Genius.com uses clever entrapment technique and accuses Google of stealing song lyrics from its site

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Ask Google what the lyrics to a particular song are and the chances are that the search results will display them in an info pane as well as links to lyrics sites. But where does Google get these lyrics from? Have Googlers sat and manually transcribed the words to songs ready or when people search for them?

No. Actually, there's a high chance that Google has simply scraped the lyrics from other sites, and one lyrics website says it caught the company red-handed. Genius.com used "Morse code" to catch the company lifting content directly from its lyric database.

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Wi-Fi past, present and future

Wi-Fi

Wireless networking is something we've come to take for granted in recent years. ISPs often give away a wireless router when you sign up for an internet connection with the consequence that Wi-Fi is now in most homes.

Networking specialist Netgear has produced an infographic looking at the origins of Wi-Fi, how it's developed and where it’s going in future.

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TripAdvisor responds to Change.org petition on sexual assault 'cover-ups'

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TripAdvisor is one of the top services utilized by travelers. It’s a source for everything you should know about your destination, regardless of how obscure or isolated it may be. Need to know lesser-known gems to see, or the less touristy places to visit? Check there.

One of the more important services offered by TripAdvisor covers wayfarer safety, which can mean any number of things from violence to pickpockets to scams.

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YouTube clamps down on hate speech by banning supremacism, Holocaust denial and more

Image credit: Burdun Iliya / Shutterstock

YouTube's on-going battle against hate speech on its platform continues, and the site has just announced new policies that it hopes will help to further curb the problem.

As part of its new rules, YouTube is now taking a tougher stance against discriminatory material, banning supremacist videos such as those that promote Nazism. Also banned are videos that seek to spread misinformation by denying that "well-documented violent events", such as the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, ever occurred. Holocaust denial is also banned.

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Flipboard hacked -- attackers had access to database of user information for 9 months

Flipboard

Flipboard is resetting the passwords of millions of users after suffering a data breach. Hackers were able to access databases containing usernames and passwords, as well as access tokens for some third-party services.

The company has not revealed how many users are affected by the security incident, but says that hackers had access to its systems for a nine months.

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RIP Grumpy Cat: The meme and internet phenomenon is dead

Grumpy Cat

Grumpy Cat, the feline subject of many memes, has died at the age of 7.

The internet celebrity rose to fame because of her delightfully dour demeanour and a sour face that made the online world smile. An internet celebrity for seven years, Grumpy Cat (aka Tardar Sauce) shuffled off this mortal coil this week, leaving the web a sadder place.

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Banned from social media? Feeling persecuted and censored? Report it to Donald Trump!

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The White House has launched a new tool that enables people to report the fact that they have been kicked off the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

The tool is aimed at people who have had their social media presence curtailed and "suspect political bias" is involved. Anyone who feels aggrieved is invited to "share your story with President Trump".

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Shining a light onto the dark web

Dark web hacker

The dark web is, by its very nature something of an object of mystery. It's easy to think of it as a huge, closed community hidden from the world in dusty corners of the internet. But what's the reality?

Threat intelligence specialist Recorded Future has done some research to try to understand the dark web's true nature.

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Mozilla explains why Firefox add-ons stopped working... and how to fix the problem

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Since late last night, Firefox users have been plagued with a problem that meant no add-ons were working. Extensions were disabled and users were unable to re-enable them, causing confusion and frustrationaround the world.

It turns out that that the reason Firefox add-ons stopped working is that a signing certificate expired. Having determined the cause of the problem, Mozilla has developed a fix for users of the desktop version of Firefox on the Release, Beta and Nightly channels. [UPDATE: Mozilla has released a new version of Firefox that fixes most problems for more users.]

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It is getting harder than ever for VPNs to break through the Great Firewall of China

Great Firewall of China

The censorial Great Firewall of China is famed throughout the world for the restrictions it places on Chinese citizens. Internet users play a game of cat and mouse, seeking tools and methods for slipping through the censoring and spying that the government enforces.

But it is getting harder and harder to evade the Great Firewall. VPNs that once allowed unfettered access to the greater internet are quickly stomped on by the Chinese government, just as happens in Russia. At the end of March, a new update to the firewall blacklisted hundreds of VPN servers and now fewer VPN tools than ever work in China. So which is the best VPN for those fighting the Great Firewall?

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Mozilla bans Firefox add-ons with obfuscated code

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As Mozilla continues to try to make it safer than ever to use Firefox, the organization has updated its Add-on Policy so that any updates that include obfuscated code are explicitly banned.

Mozilla has also set out in plain terms its blocking process for add-ons and extensions. While there is nothing surprising here, the clarification should mean that there are fewer causes for disputes when an add-on is blocklisted.

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Putin signs law to create 'sovereign internet' for Russia

Russia freedom keyboard

President Putin has signed into law a bill that will give Russia a "sovereign internet" -- one which could be disconnected from the global web if the Kremlin decided to do so. It is being sold as a way to "ensure the safe and sustainable functioning" of Russia's internet should the country's enemies try to block access.

But there are fears that the law -- which will require ISPs to route traffic through government-controlled servers -- amounts to the creation of a Russian version of the Great Firewall of China and will lead to severe online censorship.

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UK streaming site TVCatchup is down... and this could be the end

TVCatchup

If you are having trouble accessing TVCatchup  via its mobile app or through its website, you are not alone. The UK TV streaming service has gone dark, and it could be a permanent closure.

The service has been no stranger to controversy and managed to attract the attention -- and the wrath -- of numerous broadcasters, and became embroiled in a legal battle. Having managed to stay online for longer than many would have imagined, it seems you’ll now have to seek out an alternative to TVCatchup.

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Free test checks website security and PCI DSS compliance

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Good website security is essential to give customers confidence in your business, but for smaller organizations testing can prove difficult.

To address this issue, security testing and risk rating company ImmuniWeb is launching a free website security test that can be used by anyone.

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Google is killing off the Data Saver extension for Chrome

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If you're a Chrome user with the Data Saver extension installed, there's some bad news. Google has announced that with the desktop version of Chrome 74, the extension is being deprecated.

Data Saver is not going away completely, however. It will remain, exclusively, in the Android version of the web browser where it will be known as Lite mode. While this is great for mobile users looking to reduce their data usage, it's a little strange that desktop users won't also be afforded the ability to enjoy a data-light, faster internet experience.

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