Web 2.0 and Web Apps - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Facebook may have privacy battle on two fronts

  Facebook said it's working with European Union regulators to resolve criticism about its new facial recognition feature, but trouble may also be brewing for the social network here in the U.S.

• Facebook stirs privacy ire with facial recognition

  Facebook's move to enable facial recognition across its entire social networking site is raising some eyebrows - and possibly some legal woes -- over its privacy implications.

• Apple offers preview of iCloud music feature

  Apple is letting customers try out one feature of its upcoming iCloud months before the service is set to debut. Late Monday, Apple made a beta of iTunes 10.3 available for downloading, and switched on "iTunes in the Cloud" for that application as well as for the iTunes apps bundled with iOS 4.3.3, the current version that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

• Facebook raring to give IPv6 a test flight

  After helping to hatch the plan for World IPv6 Day set for Wednesday, a senior network engineer at Facebook is raring to test the site's reworked network.

• So, why are senior U.S. officials using Gmail?

  When Google announced that hackers had gone after Gmail users, the company noted that they specifically targeted U.S. government officials and military personnel.

• All tweet this! Number of U.S. Twitter users jumps

  The number of U.S. Twitter users jumped in the past year, increasing more than 50 per cent, according to a study from the Pew Research Center.

• China denies role in Gmail account attacks

  A Chinese official today denied accusations that the government was responsible for attacks that accessed hundreds of Google Gmail accounts.

• Google notes social failures, and touts its social advances

  Just as Google releases its +1 button to the Web, many industry watchers are scratching their heads after hearing former CEO Eric Schmidt admit that he missed the boat on social networking.

• Forrester calls Google's Chromebook 'corporate idiocy'

  LAS VEGAS - Let's begin this story the same way a murder mystery starts -- with a few bare facts. The victim is Google's Chromebook. The crime scene is Forrester's IT Forum here, and the alleged suspect is George Colony, chairman and CEO of the research firm.

• Wells Fargo, Chase, Bank of America jointly launch PayPal rival

  Three top U.S. banks are collaborating on a service that will allow the transfer of funds by simply logging in to a personal online bank account and entering the name and mobile phone number of the person receiving the money.

• Amazon challenges Apple with Mac app download store

  Amazon today launched a Mac-specific application download store that will compete with Apple's nearly five-month-old Mac App Store.

• Zuckerberg talks kids, gadgets and his legacy

  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday he's not actively working to allow kids under 13 on the social networking site, that Facebook isn't developing any gadgets and he's too young to worry about his legacy.

• It's official: Twitter buys TweetDeck

  It's official. Twitter last night finalized a deal to buy TweetDeck, ending weeks of speculation.

• Twitter reportedly buys TweetDeck for $40M

  Twitter has finalized a deal to buy TweetDeck, CNN reported this morning.

• Twitter to leave empty CTO post unfilled

  Twitter's CTO left the company last week and there's no move afoot to replace him.