Tuesday 4 February 2014

Google, Facebook, and Microsoft show steady rise in surveillance data requests

The latest round of transparency reports come after an agreement between the government and tech companies about what information can be released

Google, Facebook, and Microsoft were among the technology companies to release new figures Monday showing a rising number of requests for their users' data coming from a secretive U.S. surveillance court.
Figures vary by company, though the numbers show that the content of multiple thousands of users' accounts has been sought in recent years by the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) court, which oversees requests for surveillance warrants for national security investigations. The court has been at the forefront of surveillance disclosures made by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden since last June.
Google received FISA requests related to the content of between 9,000 and 9,999 accounts during the first half of 2013, up from between 7,000 and 7,999 in the first half of 2011.
The court sought content related to 15,000 to 15,999 accounts from Microsoft, up from 11,000 to 11,999 in the second half of 2011.
At Facebook, during the second half of 2012, the court sought data related to the content of 4,000 to 4,999 Facebook user accounts, the company said in a report. The company received more of FISA requests during the first half of 2013 -- the number rose to between 5,000 and 5,999 users' accounts.

Satya Nadella to succeed Ballmer as Microsoft CEO After a protracted search, Nadella becomes only the third CEO in Microsoft's nearly 40-year history

Satya Nadella to succeed Ballmer as Microsoft CEO
After a protracted search, Nadella becomes only the third CEO in Microsoft's nearly 40-year history
Microsoft has finally concluded its protracted search and chosen its new CEO: Satya Nadella, who as executive vice president of the company's Cloud and Enterprise group has successfully steered the shift of the company's back-end server software and tools to the cloud.
As he takes the reins from Steve Ballmer, Nadella becomes only the third CEO in Microsoft's nearly 40-year history. Chairman and co-founder Bill Gates was the first.
"During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella," Gates said in a Microsoft news release issued Tuesday. "Satya is a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together. His vision for how technology will be used and experienced around the world is exactly what Microsoft needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth."
In Nadella, Microsoft has chosen a long-time, loyal insider who knows the company well and is reportedly well-liked by his peers and the staff. A twenty-plus year company veteran, he has risen through the ranks, most recently leading the group in charge of computing platforms, developer tools and cloud services.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Olusegun Obasanjo & Abdulsalami Abubakar at the AU Summit in Addis, Ababa Today

Thursday, January 30th, 2014
It was a gathering of the heads of states and government at the 22nd Summit of the African Union earlier today Thursday 30th January 2014 at the Addis, Ababa, Ethiopia.
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan…
as well as former Nigerian heads

BN Red Carpet Fab: 2013 Nollywood Movies Awards

Posted on Monday, October 14th, 2013 at 8:47 PM By BellaNaija.com
Yeah, it is time for another editi






 










 

on of BN Red Carpet FAB!

2014 People’s Choice Awards Red Carpet: Pick Your Best Dressed

Thursday, January 9th, 2014
Awards season is in full force.
The 2014 People’s Choice Awards… took place yesterday Wednesday 8th January 2014 at the Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, USA. And of course, the stars came out in their stylish outfits.
Pick your favourite look!


Kenyan Artisans feature in New Zealand Designer Karen Walker’s Eyewear Campaign

Thursday, January 30th, 2014
New Zealand Fashion Designer Karen Walker is bringing her ‘quirky’ fashion sense to Africa.
Joining a list of designers like Vivienne Westwood, Vans… & more collaborating with African organisations to eliminate poverty through fashion, Karen has collaborated with Kenyan

Deola Sagoe Rebrands Eponymous Label to ‘Deola’ | 1st Solo Show for New York Fashion Week 2014

Monday, February 3rd, 2014
For its 25th year in the fashion industry, Nigerian fashion label Deola Sagoe will be re-launching with a new label name - Deola…. To celebrate this new phase for the brand, Deola will not only be changing its name