A majority of U.S. adults now use social media: Pew study

Social media usage among American adults has ballooned in the past decade with about two-thirds now on social networking sites, Pew Research Center said on Thursday. The 65 percent of adults in the United States using social media is up from 46 percent in 2010 and just 7 percent in 2005, the year Pew began tracking usage

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From sadness to wow, Facebook launches reaction buttons beyond like

Like it or not, Facebook Inc's trademark “like” button is set to get more expressive. The social network said on Thursday it is launching a pilot test of “Reactions,” with users able select from seven emotions, including like and “wow.” “Dislike,” however, is not one of the options

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Amazon launches platform to build apps for ‘Internet of Things’

(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc's cloud business, Amazon Web Services, has launched a service to help customers build applications to connect devices through the cloud, the so-called “Internet of Things”. The service, called “AWS IoT”, will allow factory floors, vehicles, health care systems, household appliances among other “things” to connect through cloud services, the company said on Thursday

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Hackers in China, South Korea, Germany targeted Clinton’s server: AP

Computer hackers in China, South Korea and Germany tried to attack Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's private email server after she left the U.S. State Department in February 2013, the Associated Press reported on Thursday. “It was not immediately clear whether the attempted intrusions into Clinton's server were serious espionage threats or the sort of nuisance attacks that hit computer servers the world over,” the AP said, citing a congressional document

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Chinese computer hack attacks slow ahead of Obama summit: experts

By Joseph Menn and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Major intrusions by Chinese hackers of U.S. companies' computer systems appear to have slowed in recent months, private-sector experts say, ahead of a meeting between China's president and President Barack Obama with cyber security on the agenda. “The pace of new breaches feels like it’s tempering,” said Kevin Mandia, founder of Mandiant, a prominent company that investigates sophisticated corporate breaches

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U.S. and China in urgent talks on cybersecurity deal: NY Times

(Reuters) – The United States and China have been engaged in urgent negotiations in recent weeks on a cybersecurity deal and may announce an agreement when President Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on a state visit on Thursday, the New York Times said on Saturday.

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Florida private investigator charged for trying to hack charity

By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Florida private investigator is facing criminal charges over his alleged effort to infiltrate a charity's computer network while researching whether nonprofits are financing Islamic militants, U.S. prosecutors said on Monday.

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Cyber security measure blocked in Senate

The Senate failed on Thursday to advance legislation to strengthen protections against cyber attacks, as Democrats banded together to oppose the measure's inclusion in a defense policy bill President Barack Obama has threatened to veto. By a 56-40 vote, lawmakers decided largely along party lines not to move ahead with the measure as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. It was the third time in three years that the Senate has failed to advance bipartisan cyber security legislation.

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Oculus debuts consumer version of VR headset, partners with Xbox

By Yasmeen Abutaleb SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Oculus, the virtual reality company owned by Facebook Inc, debuted the much anticipated consumer version of its headset on Thursday and announced a partnership with Microsoft Corp's Xbox One gaming console. A prototype of the Oculus Rift has been available to developers since 2013, but Thursday marked the first time anyone had seen the consumer version, which will be available for pre-order later this year and will start shipping in early 2016

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