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Sony is preparing to ban gamers from the PlayStation Network (PSN) unless they waive the right to collectively sue it over future security breaches.

The firm has amended PSN's terms and conditions and users have to agree to them next time they log in.

The move comes months after a string of hacking attacks compromised over 100 million accounts of the PlayStation Network subscribers.

It is, however, possible to opt out of the agreement within the next 30 days.

Gamers will now have to try to resolve any legal issues with an arbitrator picked by Sony, before being able to file a lawsuit.

The new clauses, dubbed "Binding Individual Arbitration," state that "any Dispute Resolution Proceedings, whether in arbitration or court, will be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class or representative action or as a named or unnamed member in a class, consolidated, representative or private attorney general action".

The re-written terms and conditions are being presented to gamers when they log in, but some have questioned who will notice the changes.

Tech news site The Register wondered who would notice the small print outlining the opt-out terms, and not simply click the "agree" box having scrolled all the way down.

Those that want to opt out will have to send a letter to Sony's Los Angeles headquarters in the US.

Once they do, the subscribers will be able to keep their right to file a class action lawsuit without any need for arbitration.

But before subscribers have a chance to opt out, they will still be required to agree to the new terms the next time they log into their accounts.

Otherwise they will not be able to use the online services.

A class action lawsuit filed against Sony in April after the first attack, in which the details of 77 million users were stolen and PSN went offline for 40 days, could end up costing the Japanese electronics giant billions of dollars.

Sony Online Entertainment, the company's computer games service, was also hit, as well as the Sony Pictures website, exposing personal information for 25 million more accounts.

In addition, personal data of 2,000 consumers was stolen from a Sony Ericsson website in Canada and details of 8,500 users were leaked on a Sony Music Entertainment website in Greece.

Some time later, a group called Lulz Security claimed to have broken into Sonypictures.com.

Sony has since apologised over the security breaches and offered compensation packages.

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s top search engine Baidu Inc is on the lookout for potential acquisitions and investment opportunities in the mobile and cloud computing spaces, its chief financial officer said on Friday.

“We constantly assess our business needs and are on the lookout in the industry space for what will be a good fit for us,” Jennifer Li also told Reuters in an interview.

She was speaking just hours after the firm offered a glimpse of its upcoming mobile operating system and launched a new mobile application platform aimed at bolstering its presence in the increasingly competitive mobile web market.

Baidu recently faced criticism from China’s state broadcaster CCTV over how easy it was to register and promote fake websites on Baidu. The scrutiny raised speculation among media and analysts that this could lead to tougher regulations.

Li said that Baidu welcomed the scrutiny, as it offered it opportunities to learn and improve its products.

Li said the company’s goals for Internet development in China were in line with that of the country’s regulators.

“The Internet is becoming increasingly influential and everyone recognizes that and I think we have the same goal, which is to make the industry healthy,” she said.

Baidu has about 80 percent of all search market traffic in China, a nation with almost half a billion Internet users. It has been building its market share since Google Inc’s high-profile exit from mainland China this year after a fallout with Beijing over censorship.

(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Writing by Kazunori Takada; Editing by Jason Subler)

Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s top search engine Baidu Inc is on the lookout for potential acquisitions and investment opportunities in the mobile and cloud computing spaces, its chief financial officer said on Friday.

“We constantly assess our business needs and are on the lookout in the industry space for what will be a good fit for us,” Jennifer Li also told Reuters in an interview.

She was speaking just hours after the firm offered a glimpse of its upcoming mobile operating system and launched a new mobile application platform aimed at bolstering its presence in the increasingly competitive mobile web market.

Baidu recently faced criticism from China’s state broadcaster CCTV over how easy it was to register and promote fake websites on Baidu. The scrutiny raised speculation among media and analysts that this could lead to tougher regulations.

Li said that Baidu welcomed the scrutiny, as it offered it opportunities to learn and improve its products.

Li said the company’s goals for Internet development in China were in line with that of the country’s regulators.

“The Internet is becoming increasingly influential and everyone recognizes that and I think we have the same goal, which is to make the industry healthy,” she said.

Baidu has about 80 percent of all search market traffic in China, a nation with almost half a billion Internet users. It has been building its market share since Google Inc’s high-profile exit from mainland China this year after a fallout with Beijing over censorship.

(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Writing by Kazunori Takada; Editing by Jason Subler)

Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s top search engine Baidu Inc is on the lookout for potential acquisitions and investment opportunities in the mobile and cloud computing spaces, its chief financial officer said on Friday.

