NewsFactor - First, Facebook dethroned Google as the most trafficked web site in the United States, and now the social networking community has proven to have an extremely loyal following among news readers, potentially threatening the dominant position held by Google News. So says a recent Hitwise survey.
PC World - Google isn’t exactly known for its respect for privacy, but a recent blog post shows the search giant may be attempting to turn a new leaf on what has been called an “irresponsible” stance on user privacy. Maybe.
AP - President Barack Obama told Iranians in an online video message that the U.S. wants more educational and cultural exchanges, and lamented that Tehran’s leaders have “turned their backs” on good faith overtures in the past to expand opportunities for their people.
AFP - President Barack Obama on Saturday subtly shifted US rhetoric on Iran, pledging to ensure Iranians could access the Internet without fear of censorship, and blaming Tehran for isolating itself.
Reuters - Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and an inspirational Web site on Friday gave $30,000 toward the college education of a teenage lesbian whose high school prom was canceled when she asked to attend with a girl.
PC World - Earlier this week Microsoft unveiled a preview of the engine behind its next-generation Web browser, Internet Explorer (IE) 9. Microsoft is still diligently working to convince many customers to make the switch from the archaic IE6 to the current IE8, but the march of development never stops so Microsoft is already hard at work on the next version as well.
PC World - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s national broadband plan captured our attention this week and will undoubtedly continue to do that in the weeks (and months and years) ahead. In other news, Palm CEO Jon Rubenstein says that his company could have given the Droid a run for it’s money, only if. And the week ends with reports that Google will announce its intentions regarding business in China on Monday.
PC World - Ncomputing on Friday announced a chip that could turn devices like TVs or set-top boxes into virtual desktops through which users can run Windows applications or access the Internet.
AFP - Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who left the booming social network to work on the online arm of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, is launching a startup to promote charitable efforts.
AP - Yelp, one of the most popular Web sites that let people post opinions about restaurants, shops and local services, is being sued by several small businesses that claim they’ve been pressured to advertise on the site in exchange for getting negative reviews squashed.