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Episodes 3631 - 3640 of 4265

  • Facebook is expected to file paperwork for its IPO as soon as today. The company may be valued as high as $100 billion. The way Facebook makes money, remember, is from advertising to you. And the more they know about you, the more they can tailor those ads. Also on the show, the enormous pile of presidential campaign money, and the technological ways the candidates are using to get more.

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  • Facebook Timeline is rolling out to all users. A new report indicates that people aren’t real excited about the change. Some of that discomfort might stem from the fact that Timeline is becoming mandatory rather than opt-in. And remember the old saying about free services like Facebook: If you’re not paying for it, you’re not the customer — you’re the product. When it comes to Facebook, it’s always useful to look at what’s in it for advertisers. Also in this program, Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips releases a new song with backing vocals by Siri.

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  • When you want to buy something online, you always check the customer reviews, right? But can you trust what you read? Amazon.com recently deleted a lot of reviews for a particular brand of protective case designed to fit the Kindle Fire tablet computer. Turns out the makers of the case were paying people to write positive reviews. That’s illegal according to the Federal Trade Commission. So what can you do to make sure what you’re reading is the real scoop? Also in this program, a new tech vocabulary word: Likejacking.

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  • The Pentagon aims to cut $487 billion from its budget over the next 10 years. That means a reduction of 100,000 troops, base closures, and cutting back on ships and aircraft. One area that is not slated for reduction, however, is the UAV program. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, commonly referred to as drones, are going to see a 30 percent increase under the new plan. Also in this program, Motorola has filed a patent infringement suit against Apple, charging that Apple has violated patents belonging to Motorola. It seeks the remedy of banning the sale of the iPhone.

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  • Traditionally, Google has had separate privacy policies and separate terms of service for each site it operates. YouTube has one agreement, Google News might use another, Google+ something else. The idea behind the new privacy policy is that it will cover all of Google. That will mean the different parts of Google will be free to use information about you with each other. Also in this program, thoughts on why everything has to be so complicated on sites that are supposed to be so simple (i.e. Facebook).

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  • The President’s annual State of the Union address touched on a lot of tenets that are central to his administration and his campaign for re-election. President Obama talked about how the tax laws should be adjusted so that Warren Buffett doesn’t pay a lower tax rate than his secretary. Mr. Obama called for more control over interest rates for student loans and breaks for homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages. He stressed the need for investment in renewable energy sources.

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  • The Supreme Court has issued a unanimous ruling in a case that has been watched closely by privacy advocates. United States v. Jones dealt with Washington, D.C., resident Antoine Jones, who was suspected of trafficking in drugs. Authorities attached a GPS device to Jones’ car, ultimately tracing his movements to a suburban house used to stash drugs. The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a search on someone’s car is a search of their property and therefore a warrant should be required. The Court was unanimous in its ruling but was split 5-4 in exactly how the 4th Amendment applies in this situation.

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  • A new book explores the digital trail you leave behind when you visit a site and what advertising companies are able to determine about you based on your activities. And this kind of data mining and profiling isn’t just being used to sell you detergent, it’s used in political campaigns as well — you may be seeing a different candidate than someone else sees, all based on where you went online and the trail you left behind. Also on the show, the number of tablets and readers is spiking up.

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  • Megaupload was one popular website. Its shutdown stems from an indictment issued in a Northern Virginia court accusing the site of being responsible for $500 million in revenue that should have been going to the copyright holders of the movies, TV shows and music on the site. And the timing of the raid, coming as it did the day after the protests by Wikipedia and other sites, may have not been coincidental. Also in this program, another installment of Tech Report Theater.

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About the show

Every weekday morning, Marketplace Tech demystifies the digital economy. The radio show and podcast explain how tech influences our lives in unexpected ways and provides context for listeners who care about the impact of tech, business and the digital world.

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