Mobile apps try to keep you glued on the screen for as long as possible, but in the future these experiences will become focused and unified, as they interact more seamlessly to become extensions of your IoT system.
That’s according to Frank Palermo, the VP of digital solutions at Virtusa, who says the growth in momentum surrounding IoT will change UX design for mobile applications and consumer systems.
See Also: Enterprise outlook: partly cloudy with a chance of fear
Palermo makes a few points on the future of UX design in the IoT age, including what might be the most shocking to users today: No more screens.
Screens are a thing of the past, according to Palermo, in a design world focused on integrated context. Everything is always running and UX design needs to make operations simple for the end user, removing clutter found on apps currently. The UX needs to change as well to make sure only a few connections are occupying the space, and Palermo claims data-driven design might help towards a cleaner interface.
He also points out that loading will no longer be an issue, adding that we already tune out of websites that take more a few seconds to load — hence why Facebook, Apple, and Google all launched systems to make webpages load faster — so consumers will have even less patience for IoT services that are spend time booting or loading.
That might be fixed by the time IoT comes to consumers, as LTE Advanced, Wi-Fi ac routers, and over 100Mbps download speeds become commonplace. Palermo also sees beacon technology adoption as an imperative to avoid poor radio signals indoors and believes designers should make it a top priority to set up systems with beacon technology in mind.
For it all to work, he says, there needs to be standards for IoT devices, which also seems to be developing.
Palermo suggests the Open Connectivity Foundation, a merger of the Open Interconnect Consortium and AllSeen Alliance, is a good sign of companies working to create standards for IoT. Having all devices cooperate with one another could advance consumer interest in IoT, instead of walled gardens that do not accept third-party devices.
The end of the smartphone era is not anywhere close but we might see greater integration between mobile and other platforms in the future, according to Forrester Research analyst Thomas Husson.
In a new report, Husson claims that the Internet of Things (IoT) will bring new consumer and business opportunities in the next five to ten years, as billions of connected devices are added, but mobile will remain a dominant hub where consumers connect things together.
See Also: Internet of Things revenues up 15 percent; cloud computing a big driver
The Forrester report tries to hit back at the view that we’re moving from a mobile age to other platforms like virtual and augmented reality1, as the main “hub” areas for IoT connectivity and notifications.
“It is time to stop this quixotic quest for a paradigmatic new platform to replace mobile. Instead, recognize that mobile will activate these adjacent technologies to enable new brand experiences,” said Husson. “Reports of IoT killing mobile are greatly exaggerated, if not completely inaccurate. Echoing the traditional proclamation of “The King is dead; long live The King!” I can confirm that mobile is here to stay.”
Mobile may begin to fade – but only over years
Ten years in the future, we might start seeing mobile fade as the primary connection between two devices, as machine learning and AI is deployed to automatically tune the devices and make them work in sync. Even at that point, smartphones will remain the main port for user control and identity, according to Husson.
In between now and ten years, Husson provides a roadmap that details how connected devices will become more attuned to other sensors. That should happen in the next two years, followed by machine learning that can understand what the user wants to do after they switch a light on or turn the TV off, which will supposedly come in five years.
Enthusiasm about IoT is at near peak levels, but enterprises seem to be very cautious with the new technology, which might mean a long wait until both the consumer and industrial market is flooded with devices and users.
It's hard to remember, but things looked good forFacebook's ambitions in India last fall.
"India has 600,000 villages, and most people get scared when they hear this number. My vision is to connect them all with optical fiber cable in the next five years," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during atown hallwith Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, in September 2015.
Zuckerberg had begun the session by reciting India's importance in the history of Facebook. He said he was once unsure about his company's future, and his mentor, Steve Jobs, suggested he visit a temple in India, where he would find his answers, which Zuckerberg did. The revelation instantly struck a chord, not only with the prime minister, but also with many Indians watching the session online.
SEE ALSO:'Disappointed' Mark Zuckerberg responds to India's partial Facebook ban
Cut to three months later and Facebook has somehow managed to become an enemy of the very same people Zuckerberg was trying to connect with. Much ink has been spilled onFacebook's Free Basicsprogram and how it violates the tenets ofnet neutrality.Mashablehas extensively covered the tussle between Facebook and India's telecom regulator, which finally culminated yesterday withIndia banning Free Basicsalong with other zero rated services.
