a plethora of opportunities How to Ean on Social Network site 1174

By: Bernard Koch

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Social Networking Sites a plethora of opportunities How to Ean on Social Network site 1174 - Video