McDonald’s claims innocence in Burger King Twitter hacking

While many companies are trying to engage their customers using social media, there are risks. Burger King's Twitter account was hacked this week. The hackers posted photos and comments about the demise of Burger King and rise of McDonalds as well as a few "vulgar" messages. See McDonald’s claims innocence in Burger King Twitter hacking.

There's No Avoiding Google+

Google wants us all to give up Facebook and use Google+. If you use one of Google's services like Gmail or YouTube, Google will automatically set up a Google+ profile for you. Not everyone is happy about being forced to use Google+, which stands to capture lots of information about users that can be used to sell them targeted advertising. See There's No Avoiding Google+.

Black Friday Shoppers Storm Retailers on Foot, Online

Online sales on this year's Black Friday were over $1 billion, a record high.  This holiday season so far shows a 16 percent increase over last year for online sales.  See Black Friday Shoppers Storm Retailers on Foot, Online.

Facebook Scans Private Conversations to Pad Likes

Facebook is scanning your messages and adding likes if you send a link to a site. Even if you were telling a friend you hated a certain site, your inclusion of a link may mean your message counts as a like. Privacy experts are concerned that private messages contribute to public likes, though Facebook says they are not linked back to the original messenger.  See Facebook Scans Private Conversations to Pad Likes.

Facebook Jettisons Phony Likes

Facebook is taking steps to ensure that all the "likes" on its site are genuine. Some Facebook users have likes from "malware, fake accounts or bulk purchase services." While some Facebook users may lose likes, this move will make likes a more trustworthy measure of a site's popularity. See Facebook Jettisons Phony Likes.

Mobile Payments: A Question of 'What' and 'When'

Are mobile payments poised to take off? Experts have predicted a break through in mobile payment technology and acceptance on a regular basis over the years.  Both Google and Paypal are pushing their mobile wallets, while security concerns have kept consumers from embracing these systems. See Mobile Payments: A Question of 'What' and 'When'. 

Email Trashing May Cost Samsung More Than $1B

This article describes the appeals process for patent cases and why the Apple v. Samsung case may drag on for years. Of interest is that Samsung apparently failed to preserve emails relevant to the case, which led the judge to order the jury to assume the evidence Samsung destroyed was in Apple's favor.  See Email Trashing May Cost Samsung More Than $1B