It's fascinating how Facebook could stumble so badly when it came to one of its boldest betsin its mission to connect the unconnected population in the world.
Let's begin with some numbers. Industry estimates suggestIndia had 375 million Internet usersat the end of October 2015, a number that was supposed to touch 402 million. Facebook has over 130 million users from India that log in at least once every month, which translates to roughly one in three connected Indians who access Facebook. If you throw in the more than 100 million monthly active users WhatsApp has in India, the number of users of Facebook-owned services is even higher — assuming there are many people who use WhatsApp but don't have a Facebook account.
With Free Basics, Facebook said it wanted to bring more unconnected users online. At a town hall held at theIndian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhilast December, Zuckerberg said Free Basics had already brought 15 million users online, of which a million came from India. And that's not all — he claimed half of people who came to Free Basics opted to pay to access the whole Internet.
Basically not doing its job
What was missing from the announcement was the number of people who accessed Free Basics that were not exactly first-time Internet users. ABuzzfeedinvestigationrevealedthat in most markets where Facebook had launched Free Basics with carrier partners, the majority of users already had a data plan and used Free Basics to access Facebook for free or used it when they ran out of data credit.
In other words, Facebook's carrier partners were using Free Basics to retain customers by helping them access Facebook for free, while subscribers on other networks had to pay for it. No wonder carriers were willing to foot the cost of serving Free Basics.
"The biggest reason why four billion people don’t access the Internet — bigger than issues of access or cost — is they don’t know why it might be valuable," Zuckerberg hadproclaimedin his IIT Delhi town hall. That proclamation might have some truth to it, but in India's case access and cost might be bigger issues. Which takes us back to where I started — Prime Minister Modi's ambition to connect 600,000 Indian villages with optical fiber cable.
According to the latestreportavailable with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (the same body that banned Free Basics), India had a total of 131.49 million "broadband" connections at the end of Nov. 2015. (TRAI classifies any connection above 512kbps as broadband — this includes wired connections, wireless as well as fixed wireless connections like Wi-Fi, WiMax and VSAT.)
That's 131.49 million connections for a population of over 1.25 billion — only about 10%
of the country.What India needs is more connectivity.
TechnologistAnil Dashtold Zuckerberg why Free Basics is probably the wrong approach for Facebook in India: "Internet.org may be a fundamentally wrong structure for delivering these kinds of services because it doesn't empower people to create solutions for themselves that are culturally and contextually appropriate. What about pausing the Internet Basics effort and spending some time on a real effort to listen to Indian voices about what would help them have connectivity on their own terms, in a way they find acceptable?" hecommentedon Zuckerberg's Facebook post on being disappointed with India's decision.
The point being that rather than giving unlimited access to a restricted Internet, Facebook could have served India better by giving limited, free access to the entire Internet. Surprisingly, Facebook is working on a project in India, called Express Wi-Fi, where it is encouraging local entrepreneurs to purchase inexpensive hardware to setup a public Wi-Fi network and provide affordable Internet service. Guess how many people know about this project? Certainly not the millions of Indians who came to know about Free Basics via Facebook's multi-million dollaradvertising blitzkrieg.
How Google is picking up Facebook's dropped ball
India's telecom minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, has set a target of adding another 100 million Internet users in the country over the next seven months. To achieve this figure, the state-run carrier BSNL will be setting up 2,500 public Wi-Fi hotspots across the country by Mar. 2017. Facebook could have played a big role in this mission, but it lost its way somewhere.
After addressing the town hall session at Facebook's headquarters, Prime Minister Modi visited the Googleplex in Mountain View, California, where India-born Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a partnership with Indian Railways toinstall 400 Wi-Fi hotspotsat the busiest railway stations — 100 of which would go online in 2016.
"Even with just the first 100 stations online, this project will make Wi-Fi available for the more than 10 million people who pass through every day.
This will rank it as the largest public Wi-Fi project in India, and among the largest in the world, by number of potential users," Pichaiwrotein a blog post announcing the partnership.
"It will also be fast — many times faster than what most people in India have access to today, allowing travelers to stream a high-definition video while they’re waiting, research their destination, or download some videos, a book or a new game for the journey ahead. Best of all, the service will be free to start, with the long-term goal of making it self-sustainable to allow forexpansion to more stations and other places, with RailTel and more partners, in the future," he added.
