Rather, Microsoft is just cutting back on the extra layers of crud.
In May, Twitter sought to quash a subpoena for Occupy Wall Street protestor Malcolm Harris’s tweets, location, and other data over a 90-day period flanking his October 1st arrest for disorderly conduct on the Brooklyn Bridge. On Saturday, Judge Matthew Sciarrino Jr. upheld an earlier ruling that Harris himself had no standing to contest the subpoena, ruled that Harris had no expectation of privacy in a public tweet, and denied Twitter’s claim that the subpoena constituted an unreasonable burden on the company.
In short, only Twitter can fight a criminal court subpoena for user information, and for most requests for once-public information, the company will be expected by the court to hand it over. Unlike a privately sent email, “[t]here can be no reasonable expectation of privacy in a tweet sent around the world,” writes Judge Sciarrino Jr.
Sciarrino also makes it clear that in his opinion, the logic and implications of the ruling are not limited to Twitter alone, but all forms of social media.
It’s not the first time Twitter fought against giving away its users’ data in court.
ATLANTA and SAN FRANCISCO –July 2, 2012 – The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC) today announced an agreement to acquire Weather Underground, a leading provider of Web based weather data. The transaction, terms of which were not disclosed, was announced by TWCC chairman and CEO David Kenny and Weather Underground president Alan Steremberg and is expected to close in several weeks.
“Everyone in the weather space is familiar with the strength of Weather Underground and its innovative method of presenting weather data. Weather Underground will add a great complementary, brand to our portfolio, a brand with a distinct, loyal, and active user base that will enable us to reach a unique segment of users,” said Kenny. “Most importantly, this acquisition will grow the weather expertise that is central to everything we do and will result in better forecasts and weather data for users on all of our platforms.”
“Becoming a part of The Weather Channel Companies will enable us to strengthen what our users love about wunderground.com, our apps and our blogs,” said Steremberg. “We see this as a great opportunity to grow.”
Looks like someone’s having a sunny day.
A news website for the new generation: “Traditional news sources aren’t in any way talking to millennials,” Newark Mayor Cory Booker said. It’s a start-up company that aims to connect on the news and issues with the younger generations by using a ton of video content; “If more people could find their voice and be part of the national dialogue,” Booker said, “we could solve these problems.” Sound cool or not? source
Not enough information: Chief Justice Helen Winkelman ruled that the 70 search warrants used to raid the home of, and confiscate property from, Megaupload.com founder Kim Dotcom were too vague to be valid. In the decision, Winkelman also ruled that the FBI broke the law when it took confiscated items outside of New Zealand’s borders. As a result, New Zealand’s Attorney General has been ordered to formally request the the return of any/all confiscated items. So, do you think Dotcom will end up coming out of this ordeal unscathed? (Photo via CBS Tech Talk) source
Introducing the Nexus 7: Built in conjunction with highly-regarded hardware manufacturer ASUS, the 7-inch tablet will feature a front-facing camera, 1280x800 display, Nvidia Tegra3 processor, Android 4.1 — commonly known as Jelly Bean — and a price tag of $199. Jelly Bean also received a bit of attention, and a new demonstration, during the announcement event in San Francisco this morning. (Photo via CNET) source
![Kim DotCom adds Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to list of supporters
In an emailed interview with CNET, Steve “Woz” Wozniak confirmed that he’s a supporter of MegaUpload CEO Kim Dotcom. Wozniak blasted federal prosecutors, telling CNET it is “unfair that the United States will allow [DotCom] living expenses out of his frozen assets but not give him any legal fees.” Woz is no fan piracy, and told the site in no uncertain terms that he believes it’s wrong, “So is driving over the speed limit,” he said, adding, “But don’t let that halt the progress of the digital age.” (Photo from and hat tip to Gizmodo) source
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In an emailed interview with CNET, Steve “Woz” Wozniak confirmed that he’s a supporter of MegaUpload CEO Kim Dotcom. Wozniak blasted federal prosecutors, telling CNET it is “unfair that the United States will allow [DotCom] living expenses out of his frozen assets but not give him any legal fees.” Woz is no fan piracy, and told the site in no uncertain terms that he believes it’s wrong, “So is driving over the speed limit,” he said, adding, “But don’t let that halt the progress of the digital age.” (Photo from and hat tip to Gizmodo) source
