Android dubbed a future threat

The Android platform is “wide open” and represents a bigger security threat to tablet users than Apple's iOS, according to the CEO of anti-virus firm Avast, reports V3.co.uk.

Speaking during a press tour of the company's headquarters in Prague, Vince Steckler, formerly head of Asia-Pacific for Symantec, warned the Google ecosystem “is a future threat”.

“Android is wide open and it's very simple for viruses to propagate there, but Apple's is a closed ecosystem,” he said.

The first .xxx Web addresses have gone live on the Internet, almost 11 years after the extension was first proposed, according to The Register.

On Friday, the porn-only address was added to the domain name system's root servers through a convoluted process that involves box-ticking from domain overseer ICANN, the US Department of Commerce, and VeriSign.

Surfers can visit Web sites such as porn.xxx and sex.xxx, both of which are - for now - place-holders with safe-for-work generic content.

The UK government has endorsed EU regulations forcing online businesses to request explicit consent of users to install cookies on their PCs, says Computing.co.uk.

The government added that it will work with browser manufacturers to see if browser settings can be enhanced to meet the requirements of the revised directive.

The regulation changes will come into force on 25 May, after which the government has said it will adopt the amended framework exactly as set out. It added that it will not “gold-plate” the regulations by adding any additional measures, to ensure British firms can compete equally with the rest of Europe.

The Obama administration said it is moving ahead with a plan for broad adoption of Internet IDs, despite concerns about identity centralisation, and hopes to fund pilot projects next year, reports Cnet.

At an event hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce, in Washington, DC, administration officials downplayed privacy and civil liberties concerns about their proposal, which they said would be led by the private sector and not be required for Americans who use the Internet.

There's “no reliable way to verify identity online” at the moment, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said, citing the rising tide of security threats including malware and identity theft that have grown increasingly prevalent over the last few years.