Google's Wi-Fi project, which has largely been welcomed, shows why Free Basics was flawed from the start: While Facebook was peddling a limited Internet where users could access its services along with others that Facebook chose, Google was giving away the entire Internet, and at speeds faster than then norm.
It's still an open question whether Google's project will succeed in the long term, but at least it's an attempt to address the key issue of connectivity, and with a level of service that most of the world enjoys. In contrast, Facebook's Free Basics was treating India as the third world. Indians have had quite enough of that, thank you.
On Thursday, Facebook announced there are more than 800 million monthly active users on Messenger. While we can assume they're all at least chatting with each other, there's a whole lot more you can do in the app beyond instant messaging.
Over the last year, Messenger has shown it wants to be a one-stop shop for all your mobile needs — from sending GIFs to requesting an Uber. With so many updates, you may have missed some of the app's best new features.
SEE ALSO: The 100 best iPhone apps of all time
From paying friends to customizing your message threads, we've rounded up 10 of our favorite hidden tricks that will help you get the most out of Messenger.
1. There’s a standalone website for Messenger
Unlike having two different mobile apps, the two different websites make more sense. For example, you can keep chatting with your friends at work without the distraction of your news feed. The interface is minimal and clean — similar to the app but expanded. For each conversation, there’s a sidebar where you can mute notifications for that person, access a call or video chat and see photos you’ve shared with each other.
2. You don’t need Facebook to use Messenger
IMAGE: FACEBOOK
Anyone with a phone number can access Messenger and its features, even if you don't have a Facebook account. All you have to do is download the app, and you can select “Not on Facebook?” You can sign up from there.
3. Request an Uber
You can do away with your Uber app, and call a car through Messenger. From within a conversation, select the "More" icon indicated by three little dots and tap "Transportation." You can log in and request an Uber from there. Like the Uber app, you’ll receive updates on your driver’s status, notify friends, track the ride and pay for it.
4. Pin a group conversation for easy access
If you chat with the same group of people all the time, you can pin the conversation so you don’t have to scroll through to find it. Tap the Groups button at the bottom of the app, and you’ll see a Pin button in the top left corner. You can select the conversation you want to add, and you can assign a name to it. You can also add a photo as the group avatar by tapping on the camera button.
5. Mute notifications
You can silence specific conversations by tapping the name at the top of the message. In the drop-down screen of options, tap Notifications and select the period of time you want to mute it — like fifteen minutes, one hour, eight hours, 24 hours or indefinitely until you turn notifications back on. You can also turn off notifications entirely.
6. Make a payment
IMAGE: FACEBOOK
There are a few popular apps that let you pay your friends without any cash, but that means downloading yet another app. If you don’t have anymore room on your phone for Venmo, Messenger is an alternative, in case you don’t plan on deleting the app anytime soon.
7. Share photos instantly with facial recognition
Messenger’s Photo Magic feature uses facial recognition to make it easier to send photos to your friends. When the feature is on, the app will notify you to share photos when it detects a new picture with a friend in your camera roll. To enable it, click the settings gear icon on the bottom right, select Photos & Media and then Photo Magic, and switch the toggle on.
8. Send your location
IMAGE: FACEBOOK
Similar to dropping a pin in Apple Maps, you can send your location — or any location — in a message. Select a conversation, tap the More icon, click location, then you can search a place and send it.
9. Send GIFs
Tap More at the bottom of a conversation screen, and you’ll see a list of different apps you can install. You’ll see GIPHY as one option, and you can tap the INSTALL button, which will bring you to the App Store; download it as you normally would. Once installed, you can select the GIF icon at the bottom of a conversation to search and send GIFs directly in Messenger.
10. Customize your message threads with emoji
Change up your conversations with different people by changing the way the threads look. When you’re in a conversation, hit your friend’s name at the top of the screen, and you’ll see options for nicknames, color and emoji. The color will change the outline of icons as well as the chat bubbles.
It’s been more than a year since the ill-fated Fitbit Force tracker was pulled off shelves due its allergy-inducing wristband. Despite the ailment, the device otherwise received high praise for being one of the best — if not the best — fitness trackers on the market.
Now the company has introduced a reboot of the Force with a brand new name: the Fitbit Charge, and like the previous model, it’s a solid tracker that covers the basics. The Charge monitors steps taken, calories burned, quality of sleep and even shows you what time it is.
SEE ALSO: 14 health and fitness wearables and gadgets worth giving
The new tracker has a few extra bells and whistles, too: Notably, notifications from your smartphone are pushed to the device’s display, and it has an improved clasp design, which keeps it from mysteriously disappearing from your wrists.
