Cyber Monday Racks Up Impressive Gains

Cyber Monday sales are estimated as up by 30%. The question remains whether shoppers will continue to spend for the holiday season or if they spent all their money early responding to sales and other promotions. See Cyber Monday Racks Up Impressive Gains.

How to spot the web’s top 3 biggest scams

Facebook flim-flam? Twitter trap? Reverse Nigerian prince? All of these are scams to be aware of. See How to spot the web’s top 3 biggest scams.

E-Commerce Rings Up Boffo Black Friday

While some shoppers camped out overnight to get Black Friday deals, others stayed home and shopped online. One estimate is that sales were up 20% over last year's same day sales. E-Commerce merchants hope that Cyber Monday will treat them equally well. See E-Commerce Rings Up Boffo Black Friday.

Feds: Cyber Criminals Hijacked 4 Million Computers

Here is a twist on how to make money at cyber-crime. A group of Eastern European's installed malware on over 4 million computers. The malware redirected the infected computers to sites where the criminals were getting paid to display advertising. The malware also allowed the group to replace ads on popular sites with their own ads. The malware also prevented infected computers from down-loading anti-virus software. See Feds: Cyber Criminals Hijacked 4 Million Computers.

Defamatory Blog Postings: Anonymity and the Law

Blog postings can be outrageous and even defamatory. Hiding behind Internet anonymity, these bloggers have attracted attention by being extreme. But could a court order an anonymous blogger revealed? Recent cases struggle to assess "whether the public interest favoring disclosure outweighs the legitimate interests of freedom of expression and right to privacy of the persons sought to be identified." See Defamatory Blog Postings: Anonymity and the Law.

Google Reveals the Whys and Wherefores Behind Targeted Ads

Google plans to let users know why they see the advertisements they do in their Google searches and Gmail. Called "Why These Ads," the tool reveals that ads are personalized to the user based on a user's recent searches, geographic location, and other factors. Google will also release an Ads Preference Manager that lets users "make changes to improve the site's ad targeting or to block unwanted ads." See Google Reveals the Whys and Wherefores Behind Targeted Ads.

Online Ad Scams, Part 1: Tip for a Tiny Belly and Other Snake Oil

What's the scam? Diet and weight loss ads promise great results. Clicking on the ad takes you to a fake news site praising the product. Links from that site will take you to the "manufacturer's" site offering a free sample if you pay for shipping and handling. Give up your credit card information and you will likly be charged large sums every month for "as long as the scammer can get away with it." Few customers actually read the fine print on the sites that tells them they will be charged. See Online Ad Scams, Part 1: Tip for a Tiny Belly and Other Snake Oil.