YouTube, the online video site, marks its fifth year this week. Here are some of the key staging posts in its history.
February 2005: YouTube founders, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim begin work on a video sharing site - they all met at PayPal
April 2005: First video uploaded to YouTube - a video of Jawed at San Diego Zoo
November 2005: YouTube secures first round of funding with Sequoia Capital for $3.5m
December 2005: Official Launch (8m videos watched a day)
February 2006: 15m videos watched a day; 20,000 uploaded a day
May 2006: Mobile video uploads released
July 2006: 65,000 new videos uploaded every day, site passes 100m video views per day
August 2006: YouTube launches first advertising concepts - Participatory Video Ads (PVA) and Brand Channels
Autumn 2006: YouTube signs deal with three major music labels (Sony BMG, Warner, Universal)
October 2006: YouTube partners with first major network (CBS) Begins testing Content Id tool to protect copyrighted material
October 2006: YouTube partners with Audible Magic to create audio identification technology
October 2006: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65bn, says its revenues are “not material”
November 2006: YouTube signs first major sports deal with NHL
January 2007: estimated that YouTube is consuming as much bandwidth as the entire internet did in 2000
March 2007: Viacom, owner of MTV and Nickelodeon, launches $1bn law suit against Google and YouTube for “illegally” showing hit shows. YouTube insists it has followed the rules contained in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
May 2007: First known instance of a Rickroll - prank links that send you to a video of Rick Astley singing Never Gonna Give You Up
May 2007: Premier League threatens legal action against YouTube for alleged copyright infringement. Again YouTube says it operates within copyright law.
May 2007: First users offered commercial partnerships with YouTube
May 2007: YouTube and EMI form partnership
January 2008: 10 hours of video uploaded every minute. YouTube bandwidth costs estimated at £1m a day
May 2008: 13 hours of video uploaded every minute. Forbes magazine estimates YouTube revenues at $200m a year
June 2008: YouTube integration into Sony Bravia TV
July 2008: YouTube integration in TiVo
October 2008: 5 hours of footage uploaded every minute
January 2009: President Obama launches channel on YouTube
February 2009: Pope launches channel
May 2009: 20 hours of video uploaded every minute
July 2009: 3D Launch
October 2009: Live-stream of U2 concert
October 2009: Channel 4 agrees YouTube deal to put all its catch-up tv on the site
October 2009: Chad Hurley reveals in a blog that YouTube has exceeded 1billion views per day
December 2009: 5 agrees similar partnership to Channel 4
January 2010: YouTube video rentals launch
March 2010: 24 hours of video uploaded per minute
March 2010: YouTube begins streaming Indian Premier League cricket worldwide
March 31: YouTube launches new, cleaner design to encourage viewers to stay on the site for longer
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Friday, 16 April 2010
Browsing histories appear online
Users of the Winny filesharing service are thought to be particularly at risk from the Kenzero virus, which originated in Japan.
The Trojan virus is hidden inside some video files of explicit Hentai anime, which are shared across the Winny network. Once an unsuspecting computer user has downloaded the video file to their machine, the virus executes, popping up an installation screen that prompts the computer user to type in personal information.
The virus then takes screengrabs of a user's browsing history, and publishes a list of all the sites they have visited online. A dialog box or email is then sent to the user, demanding a credit card payment of around £10 to remove the list from the internet.
"We've seen the name before in association with the Zeus and Koobface Trojans," Rik Ferguson, a security adviser at Trend Micro, told the BBC. "It is an established criminal gang that is continuously involved in this sort of activity."
Computer users have been advised to ensure their antivirus, firewall and security software is up to date, and that they have downloaded any security patches for their operating system. Users who receive emails or dialog boxes demanding payment to settle alleged copyright infringement or for the removal of browsing histories are advised to ignore the demands, and instead to use an anti-malware scanner to check for suspicious files on their PC.
--By Claudine Beaumont,16 Apr 2010
The Trojan virus is hidden inside some video files of explicit Hentai anime, which are shared across the Winny network. Once an unsuspecting computer user has downloaded the video file to their machine, the virus executes, popping up an installation screen that prompts the computer user to type in personal information.
The virus then takes screengrabs of a user's browsing history, and publishes a list of all the sites they have visited online. A dialog box or email is then sent to the user, demanding a credit card payment of around £10 to remove the list from the internet.
"We've seen the name before in association with the Zeus and Koobface Trojans," Rik Ferguson, a security adviser at Trend Micro, told the BBC. "It is an established criminal gang that is continuously involved in this sort of activity."
Computer users have been advised to ensure their antivirus, firewall and security software is up to date, and that they have downloaded any security patches for their operating system. Users who receive emails or dialog boxes demanding payment to settle alleged copyright infringement or for the removal of browsing histories are advised to ignore the demands, and instead to use an anti-malware scanner to check for suspicious files on their PC.
--By Claudine Beaumont,16 Apr 2010
Browsing histories appear online
Users of the Winny filesharing service are thought to be particularly at risk from the Kenzero virus, which originated in Japan.
The Trojan virus is hidden inside some video files of explicit Hentai anime, which are shared across the Winny network. Once an unsuspecting computer user has downloaded the video file to their machine, the virus executes, popping up an installation screen that prompts the computer user to type in personal information.
The virus then takes screengrabs of a user's browsing history, and publishes a list of all the sites they have visited online. A dialog box or email is then sent to the user, demanding a credit card payment of around £10 to remove the list from the internet.
"We've seen the name before in association with the Zeus and Koobface Trojans," Rik Ferguson, a security adviser at Trend Micro, told the BBC. "It is an established criminal gang that is continuously involved in this sort of activity."