Battery life is improved, too — rated to last 10 days on a single charge.
But fitness trackers have made a lot of advancements since the original launch of the Force. Some devices offer more notifications and features beyond what the Fitbit delivers. Android wear includes your social-network notifications, and the Microsoft Band will let you pay for your Starbucks coffee via the display.
Other fitness-focused wearables like the Basis Peak offer continuous heart-rate tracking, so you can see how the heart handles both workouts and daily stresses. The Charge doesn't do this either.
That's one of the biggest issues with Fitbit’s newest gadget: It’s a perfectly good tracker at $129.95, but
While the Force was a standout back when it launched in 2013, its Charge reboot is no longer a game-changer. That doesn’t mean, of course, it’s not a viable fitness tracker. It is; you'd just be wise to wait for the Charge HR instead.for just $20, the Fitbit Charge HR (launching in early 2015) will come with continuous heart-rate monitoring, and that alone is worth holding off for the larger investment.
Let’s take a closer look at why:
Design: More of the same
The hardware of the Charge is similar to the Force with a few tweaks: the wristband is more texturized thanks to small ridges that form a subtle pattern. It’s lighter on the wrists, too, and is one of the least-obtrusive designs we’ve seen, especially for one with a screen (such designs tend to be clunkier). It’s not often you’ll forget you’re wearing a tracker until it buzzes with a notification.
But the design is still not as sleek as Jawbone's tracker lineup and, once again, it’s not something you’d want to leave on during a chic dinner. Unlike the Fitbit Flex (the predecessor to the Force that's still popular today), the core system doesn’t pop out of the wristband and can’t transferred into a more fashionable option (like one from high-end designer Tory Burch).
Tory Burch bracelet for the Fitbit Flex.
This means you’re stuck with whatever color you choose (blue or black). The good news, however, is that the clasp is noticeably improved: It fits more snugly around the wrists and didn’t fall off once during testing. In the past, Fitbit device’s have been tricky to secure — the Charge goes on and off in a cinch.
However, you still can’t completely submerge Fitbit products in water. They're water-resistant, but you have to take it off (and remember to put it back on) every time you hop in the shower or go for a swim.
Tracking: better but not best
One of the biggest improvements to the Fitbit Charge is that you no longer have to put the device into sleep mode at night. Yes, just like the jolly guy at the North Pole, it knows when you’re awake and when you’re not. Owners of previous Fitbits (or those with other wristband trackers) likely know the frustration of waking up in the morning with no new collected data because it was never switched to sleep mode in the first place.
The Charge takes this step out of the equation altogether — a small but useful perk. However, it looks more closely at your nighttime cycle (deep sleep vs. light sleep), rather than a 30-minute cat nap you might sneak in during the day.
The Fitbit Charge (left) with the Fitbit Flex
For the most part, steps taken, calories burned and other daily activities are logged just as they were with previous models. At the same time, I encountered some red flags with the accuracy of the data: I reached my 10,000 step daily goal on a day I barely did much at all. In fact, I was alerted to the feat while sitting down (not moving, like you’d expect), and a few minutes later my count had increased to 10,100 steps (I was still sitting down).
Even still, the Charge (like most of Fitbit’s product offerings) is easy to use. It’s now possible to call out workouts and monitor how many calories were burned during a specific period.Clearly, sensitivity to arm movement is still something Fitbit, and other builders of fitness trackers, have yet to perfect. You can trick the device into thinking your moving when you’re merely reading a book or moving your arms during a conversation, so precise accuracy should be taken with a grain of salt. At the same time, activity notifications lagged for me, too: I got an email congratulating me of my 10,000-step victory a day late.
There are a few software updates available, including a new feature called Challenges that lets you go head to head with friends throughout the week, weekend or daily. And of course, the smartwatch-like alerts are particularly handy, which show you who's calling or texting via a message that pops up on the display. The device vibrates each time this happens too, so you don’t need to reach for your smartphone to see who’s contacting you. +1 for not being rude at dinner.
However, you can’t respond to notifications like you could with a smartwatch. All of this is forgiveable, of course, because first and foremost, the Charge is a fitness tracker. The Microsoft Band, another new fitness tracker, packs all the notifications you’d ever want onto its device, but as a trade-off: It’s far bigger and noticeable than the Charge, which is also softer to the touch.