You might want to check your Timeline, and make sure that your listed email address(s) is the one you actually use. Without warning, or apparent reason outside of possibly trying to force Facebook e-mail adoption, the social networking giant altered many users’ profiles to display the Facebook e-mail address they’ve never used, which redirect to a user’s inbox and chat functionality. The company has not released any information on the change, and has yet to acknowledge what happened. Either way, now might be a good time to review the information you have posted, particularly if you run a business or want to ensure your privacy. source
Google is making a ton of money from YouTube.What?! That’s right, patience pays when building platform businesses. If a media company had owned YouTube, it would’ve ditched it a long time ago, when it bled money. But kudos to Google for having the patience to realize the long-term business opportunity. (via corybe)
The new Mobile Mindset study, conducted by Harris Interactive, has revealed a great deal of new information about the habits of mobile phone users. Nearly 60% of those surveyed said they don’t go more than an hour without checking their phone, while 73% said they felt a sense of panic if/when their device is lost. The most surprising statistic though, at least to us, were the primary reasons people fear losing their phones — only six percent of those surveyed said they were worried that valuable account information could be stolen, while 38% cited the cost and hassle of replacing the phone.
In this week’s Newsweek, a little...
Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
Here’s a hidden feature that shipped in...
Watch: PCB gets a visual shout out on GMA’s Yahoo/Tumblr...
Wrote a thing.
Hat tip to this headline writer.
» Illinois resident Katie Szpyrka, represented by Edelson McGuire, filed the suit nearly two weeks after the passwords first hit the web. Szpyrka claims that the ease with which hackers accessed user information constitutes a violation of promises that LinkedIn made to consumers. LinkedIn disputes Szpyrka’s claim, and intends to fight the suit in court. “No member account has been breached as a result of the incident,” said LinkedIn spokeswoman Erin O’Harra, adding, “We have no reason to believe that any LinkedIn member has been injured.”
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We never talked about him going back to Iran or anything like that. He was just speaking full-fledged Farsi and the representative came back and denied our sale. I would say if you’re trying to buy an iPhone, don’t tell them anything about Iran.Atlanta resident Zack Jafarzadeh • Commenting on a recent trip to the Apple Store in Atlanta’s Perimeter Mall, when a friend wanted to purchase a new iPhone. Jafarzadeh’s story came to light after another Apple Store customer, University of Georgia student Sahar Sabet, contacted her local news station after being denied a new iPad for the same reason, citing State Department regulations and the fractured relations between the two countries. (She later got an apology after calling customer service.) Apple has not commented on the policy, or the story, at this time, though two Islamic-American groups have condemned the practice. source (via • follow)
» The reports come less than 24 hours after news broke that six-nation negotiations with Iran, over the country’s nuclear ambitions, broke down yesterday. During the discussions, Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili continually insisted that the international community lift sanctions and respect his country’s right to enrich uranium. “We had an intense and tough exchange of views,” said EU spokesman Michael Mann, “They responded to our package of proposals from Baghdad but, in doing so, brought up lots of questions.”
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We would get emails after the developer conference from students, 16, 15, 14 years old, saying I already have X number of apps in the app store. I’m a developer. Can I take part in this too?Apple Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller • Discussing the influx of student iOS and OS X app developers, many of whom have yet to even finish high school, in a new profile by the Wall Street Journal. This year’s WWDC received such high interest from student developers that Apple offered scholarships to 150 interested teens, and also had a “student lounge” available during the conference filled with bean bag chairs and Skittles candy. source (via • follow)
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