Computer users have been advised to ensure their antivirus, firewall and security software is up to date, and that they have downloaded any security patches for their operating system. Users who receive emails or dialog boxes demanding payment to settle alleged copyright infringement or for the removal of browsing histories are advised to ignore the demands, and instead to use an anti-malware scanner to check for suspicious files on their PC.
--By Claudine Beaumont,16 Apr 2010
The Trojan virus is hidden inside some video files of explicit Hentai anime, which are shared across the Winny network. Once an unsuspecting computer user has downloaded the video file to their machine, the virus executes, popping up an installation screen that prompts the computer user to type in personal information.
The virus then takes screengrabs of a user's browsing history, and publishes a list of all the sites they have visited online. A dialog box or email is then sent to the user, demanding a credit card payment of around £10 to remove the list from the internet.
"We've seen the name before in association with the Zeus and Koobface Trojans," Rik Ferguson, a security adviser at Trend Micro, told the BBC. "It is an established criminal gang that is continuously involved in this sort of activity."
Computer users have been advised to ensure their antivirus, firewall and security software is up to date, and that they have downloaded any security patches for their operating system. Users who receive emails or dialog boxes demanding payment to settle alleged copyright infringement or for the removal of browsing histories are advised to ignore the demands, and instead to use an anti-malware scanner to check for suspicious files on their PC.
--By Claudine Beaumont,16 Apr 2010
Monday, 12 April 2010
Facebook Farm Town game hit by virus
Security experts have advised Farm Town's 9.6 million Facebook players to perform an immediate virus scan on their computers, after it was discovered that the site had been serving up adverts infected with malware.
SlashKey, the company behind Farm Town, warned that some of the adverts appearing around the game contained fake antivirus alerts, and were designed to con players in to believing their computer was infected with a virus. Players would then click on the advert to purchase antivirus software, but the site would trick them out of their credit card details.
Sophos, a computer security company, said that hundreds of Farm Town users had reported problems, but that many other users could unknowingly be affected by the scam.
"Poisoned adverts appear to be trickling onto their PCs from a third-party advertising network," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Players of games like Farm Town are not all geeks, and might easily fall hard and fast for a bogus security warning – straight into the hands of hackers.
"Rather than SlashKey simply asking its players to report offending adverts when they appear, the company should disable third-party Farm Town adverts until the problem is fixed. Doing anything less is surely showing a careless disregard for the safety of its players," he said.
"Until the makers of Farm Town resolve the problem of malicious adverts, my advice to its fans would be to stop playing the game and ensure that their computer is properly defended with up-to-date security software."
Cluley said that so-called "scareware" attacks were on the increase. Hackers and fraudsters have been buoyed by the success of previous campaigns, and have found consumers can be easily tricked in to clicking on legitimate-looking links.
SlashKey, the company behind Farm Town, warned that some of the adverts appearing around the game contained fake antivirus alerts, and were designed to con players in to believing their computer was infected with a virus. Players would then click on the advert to purchase antivirus software, but the site would trick them out of their credit card details.
Sophos, a computer security company, said that hundreds of Farm Town users had reported problems, but that many other users could unknowingly be affected by the scam.
"Poisoned adverts appear to be trickling onto their PCs from a third-party advertising network," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Players of games like Farm Town are not all geeks, and might easily fall hard and fast for a bogus security warning – straight into the hands of hackers.
"Rather than SlashKey simply asking its players to report offending adverts when they appear, the company should disable third-party Farm Town adverts until the problem is fixed. Doing anything less is surely showing a careless disregard for the safety of its players," he said.
"Until the makers of Farm Town resolve the problem of malicious adverts, my advice to its fans would be to stop playing the game and ensure that their computer is properly defended with up-to-date security software."
Cluley said that so-called "scareware" attacks were on the increase. Hackers and fraudsters have been buoyed by the success of previous campaigns, and have found consumers can be easily tricked in to clicking on legitimate-looking links.
Sunday, 11 April 2010
Boy runs up £900 Farmville debt
He also raided his own savings to drum up £288 to maintain his virtual farming empire on Farmville, a game that is played through the Facebook social networking site.
The youngster borrowed his mother's credit card to spend a further £625 on virtual coins and other goods to help increase his yield of moneymaking virtual crops.
A 12-year-old boy ran up more than £900 in debt when he stole his mother's credit card to make in-game purchases in Farmville
But his spending was quickly noticed by his mother, who noticed mysterious transactions on her account and cancelled her card. Facebook has terminated the youngster's account.
But the family has been told by Zynga, creator of Farmville, and Facebook, which hosts the game, that the money will not be refunded, because the youngster lives at the address to which the card is registered. Her credit card company said it would be able to refund the cash if she reported her son to the police.
"He would be cautioned and I have been told that this caution would stay with him," the mother told the Guardian. "Obviously, the idea of a stupid farm simulation jeopardising his future earnings is not something I want to consider."
Farmville has an estimated 80 million players worldwide, with around 30 million people logging on every day to tend to their virtual farms and nurture crops.
The youngster borrowed his mother's credit card to spend a further £625 on virtual coins and other goods to help increase his yield of moneymaking virtual crops.
But his spending was quickly noticed by his mother, who noticed mysterious transactions on her account and cancelled her card. Facebook has terminated the youngster's account.
But the family has been told by Zynga, creator of Farmville, and Facebook, which hosts the game, that the money will not be refunded, because the youngster lives at the address to which the card is registered. Her credit card company said it would be able to refund the cash if she reported her son to the police.
"He would be cautioned and I have been told that this caution would stay with him," the mother told the Guardian. "Obviously, the idea of a stupid farm simulation jeopardising his future earnings is not something I want to consider."
Farmville has an estimated 80 million players worldwide, with around 30 million people logging on every day to tend to their virtual farms and nurture crops.
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