For now, the Charge is truly an improved reboot of the Fitbit Force, but that’s about it. If you’re looking for a comprehensive fitness tracker to give you a bigger picture of your overall health, wait patiently and save your pennies for the Charge HR (again, at only $20 more), due in early 2015.
And if you're willing to spend more, the Fitbit Surge "superwatch" ($249) — a device specialized for runners with more smartwatch capabilities — is coming in the same time frame. The key takeaway: Fitbit has a lot more up its sleeve, so there's no need to settle on the basic Charge tracker now.
No heart-rate tracking • Can't withstand immersion in water • Questionable accuracy
The Bottom Line
The Fitbit Charge is a solid follow-up to the recalled Force wristband tracker, but hold off for the Charge HR and its heart-rate tracking features when it launches in early 2015.
Your future smartphone display might detect if you have a cold and could even analyze your DNA.
Researchers from Polytechnique Montreal and Gorilla Glass manufacturer Corning are working together to develop display sensors that read your spit.
SEE ALSO: Is This The Future of Touchscreen Tech? New Video Will Blow Your Mind
The sensors would be embedded within the smartphone's display and allow users to take their temperature, assess blood levels (if diabetic) and in theory, work alongside platforms such as Apple's HomeKit to give users more information about their health in real time.
While it's rumored that Apple may be switching away from Corning's Gorilla Glass display for the iPhone 6 (and implementing Crystal Sapphire glass instead), this might be a compelling reason for Apple to stick with Corning.
As detailed in The Optical Society's open-access journal Optics Express, the team has created what it calls the first laser-written light-guiding systems that could pioneer these advancements.
“We’re opening the Pandora’s box at the moment,” said paper co-author Raman Kashyap, a professor of electrical engineering and engineering physics at Polytechnique Montreal, in a statement. Now that the technique is viable, “it’s up to people to invent new uses” for it, he added.
The hope is that tech companies could embed these biomedical sensors into other devices too, such as windows or tabletops.
To make this possible, the researchers shot lasers into glass to create pathways that transmit data in the form of small beams of light. The waveguides act as tunnels that channel light, similar to how electronic wires convey electrical signals.
By adding these waveguides to mobile phones and adding a readable code, it opens up opportunities for manufacturers to get creative. While waveguides aren't new, the researchers say its new approach created by the team are 10 times better at minimizing such loss than previous ones made with lasers, Corning said.
There are also use cases for the display to monitor carbon-monoxide levels in the air and add security to mobile devices too.
For now, both the temperature sensor and authentication system are patent pending.
Foursquare, the location-based, social game-like service isn't just for checking in, racking up points and unlocking badges.
In May 2014, Foursquare split its user experience into two apps. The Foursquare team launchedSwarm, an app to help people "keep up and meet up" by checking into places, seeing who's nearby and making plans.
SEE ALSO: 9 Excellent Apps For Discovering New Things
By unbundling the check-ins, points and badges, the company tells us they are expecting to introduce a new version of Foursquare later this summer with new, highly personalized ways of finding the best places.
Until then, we can make the most of what Foursquare currently offers. We've rounded up a list of six productive uses for Foursquare you may have never considered.
Googleis reportedly interested in offering its own Wi-Fi networks in regions where it already has itsGoogle FiberInternet and TV service, a new report suggests.
According to PC World, Google has been circulating a document that discusses the possibility of a wireless service to 34 cities that are due to receive Google Fiber service in 2015.
SEE ALSO: 10 Places You're Not Allowed to See on Google Maps
The news of the document comes just a few weeks after reports first surfaced that Google was looking into its own wireless service in Google Fiber areas.
Although details related to a possible wireless service weren't included, the document said Google will be “discussing our Wi-Fi plans and related requirements with your city as we move forward with your city during this planning process.”
With blanket Wi-Fi service over a large area, Google could potentially bring both voice calling and data connections to mobile devices.
In 2012, Google announced it would be bring lightning-fast Internet speeds (100 times faster than usual, in fact) first to residents in Kansas City, Kan., with Google Fiber. It has since expanded to Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, and will enter new markets soon.
Fleshing out its Fiber network would be ambitious but not come as a complete surprise. Considering Google already dominates with its search engine and Android mobile operating system, it's a natural step for them to want to keep all of your mobile communication within its ecosystem.