“We constantly assess our business needs and are on the lookout in the industry space for what will be a good fit for us,” Jennifer Li also told Reuters in an interview.

She was speaking just hours after the firm offered a glimpse of its upcoming mobile operating system and launched a new mobile application platform aimed at bolstering its presence in the increasingly competitive mobile web market.

Baidu recently faced criticism from China’s state broadcaster CCTV over how easy it was to register and promote fake websites on Baidu. The scrutiny raised speculation among media and analysts that this could lead to tougher regulations.

Li said that Baidu welcomed the scrutiny, as it offered it opportunities to learn and improve its products.

Li said the company’s goals for Internet development in China were in line with that of the country’s regulators.

“The Internet is becoming increasingly influential and everyone recognizes that and I think we have the same goal, which is to make the industry healthy,” she said.

Baidu has about 80 percent of all search market traffic in China, a nation with almost half a billion Internet users. It has been building its market share since Google Inc’s high-profile exit from mainland China this year after a fallout with Beijing over censorship.

(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Writing by Kazunori Takada; Editing by Jason Subler)

Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s top search engine Baidu Inc is on the lookout for potential acquisitions and investment opportunities in the mobile and cloud computing spaces, its chief financial officer said on Friday.

“We constantly assess our business needs and are on the lookout in the industry space for what will be a good fit for us,” Jennifer Li also told Reuters in an interview.

She was speaking just hours after the firm offered a glimpse of its upcoming mobile operating system and launched a new mobile application platform aimed at bolstering its presence in the increasingly competitive mobile web market.

Baidu recently faced criticism from China’s state broadcaster CCTV over how easy it was to register and promote fake websites on Baidu. The scrutiny raised speculation among media and analysts that this could lead to tougher regulations.

Li said that Baidu welcomed the scrutiny, as it offered it opportunities to learn and improve its products.

Li said the company’s goals for Internet development in China were in line with that of the country’s regulators.

“The Internet is becoming increasingly influential and everyone recognizes that and I think we have the same goal, which is to make the industry healthy,” she said.

Baidu has about 80 percent of all search market traffic in China, a nation with almost half a billion Internet users. It has been building its market share since Google Inc’s high-profile exit from mainland China this year after a fallout with Beijing over censorship.

(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Writing by Kazunori Takada; Editing by Jason Subler)

Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here

TORONTO (Reuters) – Need some motivation to hit the gym? Perhaps some free merchandise will do the trick.

At least this is the premise that Nexercise is built upon, a free iPhone app that tracks activities ranging from running and weightlifting to fencing and polo and rewards users with free and discounted merchandise in the hopes that users will adopt long-term exercise habits.

“We’re trying to create a lifestyle – not a quick fix,” said co-founder Benjamin Young. “We don’t focus on how many miles you ran or how many pounds you’ve lifted. You get points in the game for healthy behaviors.”

Users can accumulate points based on the length of their workouts and for other behaviors that reinforce frequent exercise habits. Exercising with a friend or on a rainy day, for instance, allows users to accumulate bonus points.

“A lot of it is driven by research studies. If you exercise with someone, you’re more likely to continue to exercise.” said Young.

Receiving prizes is more of a lottery rather than direct redemption. Users with more points have greater chances of winning prizes, and those that have reached higher levels have access to more valuable prizes.

According to Young, the chances of winning a prize at the lowest level are about 25 percent, with prizes ranging from $5 gift cards and coupons for items such as energy bars, up to $250 gift cards.

Recent integration earlier this month with Kiip, a San Francisco-based advertising startup, provides access to prizes from retailers such as makeup company Sephora and vitamin and supplements maker GNC among many others.

Having recently completed an experimental run at the University of Maryland, the app is still quite new and has some kinks.

It has been criticized for the quality of its rewards, which Young said have improved with its recent integration with Kiip, and will continually improve as the app matures.

“It’s a function of growth. We’re growing and the more we grow, the more likely we’ll have bigger vendors getting on board,” he explained.

Another common complaint is that the app can’t run in the background, which means the app has to be open at all times in order to fully track physical activity. Young said the problem is scheduled to be fixed in the fall.

Other upcoming plans for the app include a contextual notification system to increase engagement. For instance, if the app detects that a user is motivated by competition, it will notify them when their friends have surpassed them in the game.

A website, called Earndit, has partnered with some of the same prize providers. Other popular fitness apps include Runkeeper and Nike+, which count calories and map trails, but do not provide prizes as incentives.

