Boot up: Google's ad tweak, big data farms, China's bitcoin clamp, and more

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2014/apr/11/google-search-farms-data

Version 0 of 1.

A burst of 9 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team

Security enhancements for search users >> Google Ads Developer Blog

We've long worked to keep your searches on Google secure. We provided SSL encryption for signed-in searches in 2011 and have rolled that out to searches from the omnibox in the Chrome browser. Today, we are extending our efforts to keep search secure by removing the query from the referrer on ad clicks originating from SSL searches on Google.com.

Advertisers will continue to have access to useful data to optimize and improve their campaigns and landing pages. For example, you can access detailed information in the AdWords search terms report and the Google Webmaster Tools Search Queries report.

This is discussed on Search Englne Land, but what isn't addressed anywhere is: how does stripping out the search term make a search more secure? Surely what you're securing is the connection between the searcher and Google. If you move on from Google to the advertiser, over a link that might or might not be secure, how is your security compromised by the search term being passed on or not?

On the other hand, though, Google gets to see everything - what people search for and what they click - while advertisers see less and less, with only Google's dashboards showing them data about keyword performance.

High-tech U.S. farm machines harvest Big Data, reap privacy worries >> Reuters

The original "plow that broke the plains" enabled American farms to grow massive swathes of wheat and corn with its lightness and durability. The modern machines are using data to take another giant step in efficiency and output.

But as big agricultural companies pour money into data storage and analytics tools that aim to turn micro detail on crops and furrow-by-furrow weather into more grain for less pain, concerns are growing about how the data might be used and how secure such a gold mine for traders is.

China's banks to close all bitcoin sites' trading accounts >> Tech In Asia

China's bitcoin exchanges are being issued with formal notices stating that their bank accounts must be closed by 15 April. China's BTCTrade exchange announced today that it has been contacted by its bank and told to remove all funds prior to the deadline or else the assets will be frozen. It appears that exchanges are being informed directly and privately, as the People's Bank of China has not issued a formal directive.

In contrast, BTC China has not received a notice from its bank, notes CoinDesk. Bitcoin prices are plummeting as the news emerges – the price is down to $410 right now on London-based Bitstamp.

This corroborates what we reported on 27 March.

China was a huge market for bitcoin because of its facility for evading currency controls.

FTC notifies Facebook, WhatsApp of privacy obligations in light of proposed acquisition >> Federal Trade Commission

The director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection notified Facebook and WhatsApp about their obligations to protect the privacy of their users in light of Facebook's proposed acquisition of WhatsApp.

In a letter to the two companies, Bureau Director Jessica Rich noted that WhatsApp has made clear privacy promises to consumers, and that both companies have told consumers that after any acquisition, WhatsApp will continue its current privacy practices.

"We want to make clear that, regardless of the acquisition, WhatsApp must continue to honor these promises to consumers. Further, if the acquisition is completed and WhatsApp fails to honor these promises, both companies could be in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act and, potentially, the FTC's order against Facebook," the letter states.

4K vs. UHDTV: Clearing up the Confusion >> CableLabs

4K Is UHDTV – Sometimes

Unfortunately, due to marketing, the term 4K was already being identified with televisions at the time of the SMPTE document release, and has never been supplanted by UHDTV. Thus, consumers find themselves wondering what the difference is. Now we are starting to see UHDTV 4K or 4K UHDTV labeled TVs.  In both of these cases, regardless of the term used, the actual resolution is 3840×2160.

We hope this clears up the confusion.

Google Glass - the details >> Life as a Healthcare CIO

John Halamka:

I'm now able to publicly write about the work that Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has been doing with stealthy start up, Wearable Intelligence. We've been working over the past 4 months on pilots that I believe will improve the  safety, quality  and efficiency of patient care through the integration of wearable technology such as Google Glass in the hospital environment. I believe that wearable tech enables providers  to deliver better clinical care by supporting them with contextually-relevant data and decision support wisdom.

Glass might be Google's first business-only hit.

The Samsung Galaxy S5: when a committee builds a smartphone >> Yahoo Tech

David Poge:

why does the company feel compelled to shovel on these gimmicks that never worked and never will — that few will use, that weigh down the phone with clutter? Why can't the company appoint a Steve Jobs — somebody with a certain amount of taste and the authority to say, "That's a horrible design," or "We really don't need two different email programs and two different photo apps"?

Among Android phones, the S5 joins the HTC One (M8) (shown below) at the top of the heap. The HTC is much better looking, it has superior speakers, and it gives you twice the storage for the same price (32 gigabytes instead of 16); its one weakness is the camera, which isn't as good as Samsung's.

HTC will really want to pick up some upgrading SGS3 users.

Tablet ownership up 63% as digital adspend hits record high >> Mediatel

More than one in four British consumers now owns a tablet, with advertisers spending a record £6.3bn in 2013 to reach people across devices, according to the latest Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) digital adspend report, conducted by PwC.

36% of people accessing the internet now do so via a tablet, according to UKOM and ComScore, with UK tablet ownership growing 63% year on year in February 2014 to almost 18 million.

Research from the IAB reveals that 57% of tablet owners say it is their 'go-to' device to surf the internet at home, with 66% saying that it is easier to go online using a tablet.

Having passed 16% penetration, tablets are now entering the "early majority" phase of adoption.

LG G Watch release date: by July and less than £180 in the UK (hands-on pictures) >> Pocket-lint

LG has confirmed to Pocket-lint that its new LG G Watch, powered by Google's new Android Wear operating system, will be available before July and for less than £180 in the UK.

Showing the device at a product showcase in Weybridge, the prototype of the final version, which wasn't working, was sporting the final design, giving us a chance to have a quick feel of the new watch ahead of the official launch later this year. 

Not better-looking than a Pebble, and not cheaper.

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