Hacking Government Systems goes Undetected for Over One year

According to a recent ABC News report, the hacking of the U.S Office of Personnel Management, which was discovered in April went undetected for over 12 months and the hackers could have accessed more information than previously thought.

The hack, which may have originated from China, is believed to have accessed more data, including forms used for background investigations, known as SF-86's. These forms may contain names of college roommates, so it's not just the personnel data that was accessed.

Lycos was a search engine in 90s that is now a news and entertainment site with a brand new wearable technology side. Ybrant purchased Lycos in 2010 and is using the name now to brand its new digital products, the Lycos Ring and Band. The fitness band will run $125 retail with the smart ring costing users $60. They both utilize near-field communication to provide data to your smart phone or allowing the transfer the transfer of data to other devices.

The fitness band tracks your steps, watches your heart rate and monitors your sleep. A couple features that make it different include a 14 day battery and security features to store passwords and unlock your phone. The Ring has the tap-to-transfer features and the security options.

A federal court complaint says that Paypal has misled consumers with a credit product on its popular online payment service. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is looking for $15 million for consumers and a $10 million fine against Paypal. You may have seen the Buy It Later option when you went to pay for an item online with Paypal. I guess some consumers didn’t view this option as credit. Richard Cordray of the CFPB thinks that is the case.

In December, Facebook started testing classified ads and now you can search across groups (public and subscribed to) and within categories. This feature should be released in the next few weeks with an a sales group link in the left pane. Users can post items by going into groups and selecting on 'Sale and Item' next to 'Write a Post'. Users will need to enter some information similar to an eBay auction to list their item for sale to the group.

Timeful is a very useful application for your smartphone that uses artificial intelligence to find ways for users to fit more into their daily schedules. The only issue the company faced was getting users to switch from their current calendar applications and use the new features. But with news today that Google will acquire the company, these advanced features will now be implemented within Google calendar and other Google productivity apps. The current app for iOS and the iPhone will continue to be available but all new development will be on Google products.

If you have tried to send a message using your Facebook app recently, you noticed that the company wants you to download Facebook Messenger first. This new Facebook app has become popular with both Apple iPhone users and Google Android users. Using the app you can chat with your Facebook friends using your phones instead of their built in messaging apps.

Twitter has been active trying to get rid of trolls or limiting their reach so when they attack, their tweets are not read. The company just updated its abuse policy to target those that attack others through the platform. The company also has a new tool to find abuse automatically by comparing patterns to previous patterns that were found to be abusive. The company also plans to be more responsive to reports of abuse.

This is a change from prior activity by the company which favored growth over limiting the actions of certain members. Investors are looking for growth in subscribers and the company has seen a decline in engagement recently. They now feel that by limiting the abusive accounts, they can increase engagement and hopefully membership.

Beginning on April 24, Apple will offer training for its new Apple watch to potential customers.  These workshops will take place at various Apple stores all over the world.  This should help buyers understand how to use their new watches and encourage additional sales.

You can find out where classes are held by looking at the "Stores" section of the Apple Store app.  This information will also be listed on the websites of the locations that are offering the classes. However, please note that only a few Apple stores will offer these classes. The classes will start every one and a half hours beginning on April 24. They will also be available to customers over the weekend.  Some Apple Store locations will have longer hours to accommodate more customers in higher traffic spots.

Owners of the Dallas Buyers Club movie rights are going after file sharing users who illegally shared the movie over the Internet. In Australia, courts have ruled that the Dallas Buyers Club LLC group can invoice users of peer-to-peer software that seeded the Dallas Buyers Club movie since it was released in movie theaters in 2013. The company pursued internet providers iiNet, Internode, Adam Internet, Amnet Broadband, Wideband, and Dodo in court to get the names of those that shared the movie for free.

Leave it to some of the bigger advertisers on the Internet to bring out the jokes and the games on April Fools Day. Some companies have gone so far as to launch new products today that of course do not exist. And you thought your prank on your kids was funny. There are at least 10 quality online pranks that have already happened but there are more to come for sure.