Nexercise is available worldwide on the App Store.

Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc has proposed a hiring spree of 7,000 jobs in California if state leaders put a recently enacted online sales tax on hold for two years.

The offer comes as California contends with the second-highest unemployment rate among U.S. states and broad anxiety about the national economy.

The tax, which took effect on July 1, requires retailers outside of California to collect sales taxes on online orders made through California-based affiliates. If it is not enforced until 2014, the largest Internet retailer also would drop its effort to put a measure to California voters that would repeal it.

Democrats who control the legislature will not accept Seattle-based Amazon’s offer. They pressed in state budget talks earlier this year for new revenue to help balance the state’s books, which require closing a $10 billion shortfall.

Lawmakers closed the gap in June, largely with spending cuts that Democrats reluctantly backed after having supported deep cuts in previous budget cycles.

Details of Amazon’s offer emerged on Thursday after a meeting on Tuesday between representatives of Amazon and member companies of the California Retailers Association and a group in the office state Senate Republican Bob Dutton in Sacramento.

The association of brick-and-mortar retailers, which backs the online sales tax, was quick to reject Amazon’s offer. Large and small retailers in California have long complained they are disadvantaged by having to collect sales taxes while out-of-state retailers could avoid doing so.

“Our people came back and said this isn’t legitimate,” said Bill Dombrowski, the association’s president. “It’s unacceptable.”

He said California’s Democratic lawmakers would snub Amazon’s offer despite the urgency over job creation that has seized Sacramento in recent weeks.

Lawmakers have largely backed the online sales tax as it has the support of small and large businesses, local governments and public employees, whose ranks are being thinned in response to weak state and local revenue.

OTHER JOBS PLANS IN MIND

Democrats are in no mood to negotiate with Amazon. A spokeswoman for Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said he instead aims to garner support for a bill to thwart Amazon from bringing its referendum to undo the online sales tax.

Referendum campaign spokesman Ned Wigglesworth declined to comment on Tuesday’s meeting and Amazon’s offer. But he said campaign staff are confident they will have more than enough voter signatures by a September 27 deadline to qualify the referendum for next year’s November ballot.

To get a reprieve from the sales tax, Amazon offered to build distribution centers in California to spur badly needed job growth.

California’s jobless rate stood at 12 percent in July and forecasters expect it to remain in double-digits through next year, an election year in which new legislative districts and term limits could create volatile political dynamics.

California’s leaders have their own job growth ideas.

Steinberg and fellow Democrats Assembly Speaker John Perez and Governor Jerry Brown last week unveiled proposals for tax breaks for businesses, including tax relief for companies that buy new manufacturing equipment.

Steinberg and Perez on Thursday announced an agreement on bills, backed by the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Manufacturers and Technology Association, to ease regulation and create an economic development office.

“We’ve often heard from the private sector that there’s a perception state government is too complex,” Steinberg said in a statement. “This legislation implements concrete reforms that will change that perception, instill confidence for investors and send a strong signal that California is open for business.”

(Editing by Dan Grebler)

Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Google Inc promoted a Groupon-like daily deals offer on its home page on Wednesday for the first time, a rare instance of the Internet giant using its prized online real estate for advertising.

The world’s No.1 Web-search engine launched a daily deals business in certain cities this year — called Google Offers — to try and counter Groupon’s increasing draw for Web surfers.

Wednesday’s daily deal was the first time a Google Offers product has been promoted on its minimalist website, and may signal an escalation of competition with Groupon — which has filed for an IPO sources say could happen as soon as next month.

The pair are vying for advertising dollars from local businesses, such as restaurants and retail stores.

A short blurb beneath Google’s sparse home page — a valued window into a plethora of services from email to maps — offered visitors $25 tickets to New York’s American Museum of Natural History for the discounted price of $5.

“We occasionally include a link on the Google home page that points users to important information, whether it be about a relevant cause, a new product or an offer,” a Google spokeswoman said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

“Users can benefit from learning about great deals from local organizations.”

Google has traditionally resisted using its home page for promotions, save for occasionally pushing in-house products such as its Chrome Web browser or its now-defunct Nexus One phone.

Google generated 96 percent of its roughly $29 billion in revenue last year from advertising. Most of it comes from ads that appear alongside Google’s search results.

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic and Alistair Barr; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

This story corrects to Nexus One phone, not Nexus S, in the 8th paragraph.

Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here