Parking reservation service SpotHero announced an integration with Google Assistant, enabling users to book parking with voice commands. Drivers with Android Auto will be able to use SpotHero and Google Assistant to find and pay for parking from a vehicle, hands-free, in 50 major North American markets, said the company. Android smartphone and iOS users can engage the service via app by saying, “Hey Google, book parking,” it said.
The FTC flagged the recent $650,000 settlement with connected toymaker VTech (see 1801080029) in its annual report highlighting 2017 privacy accomplishments, also noting complaints filed against revenge porn site MyEx.com (see 1801090067), and the upcoming PrivacyCon event Feb. 28. In a separate report, the commission lauded its work on competition, privacy and consumer protection laws during acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen’s one-year tenure. The commission filed 10 competition cases in federal or administration courts and took action in 25 other cases to protect consumers from anticompetitive mergers or business conduct, the report said.
Maersk and IBM will form a joint venture to "provide more efficient and secure methods for conducting global trade using blockchain technology," blogged the venture's CEO-designate Michael White Tuesday. The new company will work to develop a platform to "provide end-to-end supply chain visibility that enables all actors involved in a global shipping transaction to securely and seamlessly exchange shipment events in real time," it said of the technology also undergirding virtual currencies: The platform also will "digitize and automate paperwork filings for the import and export of goods by enabling end users to securely submit, stamp and approve documents across national and organizational boundaries." Customs and Border Protection, also working on blockchain (see 1708250025), and DuPont are among those that have piloted the platform, wrote White.
Online sales reached a record $108.2 billion for the Nov. 1-Dec. 31 holiday stretch, up 15 percent, Adobe reported Tuesday. Voice assistant sales doubled, with half of surveyed consumers using assistants daily. Mobile revenue was a third of Q4 online revenue at $35.9 billion, up 28 percent, with smartphone orders averaging $110, up 2 percent, though still less than desktop-made purchases. Cyber Monday was the first day that more than $2 billion posted from smartphones and tablets, said the company Friday. Search drove the most revenue during the holiday season at 45 percent, it said.
Amazon didn’t respond to questions Tuesday about White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ Sunday social media callout of Alexa for enabling her toddler to order a toy via an Echo speaker. “Alexa, we have a problem if my 2 year old can order a Batman toy by yelling ‘Batman!’ over and over again into the Echo,” Sanders tweeted using the @PressSec handle. The comment evoked a predictable firestorm of tweets. Some Twitter users criticized Sanders for sending the tweet from her official White House Twitter account. At least one user provided step-by-step instructions for parental controls that either disable voice purchasing or require a passcode to confirm purchases.
Netflix is too expensive even for Apple to buy, wrote tech and media investor Eric Jackson, president of EMJ Capital, in a CNBC column Friday: Aside from the $94 billion market capitalization, founder Reed Hastings is likely particularly reluctant to sell since Netflix "has reached escape velocity" as an over-the-top service with robust subscription growth globally. "Acquisition averse" Apple is more likely to start its own subscription VOD service, he said. Apple didn't comment.
NTIA is seeking public comment on a draft report outlining strategies for combating botnets, said a Federal Register notice Thursday. The report, released Friday (see 1801050052), continues work initiated under Executive Order 13800, “Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure.” Comments, due Feb. 12, are asked to address whether the draft report accurately characterizes risks in the internet communications ecosystem, and what technical approaches or implementation barriers warrant consideration. Commenters also are asked to evaluate the report’s goals for achieving a more resilient ecosystem; role of stakeholders in achieving those goals; how a road map can identify and prioritize an action plan; which incentives will promote market-based solutions; and how to choose the right metrics for measuring progress.
Electronic toymaker VTech agreed to pay $650,000 to settle FTC charges it violated children’s privacy rules, the agency announced Monday. VTech’s “Kid Connect” app collected information on “hundreds of thousands” of children without parental notification, the FTC said, saying the case is the first children’s privacy case involving internet-connected toys. VTech failed to use “reasonable and appropriate” measures to safeguard the collection of information, the FTC said. VTech was among several makers of smart toys flagged for criticism in a Senate Commerce Committee minority staff report released in December (see 1612140041) that urged toymakers to build security measures into products at the outset of production. VTech didn't comment. The settlement also requires VTech to implement a data security system and make it available to independent audits for the next 20 years. “There’s not a consistent practice over time of companies making sure they are always staying one step ahead of the hackers,” said FTC Consumer Protection Bureau acting Director Tom Pahl during a call with reporters. The settlement will ensure “that kind of program they develop is in place and works.” The VTech case “sends a message to parents,” who “should read a company’s privacy practices, make sure that companies get their permission to collect their children’s information and be aware of their other rights,” Pahl said. VTech CEO Allan Wong said the company "is pleased to settle this two-year-old investigation by the FTC" and has instituted new security protocols to protect customer data and comply with FTC notice and consent requirements.
Belkin's Linksys announced it’s expanding its Velop whole-home mesh Wi-Fi line with a dual-band offering incorporating Intelligent Mesh technology that’s said to deliver Wi-Fi via the fastest path to the internet using hardware and software. Features include advanced parental controls with website category content filtering, block overrides, network traffic monitoring and website blocking. Automatic network traffic security monitoring guards against malware, phishing and malicious websites, it said. Pricing will be announced when the router ships later this year. Belkin’s Wemo brand is shipping a HomeKit bridge, enabling Wemo users to control devices via Siri on an iPhone or iPad. The $39 Wemo Bridge connects to a Wi-Fi router via an Ethernet cable, using the router to communicate between HomeKit-enabled devices including mobile devices and Apple Watch, it said. Linksys also announced a router for the Xbox due next month at $299.
The Commerce and Homeland Security departments released a draft report noting botnet mitigation efforts and cybersecurity hurdles Friday, with public comments due Feb. 12 and final report to the president set for May 11. It seeks input on how to address automated and distributed threats to the digital ecosystem. "No single investment or activity can mitigate harms, but organized discussions and stakeholder feedback will allow us to further evaluate and prioritize activities," the report said. It noted that "effective tools exist, but are not widely used," that "market incentives are misaligned" and that "automated, distributed attacks are an ecosystem-wide challenge." The National Institute of Standards and Technology will host a Feb. 28 and March 1 event on the subject. NIST didn't provide details. Also Friday, chipmakers and tech companies and stakeholders continued working to address separate cybersecurity vulnerabilities (see 1801050050).