Google's Nexus 5 smartphone and Nexus 7 tablet are now available for sale in eight new European countries,Android Policereports.
The list of countries now includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
The Nexus 7 has a 1.5GHz, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of storage and a 5-megapixel camera. The Nexus 5 has a 2.26GHz, quad-core Krait 400 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of storage and an 8-megapixel camera.
Both devices can be found in the Google Play Store in the eight aforementioned markets. The prices vary from market to market; typically, the 16GB Nexus 5 goes for €349 ($486), while the 16GB Nexus 7 costs €269 ($375).
You can find the full list of markets where Google devices are available here.
It’s never too late in the year for a newApplerumor. The latest, emerging from Asia, claims that the company has a larger sized iPad in the works.
Citing a source from Apple’s Asia supply chain, Digitimesreports that the company may be preparing to release a 12.9-inch tablet sometime in October of 2014.
This latest report follows a similar rumor published in the Wall Street Journal this summer that claimed that Apple was testing a new iPad with a screen measuring “slightly less than 13-inches."
The Digitimes report also claims that Apple’s larger tablet will be manufactured by Taiwan-based PC manufacturer Quanta Computer.
In recent years, Apple rumors of varying authenticity originating from Asia supply chain sources have become commonplace. But those rumors generally hint at some new product that might mirror existing market trends, such as an iPhone with a larger screen, or an Apple-branded smart television.
History tells us that Apple generally avoids following trends, instead opting to set new ones and open up new product categories. An iPad with a nearly 13-inch screen would largely buck the current trend of smaller tablets and phablets currently dominating the global marketplace.
If that logic holds, then the notion of a 12.9-inch iPad — a tool that could be particularly useful in educational environments (an important focus for Apple) — doesn’t seem so far fetched.
Twitter Inc., the microblogging service that held its initial public offering last month, rose to a record for a third trading day amid optimism that the company has room to expand sales in digital advertising.
Twitter jumped 8.4% to $69.96 at the close in New York after rising 7.5% yesterday. The stock has surged 169% since going public at $26 on Nov. 6, giving Twitter a market value of almost $40 billion — larger than Time Warner Cable Inc., media company Viacom Inc. and retailer Target Corp.
Investors are betting San Francisco-based Twitter can attract more ad dollars, as companies seek to market their wares through wireless devices and tie-ins with television programming. As the unprofitable company’s sales growth outpaces that of competitors such as Facebook Inc.and Google Inc., the stock has “graduated to cult status,” according to Blake Harper, an analyst at Wunderlich Securities Inc. in Baltimore.
“While the company is growing revenues faster than its fastest-growing peers and we do recognize the potential for the company to capture larger portions of the mobile and TV advertising market, it appears valuation metrics are irrelevant and that investors are betting aggressively on Twitter being the next great media-technology platform,” Harper, who recommends selling the stock, wrote in a note Tuesday.
“We don’t believe the current valuation justifies the risk,” wrote Harper, whose price target for Twitter is $34. “Especially with the company having yet to report a quarter as a public company.”
All it took was six months and some of the worst press any corporation could possibly have. Verizon and AT&T will finally begin issuing transparency reports of government requests for their data.
It's a striking move for both companies and privacy advocates at the Electronic Frontier Foundation said they were "pleasantly surprised" by the move. Verizon was the centerpiece of the very first of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden's revelations: that the NSA regularly got the call records of all Verizon's customers via secret court order.
When American tech companies like Google, Yahoo and Facebook were soon similarly indicted with documents proving they were tapped in a program called PRISM, they sprung into action. Each issued carefully worded denials that they were willing participants in such a scheme, and already published transparency reports — fuzzed on the specifics, per government demand — of how much information that governments around the world, including the U.S., demanded of them.
The phone companies, however, made no such gestures at the time. One Verizon executive dismissed the tech companies' actions as "grandstanding," adding that they "wave their arms and protest loudly so as not to offend the sensibility of their customers."
It's not hard to guess what might have prompted their change of heart. Both companies received letters from major shareholder groups in November, demanding the companies be more transparent.
Both companies said they'd provide a breakdown of government requests and court orders for their customers' information by early 2014.
However, it's not all roses for privacy advocates. AT&T specifically noted it would not include classified orders from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), the type made by the NSA. Verizon didn't address that issue in its own press release, and a representative contacted by the Daily Dot didn't immediately return request for comment. (In fairness, it is Christmas Eve.)
Google
