Online video site Vessel bets fans will pay for early access

Online video platform Vessel launched its paid subscription service on Tuesday, offering programming at least three days before other websites in a bid to reshape an industry dominated by free content on Google Inc’s YouTube. Vessel, which costs viewers $3 a month, was founded by former Hulu Chief Executive Jason Kilar and Chief Technology Officer Richard Tom. “There are a lot of consumers who would love to see something early.” More than 130 creators will provide early access to content on Vessel

Read more

Online platform ‘Open Humans’ launches to share DNA, other data

By Sharon Begley NEW YORK (Reuters) – People eager to share personal information beyond what’s on their Facebook profile have another outlet: an online platform launching on Tuesday will let them give scientists information about their genomes, gut bacteria and other biological data. The “Open Humans Network” aims to make more health-related data available for scientists to mine for discoveries and also help volunteers make that data more accessible to more researchers. Open Humans is launching when scientists are increasingly concerned that valuable genetic and other data are being kept under wraps.

Read more

FCC sued by broadband companies over net neutrality rules

By Alina Selyukh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. broadband providers on Monday filed lawsuits against the Federal Communications Commission's recently approved net neutrality rules, launching what is a expected to be a series of legal challenges. Broadband industry trade group USTelecom filed a lawsuit against the FCC in the U.S.

Read more

Amazon’s Twitch says its site may have been hacked

(Reuters) – Amazon Inc’s Twitch unit said on Monday there may have been unauthorized access to some of its user account information, according to the live streaming gaming network’s official blog. Twitch said it had expired passwords and stream keys, and disconnected accounts from Twitter and YouTube to protect the users.

Read more

U.S regulator sued by broadband companies over net neutrality rules

By Alina Selyukh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. broadband providers on Monday filed lawsuits against the Federal Communications Commission's recently approved net neutrality rules, launching what is a expected to be a series of legal challenges. Broadband industry trade group USTelecom filed a lawsuit against the FCC in the U.S.

Read more

Pentagon notifying 100 U.S. troops threatened by Islamic State

The Pentagon said on Monday it was notifying 100 U.S. troops that a group claiming ties to Islamic State militants had posted their names, addresses and photos on the Internet and was calling for American sympathizers to kill them

Read more

Online gambling company GVC interested in ‘something like’ Bwin

Online gambling company GVC Holdings Plc is in talks for potential acquisitions and “something like” rival Bwin.party would be of interest, Chief Executive Kenneth Alexander said. Consolidation activity in the gambling industry has gathered steam as an increase in taxes and regulations in some of the biggest markets hurts companies

Read more

Online ad revenue at risk in war on ‘click fraud’

Spurred by a warning in December by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) that businesses are losing $6.3 billion a year to so-called “click fraud,” these companies now stipulate in advertising contracts that they will only pay for online ads when given proof that humans clicked on them. “We don't want to be paying for non-human traffic,” said Mark Clowes, global head of advertising at American International Group Inc , the largest commercial insurer in the country. In a typical click fraud scheme, a crook infects many computers with malicious software, and directs the machines – called bots – to visit a webpage, click on an ad or watch a video

Read more