Internet browser Opera launches free built-in VPN for secure surfing

Internet users usually dodge firewalls and conceal an IP address by installing third-party softwares to ensure privacy while surfing.

Now, a browser offers premium and secure internet browsing.

Opera, an internet browser, has invented a developer version of its desktop web browser with a built-in Virtual Private Network (VPN) support. A user can simply flick a virtual switch to enjoy 256-bit encrypted connection that hampers third party sites or government agencies to obstruct internet content a user cannot access and insulate the users’ connection details, according to a report by tech sites Gizmodo and Engadget.

Opera wrote in a blog post, “We are the first major browser maker to integrate an unlimited and free VPN or virtual private network. Now, you don’t have to download VPN extensions or pay for VPN subscriptions to access blocked websites and to shield your browsing when on public Wi-Fi.”

VPN complicates government and third parties to monitor data by directing users’ internet traffic to other countries through servers.

Currently, users of Canada, Germany, and the United States can utilize unlimited amount of data with the built-in VPN. The built-in VPN feature is available for Windows and OS X.

Opera envisions to launch the feature in other countries in the next few months. Gianna Francesca Catolico, INQUIRER.net

source: technology.inquirer.net

15% in US shun Internet; most intend to stay offline

WASHINGTON  - Despite a seemingly unstoppable move to digital lifestyles, some 15 percent of Americans don't use the Internet, and most are quite content to remain offline, a survey shows.

The survey released Wednesday found that in addition to the 15 percent of adults who don't use the Internet on any device, another nine percent say they only go online at their workplace.

The report by the Pew Research Center found a whopping 92 percent of these "offline adults" with no interest in using the Internet or email in the near future.

"A lot of people are surprised to discover that not everyone is online," said Kathryn Zickuhr, a Pew researcher and author of the report.

"Most offline adults either don't see the Internet as relevant to them, or feel that it would not be worth the effort. And though many have had some experiences with the Internet in the past, most non-Internet users say they are not interested in going online in the future."

The survey found 34 percent of the offline Americans said the Internet is not relevant to them, that they are not interested, do not want to use it, or have no need for it.

Another 32 percent in this group said they believe using the Internet is difficult or frustrating to use, or cite issues such as spam, spyware, and hackers.

Pew found 19 percent of non-Internet users cited the expense of owning a computer or online connections, and just seven percent said the Internet was not available to them.

The report said the percentage of Americans using the Internet grew sharply from 1995, when just 14 percent were online, but has held in a range of around 75 to 85 percent in the past few years.

Age was a major factor in Internet usage: 44 percent of those 65 and older said they do not use the Internet, compared with 17 percent of the next-youngest age group, 50 to 64.

In the 18-29 age group, 87 percent use the Internet and just 13 percent do not, Pew found

Those with lower incomes or less education, and Hispanics were also less likely to go online.

Some 41 percent who failed to finish high school were not using the Internet, as were 24 percent of Hispanics and 24 percent of those in households earning less than $30,000 per year, according to the researchers.

Urban and suburban dwellers were a bit more likely to go online than their rural counterparts, the researchers found.

But those who are offline are aware of the value of the Internet: 44 of the offline adults surveyed said they have asked a friend or family member to look something up or complete a task on the Internet for them.

And one in four offline adults live in a household where someone else uses the Internet at home, a proportion that has remained relatively steady for over a decade.

One in seven, or 14 percent, of the offline group said they had previously used the Internet, but have since stopped for some reason.

Among the Internet users, most had broadband access, with just three percent using dial-up connections, Pew found.

The report was based on a survey of 2,252 adults from April 17 to May 19. The margin of error was estimated at 2.3 percentage points for the full group, 2.5 points for Internet users and 5.9 points for the non-Internet users.  — Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Singapore to regulate Yahoo!, other online news sites

SINGAPORE - Websites that regularly report on Singapore including Yahoo! News will have to get a license from June 1, putting them on par with newspapers and television new outlets, in a move seen by some as a bid to rein in free-wheeling internet news.

"Online news sites that report regularly on issues relating to Singapore and have significant reach among readers here will require an individual licence," Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) said in a statement.

"This will place them on a more consistent regulatory framework with traditional news platforms which are already individually licensed," the media regulator said.

Prosperous and orderly Singapore, a regional base for many multinationals and fund managers, is one of the world's most wired-up cities with most people having broadband access.

It has long maintained strict controls on the media, saying that was necessary to maintain stability in a small, multi-racial country and that media must be held accountable for what they publish.

Lobby group Reporters Without Borders, in its latest report, ranked Singapore 149th globally in terms of press freedom, down 14 places from 2012 and below many of its neighbors.

In 2011, the city-state's tiny opposition made big gains against the long-ruling People's Action Party in parliamentary elections, partly by using the internet to reach voters.

A survey by the Straits Times newspaper shortly before the vote found 36.3 percent of people between the ages of 21 and 34 cited the internet as their top source of domestic political news compared with 35.3 percent who preferred newspapers.

"Will find a way"

The MDA identified sg.news.yahoo.com, a service run by internet giant Yahoo! Inc, as among 10 sites that would be affected by the new requirement, based on criteria such as having 50,000 unique visitors from Singapore a month over a period of two months.

Yahoo! declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

"We are not in a position to respond until we receive the actual license conditions for review," the head of its Singapore news service, Alan Soon, said.

Of the remaining nine sites, seven are run by Singapore Press Holdings Ltd, whose publications tend to maintain a pro-government stance. The other two are operated by state-owned broadcaster Mediacorp.

Conditions for the sites that require individual licenses, which have to be reviewed annually, include a performance bond of S$50,000 ($39,700) and a requirement that objectionable content be removed within 24 hours when directed by the MDA.

The MDA said the new regulation did not apply to blogs, though adding: "If they take on the nature of news sites, we will take a closer look and evaluate them accordingly".

The regulation drew criticism from some Internet users who saw it as an attempt to stifle online news not affiliated with the government.

On state-owned Channel NewsAsia's Facebook page, a person named Jeremy Tan likened the development to what goes on in China or North Korea.

"You can try to shut us up. We will find a way around it," another internet user, Sushikin Ky, said on the Facebook page. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com