McAfee declares Lily Collins the world's most dangerous celebrity

The daughter of musician Phil Collins already gets enough negative publicity for having the former Genesis frontman as a dad, but now she also has the dubious honor of topping the anti-virus firm's annual list of risky web searches.

Google's AdID to take a bite out of third-party cookies

Much the way Apple took the reins of advertising on iOS with iAd, Google has a plan to replace third-party advertiser-tracking cookies with a proprietary identifier called AdID.

Google has a plan that might eliminate the third-party tracking cookie in favor of a proprietary tracker called AdID.

 You're not the only one unhappy with the proliferation of third-party cookies. So is Google, which has a plan called AdID to cut them from your online advertising diet.

The proposal could upend the $120 billion online advertising business, simultaneously giving more control over which ads are shown to customers and to Google as well, reports USA Today.

The story, based on a single, anonymous source at Google who is "familiar" with the plan but was not authorized to speak to the press, says that AdID could give Google a big bump to the company's online ad business. Google controls around one-third of all online advertising revenue.

"The AdID would be transmitted to advertisers and ad networks that have agreed to basic guidelines, giving consumers more privacy and control over how they browse the Web," the anonymous source told the paper.
The report said that Google is planning a push in the coming weeks and months to secure backing from government agencies, consumer groups, and online advertisers.

Google, for its part, denied that any plans are imminent. "We believe that technological enhancements can improve users' security while ensuring the Web remains economically viable," a Google spokesperson told CNET. "We and others have a number of concepts in this area, but they're all at very early stages."

Microsoft Aims Windows 8.1 at Financial Firms

The big money OS? Ahead of Windows 8.1's big launch next month, Microsoft is targeting post-PC financial professionals.

Money talks, and Microsoft is speaking volumes about its flagship operating system's place in today's financial services industry. Mobility is foremost on Microsoft's agenda. While at the Sibos conference in Dubai, a gathering of financial companies and professionals, the software giant is "discussing how our technology can help financial institutions grow their businesses through mobile innovations for employees and customers," informed Erwin Visser, general manager of Windows Commercial, in a Sept. 16 blog post. He added that his company is "working with financial institutions to help them embrace mobility to take advantage of the new business opportunities it offers" while hinting that finance and banking concerns don't have to sacrifice IT manageability to pursue those opportunities. Microsoft's Windows 8 OS straddles the line between tablets and desktop PCs. A tiled interface (formerly Metro) offers users access to touch-optimized apps while the traditional Windows desktop—along with its well-established hooks into corporate IT management systems—allows users to tap into a vast business software library. It's this blend of new mobile-friendly capabilities with an IT-friendly legacy that Microsoft believes will resonate with financial firms.
 Visser argued that Windows "is uniquely positioned to help companies utilize mobile technologies, so that they can do business in new ways, while also meeting the stringent IT standards for security, manageability and support that financial institutions require for their sensitive data." Microsoft is doubling down on those requirements with the upcoming Windows 8.1 update, which was designed "with enterprise needs in mind." Windows 8.1 is scheduled for an Oct. 17 release (Oct. 18 at retail). Windows 8.1 Enterprise, currently in preview, is the latest in the company's efforts to deliver the most enterprise-ready version of Windows yet. With an eye toward bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and remote workers, Microsoft has baked in features that promote simplified connectivity beyond the corporate firewall. DirectAccess, for example, provides secure access to corporate applications without the need for a virtual private network (VPN). In some cases, users can even carry their work PC on their key rings. Windows To Go Creator lets administrators "deploy" a full Windows desktop on a USB flash drive. When plugged into a Windows 8 PC, a corporate desktop image, along with the appropriate applications, settings and policies, is presented to the user. Other highlights include OpenMDM support, built-in Windows Defender malware protection and locked-down Start screen layouts. Windows 8.1 also offers security-conscious financial "biometrics for user authentication, remote business data removal for BYOD devices, and encryption support on all Windows 8.1 devices," stated Visser. The Windows 8 app business software ecosystem for tablets is also gathering steam. Microsoft offered up new apps that debuted at Sibos, including SunGard's Ambit Concierge, BoardLink from Thomson Reuters and Temenos' prototype Treasury Management Dashboard, as examples of big business apps that can work on Windows 8 slates.

Brazil looks to break from US-centric Internet

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Brazil plans to divorce itself from the U.S.-centric Internet over Washington's widespread online spying, a move that many experts fear will be a potentially dangerous first step toward fracturing a global network built with minimal interference by governments. 

Conservatives Step Up Push To Undercut GOP On Obamacare

Obamacare is becoming a huge headache for the Republican Party.

Conservative advocacy groups are rallying behind House legislation backed by 43 Republicans to threaten a government shutdown unless Obamacare is defunded, undercutting GOP leaders’ efforts to lock in low spending levels by goading the party into a self-defeating confrontation.